Hooked white shark bites swimmer off Manhattan Beach

Posted on: by George Probst

The AP reports, that a long distance swimmer suffered injuries as the result of a bite from a sub-adult white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) of off Los Angeles County’s Manhattan Beach yesterday morning. According to an NBCLA report, the shark had been hooked by a fisherman on Manhattan Beach Pier and had been on the line for about a half-hour when a group of swimmers intersected the hooked shark’s path.

Steve Robles of Lomita, CA was bitten in the chest area and also suffered injuries to his right hand. A paddle-boarder helped Robles to the shore where he was treated by paramedics and transported to a nearby hospital. Thankfully, Robles injuries were not life-threatening, and he is currently recovering at home.

The fisherman told NBCLA that he was fishing for bat rays when he hooked the shark. He said he didn’t realize it was a white shark until after it had been on the line for 15 minutes. California law dictates that the line must be cut if a white shark is hooked, but he said the shark was close to a surfer when he recognized the species, and he didn’t want it to attack the surfer.

It should be noted that a white shark of this size, which was estimated at 7′ (about 2m) in length, does not typically feed on marine mammals or large prey items.

NSU Shark-tracking Website Helps Viewers “Dive Into Shark Week”

Posted on: by George Probst

by TheDorsalFin on Aug.06, 2013 at 7:18 pm, under Shark News Stories

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – Nova Southeastern University’s (NSU) Guy Harvey Research Institute (GHRI) will help shark enthusiasts take their Shark Week 2013 to the next level with an interactive website that tracks four shark species (mako, tiger, oceanic white tip and sand tiger) around the world. Users can interface with the technology to see where and how far the sharks travel over time.

The NSU Guy Harvey Research Institute shark-tracking website can be accessed at:
www.nova.edu/ocean/ghri/tracking/.

“This multi-species shark tracking site provides an eye-opening perspective on the secret pathways and enormous distances that some sharks can cover during their seasonal migrations,” said Mahmood Shivji, Ph.D., director of NSU’s Guy Harvey Research Institute and the Save Our Seas Shark Research Center.

Eighteen sharks (makos and oceanic white tips – see names below) are currently reporting their whereabouts in the open ocean almost daily, and their wanderings can be followed in near real time on the web site, revealing novel information about their movements.

“Understanding where these animals migrate to and when they do it is crucial to their conservation,” says Guy Harvey, Ph.D. “The Guy Harvey Research Institute is a worldwide leader in shark tagging and research. Dr.
Shivji and his GHRI team have been able to record some of the longest tracks in the modern history of shark research.”

The longest recorded track is a Tiger Shark affectionately referred to as Harry Lindo. Harry was tagged in Bermuda in 2009 and tracked for more than 3 years, providing an unprecedented long-term and detailed view of its migrations. During that time, Harry covered a remarkable distance of over 27,000 miles.

The NSU/GHRI shark tagging program, which began in 2009, has now gone worldwide, and includes New Zealand and West Atlantic mako sharks; tiger sharks in Western Australia, Bermuda, Grand Bahama, Bimini Chub Cay, and Grand Cayman; oceanic white tip sharks in the Bahamas and Caribbean; and sand tiger sharks in the Atlantic. Shark researchers at NSU have discovered interesting patterns while tracking the various species, including:

Seasonal Patterns:

Tiger sharks tagged in Bermuda that were tracked for 2-3 years show a seasonal pattern that they repeat year to year. They move to Bahamian and Caribbean waters during the winter, and then move to open ocean in very deep waters northeast of Bermuda where they spend a couple of months each summer before returning to warmer locales for the following winter.

Deepest Dives:

Pop-up tags allow researchers to look at swimming depth as well as location data. At least one tiger shark and a shortfin mako shark were recorded swimming at depths of nearly 900 meters (nearly 3,000 feet).

