Beachcombers walk along Manresa State Beach in Santa Cruz County, California on May 9, 2020, after a shark attack claimed the life of a surfer. Karl Mondon / MediaNews Group / The Mercury News via Getty Images
A 26-year-old man was killed by a shark as he was surfing near a state beach in Northern California on Saturday, according to authorities, as The New York Times reported.
<p>Ben Kelly was roughly 100 yards from shore at Manresa State Beach near Santa Cruz when a shark attacked him around 1:30 p.m., the California Department of Parks and Recreation said on Sunday, according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/10/us/shark-attack-santa-cruz-manresa-sand-dollar-beach.html?action=click&module=Latest&pgtype=Homepage" target="_blank">The New York Times</a>. While the beach was closed to encourage social distancing, the water was open for people to engage in water sports, like surfing and swimming.</p><p>A witness flagged down a lifeguard patrolling the area. Since the attack, the beach and water are now closed until May 14. The water is off-limits for one mile north and south of the attack and signs have been posted to inform potential beachgoers of the presence of sharks, according to the <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/05/11/california-shark-attack-surfer-killed-near-manresa-state-beach/3107097001/" target="_blank">AP</a>.</p>
<p>Monterey Bay drone photographer Eric Mailander told KRON he has observed dozens of great white sharks swimming near the shoreline in recent days. He said he counted 15 sharks while out on his boat Saturday morning, as the <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/05/11/california-shark-attack-surfer-killed-near-manresa-state-beach/3107097001/" target="_blank">AP</a> reported.</p><p>The species of shark that attacked Mr. Kelly is still unknown, the Department of Parks and Recreation said in a <a href="https://www.parks.ca.gov/NewsRelease/952" target="_blank" title="">statement</a>.</p><p>Simon R. Thorrold, a senior scientist in the biology department at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Falmouth, Massachusetts, said in an interview that his "best guess" was that it was a great white shark, as <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/10/us/shark-attack-santa-cruz-manresa-sand-dollar-beach.html?action=click&module=Latest&pgtype=Homepage" target="_blank">The New York Times</a> reported.</p><p>"White sharks are big enough and their teeth are so sharp that even a halfhearted attempt will cause significant injuries," he said.</p>
<p>Fatal shark attacks are rare along the Northern California coast, although it is a major breeding ground for the great white shark, <a href="https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2020/05/10/fatal-shark-attack-ben-kelly-santa-surf-community-mourns/" target="_blank">according to KPIX, San Francisco's CBS affiliate</a>. There have been at least two other fatal attacks since 1984, KPIX noted, but those involved divers. In March, a shark bit the board of a paddleboarder near Capitola, <a href="https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2020/03/30/capitola-paddle-boarder-shark-attack-beaches-closed-santa-cruz-county/" target="_blank">narrowly missing him</a>, according to the sheriff's office.</p><p>"Hippos kill way more people every year than sharks do," Thorrold said to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/10/us/shark-attack-santa-cruz-manresa-sand-dollar-beach.html?action=click&module=Latest&pgtype=Homepage" target="_blank">The New York Times.</a> He added that while sharks prefer not to eat humans, the silhouette of a surfboard with a paddling surfer can resemble a seal from under the water.</p><p>"Seals are part of their natural prey," Thorrold told <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/10/us/shark-attack-santa-cruz-manresa-sand-dollar-beach.html?action=click&module=Latest&pgtype=Homepage" target="_blank">The New York Times</a>. "It is not unreasonable to think that the shark thinks it is a seal and gets to the surfer and realizes pretty quickly it does not want to eat it. By that time, the shark has done enough damage to the human that it can end in tragedy."</p>
<p>According to The Washington Post, Kelly described himself as a self-taught surfboard shaper on <a href="https://www.benkellysurfboards.com/about" target="_blank">his company's website</a>. He wrote that his boards are "well represented here at home in Santa Cruz, California" as well as in Bali, South Africa, Mexico, Central America, Peru and Hawaii. <a href="https://vimeo.com/286252115" target="_blank">Video</a> posted on the site shows him shaping a surfboard.</p><p>"What started as a way to fuel my own surfing passion has now become a way to stoke out my fellow surfers, and that is truly fulfilling for me," Kelly said in his bio. "It's the way I have found to give back to others."</p>
<p>On the other side of the world, a shark bit a French surfer in Australia, but the surfer was able to get away. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/video/2020/may/11/surfer-escapes-shark-attack-at-bells-beach-australia-video" target="_blank">Video</a> of the incident shows Dylan Nacass and Matt Sedunary yelling and scrambling to get away from a stalking shark, as <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/video/2020/may/11/surfer-escapes-shark-attack-at-bells-beach-australia-video" target="_blank">The Guardian</a> reported.</p><p>Nacass, 23, punched the shark twice when it attacked him at Bells Beach in Victoria, according to <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/australia-surfer-bitten-but-survives-shark-attack-by-punching-it-twice-11986134" target="_blank">Sky News</a>. He needed stitches for his puncture wounds.</p><p>"I punched him one time, he stay in my legs. Two times after, he go," he told television news in Australia.</p><p>Matt Sedunary heard screaming and thought Nacass was joking around. After realizing the seriousness of the situation, he rushed to help, as <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/australia-surfer-bitten-but-survives-shark-attack-by-punching-it-twice-11986134" target="_blank">Sky News</a> reported.</p><p>"I'm not gonna just ditch this guy," he said. "Most people would do the same thing."</p>
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A blue shark in the Channel Islands off California. NOAA SWFSC/Flickr
Blue sharks are among the widest-ranging shark species in the oceans. We know this partly because from 1962 to 2013, 117,962 blue sharks were tagged as part of the ongoing Cooperative Shark Tagging Program.
