Running of the Bulls!

Happier times.. - click for detail. Source. 

Behold!
 

This is just great

Last November and after a much too long hiatus, we had the great pleasure of hosting our deep diving, dear friends from Hawaii.
Year end is when the Bulls are terminally pregnant, and you can discern several such individuals like Gape and Tip. And there is also Hillary who still carried a tag from 2018 and will undoubtedly deliver a simply epic data set!
Everybody was toting a camera, and Brian has put together a masterful edit of their footage.
 

In loving memory of Josh Copus.

They're at it already!

Click for detail!

Behold!

Yes those would definitely be mating scars!

This is way, way early - but then again, this has been a very warm year likely leading to strong fetal development and a very early pupping season, too! To wit, Fold, Tip and Bum are already back from the nurseries all gaunt and ravenous, and busy bulking up after more than a month of fasting!

Long story short, the Running of the Bulls may be upon us very shortly indeed!

So, what are you waiting for! :)

Fiji Weather!

Christmas Eve weather - fingers crossed!

Well well.

As they say, be careful what you wish for.

So, we got ourselves the weak cyclone slash tropical depression to suck away some of the heat - and suck away it did, so at least the coral must be happy!
Looks like after several days of howling winds and biblical deluge, the bloody system is slowly moving away - so here's to a sunny Christmas and provided that all that brown water manages to dissipate in time, to some epic Shark dives!

With The running of the Bulls fast approaching, you may well be in for a real treat!

So, what are you waiting for!

The Running of the Bulls - Full House!

Bingo!

Didn't I say that they would be running soon!

We're still being niggled by the tail end of Ula, and diving has been challenging - but the action is fast and furious, with more and more of the big females popping by for a snack. Already sighted: Crook, Hook, Bum, Monica, Chica, Bumphead, Curly, Maite, Pointer, Blunt, Tip, Nani, Shorty, Junior, Fold, Nick, Pecker, Mrs. Jaws, Lefty, Saddle, Steps and Taryn - and this in only 3 days of Shark diving!

And the mating?

I'm still stumped as all we see are healed scars, like the ones on Nick at the top. And even more surprisingly, today we were visited by none other than Whitenose, meaning that the party may well be already over!

Or may this be merely a temporary lull like last time?

We shall see!

In any case, we're already at 45+ bulls, tendency very much increasing.

So, what are you waiting for!

Very early mating - El Niño?

Who knows - but it is definitely happening!

The whole thing, at least for me, is rather puzzling. 

Contrary to what you may have assumed, the current severe El Niño has brought us way colder, not warmer water - and with the Bulls being poikilothermic, this appears to have delayed fetal development insofar as all of the pregnant females are still sticking around for a bit longer instead of having already absconded to give birth in the river nurseries.

And the mating?

I would have thought that it would be triggered by some environmental factor - but compared to a "normal" year, the water is definitely still on the cool side, and precipitation is also sub par = I would have thought that mating, too, would have started later.

But then again, who am I to say!

This is where the males are trying to latch on with their teeth - click for detail.

Anyway, all very interesting!

And with Bull Shark numbers already climbing back to several dozen, the proper Running of the Bulls may be only a few weeks away!

So, what are you waiting for!

 

Ritter - appalling!

Damn the guy!

I was actually enjoying my blogging retirement.

But this shit and specifically, his underhanded description of that infamous predatory attack by a Bull Shark cannot remain unanswered.

Here is that attack.

No the attack did not happen because the spotter did not do his job.

It happened because (read it - brilliant!) a stupid self-promoting Sharkitarian who had developed the inane hypothesis that they would not bite him as long as he would lower his heart rate, or whatever, decided to wade around, bare-legged, among a pack of feeding Bull Sharks!

I mean, seriously!

And the worst thing?

Despite of the fact that the Bulls Shark disproved his inane hypothesis, camera running, he continues to spout the same pseudo-scientific drivel til this day - and some poor suckers in Germanic Europe believe him and continue to give him money! Case in point: if you can, you may really want to experience the truly epic masterclass in snake oil salesmanship in the YouTube series prowin- pro nature donates 50 000 U$ for Erich Ritter's SHARKSCHOOL e.g. here.
Simply amazing - both the indisputable craft of Ritter and the naivety of his credulous victims!

Anyway.

