Shark Week may be over for the summer, but the marine predators patrol the world’s oceans all year long. That’s what the crew of a U.S. Coast Guard ship discovered when their Pacific Ocean swim break was interrupted by an unexpected intruder. “As if right out of a Hollywood movie, a 6-8 foot shark (no […]
Every day, sharks suffer from different threats. Up to 100 million sharks disappear every year, due to destructive fishing by humans and the impact of climate breakdown. One-third of the world’s known shark species have been listed as “threatened” species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. We need to talk about them, because […]
Maine may have experienced its first-ever fatal shark attack. Officials in the Pine Tree State are investigating a possible shark attack that took place Monday and left one woman dead. If it’s confirmed, it will go down in the books as Maine’s first official deadly shark attack, ABC News reported. The Maine Department of Marine […]
By JoAnn Adkins A landmark study by Global FinPrint reveals sharks are absent on many of the world’s coral reefs, indicating they are functionally extinct — too rare to fulfill their normal role in the ecosystem. Of the 371 reefs surveyed in 58 countries, sharks were not observed on nearly 20 percent, indicating a widespread […]
When Jasmin Graham describes her research on smalltooth sawfish, a critically endangered ray with a unique “saw” at the front of its face, she explains how “nothing else looks like this in the ocean; those species evolved to do something no other shark or ray can do.” It resonates, and people understand why diversity matters […]
By Jake Johnson In a move that environmentalists warned could further imperil hundreds of endangered species and a protected habitat for the sake of profit, President Donald Trump on Friday signed a proclamation rolling back an Obama-era order and opening nearly 5,000 square miles off the coast of New England to commercial fishing. “We’re opening […]
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. 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 […]
By Jasmin Graham 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. This partnership between the commercial fishing industry, the U.S. government, recreational fishermen and academic research scientists is the […]
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. The global trade in shark fins is contributing to a crisis among shark […]