<p>This partnership between the commercial fishing industry, the U.S. government, recreational fishermen and academic research scientists is the longest-running tagging program in the world. Since its launch in 1962, participants have tagged hundreds of thousands of sharks representing 35 different species.<em></em></p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMjg5ODk0Mi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0MTA1MjMzMH0.Q1q0sFIL6zPy5vtGFloxe6sWn3Nyt560tojSsSlzlS0/img.jpg?width=980" id="21bea" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="17d19603d71da93e430b92724f6b62ab" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
A dart tag, one type used in the Cooperative Shark Tagging Program. NOAA
<p>More than half (51%) of the animals tagged were <a href="https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/discover-fish/species-profiles/prionace-glauca/" target="_blank">blue sharks</a> (<em>Prionace glauca</em>) – a total of 117,962 individual sharks. This is probably because blues are abundant: They are found in all of the world's oceans, as far north as Alaska and as far south as Chile, but rarely venture near shore.</p><p>Unlike some other sharks, blues are not a prized commercial species, likely because most people think they <a href="https://www.ifish.net/board/showthread.php?t=258823" target="_blank">taste disgusting</a>. That makes fishermen willing to tag and release them instead of harvesting them.</p><p>But blue sharks are often caught unintentionally as <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/node/251" target="_blank">bycatch</a> along with targeted fish. They are classified as <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/39381/2915850" target="_blank">near threatened</a>, and there is evidence that their <a href="https://www.mcsuk.org/30species/blue-shark" target="_blank">population is decreasing</a>.</p><p>Each tag attached to a shark carries an identification number and contact information, so that recaptures can be reported and matched to data collected during the initial tagging. The data show that these sharks really move. One traveled a record-breaking 3,997 nautical miles from waters off Long Island, New York, where it was first tagged, to the south Atlantic where it was recaptured – a distance longer than the Great Wall of China.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMjg5ODk0Ni9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxMzYwMDk0MH0.q8-NtuZy-noF6e6XQZKiwaQNmF7cEyec2zM33_Z_Wrg/img.png?width=980" id="29769" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="23b590550f5e2cdc82decca81421db7e" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
Blue sharks range throughout the world's tropical and temperate oceans (blue zones). IUCN Redlist/Wikipedia / CC BY-SA
<p>The sharks were caught in all seasons throughout their range, in tropical waters warmer than 68 degrees Fahrenheit (20 degrees Celsius) and temperate waters, which range from 50°-68°F (10°-20°C). In more tropical climates, blue sharks occupy waters as deep as 1,150 feet (350 meters), which are cooler than water near the surface. Their ability to inhabit a wide range of depths enables them to move around as seasons and water temperatures change.</p><p>Tagging data confirm that blue sharks migrate incredibly long distances, with some even crossing the equator from the North Atlantic to the South Atlantic. All of this movement allows them to mix and mingle with individuals throughout their range. This tells scientists that all blue sharks in the Atlantic Ocean are part of one mating pool, and can be considered one big population, rather than smaller separate groups.</p><p>The fact that blue sharks range so widely suggests that an event in one part of the Atlantic, such as an oil spill, could potentially affect the number of mating pairs across the population. This could reduce the number of blue sharks in the next generation and lead to a decline in their population throughout the Atlantic. It could also reduce their genetic diversity and make the survivors more prone to mortality from disease.</p><p>About 7% of the tagged blue sharks (8,213) were recaptured later, sometimes after more than a decade. One shark was recaptured nearly 16 years after it was first tagged. Scientists estimated that this shark was between 8 and 11 years old at the time it was tagged, based on its size. That original age estimate would have made the shark 24 to 27 years old when it was recaptured, which falls within the current estimated range of maximum age for the species.</p><p>Thanks to tagging data, scientists have learned a lot about the ecology of several species, including <a href="http://sedarweb.org/docs/wpapers/S39_DW_20_NEFSCmarkrecap.pdf" target="_blank">smooth dogfish</a> and <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/A:1011017109776" target="_blank">sandbar sharks</a>. As a scientist pursuing a career in <a href="https://mote.org/staff/member/jasmin-graham" target="_blank">marine conservation</a>, I look forward to more wondrous discoveries about these marvelous animals.</p>
<p class=""><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://theconversation.com/tagging-data-show-that-blue-sharks-are-true-globalists-133121">The Conversation</a>. </em></p>From Your Site Articles
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Following House Approval, U.S. Has a Chance to Ban the Cruel Shark Fin Trade
18 March
Insights + Opinion
Lemon shark seen in the wild. Vanessa Mignon
By Sara Amundson
Every year, fins from as many as 73 million sharks circulate throughout the world in a complex international market. They are the key ingredient in shark fin soup, a luxury dish considered a status symbol in some Asian cuisines.
<p>The global trade in shark fins is contributing to a crisis among shark populations worldwide. Sharks are being killed <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308597X13000055?via%3Dihub" target="_blank">30 percent faster</a> than they can reproduce, and the fin trade is one of the main culprits. Up to <a href="https://elife.elifesciences.org/content/3/e00590" target="_blank">one-quarter</a> of all species of sharks and their relatives are at risk of extinction. Some shark populations have declined by <a href="https://www.cites.org/sites/default/files/eng/cop/16/prop/E-CoP16-Prop-43.pdf" target="_blank">nearly 90 percent</a> in recent decades. The disappearance of sharks can <a href="https://truthout.org/articles/shark-fishing-tournaments-devalue-ocean-wildlife-and-harm-conservation/" target="_blank">harm fragile ocean ecosystems</a>, because as top predators, sharks help balance the populations of species below them in the food chain.</p>
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="17d87ec34d2ed085f4ac7284997704c0"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4oiX_z0AGgA?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span><p>Additionally, many of the fins traded are obtained through the brutal, inhumane practice known as finning, in which fishers at sea catch sharks, slice off their fins and throw the animals — usually still alive — back into the water. Unable to swim without their fins, the sharks drown, bleed to death or are eaten alive by other fish. Because space on boats is limited and fins are by far the most valuable part of the shark, fishers have an incentive to use this cruel method to get fins.</p><p>However, the tide is turning against the shark fin trade.</p><p>In November 2019, the U.S. House of Representatives issued a resounding bipartisan "no" to this cruel practice, voting 310 to 107 to pass a bill <a href="https://www.humanesociety.org/news/house-approves-bill-prohibiting-trade-shark-fins" target="_blank">banning</a> commercial trade of shark fins and products derived from shark fins in the U.S. <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/737" target="_blank">The Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act</a>, led by Representatives Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan (D-Northern Mariana Islands) and Michael McCaul (R-Texas), would prohibit all purchase, sale and possession for commercial purposes of these parts and products. The legislation builds on previous laws passed by Congress — the <a href="https://www.congress.gov/106/plaws/publ557/PLAW-106publ557.pdf" target="_blank">Shark Finning Prohibition Act of 2000</a> and the <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/laws-and-policies/shark-conservation-act" target="_blank">Shark Conservation Act of 2010</a> — which banned the act of shark finning in U.S. waters and the transport on U.S.-flagged vessels of shark fins not naturally attached to a shark carcass.</p>The action has now moved to the U.S. Senate, where a third of the members have sponsored a parallel bill, <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/877" target="_blank">S. 877</a>, introduced by Senators Cory Booker (D-New Jersey) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-West Virginia). Already the Senate Commerce Committee has cleared this bill for potential floor action.