There's a sucker born every minute, nobody else cares, and he is and will forever remain the laughing stock and pariah of the Shark research community. I just feel sorry for poor gullible Amin who will inevitably end up like all those other gullible past foundations, sponsors and philanthropists, see below: um teure Erfahrung reicher, and tainted by association!

But back to the spotter.

Here's what he had to say when confronted with the allegations.

What a sad and pathetic little man!
Perception is nine tenths of reality to someone like this guy! Ritter, you have always done your narcissistic "martyr" act far too well!

I think back at the events of that day and see him flexing his muscles in an Arnold Schwarzenegger pose while stating loudly for the two cameras...."We aren't afraid of no stinking sharks"!
This was his response to my telling him he should get out of the water as the tide was slack, too much bait and blood was in the water and we could not control the sharks safely after already having several close calls. He looked at me and laughed! My crew and I exchanged worried looks after his comment.

But the Discovery crew said to Ritter..."we only need 5 more minutes of B roll" and Ritter, who was always a whore to the cameras, said "no problem"!

5 minutes later I was fighting to save his life....and did so thru rapid and definitive means.
I still have the blood stained belt I used to tourniquet his leg. I held him in my arms in the emergency flight I had on standby and kept him from going into shock. I stopped the paramedics in the US from reopening the wound when they wanted to ogle a shark bite by pulling off my clot producing dressing that kept him from bleeding out, and sat the day and night in the waiting room thru his surgery and recovery to make certain that he would be OK. He walks to this day because I saved the hanging torn muscle in his leg when others told me to leave it but I wrapped it into his wound and that muscle was surgically reattached and allows him to walk and run without a limp and continues to work his ankle to this day.

He will never know that I got the Walkers Cay company to give him $10,000 for his recovery and a year later when they decided they wanted repayment of that loan....I fought them hard to back off and leave the man in peace.
They agreed.

So as the "spotter" who you blamed for this horrible misfortune in your "little man's life" I say this.
You should thank me Eric for "giving" you a "war wound" which has been your only meal ticket and the only thing that gives you any credibility among the misguided groupies that you pander to. It certainly has not been your scientific insights in shark behavior or papers full of pseudo scientific drivel that has earned you any acknowledgements.

My crime was that I was loyal to you.
Something you know so little about based on that rambling dissertation I just read! You managed to burn every bridge with every solid individual that wanted to believe in you and who would have launched you into a viable scientific career.

Sadly Ritter....You just can't fix stupid!

Thanks for allowing me to rant!
Mike, feel free to print this if you like. 

Gesagt getan!
 

Blacktip Reefies vs Surgeonfish!

Love love love this kind of stuff!

Story here - PDF here.

Here in Fiji we may be possibly witnessing something similar - at least, that is our working hypothesis although we're still debating about how to test it. Maybe you remember this paper, and this picture.

It is an old graph of Bull Shark sightings.

In essence, it shows how the Bulls disappear at year end for pupping and mating, and how they then return for the Running of the Bulls in late December/January.

But there's also another detail - see it?

Every March/April, an this usually around the Full Moon, we get a notable temporary dip in the number of Bull Sharks. Our hypothesis is that they are being drawn away by some event that is likely linked to predation - and it just so happens that many Fishes like incidentally those Surgeonfish form spawning aggregations around the Full Moon, this because the associated strong tides favor maximum dispersion of the fertilized eggs. 

Obviously, so far, this is only a correlation and thus merely speculative - but it is a testable hypothesis and if certain things come to pass like we plan them to, we may soon be nearer to solving that riddle!

So keep watching this space! :)

Anway, real interesting observation from Moorea.

Nice job Ornella, Johann and Serge! 

Touching Sharks - Wildlife Harassment?

Source.

OK, first rant of the year.

This is thorny - but I just got to get it off my chest.

It concerns this hypocritical article by the increasingly irrelevant Executive Director of the increasingly irrelevant Shark Angels, and this comment by David.

Da che pulpito?

When it comes to Andersen, meh.

It is merely a continuation of this hypocritical rubbish, and instead of further debasing myself, I can certainly keep it with Martin who states.

Here is the problem with what Julie says.
She is known to the public, because of all the pictures of her, touching sharks. Now she says that she wishes some of those pictures would not be so public and that other people would not touch sharks. So let me get this straight, after she got her fame by touching sharks, she doesn't want others to do the same and she says it's not an ego thing? She does however have no reservations about using that fame when it suits her. I guess she just doesn't want others to get in on the action. She also is talking about sharks, like they are all the same. Well, it does say that she's an expert, so it must be true. It couldn't be that there are sharks that are social and touch each other and others that don't do that, at least not without eliciting a violent reaction. I wish we would just stop paying attention to all these wanna be shark whisperers and self proclaimed experts. Just because someone touches a shark, or goes outside a cage, where it is not legal, doesn't make them an expert.

