Mystery Wedgefish?

The CITES CoP18 will be held in Colombo in May. 

Among the species proposed for listing are the Wedgefishes and Giant Guitarfishes that are both being persecuted mercilessly for their fins, and ever more threatened with extinction as a consequence.
 
Above is a Wedgefish from Fiji - click for detail.

The pics are from the FB page of the Waidroka Bay Resort, i.e. from just around the corner. Our local Wedgefishes are a bit of a mystery and consistently being misidentified, mostly as Rhynchobatus djiddensis which this one is clearly not - so which one is it?

Brand-new ID guide right here.

Thoughts?

PS: indeed R. australiae or laevis - or yet another undescribed Wedgefish from that species complex. That said, Kerstin has already identified australiae by DNA barcoding back in 2015!
And, remember?
 

Nassau Grouper Spawning Aggregation - 360 Video!

Simply amazing picture! Source - read it! 

Remember?
This is great - story here.
Enjoy!

Kinderstube für Haie!

Tom with small Blacktip Shark - source.

Nice!

Check this out.
The indefatigable Tom (nice interview here) has just won the German Price for Science Photography by the prestigious Bild der Wissenschaft with his feature about the putative Shark nursery in the Ba River Estuary.

Despite of the massive challenges in the wake of cyclone Winston, he was able to complete his master thesis by documenting the presence of small subadult  Blacktips C. limbatus as well as juvenile Scalloped and Great Hammers. These preliminary findings indicate that this may be important, if not critical habitat for those latter two endangered species, warranting urgent further in-depth investigation.

Cute: juvenile Great Hammer (above) and Scalloped Hammer (below) - click for detail. Source.

Congrats buddy, very well done indeed!

Targeting Sawfish in Florida - WTF!

Another day, another pair of proud brothers, another endangered Sawfish - Source.

Watch

And I cite.

The ESA and its implementing regulations set forth a series of general prohibitions that apply to all endangered wildlife.
The prohibitions of section 9 of the ESA, in part, make it illegal for any person subject to the jurisdiction of the United States to take (to harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture or collect, or to attempt to engage in any such conduct), to import into, or export from, the United States, to ship in interstate or foreign commerce in the course of commercial activity, or to sell or offer for sale in interstate or foreign commerce any endangered wildlife. To possess, sell, deliver, carry, transport, or ship endangered wildlife that has been taken illegally is also prohibited.

The Smalltooth Sawfish is listed as endangered under ESA.

Spotting four and then catching three equals targeting and is illegal - so why is it that those two yokels are invited to proudly boast about their feat on television instead of being investigated?

Once again, the FWC is nowhere in sight.

Like here where they allow those idiots to continue to drag in protected and endangered GHHs for trophy pictures. One died right there and was buried, and we know that the others are highly likely to die after release. And the FWC continues to defend that shit instead of finally developing adequate mitigation strategies.

What the fuck!

FUN FUN FUN - two!

Titled THE_FAMILY_and_HAMMERHEAD - great education! Source.

Worry not!
This time, I'm not gonna utter the dreaded B-word! :)

So, that horrible woman is coming back.
And she is, obviously, totally unrepentant - as in, you are the company you keep!
Op-ed by David here!

PS - Christie Wilcox (much too politely and intellectually) here!
PPS - David on SFS here!

Saving Sawfish!

That was back then. Source: this great piece by Christine! Click for detail!

Now, it's just simply appalling - source.

This is good.

Posted especially for those morons that target them!
Global conservation strategies here!

Enjoy!

Saving the Sawfishes - Global Strategy!

Click for detail - whole infographic here!

Bravo IUCN!

All Sawfishes are threatened with extinction.

And whilst some countries like the USA do a good job at protecting them and trying to re-establish critical habitat, others require urgent action.

You can read it all here.

This is excellent, impressive work and a must read for fisheries managers, researchers and conservationists alike - and for smartass anglers, too!

Kudos!

Targeting Sawfish - WTF!

The caption reads BADASS - really? 

Smalltooth Sawfish are.

• Listed globally as Critically Endangered
• Listed under CITES 1 (which is not applicable here)
• Listed as endangered under ESA

And I cite.

The ESA and its implementing regulations set forth a series of general prohibitions that apply to all endangered wildlife.
The prohibitions of section 9 of the ESA, in part, make it illegal for any person subject to the jurisdiction of the United States to take (to harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture or collect, or to attempt to engage in any such conduct), to import into, or export from, the United States, to ship in interstate or foreign commerce in the course of commercial activity, or to sell or offer for sale in interstate or foreign commerce any endangered wildlife. 