<p>States are also taking up the fight. In January, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signed a bill into law that bans the sale and trade of shark fins in the Garden State. The state's general assembly had <a href="https://www.billtrack50.com/BillDetail/990923" target="_blank">approved the bill</a> by a vote of 54 to 19, and the state's senate passed its version of the bill by a vote of 33 to 6. These vote tallies reflect the will of the state's constituents: In a <a href="https://www.humanesociety.org/sites/default/files/docs/NJ%20Public%20Opinion%20Survey%20040119.pdf" target="_blank">recent survey</a>, a majority of New Jersey voters said they would support a prohibition on the sale, possession and trade of shark fins.</p><p>New Jersey now joins 13 other states, including all of its coastal neighbors, and three U.S. territories that have passed legislation to ban or limit the sale of shark fins — American Samoa, California, Delaware, Guam, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, the Northern Mariana Islands, Oregon, Rhode Island, Texas and Washington.</p><p>The current to stop the shark fin trade is also flowing internationally. In June 2019, Canada, the <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/resource/document/2017-shark-finning-report-congress" target="_blank">largest importer</a> of shark fins outside Asia, passed a bill that includes measures to prohibit that country's trade in shark fins as well as the act of finning in Canadian waters. Worldwide, nearly 60 airlines and container shipping companies — including Air China, Eastern Air Logistics (the parent company of four major Chinese airlines) and Maersk, the world's largest shipping line — have <a href="https://wildaid.org/four-more-chinese-airlines-ban-shark-fin/" target="_blank">banned the transport of shark fins</a>. Many high-end restaurants and hotel chains in Asia have also stopped serving shark fin soup. Demand for the soup <a href="https://tinyurl.com/tygz8mg" target="_blank">is declining</a> but not quickly enough to save sharks on its own.</p>
<p>While finning in U.S. waters is already prohibited, current law is not enough because once shark fins are on land, they can be sold. Furthermore, U.S. participation in the global fin market continues to fuel the practice in places that lack shark-finning bans or adequate shark management and conservation policies.</p><p>It is impossible to guarantee that shark fins are humanely and sustainably sourced. That is because once a fin is detached, it is impossible to know where it was obtained, or whether it was sliced off a shark at sea or removed after the shark was brought to shore. It is also difficult to determine the species of the shark. For the most part, shark fins sold in the U.S. do not come from U.S. fishers. Because of this, fins sold here can come from sharks that were finned, or from <a href="https://tinyurl.com/clw28lh" target="_blank">endangered or threatened</a> shark species.</p><p>Our role is magnified by the fact that the U.S. is a major transit hub for international shark fin shipments. Latin America is one of the most significant shark fin-producing regions, and many of these countries transport shark fins through U.S. ports. <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/sites/default/files/unintentional-partner-shark-fin-market-report_0.pdf" target="_blank">Some Latin American nations</a> ship as much as one-third to one-half of all their shark fin exports through the U.S. In fact, on February 3, almost 1,400 pounds of dried shark fins worth around $1 million were <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/endangered-species-1400-pounds-shark-fins-1m-seized-miami/" target="_blank">found by wildlife inspectors</a> in Miami. The shipment is believed to have originated in South America and was likely headed to Asia.</p>
<p>Still, banning the shark fin trade in the United States has its opponents. They argue that U.S. shark fisheries are already well managed. In reality, however, fewer than 20 percent of U.S. shark stocks <a href="https://usa.oceana.org/blog/are-us-sharks-trouble" target="_blank">are considered sustainable</a>. They also argue that it is wasteful for fishers to land a shark and not be able to sell its fins. By that standard, not selling the ivory from a dead elephant is wasteful, too — but as a nation, we have decided that the broad well-being of all elephants supersedes that pernicious use of their tusks.</p><p>Fishing industry advocates claim that banning the fin trade would have harmful economic impacts. The truth is, though, that sharks are worth much more alive than dead. In 2016, <a href="https://usa.oceana.org/SharkEconomics" target="_blank">shark-related diving</a> in Florida produced more than $221 million in revenues and more than 3,700 jobs. Moreover, fishers would still be able to sell the meat and other products from the sharks they land. In states where the shark fin trade has been banned, there is no evidence of negative impacts to the commercial fishing industry.</p><p>Finally, some believe we can address the shark crisis not by changing our own practices, but simply by requiring other countries to improve their shark fishing methods. The latter is an unrealistic goal. The low percentage of U.S. shark stocks known to be sustainable underscores how difficult fisheries are to manage, even here in one of the world's richest and most technologically advanced nations. Additionally, when the U.S. leads, other countries follow. After we banned commercial trade in ivory, many other nations followed suit, including China, the European Union and Australia.</p><p>Simply put, the U.S. must remove itself from the cruel and ecologically damaging global shark fin trade. Americans <a href="https://oceana.org/press-center/press-releases/8-10-americans-support-nationwide-shark-fin-ban" target="_blank">overwhelmingly oppose it</a>, and we are in a position to set an example for the rest of the world.</p><p>Join the wave for a U.S. shark fin ban. <a href="https://www.humanesociety.org/sharkfinban" target="_blank">Call your two U.S. senators</a> and ask them to support S. 877, the Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act.</p><p>Sharks are worth more alive than in a bowl of soup.</p>
<p><em>Sara Amundson is the president of the <a href="https://tinyurl.com/ybl63pav" target="_blank">Humane Society Legislative Fund</a>, the 501(c)4 legislative and political organization affiliated with the Humane Society of the United States. In this capacity, she manages political and legislative activity for the organization. She has testified before the U.S. Congress and in various state legislatures on a variety of animal protection legislation.</em></p><p><em>This article first appeared on </em><a href="https://truthout.org/articles/following-house-approval-us-has-a-chance-to-ban-the-cruel-shark-fin-trade/" target="_blank"><em>Truthout</em></a><em> and was produced in partnership with </em><a href="https://independentmediainstitute.org/earth-food-life/" target="_blank"><em>Earth | Food | Life</em></a><em>, a project of the Independent Media Institute.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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Why Is a Large Group of Great White Sharks Forming off the Southeastern U.S. Coast?
13 February
Animals
Researchers are seen above tagging a shark named "Mary Lee" in 2018. Recently scientists have spotted tagged great white sharks gathering on the Southeast U.S. coast. R. Snow / OCEARCH / CC BY 2.0
In recent weeks, scientists have spotted more than a half-dozen great white sharks gathering in Atlantic waters off the coast of the southeastern seaboard.
<p><a href="https://www.ocearch.org/" target="_blank">OCEARCH</a>, a nonprofit organization tracking marine animals along the U.S. East Coast and beyond, shared their latest <a href="https://www.ocearch.org/?details=369" target="_blank">oceanic data</a> showing at least ten white sharks seemingly on top of each other in Atlantic waters off the border of North and South Carolinas. </p><p>"What do you think could be causing this big gap in where white sharks are pinging right now?" the organization queried in a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/OCEARCH/photos/a.465080140166/10162766553570167/?type=3&theater" target="_blank">Facebook post</a>. "There are pings in the Gulf of Mexico and then a big grouping in North Carolina/South Carolina but none in the middle."</p>
<div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="e5d336cbc970547780c1e9ee6b499f27"><div class="fb-post" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/OCEARCH/photos/a.465080140166/10162766553570167/?type=3&theater"></div></div><p>Social media users offered a variety of responses – perhaps early algal blooms may be affecting the animals' ability to find food or maybe the fish are drawn in by a "huge annual congregation of bait and tunas."<br></p><p>In actuality, the continental shelf waters off of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and the east coast of Florida are a "winter hot spot for large white sharks" avoiding colder waters. In the last week, at least eight white sharks were detected in NASFA waters, including two adults named Hilton and Katharine. This area has seen the highest concentration of detections, lending more information about the animals' mysterious life history in the Northwest Atlantic.</p>
<p>"The heavy concentration of our adult and near-adult white sharks in this region suggests it's an important winter habitat, which OCEARCH and collaborating scientists are now referring to as the Northwest Atlantic Shared Foraging Area (NASFA)," OCEARCH <a href="http://ocearch.org/white-sharks-gather-in-northwest-atlantic-shared-foraging-area-off-southeast-coast-of-the-us/" target="_blank">said</a>, adding that the team began studying sharks in this region in 2012.</p><p>The researchers add that Atlantic white sharks migrating to the NASFA is somewhat similar to those in Pacific waters who migrate from California's Farallon Islands and Guadalupe Island off the coast of Mexico to a Shared Foraging Area (SOFA) collectively known as the "White Shark Café" between the Baja Peninsula and Hawaii. It is unclear what white sharks do once they reach their deep-water destination, but previous research has suggested that a combination of feeding and reproduction takes place, as was <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/05/28/613394086/great-white-sharks-have-a-secret-cafe-and-they-led-scientists-right-to-it" target="_blank">previously reported by NPR</a>.</p>
<p>"The body of colder water trapped between the Gulf Stream and the coast is a key feature of this region," Dr. Bryan Franks, OCEARCH collaborating scientist and assistant professor of marine science at Jacksonville University, said. "This 'wedge' of cold water extends from the Outer Banks in North Carolina down to Cape Canaveral in Florida. This feature results in a range of water temperatures in a relatively short horizontal distance from the coast out to the Gulf Stream. In addition, there is the potential for abundant prey in the migrating populations along the coastlines and in the dynamic mixing zone on the Stream edge."</p><p>White sharks (<em>Carcharodon Carcharias</em>) are listed as "<a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/3855/10133872" target="_blank">vulnerable</a>" under the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Species. Little is known about the <em>Jaws </em>star, whose population levels declined in the years following negative media attention surrounding its "maneater" reputation and years of trophy hunting. OCEARCH <a href="https://www.ocearch.org/ocearchs-cutting-edge-science-on-the-white-shark-returns-to-the-u-s-southeast-coast/" target="_blank">announced</a> it will be launching a February expedition to investigate in greater detail the behavior and life history of sharks in the NAFSA.</p>
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Nearly $1 million worth of shark fins were seized by wildlife inspectors in Miami, Florida. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
U.S. government officials found 1,400 pounds of shark fins worth $1 million hidden in boxes in Miami, Florida, according to CNN.