Fastest Shark Species:

Shortfin mako sharks can reach speeds of approximately 60 miles per hour for short bursts. Long-term movements for this species are not well known, but current tracks on animals tagged by the GHRI team off Ocean City, Maryland, monitored one animal as it traveled nearly 2,000 miles in the first 42 days after it was tagged. A mako named JoAnn (tagged off Isla Mujeres, Mexico) traveled approximately 3,200 miles in 91 days since she was tagged. And yet another mako named Carol (tagged off New Zealand) travelled to Fiji and back, covering at least 10,000 miles over the course of just over 11 months.

The equipment – Two types of transmitters

SPOT Tags

SPOT Tags are mounted to the fin of the shark and have an antenna that extends upward. These tags have a saltwater switch/sensor that tells the tag when it is out of the water. When the tag breaks the surface of the water, it transmits its location to a satellite, allowing researchers to track the animal over the life of the tag’s battery (typically 10 to 30 months).

Pop-up Tags:

Pop-up tags are archival satellite tags that are typically inserted into the shark’s top surface by its dorsal fin and collect and store data within the tag. After a pre-determined amount of time, the tag releases from the shark, floats to the surface and transmits the stored data to a satellite from which scientists can determine the position of the shark, its depth and the temperature of water in prefers to spend its time in.

For information on NSU’s Oceanographic Center, visit: www.nova.edu/ocean

About Nova Southeastern University

Situated on 300 beautiful acres in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, Nova Southeastern University (NSU) is a dynamic fully accredited research institution dedicated to providing high-quality educational programs at all levels. NSU is a not-for-profit independent institution with 27,000 students. NSU awards associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, specialist, doctoral and first-professional degrees in a wide range of fields. NSU is classified as a research university with ‘high research activity’ by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, and it’s one of only 37 universities nationwide to also be awarded Carnegie’s Community Engagement Classification. For more information on NSU, visit: www.nova.edu.

Shark Week’s Megalodon: The Monster Shark Lives draws online criticism

Posted on: by George Probst

Discovery Channel’s 2013 edition of Shark Week has gotten off on the wrong fin in the eyes of some viewers. Last night’s “Megalodon: The Monster Shark Lives” has drummed up a lot of negative buzz in the online world. Discovery’s Facebook page is loaded with comparisons to last year’s faux documentary “Mermaids: The Body Found,” which also caught a lot of heat online. Others are referring to the show as “The Blair Shark Project” in reference to the 1999 “Blair Witch Project.” Reddit shark fans also expressed disappointment and threatened to boycott Shark Week.

It seems some viewers are disappointed with Discovery’s latest offering would prefer to see ‘real-life’ documentaries as opposed to fictionalized storytelling being pawned off in documentary fashion. Complaints about the disclaimer at the beginning of the show being “unreadable” have some referring to the show as a farce. Rich Juzwiak at Gawker refers to the disclaimer as ‘too-fast-to-read.’

Did you watch “Megalodon: The Monster Shark Lives?” If so, sound off in the comments about what you thought of the show and Discovery’s decision to include a “mockumentary” in the Shark Week line-up.

Shark Week 2013 – ‘Return of Jaws’ shark cam preview

Posted on: by George Probst

Discovery Channel has released a preview of the upcoming “Return of Jaws” program from Shark Week 2013. “Return of Jaws” focuses on Atlantic great white sharks off the shores of Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

In the video ‘Shark Cam’ (a underwater robot equipped with multiple cameras) is deployed to follow a tagged great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias). According to the clip, this marks the first time a white shark has been tracked and filmed by an underwater robot.

“Return of Jaws” premieres Monday, August 5 at 10pm (9pm C) on Discovery Channel’s Shark Week.

Newport Aquariums newest shark ray dies of mating injury

Posted on: by George Probst

The Newport Aquarium boasts having the “largest collection of shark rays on display in the world.” However, the aquarium is down one shark ray after their latest addition, a 6-year-old female, died on Monday, according to a USA Today report.

Shark rays (Rhina ancylostoma), also known as bowmouth guitarfish, have a distinctive appearance with broad rounded head like a “traditional” ray with dorsal and caudal fins similar in appearance to sharks. The species is typically found in Indo-Pacific waters and spends most of its time on the ocean floor. The shark ray is listed as “vulnerable” on the IUCN red list.