Repeated here, with handling recommendations.

So how can this shit be acceptable, and why are the media reporting it as some kind of a "feat".  Although the post release mortality is so far unknown, those prolonged fights exert tremendous stress on the animals, meaning that their fitness is certainly reduced. Plus, this is very much intentional targeting, meaning that considering the definition by ESA, this is most likely illegal.

Action anybody?

Hammerheads in Mozambique!

Simply outstanding pic - click for detail! Source.

Nice!

Mozambique is of course one of the epicenters of unsustainable Shark fishing, so encountering so many of the endangered Scalloped Hammers is a special treat indeed.

Enjoy!

Catch-and-Release fishing for Sharks - Paper!

Nothing to be proud of - source.

Good stuff!

Remember those interminable debates - especially here?

Now that Austin has finally published his research, the verdict is unequivocal: targeting those Great Hammerheads is just simply wrong - especially in the case of land based fishing that requires subduing and wrestling in the Shark all the way to shore. Considering the documented post release mortality, there is no best practice here as even those Sharks that swim away seemingly unfazed are in grave danger of dying shortly thereafter.

Of course one cannot always chose what takes the bait - but the deliberate targeting of that species must stop immediately.

Or as Austin puts it,

This study may also suggest that relying on visual observations of post-release vitality could underestimate mortality and that these events could still occur in conservation zones that wholly restrict shark harvest (e.g. shark sanctuaries) and/or require release of threatened or protected species (e.g. regional/national prohibited species, endangered species list). 

For example, in January 2012, the state of Florida added 3 species of hammerhead sharks (great, scalloped [ Sphyrna lewini] , and smooth [ S. zygaena] ) to their prohibited species list, requiring individuals caught in state waters to be released. 
However, our results suggest that great hammerhead sharks are particularly vulnerable to fighting on a line with short fight times, even when sharks are observed swimming away vigorously post-release. Thus, potential conservation strategies to address these issues in great hammerhead sharks (in addition to restricting harvest) could include having fishers avoid peak or aggregation areas/times, use weak fishing line or hooks, or simply cut the line nearest the hook (without having to ‘fight’ the animal; Stokesbury et al. 2011).

Synopsis here, paper here.

And here's the usual nice video by Neil's lab.

Enjoy!

PS: follow-up Q/A on the Shark Defenders blog here.

Nat Geo - racing for the Bottom?

How cool is that - grinning fishermen dispatching endangered Bluefin Tuna.

Good to see that others are noticing.
This time it's not a nobody like me - this time it's Carl Safina, and if that link should not be sufficient, check him out here.

Yes Nat Geo is going down the drain.
To be fair, that would be Nat Geo WILD, the pathetic sister channel of the venerable National Geographic Channel. From what I understand, it is manned by ex Discovery Channel dudes and is now obviously frantically trying to one-up (actually: one-down!) Discovery.

The usual MO?
Stupid programs featuring stupid anchors showcasing stupid people doing stupid things, as last seen in this appalling stupidity that easily made it onto my infamous worst-of list for 2011 - or in this specific case Wicked Tuna, a show about killing endangered Atlantic Bluefins.
Ethical imperatives anybody?

Incidentally and now that it has aired - does any of the then commentators still assert that Nat Geo Shark Attack Experiment LIVE had anything to do with science and Shark conservation?
And, has it done anything to help conservation efforts on the ground?
Right...

Anyway, I'm digressing as usual.
Please read this stellar piece by Carl Safina.

Caymans' Nassau Groupers - great News!

Great artwork by Guy!

Remember this post?

Now, the Cayman Islands have extended the seasonal protection of the endangered Nassau Grouper spawning aggregation sites for another 8 years. Full story here, Guy's reaction here.

And here's a really nice PSA on Guy Harvey's website.
But: why is embedding not enabled - isn't this about spreading the message?
Anyway: Kudos to everybody involved!

Butch is as Butch does!

Yes that would be an endangered Great Hammerhead.

Apparently, that's the boat of Shark killer Mark Quartiano.
Apparently, that woman is Rosie O'Donnell - having FUN with the kids!

As in, and I cite.