<p>In a news release, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said the shark fins were hidden in 18 boxes. The dried fins arrived from South America and were likely headed to Asia, the <a href="https://apnews.com/81579cb1f7a48f234284bdaecaa582c9" target="_blank">AP reported</a>. </p>
<p>Shark fin soup is a delicacy in Asia, especially in China. To meet the demand for the coveted dish, smugglers kill tens of millions of sharks every year, cutting the fin from a live shark, according to conservation groups, as the <a href="https://apnews.com/81579cb1f7a48f234284bdaecaa582c9" target="_blank">AP reported</a>.</p>
<p>The practice of <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/shark-finning" rel="noopener noreferrer">shark finning</a> is extremely wasteful and cruel. After the fin is cut off from the live shark, the rest of the shark is discarded. The practice has been a federal crime in the U.S. since 2000, <a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article239921043.html" target="_blank">according to the Miami Herald</a>. </p>
<p>"The goal of this seizure is to protect these species while deterring trackers from using US ports as viable routes in the illegal shark fin trade," Christina Meister, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said as the <a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article239921043.html" target="_blank">Miami Herald reported</a>.</p>
<p>An international agreement between governments around the world is aimed to protect vulnerable <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/animals" rel="noopener noreferrer">animals</a> and plants. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) protects <a href="https://cites.org/eng/prog/shark/more.php" target="_blank">12 species of sharks</a>, which are included in Appendix II of CITES, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/04/us/shark-fins-seized-trnd/index.html" target="_blank">according to CNN</a>.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMjY1OTI2Mi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYwNTUyMDU3MH0.fzvRix326Vh9DhHsDvWKyOvD7LJecWXTlFNavihz_S0/img.jpg?width=980" id="4a55b" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="cc9fbc0d1b72ae88bbf70e12b699c403" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
<p>"The shipment violated the Lacey Act and included CITES listed species," Gavin Shire, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Chief of Public Affairs, told <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/04/us/shark-fins-seized-trnd/index.html" target="_blank">CNN</a>. "We are limited to what we can say about this as it is an ongoing case."</p> <p>While it is illegal in the U.S. to cut off a fin from a live shark and discard the rest of the animal, it is not illegal to traffic or trade shark fins in the U.S. </p> <p>"The recent seizure of more than 1,000 pounds of shark fins in Miami from potentially protected species demonstrates why we need a federal shark fin ban," said Ariana Spawn, an ocean advocate at the nonprofit advocacy group Oceana, as <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/04/us/shark-fins-seized-trnd/index.html" target="_blank">CNN reported</a>. She urged the Senate to pass the <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/877" target="_blank">Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act</a> (S.877), which would ban the trade of fins nationwide.</p><p>The House of Representatives passed the bill in November of 2019. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) sponsored it in the Senate in December. The <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/877" target="_blank">bill</a> is now on the Senate's legislative calendar, but at the mercy of Mitch McConnell's decisions to set the legislative agenda. The bill, as it is written, makes it illegal to possess, buy, sell, or transport shark fins or any product containing shark fins, except for certain dogfish fins carries. Illegal trading in shark fins would carry a maximum civil penalty for each violation of $100,000, or the fair market value of the shark fins involved, whichever is greater, <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/877" target="_blank">according to the bill</a>.</p><p>The shark fin soup trade has decimated shark populations. According to a 2018 <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308597X18303038?dgcid=rss_sd_all" target="_blank">study</a>, shark populations such as hammerhead and oceanic whitetip have declined by more than 90 percent. Furthermore, nearly 60 percent of shark species are now threatened, as <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/04/us/shark-fins-seized-trnd/index.html" target="_blank">CNN reported</a>. </p><p>No arrests were made for yesterday's seizure in Miami. "Further investigation is pending," said Meister, as the <a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article239921043.html" target="_blank">Miami Herald reported</a>.</p>
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One species of walking shark. Mark Erdmann, California Academy of Sciences
Scientists have identified four new species of walking shark in the waters off Australia and New Guinea.
<p>While that might sound like the stuff of horror films, researchers say that the foot-long <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fish" target="_self">fish</a>, which have evolved to use their fins to walk on land or in shallow water, are actually adorable.</p><p>"They're incredibly cute little animals and are really more like a gecko walking around than a shark," Mark Erdmann, a <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/coral-reefs" target="_self">coral reef</a> ecologist at the California Academy of Sciences and vice president of the Asia-Pacific Field Division of <a href="https://www.conservation.org/" target="_blank">Conservation International</a>, <a href="https://www.vice.com/en_au/article/y3mv9m/walking-sharks-are-the-newest-branch-of-the-shark-family-tree" target="_blank">told VICE</a>.</p>
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="8c76da49fa3e94b1ee5e7fd7193e4ffb"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2XHH7CCvbTI?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span>
<p>Erdmann was part of a team of scientists who spent 12 years studying the walking sharks. Their efforts, <a href="http://www.publish.csiro.au/MF/MF19163" target="_blank">published in Marine and Freshwater Research Tuesday</a>, nearly doubled the number of known species, raising it from five to nine, the <a href="https://medicine.uq.edu.au/article/2020/01/walking-sharks-discovered-tropics" target="_blank">University of Queensland reported</a>.</p><p>The walking sharks all belong to the genus <em>Hemiscyllium</em>, according to <a href="https://www.sciencealert.com/four-unknown-species-of-walking-sharks-have-been-discovered-in-tropical-waters" target="_blank">Science Alert</a>. The sharks have evolved to succeed in their unique coral reef environment and hunt during low tides.</p><p>"At less than a metre long on average, walking sharks present no threat to people but their ability to withstand low oxygen environments and walk on their fins gives them a remarkable edge over their prey of small crustaceans and molluscs," study coauthor Dr. Christine Dudgeon of the University of Queensland said in the press release.</p>
<p>The researchers used tissue samples taken from live sharks to determine that DNA linked the new shark species to the <em>Hemiscyllium </em>genus, according to Science Alert.</p><p>DNA testing also revealed that the walking sharks are the youngest type of shark on Earth, VICE reported.</p><p>"With our molecular clock, we've been able to show that this group really only branched off from their nearest ancestor about nine million years ago and they've been actively radiating ever since," Erdmann told VICE. "Obviously in human terms, that still seems like a long time ago, but for sharks, and for speciation in general, that's actually very recent."</p><p>Dudgeon explained in the press release how the sharks may have ended up in their current form and their current location:</p><blockquote>"Data suggests the new species evolved after the sharks moved away from their original population, became genetically isolated in new areas and developed into new species," she said. <br><br>"They may have moved by swimming or walking on their fins, but it's also possible they 'hitched' a ride on reefs moving westward across the top of New Guinea, about two million years ago."</blockquote><p>Because each species has a very small, unique range, they are vulnerable to natural disasters like volcanic eruptions and tsunamis, as well as human pressures like habitat loss and their increasing desirability for aquariums, VICE reported. Three of the nine species have been added to the <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/" target="_blank">International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List</a>.</p><p>At the same time, the researchers don't think they have yet accounted for every species of walking shark out there.</p><p>"We believe there are more walking shark species still waiting to be discovered," Dudgeon said in the press release.</p>
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This study found evidence of illegal hammerhead fins in 46 out of 46 sampling events in Hong Kong. NOAA / Teachers at Sea Program
By Jason Bittel
Authorities in Hong Kong intercepted some questionable cargo three years ago — a rather large shipment of shark fins that had originated in Panama. Shark fins are a hot commodity among some Asian communities for their use in soup, and most species are legally consumed in Hong Kong, but certain species are banned from international trade due to their extinction risk. And wouldn't you know it: this confiscated shipment contained nearly a ton of illegal hammerhead fins.
