Terrifying Moment!

Sandbar Sharks - compare with the video. Source.

And here we go again - watch.

And this is the "story", or whatever.

Did you notice that the dude with the rod has something on the line? That's probably why that little Sandbar was there in the first place, and that nip is probably agonistic, i.e. happening in perceived self-defense - and yes I'm of course speculating because we'll never know!

Anyway.

It's same old same old - not the smartest of behaviors, lousy reporting and ultimately, much ado about nothing much at all.

And the Shark gets the bad rap.

Enjoy the Ocean - responsibly!

 

Large Bull Shark?

Source.

Not large, not a Bull.
Hint.

Sardine Run - by Sasha!

Forget the Sharks - these birds are lethal!

The man is just insatiable!

Having just digested his latest portfolio from Fiji, here comes a batch from South Africa!
I'm of course talking about Alexander Safonov, aka patsOn, aka Sasha, good friend, very (!) suspect financial markets geek, prolific blogger and above all, gifted and ever more successful UW photographer. Ever since discovering his pics when he first came to Fiji, I've been a great fan of his talent and his perseverance - as have obviously others!

This I believe is his second foray to the Sardine Run - or is it his third?
Anyway, like in Fiji, the pics keep getting better - whether due to experience, luck or his new mega-super-duper wideangle lens, or all of the above!
Or is it the fact that like in Fiji, he's becoming ever more reckless in risking his life when confronting the surrounding army of big predators, close and personal - especially the Piranha-like killer Gannets, pictured above?

Just kidding!
The man is no fool and the descriptions are probably good marketing by the agent, garnished with a dash of the inevitable and endearing Russian heroism!

Well done мой друг - and come back soon!

The Problem with "Sharks"

Try defining "Sharks".

I've looked up the various definitions in Google and inevitably, there's talk of "large and voracious" and "sometimes attack humans". And then, there's the human "Sharks" that are "ruthless, greedy and dishonest".
Talk about animals having a bad reputation!

The correct definition would instead list these elements: marine, fish, cartilaginous skeleton, 5-7 mostly lateral gill slits, tough skin covered in denticles, carnivorous. All rather vague as in the definitions for "Birds" and "Mammals" (no mention of "attack humans" here - and yet they do!) - and for good reason, as a Whale Shark, a Cookiecutter Shark and a Great White are as different as, say, an Elephant, a Shrew and an Orca!
To say, "Sharks do this and behave like that" is just dead wrong - and I for one am guilty of having fallen in that trap all-too-often!

Which brings me straight back to the Shark operator controversy in Hawaii.
Yes, Hawaii regularly experiences "Shark" attacks - but those are overwhelmingly attributed to one species, i.e. Tiger Sharks, large predatory Sharks that target big prey (as in Turtles) close to the coast. That's where most aquatic recreationists do their thing and that's where from time to time, somebody gets attacked - mind you, very very rarely, a clear indication that they really want nothing to do with us.
I betcha that drowning and fatal boating and surfing accidents are way more prevalent - so what about banning those activities first, the more as the causality is irrefutable?

The Sharks showcased by the Shark Tour operators are however not Tigers, they're just Sandbars and Galapagos Sharks, smallish piscivorous Sharks that in Hawaii frequent the open Ocean and couldn't care less about some swimmer on the coast - because they eat small stuff like fish and squid and because they just don't live there. Yes they are "Sharks" but they are completely different from Tiger Sharks in terms of size, behavior, nutrition and habitat.
Think "fishing": what are the odds of you ever, ever catching an oceanic Fish like a Blue Marlin whilst surf-casting off the beach? With the wrong lure? See?

To make a connection between feeding a few Fish scraps to a Sandbar (mind you, 3 miles offshore) and an attack on a surfer by a Tiger Shark makes about as much sense as claiming that feeding Mongooses at home will trigger more attacks by Bengal Tigers in the Jungle - meaning, zero!

Alas, the public at large just doesn't want to know better.
It's up to the affected operators to try and set the record straight and there has been a first attempt with this, and other articles in the Hawaii press. Data are data and the interpretation is unequivocal.
Except of course to the usual vermin, see the comments section - just gotta love the guy! "Since 1990" - no shit! Did I say self-promoting asshole? Absolutely not! See, I'm learning to be polite!

Of all Shark operations I can think of, Hawaii's Shark viewing tours are probably the safest, most harmless, most ecologically unproblematic and most widely frequented and thus educationally valuable. Hell, it's just a fun snorkeling gig!
It would be such a crying shame if they had to succumb to mass hysteria and the ambitions of a local politician wanting to get elected.
Really!