ROSIE, music, merriment, celebrities, games, laughter and fun!!!!
The Rosie Show is all of this and more!! Are you the life of the party? Do you light up the room with your energy? Are you always known to turn a frown upside down? Do you just LOVE to have FUN??? The Rosie Show wants you to make us smile and show us how fun you are!!!

FUN FUN FUN!!!

ICCAT - some Progess!

Silkies in, I believe, Malpelo - awesome!

Not Success, as the Pew bemoans?
As always, that really depends on the the POV and having had no big expectations, I am quite pleasantly surprised!

The fact is that they are now protecting the Silkies which is great.
Yes many other species undoubtedly do need better protection (good report here!) but once again, conservation is very much a step-by-step process whereby one has to be willing to (grudgingly) accept compromises and also, to acknowledge the realities on the ground - including the ever-present political shenanigans!
But I agree, no progress on the issue of limiting bycatch despite of plenty of highly viable alternatives and also, the failure of tightening the finning regulations are indeed a disappointment.

Which brings me straight over to the Bluefins.
In the context of ICCAT, Sharks are really little more than a side distraction. The real issues at hand are the management of maybe the fisheries for Billfishes (including the non-endangered Swordfish) but above all, that of the endangered Northern Bluefin Tuna. More details about the status of those Fishes right here.
As anticipated, there has not been any revision to the TAC but instead, the attention has been focused on curtailing the widespread shenanigans which is a good thing and very much conducive to reducing the numbers of Tuna that are actually being landed.

So although not being happy, I am quite satisfied.
Yes much remains to be done but at least the direction continues to remain the correct one!

More details on the measures here.

Porbeagles - excellent News!

Simply stellar picture by the always masterful Doug Perrine!

Well, I hope I'm right here.
I've obviously missed quite a bit whilst strutting around at DEMA - but it appears that in the meantime, Europe has decided to fully protect the Porbeagle which would of course be brilliant. So far, all I can find are several re-posts, e.g. here, of an announcement by Oceana and nothing by the European Fisheries Commission - but let's take that at face value and rejoice!

Which brings be straight back to my post about ICCAT.
Those folks are conferring as we speak and with the above in mind, things look of course alot better for the proposed retention ban for Porbeagles.
Fingers crossed!

The Tuna?
Very much like I said then, I really anticipate no change in TAC, the more as this is also the position of the Commission. BUT, I also discern a strong commitment for enforcing the exact quotas by curtailing the widespread shenanigans, meaning that if properly implemented, the actual number of caught Tuna would drop dramatically, see that post and the analysis by Pew. At the end of the day, that is what really counts and it would undoubtedly be a huge step in the right direction.

Long story short? No need for conservation triage - quite yet!
Still very much on track for collecting that fine bottle of wine Mr. P!

Dugongs - the Demise of the Mermaids

I must say, rarely have I found a picture more disturbing.

Sad story here.
Dugongs are classified as vulnerable and as usual, the main causes of population declines are anthropogenic, with hunting, habitat degradation and fishing related fatalities being the principal ones.

2011 is the Pacific Year of the Dugong.

There's even an action plan by SPREP and I sure hope that it will help curtail the abomination that is the hunting for Dugongs in Australia's North.

Simians on the Rocks!

Not a Great White? Pics by Oceans Research - click for detail.

Poor reviled Leon Bekker did not know he had hooked a Great White.

He certainly did not haul it onto the rocks.


He also most definitely did not pose with the Shark!

As Patric says.

We understand that S.A is a world away from conservation norms, but to those who would claim that they are the leaders of any conservation movement with sharks in S.A we say
"show us what you got".
It's your backyard and this guy just took a great big dump in it.

Thank you Oceans Research for breaking the story.
PS there has been a public outcry - let's see if it leads to something!

Porbeagle - great Video, horrible News!

Porbeagles, by Kristen Campbell

Check out this video by Simon Spear.
It is about Porbeagles that can be found off the coast of Cornwall and like he says, what a beautiful animal!
Porbeagles are classified as vulnerable globally but critically endangered in the Eastern North Atlantic and Mediterranean, this because of targeted fishing, usually by longline, as they are prized for their meat.

But not only because of that,
This Shark aggregates in schools and is thus particularly vulnerable to being caught in nets - and yet again, a whole school of Porbeagle has been netted and discarded as bycatch.

Southern Bluefin - Critically Endangered?

Oh for crying out loud!!!
This has come as a complete surprise, at least to me!