Could not agree more!

And how about David's comment.

But first things first: I really, really like the guy! 

He's passionate, intelligent, witty, eloquent and incredibly erudite - but like I've just told a common pal, the young padawan needs a reminder that erudition is not always a substitute for experience!

This is what irks me.

Wildlife harassment is a legal term that in essence states, don't interfere with the wildlife unless authorized to do so, and by that metric alone, David is of course 100% correct - that is, provided that those Shark interactions are covered by the law! Are they? Because, again, no law no harassment - detail detail!

At the same time, however, much of David's research and that of his lab are predicated upon catching and manhandling Sharks - which albeit being perfectly legal, undoubtedly useful and sometimes even vitally necessary and thus not wildlife harassment in the legal sense, is nevertheless often brutal and does subject the animals to an experience that is orders of magnitude more traumatic than anything which is being reproached to the divers!

And if so, is David really in a position to lecture others?

Plus, there is this.

Contrary to David's sweeping statement, those different interactions between people and Sharks are by no means equivalent - maybe under the law (provided that it exists!) but certainly not in fact!

When Jimmy posted his video of Tarantino, a prominent researcher sent me a message telling me that he hated the anthropomorphizing but that he was wondering about the Shark's motivation as it was hard for his science brain to comprehend that video clip.

I did really appreciate that. In my experience, most Shark researchers understand very little about Shark behavior and human-shark interactions, this because behavior in general is difficult to describe to start with but above all, because far too few of them have spent enough time with the animals to properly understand them in the first place! There are obviously notable exceptions, like Juerg or after close to a year diving with us, El Diego - but it is glaringly apparent that David ain't one of them and I must really say, sutor ne supra! 
 

We in the Industry, on the other hand, spend heaps of time with the Sharks but often lack the training to properly describe what we experience, and often get too emotionally attached to the animals to continue being objective.

Be it as it may, take the example of our Rusi.

He has now logged 20,000 plus dives with those Bulls - d'ya think he may have learned something about them, and that it may be worth listening to what he's got to say? Or to Cristina? Or for the matter, to Jimmy?

So what about those interactions.

What we and from many many conversations, our peers have learned, is that everything is situation specific. One thing we all agree upon, is that especially when it comes to those large, long lived carnivorous species, any two Sharks are as different as any two people. At least on those regular baited dives where many of the regular Sharks appear to be highly conditioned and tolerant of the presence of divers, there are clearly individuals that seek personal interactions whereas others clearly want their space all the way to retaliating against people that are too pushy.
Obviously much of that behavior is mediated by the bait - but there are occasions where getting fed does not appear to be the primary motivator and where we then inevitably resort to the dreaded anthropomorphizing by defining the Sharks as being  friendly, or cheeky, or sneaky, or cute. Pathetically unscientific I know - but nevertheless, something is going on, and the fact that it hasn't yet been described scientifically does in no way detract from the fact that it exists, that it is noteworthy and that it warrants further investigation!

So, which interactions are acceptable and which not?

The way I see it (and granted this is highly subjective) it really depends on the actual situation but also on the motivation of those people, see e.g. here where I also state that what may be OK today may well become obsolete in the future. Assuming the Shark does not get injured (and it rarely does), it really boils down to an ethical debate - and there, sensibilities and opinions will inevitable differ.
But before anybody thinks that I generally welcome those interactions - I generally do NOT! Sharks are no pets and the ocean is no fucking petting zoo - and abusing them as underwater scooters is an abomination!
 

But instead of pontificating further, how about some examples.
Everything except for the science pics fulfills the definition of wildlife harassment - but maybe in real life, things are not so unequivocal but instead, a tad more nuanced?

Yes it's legal, yes it's research, yes the Tigers are incredibly resilient - but that line choking the gills is wrong wrong wrong! Source. 
 

No it doesn't harm the Shark - but is this really conservation like asserted - or rather, pathetic self-promotion or just simply stupid? Source.
 

I got no problem with this - zero! From what I understand, the animals come in voluntarily, and even compete for Cristina's petting because it is quite obviously enjoyable to them. Source.
 

