Hobo Catch & Release?

Story here.

Poking Bull Sharks

How serendipitous.

I was just wondering about how to use this latest fantastic pic by Sasha - and here comes Mr. Fernandez!

Mr. Fernandez decided to poke a Bull Shark, always a real bad idea.
What really puts him up for an honorable mention at the Darwin Awards is that he did so whilst hanging on to a freshly speared grouper. As Shark Diver said, Sharks and Idiots are a real toxic mix. We've blogged about it for the past couple of weeks.

For now, Mr. Fernandez remains in the gene pool - but fear not, he's planning to go back!

But I'm digressing.
All I really wanted, is to showcase Sasha's pic.
Click on it - just amazing!

Croc stalks Nude Beach!

This one?

The croc: Crocodylus porosus, the world's largest reptile.


The Town: Darwin, Northern Territory.

The Country: The wonderful, and deadly Land of Oz - where else?
G'day mates!

Conservation - Filipino Style!

Pic from http://www.marketmanila.com

From a Filipino Cooking Blog.

KINUNOT RECIPE

1 kilo of Shark or Manta Ray
3 Coconuts (grated from the market)10 Lemons (kalamansi)
3 Cups Malunggay Leaves
10 pcs chili peppers (Labuyo)
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 tbsp. coconut oil
1 cup chopped onions

DIRECTIONS: Prepare a large pot by placing the shark or manta ray with just enough of water to cover the fish. Bring to a boil and take out the fish and dispose the foul hot water. Let the fish to cool off, meanwhile, cut and press all the kalamaPnsi in a bowl. Flake the fish from its bones and set aside. Prepare the grated coconut by mixing a cup of lukewarm water and pressing it with both hands, pouring the cream to the prepared bowl, then set aside. In a hot pan, put 2 tablespoons of coconut oil, then saute the garlic and onions until golden brown. Place the flaked fish and the lemon juice (kalamansi), then let it cook for another 10 minutes. Add the pressed grated coconut cream, the malunggay leaves and the chilies and let it simmer for another 10 minutes until the dish is almost dry. Serve it hot on a dish with steamed rice.

And then, this

Sad to say that sharks are included in the list for extinction nowadays as shark fins were needed much for the soup delicacy in all of Asia by Chinese restaurants. As an environmentalist, I do not recommend to cook shark for Kinunot. We only cook the Manta Ray which is still very sufficient in numbers in the oceans.

Sad indeed!
Especially, when the Shark in question is the 41st ever seen Megamouth Shark! Caught near Donsol, Philippines, and then quickly turned into a Bicol style feast. Right under the nose of the local WWF representative who pleaded with them not to do it!

That sure sucks!
But should we all gnash our teeth and proceed with indiscriminate finger pointing and condemnation, like the majority of the media and the bloggers have chosen to do?
Frankly, I'm on the fence on this one.

From what I understand, "fishermen trawling for mackerel" accidentally caught the Shark that died in their net. They then brought it back to shore for an "assessment" that was effected by the WWF.
Did you spot anything improper so far?

What I miss, is some explanation as to what the WWF wanted to do next.
Schlepp the 1,000-pund, 13-foot carcass to some scientific institution? For what: DNA and tissue analysis, for which they could have taken a sample in situ? Or oblige them to follow Fisheries Administrative Order 208 that "provides that after documentation, the carcass of all endangered marine animals should promptly be buried"?
And, did they offer some compensation for foregoing a welcome and serendipitous meal of 500 kilos of protein? That's a lot of Kinunot feeding a lot of people!

Why I'm playing advocatus diaboli, is that this touches on several topics that defy the black-or-white judgments we all-to-often apply. When it comes to Conservation, here's what I believe.

• The root cause of all our problems is that there is too many people striving for ever more Lebensraum and quality of life. Alas, that's a fact of life and whilst preserving our idealism, we must propose solutions and not just engage in vocal condemnation. Also, the solutions we offer need to be pragmatic and based on our willingness to compromise.
• Conservation must ultimately address the issue of poverty. Meaning that when dealing with poor, Third World countries, it's just not good enough to issue regulations ex cathedra. There is a need to provide for compensation or for showing viable alternatives.
• Assuming that it is OK to eat animals, the alternative to harvesting wildlife is to breed domesticates. Typically, that implies clearing native land for pastures and in order to grow animal feed. Ultimately, that may well entail far worse consequences for the Environment.
• People of different Cultures may eat whatever they please. If that implies the killing of animals and especially, the harvesting of wildlife, it must however happen in a sustainable, and ethical way.
• Ethically speaking, all Life has the same value. If it's OK to kill and eat Pigs, Chicken and Tuna, it's equally OK to eat Dogs, Cats - and Sharks! And Whales, too! Once again, to me, the only discriminating factor here is sustainability. Rat stew anybody?

Yes, it's complicated!

With that in mind, was cooking an accidentally caught, rare Shark really such a crime?

One last one...

Yes, I know, I've signed off - but this was just too good to give it a pass.

Talking about DEMA -well, sort of-, the 2008 Ig Nobel prizes have just been awarded, among which this inimitable insight.

Apparently, lap dancers earn the most when they're, you know, most fertile!
The Ig Nobel-winning experiment probing human nature has been featured in New Scientist: can women somehow signal when they are at their peak fertility? Most other female mammals do so openly, but men don't consciously recognise any such signal from women.
To investigate, University of New Mexico psychologists Geoffrey Miller, Joshua Tybur and Brent Jordan asked women working as lap dancers to report their nightly tips, and whether they were on hormonal contraceptives or menstruating naturally.
The two groups of women received similar tips when they were in non-fertile parts of their cycle, but when the naturally menstruating women reached their fertile days they earned significantly more (Evolution and Human Behavior, vol 28, p 375).
In the 18 subjects Miller studied, average earnings were $250 for a five-hour shift. That jumped to $350 to $400 per five-hour shift when the women were their most fertile, he said.
"I have heard, anecdotally, that some lap dancers have scheduled shifts based on this research," he said.

You may want to keep that in mind, lest what should have staid in Vegas comes knocking at your door some years down the line!

Adios Square Groupers - Hello Subs!

It used to be bales of pot raining from the sky, affectionately called "Square Groupers" and mega-powered speedboats like this "Midnight Express Interceptor" for both the drug smugglers and the DEA alike - in brief, the stuff "Miami Vice" was all about.
Apparently, "one could wander the shipyards of Miami and occasionally spot DEA and drug runner boats under construction side by side, at the same builder!"

Talk about mega-bucks for R&D!!!

Now, it seems, both sides have ratcheted up the stakes by several notches, as witnessed by this interesting tidbit from Central America:

"MEXICO CITY - The U.S. Coast Guard says it intercepted a submarine-like vessel carrying 7 tons of cocaine off Central America's coast. The Coast Guard says a U.S. Navy aircraft spotted the 60-foot vessel Wednesday about 400 miles south of the Mexico-Guatemala border.

The Coast Guard sank the vessel after determining it was too unstable to be towed to port. The Coast Guard's statement Friday did not say if anyone was arrested. Officials didn't immediately return calls seeking comment.

The bust came four days after the U.S. Coast Guard and Navy seized another homemade submarine carrying 7 tons of cocaine. That craft was towed to a Coast Rican port and four Colombians on board were arrested."

Are we about to witness the emergence of a series of "sub-like vessels" for the public?
Judging from the commercial success of the Interceptor, it may be only a matter of time.

In a world where a woman called Bacon wins a Hog Calling Contest (?), anything can happen!