The Newport Aquairum’s newest shark ray was recently added to the “Shark Ray Bay” last week. The mating process for the species typically involves the biting down on the female’s pectoral fin to hold her. The aquarium’s curator said the in this instance the male bit the recently added female in the abdomen. She was removed from the exhibit when aquarium staff noticed she was in distress. An ultrasound revealed internal bleeding which resulted in the shark ray’s death.

For more on the story, check out USA Today’s “Mating injury kills Kentucky aquarium’s shark ray” article.

No-kill shark tournament comes to Montauk, New York

Posted on: by George Probst

The New York Times published a feature yesterday titled “Rethinking Tournaments Where Sharks Always Lose” which covers a more “environmentally-friendly” shark tournament that will take place July 27-28 in Montauk, NY.

Montauk is quite well-known for its shark tournaments that result in fishermen stringing up shark carcasses along the docks for all to see. Late Montauk resident Frank Mundus helped pioneer shark fishing in the region and was reportedly the inspiration for Quint in the novel and movie “Jaws.”

This weekend’s Shark’s Eye Tournament will bring a different approach to Montauk’s famed shark events featuring a no-kill approach that will involve satellite tagging of selected sharks. The tournament will use a point system with values based on the species of sharks captured with bonus points awarded for satellite tagged sharks. The caught sharks will be photographed by an “observer” assigned to each vessel in the competition. Only single, non stainless steel, inline circle hooks will be allowed in the tournament.

The Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation has donated $10,000 in cash prizes, and artist April Gornik has donated a painting which will be presented to the winner of the tournament.

Spearfisherman has close encounter with great white shark

Posted on: by George Probst

WARNING: Video contains language that may be offensive to some.

YouTube user Eugene van Wyngaardt had a close encounter with a white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) while spearfishing off the South African coast. Van Wyngaart described the shark as a 5m female. The white shark came in for a close enough look that van Wyngaart gave her a prod with his speargun. The shark circled the boat 3 times after van Wyngaardt got out of the water, according to the video description.

European Union (EU) adopts strict shark fin ban

Posted on: by George Probst

According to an Oceana press release, the European Union (EU) adopted a strict ban on shark finning, which became effective on July 6, 2013. Existing shark EU shark finning regulations banned the finning of sharks. However, loopholes in the existing regulations allowed exemptions which made enforcement of the ban difficult.

The amended shark fin ban closes the previously existing loopholes and requires all sharks landed in EU ports and by EU vessels worldwide to have their fins naturally attached.

For more information, check out the Oceana press release and the full-text of the amended EU regulation

Snuffy: The Story Behind the Seal – Shark Week promo

Posted on: by George Probst

Discovery Channel’s Shark Week 2013 campaign, featuring “Snuffy the seal” continues with a third promotional video. The latest Shark Week ad appears to be a VH1 “Behind the Music” style parody chronicle Snuffy’s rise and fall.

Responses to the “Snuffy” promotional videos on Discovery’s YouTube channel have been mixed. Some viewers have expressed that they think the videos are humorous, while other have criticized the videos as being in poor taste. However, the ads do seem to be creating some “buzz” for this year’s edition of Shark Week, which is likely the primary goal of the ad campaign.

Shark Week 2013 begins on August 4 at 9 p.m. (8 p.m. central) on the Discovery Channel.

What are your thoughts on the “Snuffy the seal” ad campaign? Sound off in the comments below!

Discovery continues Snuffy the Seal Shark Week campaign

Posted on: by George Probst

Discovery Channel continues to ramp up its advertising campaign for Shark Week 2013 with another Snuffy the Seal promo. This latest entry in the campaign features John Walsh of America’s Most Wanted urging viewers to be on the lookout for the suspect in the Snuffy’s death.

Shark Week 2013 begins Sunday, August 4 at 9PM/8PM Central.