Totally against. This is the forced tonic I've ranted about here. Source.

I actually find this endearing. This is Rusi giving Monica, a Shark he has been working with for the past 10 years, a little pat after she popped by and hovered within inches from his face on yesterday's dive.
  

Any questions? Source.

No no no - but that was then and I'm quite sure that they would not do this now - so here's to evolution! Source.

The problem here is that I'm not even sure that this is Cristina. There are now too many copycats and what was once unique and thus amazing has been trivialized and is increasingly becoming nothing more than a gratuitous stunt. Source.

And how about this one from Bimini!

Are you deeply outraged as always?

You shouldn't be because this is Grant = one of the good guys, stopping a Hammer that is getting way too frisky as per one of his comments here - and whilst fulfilling the definition of wildlife harassment, it is nevertheless perfectly OK!
As I said, things are generally way more nuanced than at first glance!

Which brings me straight to the juicy bit - what about Eli?

Over the years, several regular commentators on this blog have seen it fit to unleash a barrage of expletives on the poor guy. Except for the racial slurs that are unacceptable and also stupid (= his family was there long before the white man took possession and then invented the immigrant), I've let those comments stand - but most of the time, I don't at all agree with them. Many of those commentators that hide behind aliases are pals of mine, meaning that I know that whilst some of them simply genuinely abhor any form of Shark wrangling, others have history and are settling old scores whereas others are engaging in good old fashionable and rather gratuitous Eli bashing (and comments!) without having the faintest idea about who Eli really is.

And I also know that they're all gonna crucify me for what follows!

The fact is that Eli Martinez is one of my pals.

I really do like the dude. He's a really nice, personable guy, he's an accomplished Shark diver, he deeply cares for the animals albeit obviously in his own way, he is really very good at what he does and finally, he really understands Shark behavior and I really enjoy some of his insights, as do my staff - meaning that in my book, he too is one of the good guys and that I do respect him!

Mind you, liking the person does not equate liking everything he does - quite the contrary! It's not like we correspond a lot - but when we do, we often debate like crazy! And I also will not shy away from criticizing him publicly for some of his most egregious stupidities!

Yes he's certainly a macho that likes his extreme Shark diving, yes he likes to showcase himself manhandling those Sharks, both of which I'm certainly no fan of - but that doesn't make him a bad person, that's just who he is! And contrary to all those hypocritical media whores, the cheats and the charlatans I frankly despise, he does not pretend to be anything he is not!

And what about the flipping of those Tigers?

Yes once again it's wildlife harassment - but it does not harm the Sharks that appear completely unfazed and sometimes come back for a second helping. But of course it got nothing whatsoever to do with what I would consider an authentic wildlife encounter. In essence, it's not unlike Cristina's vertical non-tonic: whereas years ago it may have been irritating but nevertheless also fascinating, now Eli's pals are increasingly trying to one-up and out-trick him (and e.g. here) meaning that what was once unique is now a rather gratuitous circus trick, to the point that TB is now the prime example of an iconic dive site that is completely going to shit because instead of having a common code of conduct, the craziest and most disrespectful inmates are running the asylum!

Do I like it - certainly not!

Do I hate Eli because of it - certainly not!

But I'm digressing as always - long story short?

It's great that a lot of people are passionate about Sharks and love to talk about them. And although I often gnash my teeth in utter frustration, I can also live with all the nonsense that is proffered by all those bloviating enthusiasts, the more as most of them don't claim to know it all but are merely voicing their opinions.
But I'm really tired tired tired of the rampant ultracrepidarianism (google it! :)) of all those self-professed whisperers and sharxperts that are making it their mission to educate the plebs!
Can we do better this year?

There, now I've said it.

So, friends, bring it on - may the public crucifixion begin!

PS - David's response here.
Disagree with some of it - fully agree with the part about the  riding and aggressive handling for fun!
PPS - Eli here!

Shark Reef - The Running of the Bulls!

Bull Shark love - not for the fainthearted. Click for detail!

Brilliant brilliant brilliant!

Gareth is absolutely correct.

Even by our standards, yesterday's dive was nothing short of epic - especially considering the time of the year! The weather sucks and the viz was not perfect - but we did count a minimum of 40 Bulls, and many of the big mamas are already back in fast and furious action!