<p><br/></p>
<p>But all that hammerhead contraband should never have made it to China in the first place. Because after the cargo left Panama, it made a stop in Houston, where trade in shark fins of any species, endangered or not, is forbidden. And while the ship's bill of lading didn't specify any illegal species onboard, it did note the presence of dried seafood, including fish maws, shark fins, and shark tails. U.S. Fish and Wildlife officials in Houston could have inspected such cargo to ensure it complied with state, federal, and international regulations — but nobody did. (We'll get to why in a moment).</p><p>This isn't a problem only in Houston. That 2016 Panama shipment is just one of dozens discovered by NRDC (<a href="https://www.nrdc.org/onearth/about" target="_blank">onEarth</a><a href="https://www.nrdc.org/onearth/about" target="_blank">'s publisher</a>) in a recent report titled, <em><a href="https://www.nrdc.org/sites/default/files/unintentional-partner-shark-fin-market-report_0.pdf" target="_blank">Unintentional Partner: How the United States Helps the Illegal Shark Fin Market</a>.</em></p><p>In their research, the report's authors made Freedom of Information Act requests; sought information from foreign conservation partners such as <a href="https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=es&u=https://peru.oceana.org/en&prev=search" target="_blank">OceanaPeru</a> and Costa Rica–based MarViva; and conducted interviews with various U.S. agencies, including Customs and Border Protection, the Food and Drug Administration, the Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Marine Fisheries Service, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. They learned that shark fins move through the U.S. by air, land, and sea. They pass through huge international ports like Los Angeles, Miami, and Seattle as well as landlocked airports like those in Atlanta and Memphis. They even make pit stops in places like Pipersville, Pennsylvania. The smuggled fins tend to come from the waters off Central and South America, and most are destined for Hong Kong.</p>
<p>From 2010 to 2017, the U.S. unintentionally played middleman to somewhere between 650 and 772 tons of shark fin exports, accounting for as many as 1.29 million sharks. (The exact number of sharks is difficult to determine, since most of the records NRDC managed to obtain expressed shipment size by weight, not individual parts, and different conditions translate into different weights per piece. Frozen fins weigh more than dried fins, for example).</p><p>"When we let these shark fin shipments pass through our borders without monitoring them, the U.S. becomes a weak link," says report coauthor <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/experts/elizabeth-murdock" target="_blank">Elizabeth Murdock</a>, director of the NRDC's Pacific Oceans Initiative.</p><p>It doesn't have to be this way. The U.S. has a stronger legal framework and more regulatory resources than most of the world. If anything, we should be one of the strongest links in the fight against a black market trade that threatens marine biodiversity.</p>
<p>Back in 2000, the U.S. banned shark finning, the practice of cutting a shark's fins off and then dumping the animal back into the ocean. But it is still legal in many states to catch a shark, bring it back to shore, and cut it up into parts including fins, steaks, and other marketable items. (Possessing or selling shark fins is not always illegal — just when the fins come from species protected by the Endangered Species Act or the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora).</p><p>Each year, tens of millions of sharks wind up on hooks and in nets, many of which belong to Americans. According to NRDC's report, the number of sharks we land each year makes us the seventh-largest shark-fishing nation in the world. Still, scientists seem to agree that the U.S. is doing a pretty good job of managing its shark populations. <a href="http://www.dulvy.com/uploads/2/1/0/4/21048414/simpfendorferdulvy_2017currentbiology_som.pdf" target="_blank">A study</a> published in 2017 in the journal <em>Current Biology</em> listed America's Alaskan skate, blacktip shark, and spiny dogfish fisheries (among others) as "bright spots of sustainable shark fishing." Indeed, countries such as the U.S., Australia, Canada, and New Zealand are leading the world when it comes to harvesting sharks in ways that don't drive them toward extinction. However, the unfortunate fact remains that the vast majority (91 percent) of the world's shark fisheries are unsustainable.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMjA5ODA5Ni9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzMTc2NjM4OX0.CpMyeuCzQX0uUgJJ3WB1MJLRwMdLXdLYGVbBaQiyTJM/img.jpg?width=980" id="700fa" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="7ceeb868a2910c6788f39512a54ad762" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />Ascent
Silky shark. NOAA / Teachers at Sea Program
<p>For instance, <a href="https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/conl.12457" target="_blank">a study</a> of Hong Kong's market, published last year in <em>Conservation Letters</em>, found that silky sharks were the second-most commonly sold species there from 2014 to 2016. The animals are considered <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/39370/117721799" target="_blank">vulnerable to extinction</a> by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. And close behind the silkies, ranking fourth and fifth, were scalloped hammerheads (<a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/39385/10190088" target="_blank">endangered</a>) and smooth hammerheads (<a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/39388/10193797" target="_blank">vulnerable</a>). All <a href="https://www.cites.org/eng/prog/shark/history.php" target="_blank">three species are listed</a> under Appendix II of CITES, which strictly regulates their trade. The study also found evidence of illegal hammerhead fins in 46 out of 46 sampling events in Hong Kong.</p><p>The U.S. obviously can't control what happens in every market all over the world. But we could be doing more to watch over what's moving in and out of our own ports<em>.</em></p><p>Part of the answer is logistics, says Murdock. Better communication among agencies like the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Customs and Border Protection, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration could help. Some budgetary improvements could also be made — currently, wildlife shipments are mandated to funnel through just 17 U.S. ports that have the appropriate inspection personnel.</p><p>But honestly, a lot of the problem comes down to wording.</p><p>As cargo, shark fins are not required to route through one of those 17 ports if they are not "unloaded." If that's the case, those fins can move along without a second glance. At the same time, products that qualify as "seafood" are also exempt from special port inspection unless the species involved requires a permit under the Endangered Species Act (which lists only the two hammerhead species mentioned above) or CITES (which lists only 14 of the more than 400 shark species known to science). The hammerhead fins in Hong Kong were listed as "dried seafood," which is one of the reasons why they were able to pass through Houston without closer inspection.</p><p>Murdock says sharks slip through a legal loophole because they qualify as both wildlife and seafood. This makes shark products even more difficult to regulate than, say, <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/onearth/ivorys-trail-terror" target="_blank">elephant ivory</a> or <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/onearth/locking-horns" target="_blank">rhino horn</a>. "It's not a new problem," says environmental consultant <a href="https://davidshiffmancv.com/" target="_blank">David Shiffman</a>, a marine conservation biologist at Arizona State University, "but it's one that doesn't get a lot of attention."</p><p>"One of the things is just how it's coded," Shiffman says. "In some countries shark is counted as 'seafood, frozen,' and in some cases it's 'shark fins,' and in some cases it's shark fins from a particular species. But it's not consistent from country to country, and it's not necessarily consistent from year to year, and that makes it really hard to keep track of this stuff."</p>
<p>So how do we help close these loopholes? Murdock says routing all shark fin shipments through the ports where officials have capacity to inspect them properly should become standard operating procedure. (This measure alone wouldn't stop every illegal wildlife shipment; Houston, after all, is one of those ports). A full-on federal ban against the shark fin trade wouldn't hurt either, she says. (Twelve states, such as Texas and California, have so far banned the shark fin trade within their borders). Other recommendations from the report are more international in scope, including ratcheting up the existing CITES resolutions; improving enforcement of fishing laws in nations where the shark products typically originate; and generally more, more, and still more partnerships between countries.</p><p>"It's clear that it's only going to get solved through international collaboration, because some of the countries from which these shipments are coming have a lot less capacity for law enforcement and inspections and monitoring than the United States does," says Murdock. So by stepping up efforts on our own shores, we can also help keep things on the up-and-up all over the world.</p><p>Shiffman says the report "has some excellent recommendations of what we should do about this," but he'd really like to see more data on how prevalent the problem is. And so would Murdock. She and her colleagues have had to scratch and claw for roughly two years to bring as many cases to the surface as they have.</p><p>"We're confident that this is just the tip of the iceberg," says Murdock. "It's just hard to know how big the iceberg is."</p>
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Andrew Thirlwell / Moment / Getty Images
It's shark week, that seven day period every summer when our television screens swim with stories of one of the ocean's most fascinating residents. But sharks make headlines all year round. Here are some of the coolest shark stories EcoWatch has come across this summer.