Did you know?
Turns out that the Southern Bluefin of Tuna Cowboys fame is in even worse shape than his Northern relative! Which once again begs the question, what were those inept monkeys in Doha DOING - campaigning for the wrong species???
Those people should have known about the issue since at least 2005!

Quite frankly, I'm totally shocked.
Gotta do some digging and try and wrap my head around this utter and total conservation debacle.
More as a clearer picture emerges.

NSW Grey Nurse Sharks - Recommendations!

Hooked and permanently disfigured GNS

Sorry for the protracted silence.
We're currently extraordinarily busy, all good but very time consuming, and for the next couple of weeks, feeding the blog will unfortunately have to remain a low priority.

But this is important and urgent, so there.
Mark Gray has graciously posted some highly useful comments on my last post about the GNS. Mark is of course none other than the award winning dive pro of Sundive in Byron Bay and as such, he very much represents the POV of the Australian GNS dive community - and very likely, that of the scientific community with whom they collaborate as well. These are the people who dive with and photograph those GNS and who regularly try and rescue them when they fall victim to the local fishermen.
Here's another one of those stories, and the according video.



Anyway, here's the situation in a nutshell - please consult the links.
Following the election of a new pro-fishing Minister, the fishing ban around Fish Rock and Green Island has been revoked pending the result of a public consultation. The NSW Department of Primary Industries has published a discussion paper and there are an online page and a submission form where one can post comments.

This is principally about Fish Rock and Green Island.
Here's an older video by Mark showing the aggregation of Fish Rock which is very much one of the most important such sites needing urgent comprehensive protection!



Other sites are rather well protected, but in South West Rocks, the closest community on the coast, there is a strong fishing lobby that has convinced the Minister to repeal the recent protection at those iconic dive sites. At the same time, the Department is looking at unifying and streamlining the rules governing all the known aggregation sites of the GNS, namely

• Julian Rocks (Byron Bay),
• Fish Rock (South West Rocks),
• Green Island (South West Rocks),
• The Pinnacle (Forster),
• Big and Little Seal Rocks (South of Forster),
• Little Broughton Island (North of Port Stephens),
• Magic Point (Maroubra – Sydney),
• Bass Point (Shellharbour),
• Tollgate Islands (Batemans Bay),
• Montague Island (Narooma)

some of which are Commonwealth Marine Reserves and some of which, like Fish Rock and Green Island, are merely declared to be Critical Habitats, see the map in the discussion paper. The paper lists further major aggregation sites that are currently not being protected.

Please, help those Sharks by submitting your comments.
From my discussion with Mark and others, the following may be a good way to go about it. Keep in mind that the GNS are already protected in NSW. This is about protecting them against accidental injury when they take the hooks of fishermen who target other Fishes. I am being told that it would be useful if your submission would include the following requests - ask for the maximum keeping in mind that the political process will likely result in some sort of weaker compromise.

• That Fish Rock and Green Island be declared a Commonwealth Marine Reserve (CMR).
• That Mermaid Reef and South Solitary Islands be recognized as Critical Habitats (CH).
• Citing the unequivocal scientific data that reveal the extraordinarily vulnerability of GNS to injury by fishing gear, that all recreational fishing (there are other rules governing commercial fishing) be banned from all known GNS aggregation sites (list them as per above) regardless of whether they are CMR, CH or not yet protected.

The online submission form does not have provision for opinions from overseas.
This is obviously biased as a lot of overseas visitors come and visit Fish Rock and Green Island as it has been commented that its one of the top Australian Dive Sites.
The following suggestions have been made for submission from overseas

• The zip code of 2431 is the post code for South West Rocks which is the nearest town and port for those visiting Fish Rock and also the home of the biased fishermen also. Maybe as part of the counting of submission those from the “local” communities may have more weight.
• Another option is to put down care of South West Rocks Dive Centre, Gregory St, South West Rocks, NSW 2431.

OK this is basically it.
It reflects what I understand will be most useful and most effective - but if anybody in the know wants to propose another modus operandi, please do not hesitate to correct me!I have to rely in what I am being told, am not a party and have no hidden agendas, and merely want to assist in the best possible way.

Vinaka vakalevu!

PS: thank you Brendan for providing for this link to the Australian Marine Conservation Society.

PS2: Petition here. My intuition tells me that having many people write unique personal comments directly to the Department of Primary Industries as per the above is likely to be more effective than having one single org, however reputable, forwarding the opinions of many people. But to each his own.