Nukulau - more dead Sharks!

The mystery deepens!

Looks like there's more than one species involved.

Yesterday's image was of a Dogfish (h/t David) but today's piece features images of dead Hammerheads, likely scalloped. With Nukulau sitting within the reach of the waters from the Rewa where there is a HH nursery, chances are that something has happened there.

But if it's some toxic spill - where are the other Fishes?

And, would dead Sharks float on the surface, to be carried by the currents and then be deposited on a beach, and not sink instead? And if so, may this be something happening on Nukulau itself? The weather has been exceptionally warm (see Australia here) and maybe, the shallows have just become too hot and hypoxic, meaning that the Sharks have suffocated?
Look at the gill region - that's not right is it?

Questions questions...

But obviously, nobody really cares - so the Sharks will be buried along with any chances of finding out!

Nukulau - Developments!

Scalloped Hammerhead in net - source.

I was wrong!

The Department of Fisheries did end up going to Nukulau!

And there's a new and certainly plausible hypothesis by Demian, ie that this may be the discarded litter of a pregnant Scalloped Hammerhead - and that the raw gills are the result of small scavengers, just like Jeremy has suggested!

But then again - what about that Dogfish?

Maybe some journalistic license, as in having posted an unrelated pic?

And the baby-Shark-attacking Dolphins that however don't consume them? And if you picture how gill nets work: how, exactly, would such a net specifically injure the gills of a Fish that features the exact opposite of a pointy head? Just saying!

Probably a misquote!

Anyway.

Like a friend writes, we should be less concerned about the how but instead bemoan the death of so many endangered animals!

And he's of course totally correct!

Nukulau - dead Sharks!

Nukulau is Fiji's former prison island.
It sits just outside of Suva and was made by a thieving flying giant - really! :)

Story here.
From the tail, it looks like some deep-water species.
No idea what happened - my money is on some spill in Suva harbour but of course I'm just speculating.
I'll try and find out more.

Nukulau - no Killer Dolphins!

Source.

Yay!

The experts have spoken!

Remarkable!

And this concludes the Nukulau saga!

Is the Rewa a Scalloped Hammerhead Nursery?

Source.

And talking about Fijian Shark nurseries.

Remember Kelly and the Nukulau saga?

Here's a rather nice little piece about Kelly's research - which was incidentally already concluded and published in 2014 but that's Fiji Time for you!

But that's obviously old news indeed.

Since then, there has been plenty more research, much of which in cooperation with Projects Abroad, and the then preliminary case for the Rewa as a nursery is now pretty much a certainty, with those findings about to be published rather soon; and several people and orgs are now advocating a seasonal closure of selected parts of the Rewa estuary in order to at least protect the youngest most fragile juveniles.

And there's also other stuff going on there - but more of that later! :)

Keep watching this space!

PS: paper here!

Nukulau in the Fiji Times!

Baby HHs sold in Nadi - had it been a fisherman, he would have likely done the same.

Well, uh, no.

As far as I know, the GFSC is not going to send out a team.

That's the job of the Department of Fisheries, and it's their prerogative to decide how to handle this - likely by doing nothing as I doubt that there would be the necessary forensic resources in country anyway. This is very likely a one-off natural event and I see no need for activism by any self-appointed deputy sheriffs.

But it's a story and ultimately, it is pro-Shark.

So I guess all is good.