1. Be Careful What You Fish For
<p>Fishers off Cape Cod, Massachusetts had some fierce competition Saturday, July 20 when a great white shark jumped out of the water and bit a bass they had caught off their line, <a href="https://www.capecodtimes.com/news/20190720/great-white-shark-leaps-in-front-of-fishing-boat-off-cape-cod" target="_blank">The Cape Cod Times reported</a>.</p><p>"It just left everyone in awe," Columbia Sportfishing vessel Captain Marc Costa said.</p><p>The incident comes as<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/cape-cod-increased-shark-presence-2600535607.html" target="_self"> great white numbers are up around Cape Cod</a> as successful <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/conservation" target="_self">conservation</a> efforts have increased the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/seals" target="_self">seal</a> population in the area.</p><p>"Good reminder that they don't just eat seals and always be cautious when retrieving your catch," the <a href="https://twitter.com/MA_Sharks" target="_blank">@MA_Sharks</a> Twitter account wrote of the incident.</p><p>The video of the encounter was tweeted by the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Incredible footage today from Doug Nelson of Franklin, MA fishing aboard the Columbia out of Rock Harbor in Orleans. <a href="https://twitter.com/MA_Sharks?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MA_Sharks</a> <a href="https://t.co/rK3yk5j6SG">pic.twitter.com/rK3yk5j6SG</a></p>— Atlantic White Shark Conservancy (@A_WhiteShark) <a href="https://twitter.com/A_WhiteShark/status/1152686786608603138?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 20, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
2. California Dreaming
<p>Great white sharks have increased their numbers in Cape Cod in recent years. But they have also made a surprising home on the other side of the country.</p><p>Some juvenile specimen of the ocean's largest predatory fish have been spending more time in California's Monterey Bay, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jul/25/great-white-sharks-monterey-bay-california" target="_blank">The Guardian reported Friday</a>. Usually, the young sharks are found in the waters off Southern California, near Mexico, but they have begun to move further north in recent years, leading to more sightings in Monterey Bay starting in 2014.</p><p>Scientists think the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/climate-change" target="_self">climate crisis</a> might be behind the move, prompting the sharks to move north as water temperatures warm.</p><p>"White sharks are endotherms — they have a warmer internal temperature, which makes them more like mammals than fish," Monterey Bay Aquarium senior research scientist Sal Jorgensen told The Guardian. "Especially when they're first born, they have to stay in a Goldilocks temperature range that's not too hot and not too cold."</p><p>The sharks have drawn the attention of local residents, who have dubbed their favorite stretch of coast "Shark Park," Specialized Helicopters pilot Chris Gularte <a href="https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2019/07/17/large-number-great-white-sharks-california-coast-monterey/" target="_blank">told KPIX 5</a> when he flew reporters over the Bay on Tuesday July 16. You can watch a video of the trip here:</p><span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="898fe1b0fd9e847d5a9c8757d71618fd"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/L6SDYPV3XYo?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span>
3. Baby Shark
<p>Not all sharks are large predators. Scientists discovered a new species of shark in the Gulf of Mexico that is only five-and-a-half inches long.</p><p>The American Pocket Shark (<em>Mollisquama mississippiensis) </em>was first captured in the Gulf in 2010 and identified as a new species in a recent Zootaxa article, <a href="https://news.tulane.edu/pr/researchers-identify-new-species-pocket-shark" target="_blank">Tulane University reported</a>. The only other pocket shark was found in the Eastern Pacific in 1979, and scientists confirmed the two were different species.</p><p>"In the history of fisheries science, only two pocket sharks have ever been captured or reported," study author Mark Grace of the National Marine Fisheries Service Mississippi Laboratories of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said in the press release. "Both are separate species, each from separate oceans. Both are exceedingly rare."</p><p>The pocket sharks have small pockets that secrete a glowing liquid, allowing them to glow in the dark and attract prey, <a href="https://people.com/pets/new-species-pocket-shark-glow-in-the-dark/" target="_blank">People Magazine reported</a>.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">“The fact that only one pocket shark has ever been reported from the Gulf of Mexico, and that it is a new species, underscores how little we know about the Gulf." - Henry Bart, director of the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Tulane?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Tulane</a> Biodiversity Research Institute<a href="https://t.co/OsODER047l">https://t.co/OsODER047l</a></p>— Tulane University (@Tulane) <a href="https://twitter.com/Tulane/status/1152241185731354624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 19, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
4. Deep Blue Sea
<p>Researchers had an incredible encounter with another rare shark in the Gulf of Mexico this summer.</p><p>Shark expert Gavin Naylor of the Florida Museum of Natural History was on a submarine dive to tag the bluntnose sixgill, a shark species older than most dinosaurs, when one of the ancient animals swam up to his vessel.</p><p>"I'm literally nose to nose with this animal," Naylor told <a href="https://www.livescience.com/65985-encounter-with-sixgill-shark.html" target="_blank">Live Science</a>.</p><p>That particular fish was too close to tag, but the researchers managed to tag another one, marking the first time scientists have tagged an animal from a submarine. The bluntnose sixgill is the world's oldest shark species and swims 2,500 to 3,500 feet below the ocean. Previous attempts to tag them by bringing them to the surface had caused the sharks to act strangely. This deep sea tag should help researchers better understand their behavior.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">More footage of six-gill at 528 meters from inside the sub last saturday. This sequence was taken by Lee Frey, our multi-talented sub pilot/engineer/inventor who designed the solenoid triggered spear guns for sub-based tagging. Thanks again to the entire OceanX team. Amazing.. <a href="https://t.co/hnW4hQLhm7">pic.twitter.com/hnW4hQLhm7</a></p>— Gavin Naylor (@gavinnaylor) <a href="https://twitter.com/gavinnaylor/status/1146144452681113601?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 2, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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Black tip sharks during sunset in Destin, Florida. Chandler Borries / Moment / Getty Images
Two separate shark attacks took place this weekend about 110 miles apart on Florida's Atlantic coastline, leaving two men injured, according to ABC News.