From the bottom of my heart, I really wish them the very best of luck.
Fingers crossed!

The flip Side of the Coin

Under the title "Saving Sharks at the expense of Fishermen", here comes a real interesting article exploring the flip side of Shark Conservation, i.e. the fate of Shark fishermen who are being pushed out of business by new rules from the National Fisheries Management Services, a division of the US' NOAA.

The Atlantic Ocean Shark population overall has dropped 89 percent, with Tigers dropping by 97%, and Hammerheads, Duskies and Bulls 98%. That has prompted the Authorities to step in with some draconian fishing quotas.

Once they are fully implemented, the new rules could lead to the likely recovery of the population of Sandbar Sharks by 2070, of Porbeagles (like the one pictured above caught for "Science"; the water tube sticking out of his mouth is meant to ventilate it whilst it's being "worked on") ), within the next 100 years and of Dusky Sharks, within the next 100 to 400 years.
Yes you have read it correctly: up to 400 years! This is an indication of the present damage to stocks, but it is also due to the fact that Sharks are extremely slow breeders.

Obviously, the Shark fishing community cannot afford the luxury of waiting for so long and is now faced with immediate disaster, as the new quotas are too low to operate a vessel.

"But hey, wait a minute", I hear you say, "aren't these the very same people that have exterminated the stocks in the first place?"
Yes, they are, and if left to themselves, they would undoubtedly continue to reap and pillage until the very last stocks would be wiped out, along with the industry living off them. That's what fishermen seem to do time after time after time again.
From that point of view, they should be left to go under, with nobody to blame but themselves for what appears to be their stupid and reckless greed.

But having said this, what about the guys who supposedly have the "brains"?
What was NOAA doing whilst the stocks were falling by 30, and then 40 and then 50 and then 60 and then 70 and then 80 and then 90 percent?
You guessed it: likely nada de nada! Or better: as the stocks were falling, they may have started to collect data in order to properly document the threat in view of some future decision.
That's what Fisheries Biology has become all too often: collecting data in order to diligently document the decline, and all to often, the demise of a species. Caught between the interests of environmentalists who say they're not doing enough and the fishing lobby who fear for their livelihood, the Agencies all to often keep procrastinating until the situation has progressed well beyond its tipping point and everyone is faced with a catastrophe.
As an example, the new rules have taken years to document and one and a half years to "equitably" draft by consulting with all of the stakeholders - way too long for the stocks and the fishing industry alike.
Was that smart?

Will anybody learn from this unholy and repetitive pattern?
Maybe issue some pre-emptive injunction and only then go out and document it with the required data?
I wish!

But hope, as they say, springs eternal.

Shark Diving in the Med?

Whilst researching the previous post, I came across the above picture on, of all sites, Wikipedia's trusted Tiger Shark page, where it has replaced our very own Scarface.
A Tiger Shark in Antalya, Kaş - Turkey, as the caption implies? Maybe feeding on the rare Mediterranean Monk Seals, the World's rarest Pinniped, that frequent the area? But then, what about the small blue-and-yellow fish: Yellowtail Snappers? In the Med?
Yeah, right.......

That reminds me of this spectacular picture (click to enlarge), taken by my friends Pascal and Denis deep down in Tiputa Pass in Rangiroa. Remember the very similar cover shot on Michael Aw's Australasia Scuba Diver? Now, it hangs in a Fijian dive shop and clients are being assured that is was taken on a local dive. Not so.


But despite the obvious hoax above, Turkey is still well worth considering.
Every June, Boncuk Bay becomes a nursing area for Sandbar Sharks. No, Fatma, they don't "lay eggs" (they are viviparous), but they can be easily observed even on snorkel. And if you're really lucky, you may even stumble upon Eleonora de Sabata, Italy's own Shark Lady, and contribute to her ongoing research project, like you contribute to Shark Conservation when visiting our Shark Reef Marine Reserve.

And then, there's ........... Lebanon!
Lebanon, I hear you ask? Why on Earth would anybody want to go diving in THAT place???

Because of Odontaspis ferox.
Remember Malpelo's infamous Inzan Tiger and its "Tiger Ragged Tooth Shark", a "cross between a Raggie and a Great White"?
Well, it appears that you now have a choice: strap on your tech gear (or be outright stupid), brave Malpelo's treacherous currents and multiple thermoclines and dash down to 200 feet, only to spot nada de nada on El Bajo del Monstruo - or, strap on your bulletproof vest and head straight to equally infamous Beirut, where you may be able to spot some Smalltooth Sand Tigers at a place called Shark Point between July and September.
Decisions, Decisions...........

Anyway, plenty of links to check out!
Enjoy!