<p>One man was bitten on the arm, while the other was bitten on the thigh. Both are expected to make a full recovery. </p>
<p>In fact, one of the injured beach goers opted to go to a bar for several drinks rather than go to the hospital.</p><p>Competitive surfer, 23-year-old Frank O'Rourke was bit on the arm around 3:30 p.m. while surfing in the water near the pier off Jacksonville Beach in the coastal resort city in northeastern Florida. O'Rourke was 20 to 30 yards away from the pier when he felt a bit on his arm, he told <a href="https://www.firstcoastnews.com/article/news/local/theres-still-blood-on-my-surfboard-shark-bites-surfer-at-jacksonville-beach/77-b032e622-033c-429d-92e2-6417ce48a16f" target="_blank">First Coast News</a>.</p><p>The bite punctured the skin near his elbow, drawing blood.</p><p>"I felt something jump out of the water and latch onto my arm by my elbow. It just grabbed onto me and thrashed in the water and swam away," he said. "I'm very lucky that I still have an arm," he said. "You can see the jawline, like where the jawline is of the shark [...] There's still blood on my surfboard."</p><p>O'Rourke said he has seen sharks near the pier before, but never that close and never moving aggressively.</p><p>"If it's your time, it's your time," he said, as <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/separate-shark-attacks-injure-men-floridas-eastern-coast/story?id=64613549" target="_blank">ABC</a> reported. "If the [sharks] want you, they want you. You're more likely to get struck by lightning than killed by a shark. I'm going to buy a lottery ticket."</p><p>Rather than go to the hospital to seek treatment, O'Rourke had his arm bandaged and went looking for free drinks.</p><p>"He immediately went to a bar 'cause he was like, 'I got bit by a shark,' and people were like, 'I'll buy you drinks.' So he went and hung out at the pier," said RJ Berger, O'Rourke's friend who witnessed the attack, to <a href="https://www.news4jax.com/news/florida/duval-county/jacksonville-beach/shark-bites-elbow-of-jacksonville-beach-professional-surfer" target="_blank">News 4 Jax</a>. Berger guessed it was a 3- to 4-foot spinner or blacktip shark.</p><p>O'Rourke <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B0e0_t9B4sS/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link" target="_blank">shared a photo of his bite</a> on his Instagram account.</p>
<div id="aa110" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="I1SCC61576664227"><blockquote class="instagram-media"
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B0e0_t9B4sS/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif;
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word-wrap:break-word;" target="_top">Frank O'Rourke on Instagram: “Wow what a weekend 🦈😂 I’m thankful to come away with minor injuries from a shark that bit me Saturday! Thank you @juvolkweis and…”</a></p>
</div></blockquote></div><p>An hour later and 110-miles south of Jacksonville, 49-year-old William Angell was bitten on the right thigh while boogie boarding at New Smyrna Beach.</p><p>"Victim received lacerations to the right thigh from one strike. The shark was not seen," Volusia County officials said in a release, as <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/separate-shark-attacks-injure-men-floridas-eastern-coast/story?id=64613549" target="_blank">ABC News</a> reported. "The victim was treated on scene and was not transported by ambulance."</p><p>Angell, a Phoenix native on vacation in Florida, drove himself to Bert Fish Medical Center in nearby Edgewater for further treatment, Captain Andrew Ethridge of Volusia County Beach Safety told <a href="https://www.abc15.com/news/region-phoenix-metro/central-phoenix/phoenix-man-recovering-after-being-bit-by-shark-in-florida" target="_blank">KNXV</a>.</p><p>Florida has been home to 8 of the 24 verified shark attacks in the U.S. this year. The last bite took place two weeks ago in Amelia Island, Florida just 50 miles north of Jacksonville when a 16-year-old girl was bitten on the heel and ankle area of her foot, as <a href="https://people.com/human-interest/shark-bites-teenager-florida-amelia-island/" target="_blank">People</a> reported.</p>
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It's OK, I'm a filter feeder: Whale shark off Indonesia. Marcel Ekkel, /Flickr / CC BY
By Gavin Naylor
Sharks elicit outsized fear, even though the risk of a shark bite is infinitesimally small. As a marine biologist and director of the Florida Program for Shark Research, I oversee the International Shark Attack File — a global record of reported shark bites that has been maintained continuously since 1958.
<p>We are careful to emphasize how rare shark bites are: You are 30 times more likely to be struck by lightning than be bitten by a shark. You are more likely to die while <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-do-people-risk-their-lives-for-the-perfect-selfie-55937" target="_blank">taking a selfie</a>, or be <a href="https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/shark-attacks/odds/compare-risk/nyc-biting-injuries/" target="_blank">bitten by a New Yorker</a>. In anticipation of the anxiety that's typically generated by the Discovery Channel's <a href="https://www.discovery.com/shark-week/2019/s/shark-week-announcement-2019" target="_blank">Shark Week programming</a>, here are a few things about sharks that are often overlooked.</p>
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font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;"> View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"><div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; 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overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bz_foeEj4D0/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Atlantic White Shark Cons. (@a_whiteshark)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2019-07-16T21:05:54+00:00">Jul 16, 2019 at 2:05pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote> <script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script>
<h2>A Big, Diverse Family</h2><p>Not all sharks are the same. Only a dozen or so of the roughly 520 shark species pose any risk to people. Even the three species that account for almost all shark bite fatalities — the <a href="https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/discover-fish/species-profiles/carcharodon-carcharias/" target="_blank">white shark</a> (<em>Carcharodon carcharias</em>), <a href="https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/discover-fish/species-profiles/galeocerdo-cuvier/" target="_blank">tiger shark</a> (<em>Galeocerdo cuvier</em>) and <a href="https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/discover-fish/species-profiles/carcharhinus-leucas/" target="_blank">bull shark</a> (<em>Carcharhinus leucas</em>) — are behaviorally and evolutionarily very different from one another.</p><p>The tiger shark and bull shark are genetically as different from each other as a dog is from a rabbit. And both of these species are about as different from a white shark as a dog is from a kangaroo. The evolutionary lineages leading to the two groups split 170 million years ago, during the age of dinosaurs and before the origin of birds, and <a href="https://www.ck12.org/book/CK-12-Human-Biology/section/7.2/" target="_blank">110 million years before the origin of primates</a>.</p>
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<p>Yet many people assume all sharks are alike and equally likely to bite humans. Consider the term "shark attack," which is scientifically equivalent to "mammal attack." Nobody would equate dog bites with hamster bites, but this is exactly what we do when it comes to sharks.</p><p>So, when a reporter calls me about a fatality caused by a white shark off Cape Cod and asks my advice for beachgoers in North Carolina, it's essentially like asking, "A man was killed by a dog on Cape Cod. What precautions should people take when dealing with kangaroos in North Carolina?"</p><h2>Know Your Species</h2><p>Understanding local species' behavior and life habits is one of the best ways to stay safe. For example, almost all shark bites that occur off Cape Cod are by white sharks, which are a large, primarily cold-water species that spend most of their time in isolation feeding on fishes. But they also aggregate near seal colonies that provide a reliable food source at certain times of the year.</p><p>Shark bites in the Carolinas are by warm-water species like bull sharks, tiger sharks and <a href="https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/discover-fish/species-profiles/carcharhinus-limbatus/" target="_blank">blacktips</a> (<em>Carcharhinus limbatus</em>). Each species is associated with particular habitats and dietary preferences.</p><p>Blacktips, which we suspect are responsible for most relatively minor bites on humans in the southeastern U.S., feed on schooling bait fishes like menhaden. In contrast, bull sharks are equally at home in fresh water and salt water, and are often found near estuaries. Their bites are more severe than those of blacktips, as they are larger, more powerful, bolder and more tenacious. Several fatalities have been ascribed to bull sharks.</p><p>Tiger sharks are also large, and are responsible for a significant fraction of fatalities, particularly off the coast of volcanic islands like Hawaii and Reunion. They are tropical animals that often venture into shallow water frequented by swimmers and surfers.</p>
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<h2>Humans Are Not Targets</h2><p>Sharks do not "hunt" humans. Data from the International Shark Attack File compiled over the past 60 years show a tight association between shark bites and the number of people in the water. In other words, shark bites are a simple function of the probability of encountering a shark.</p><p>This underscores the fact that shark bites are almost always cases of mistaken identity. If sharks actively hunted people, there would be many more bites, since humans make very easy targets when they swim in sharks' natural habitats.</p><p>Local conditions can also affect the risk of an attack. Encounters are more likely when sharks venture closer to shore, into areas where people are swimming. They may do this because they are following bait fishes or seals upon which they prey.</p><p>This means we can use environmental variables such as temperature, tide or weather conditions to better predict movement of bait fish toward the shoreline, which in turn will predict the presence of sharks. Over the next few years, the Florida Program for Shark Research will work with colleagues at other universities to monitor onshore and offshore movements of tagged sharks and their association with environmental variables so that we can improve our understanding of what conditions bring sharks close to shore.</p><h2>More to Know</h2><p>There still is much to learn about sharks, especially the 500 or so species that have never been implicated in a bite on humans. One example is the tiny <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/one-worlds-rarest-sharks-also-one-most-adorable-325280" target="_blank">deep sea pocket shark</a>, which has a strange pouch behind its pectoral fins.</p><p>Only two specimens of this type of shark have ever been caught — one off the coast of Chile 30 years ago, and another more recently in the Gulf of Mexico. We're not sure about the function of the pouch, but suspect it stores luminous fluid that is released to distract would-be predators — much as its close relative, the <a href="https://sharkdevocean.wordpress.com/2015/04/23/second-ever-pocket-shark-discovered-in-gulf-of-mexico/" target="_blank">tail light shark</a>, releases luminous fluid from a gland on its underside near its vent.</p>
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<p>Sharks range in form from the bizarre <a href="https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/discover-fish/species-profiles/mitsukurina-owstoni/" target="_blank">goblin shark</a> (<em>Mitsukurina owstoni</em>), most commonly encountered in Japan, to the gentle filter-feeding <a href="https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/discover-fish/species-profiles/rhincodon-typus/" target="_blank">whale shark</a> (<em>Rhincodon typus</em>). Although whale sharks are the largest fishes in the world, we have yet to locate their nursery grounds, which are likely teeming with thousands of <a href="https://www.earthtouchnews.com/oceans/sharks/baby-whale-shark-rescued-from-gillnet-in-india-video/" target="_blank">foot-long pups</a>. Some deepwater sharks are primarily known from submersibles, such as the giant <a href="https://twitter.com/gavinnaylor/status/1146144452681113601" target="_blank">sixgill shark</a>, which feeds mainly on carrion but probably also preys on other animals in the deep sea.</p><p>Sharks seem familiar to almost all of us, but we know precious little about them. Our current understanding of their biology barely scratches the surface. The little we do know suggests they are profoundly different from other vertebrate animals. They've had 400 million years of independent evolution to adapt to their environments, and it's reasonable to expect they may be hiding more than a few tricks up their gills.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">ROV FOOTAGE HELPS SCIENTISTS DISCOVER SHARKS DEPOSITING EGGS ON CORAL SKELETONS - RARE SHARK NURSERY IN IRISH WATERS <a href="https://twitter.com/moesgoi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@moesgoi</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/MoesNiot?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MoesNiot</a> <a href="https://t.co/hOuBDRUxy3">https://t.co/hOuBDRUxy3</a></p>— National Centre for Coastal Research (@CentreCoastal) <a href="https://twitter.com/CentreCoastal/status/1061862781241049088?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<p>
<em>Gavin Naylor is the d</em><em>irector of the Florida Program for Shark Research at the University of Florida.<br/>
</em><em>Disclosure statement: Gavin Naylor receives funding from the National Science Foundation and the Lenfest Ocean Program.</em>
</p><p>
<em>Reposted with permission from our media associate <a href="https://theconversation.com/shark-week-looms-but-dont-panic-120939" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.</em>
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More than a thousand sharks and rays have become entangled in jettisoned fishing gear and plastic debris, a new study has found. The researchers behind the study warn that the plastic trapping the sharks and rays may cause starvation and suffocation.
<p>The research, published in <em>Endangered Species Research</em> by scientists at the University of Exeter, sought to bring light to a problem that is a major animal welfare concern, but has slipped under the radar compared to larger threats like commercial fishing, as a press release published by <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/07/190704191427.htm" target="_blank">Science Daily</a> reported. The entanglement causes tremendous suffering in animals that survive it.</p><p>"One example in the study is a shortfin mako shark with fishing rope wrapped tightly around it," said Kristian Parton, of the Centre for Ecology and Conservation on Exeter's Penryn Campus in Cornwall, as <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/07/190704191427.htm" target="_blank">Science Daily</a> reported.</p><p>"The shark had clearly continued growing after becoming entangled, so the rope — which was covered in barnacles — had dug into its skin and damaged its spine."</p><p>Most of the entanglements, 74 percent, were due to discarded or lost fishing gear. There were also cases of <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/marine-life">marine life</a> caught in packing straps, bags and clothing. </p><p>In their research, the scientists pinpointed 1,116 sharks and rays caught in plastic. Yet, they suggest the true number could be higher, especially since examples of certain entangled species, like the whale shark, only existed on social media and not in published studies.</p><p>That discrepancy set the researchers on the course of a novel methodology. To understand the scale of the problem, they looked at published reports since 1940 and also looked at reports on Twitter since 2009.</p>
<p>"Our study was the first to use Twitter to gather such data, and our results from the social media site revealed entanglements of species — and in places — not recorded in the academic papers," said Brendan Godley, a co-author on the study, as Science Daily reported.</p><p>The review of academic papers revealed 557 sharks and rays entangled in plastic, spanning 34 species. An almost equal number were found on Twitter — 559 individual sharks and rays from 26 species including whale sharks, great whites and tiger sharks.</p><p>The disparity between Twitter and academic research "emphasizes that entanglement is more than likely impacting a significantly greater number of species on a vastly larger scale than this review has presented," the researchers said, as <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/sharks-and-rays-starved-and-suffocated-by-plastic-debris-and-ghost-fishing-gear-11757073" target="_blank">Sky News</a> reported.</p><p>While the researchers readily admit that entanglement is a far lesser threat than <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/overfishing" target="_self">overfishing</a> and warming <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/oceans" target="_self">oceans</a>, they do believe that entanglement should be addressed.</p><p>"Entanglement can lead to starvation, suffocation, immobilization and ultimately death, making this unequivocally an animal welfare issue, if not of <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/conservation" target="_self">conservation</a> relevance," they wrote, as <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/sharks-and-rays-starved-and-suffocated-by-plastic-debris-and-ghost-fishing-gear-11757073" target="_blank">Sky News</a> reported.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Ocean Plastic Projected to Triple Within Seven Years <a href="https://t.co/o2zvabE34C">https://t.co/o2zvabE34C</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/savingoceans?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@savingoceans</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/PlasticPollutes?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PlasticPollutes</a></p>— EcoWatch (@EcoWatch) <a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/status/976610686582353920?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 22, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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