Having checked my video, I can discern Granma (our oldest) and Tiny Stumpy (still a juvenile) that look great and are obviously not partaking in the general partouze. Nick, Pointer, Colombiana, Chica, Tip, Ms Jaws, Funnygirl, Moana, Brenda, Bum and Tail on the other hand are busy partying, frankly look like shit and are ravenous - much like Nica that contrary to Blunt who left early, came back first and has been bulking up nicely, is still looking gaunt after having given birth. And check out poor old skinny Monica who has obviously managed to pick up some skin infection whilst in the river!

And the males?

They are busy trying to knock up anybody they can get their teeth, and obviously, other parts in - and  as long as the ocean is carrying those irresistible female pheromones, it is quite obvious that they are totally impervious to the attraction of bait, juicy as it may be! In fact, many years of experience teaches us that the mating season won't be over til we get to see Whitenose, the biggest Casanova of them all!

All in all, simply fascinating stuff.

So, what are you waiting for!

Shark Reef - Transition Time!

Unknown pregnant Bull.

Cool dive!

Looks like this year, everything is happening at the same time!

Normally, the pregnant Bulls leave for pupping in mid-November and come back in mid-December, after which everybody else disappears for some hanky panky, likely to the deeper reaches of the Beqa Passage. Then in January, we got the Running of the Bulls where  we witness plenty of mating scars and ever increasing numbers of Bull Sharks that are particularly ravenous and also appear to be re-establishinging rank, meaning that during January, the action is hot hot hot!

Not this time!

I wasn't here but the staff tell me that instead of the usual 3 to 5, numbers were never below 20. And on yesterday's dive, I witnessed a very late pregnant mama, see at top, whereas the ever toothy Blunt who had been enormously pregnant has obviously given birth and whilst still being impressive, is but a shadow of her former self, see below.

Blunt pregnant, July 2014

Blunt yesterday.

And guess who's already partying like there's no tomorrow!

Whilst being her usual greedy feisty self!

To be continued!

Competitive Exclusion at Shark Reef - the Paper!

Thriving Sharks - still one of my very favorite pics ever, by one of my very favorite people!

Bless Juerg!

Despite of an ever increasing burden of obligations from his other activities, he has found the time to go and mine yet another data set from our monstrous data base.

So here are his latest insights!

Whereas the last paper (read it!) shows that feeding our Bull Sharks has no notable effects at the ecosystem level, this latest one documents the existence of small-scale effects, notably a progressive change in relative species abundance that as he postulates is likely due to a combination of competitive exclusion and gradual change of feeding protocols.

The general observation is this.

Over the past ten years, we've been seeing ever more Bulls (!), Whitetips and Blacktips and about the same number of Greys - but the number of Nurses, Lemons, Silvertips and Tigers has fallen precipitously.

And the possible explanations?

Juerg doesn't speculate, and a research paper is also the wrong forum for digressing into the minutiae of feeding protocols - but as I'm not being constrained by scientific rigor, allow me to elaborate some more.
Yes some of it is speculative and difficult to test - but having logged close to 2,000 Shark dives on Shark Reef, I would argue that it is at least plausible.

• Sharks don't generally like to approach people.
  Hence the necessity of using bait when diving where they don't aggregate naturally. Research has shown that at least the big, long lived species like Tigers are able to memorize the location (and possibly time) of successful feeding events - but the flip side is that they will likely stop bothering to pop by once they are not anymore being adequately rewarded.

• This may in part explain the decline in numbers of those intermediate Sharks.
  They occupy roughly the same depth profile as the Bulls and once the numbers of the latter did increase beyond some tipping point, the risk/reward ratio simply became too unfavorable - this especially for the Lemons and Silvertips who appear positively scared whenever I see them trying to sneak in, this quite possibly because they may well be on the Bull Sharks' menu.

• The Nurses are a different matter altogether.
  There, the principal factor may well be food composition and presentation, along with the fact that we don't feed them much as they create too much of a mess.
  
  Ever since taking on Shark Reef and turning it into a marine reserve, we've been concerned about our influence on the other Fishes. Having noticed an overabundance of small predators and scavengers, we've gradually phased out all Fish scraps and feed nearly exclusively Tuna heads, meaning that the overwhelming majority of bait leaves the reserve in the stomach of a large Shark or gigantic Trevally, as it should be. As a consequence, the Fish biodiversity of Shark Reef has undergone a massive increase from a baseline count of 260 species in 2004 to close to 500 in 2010 which is now highly indicative of a healthy Fish population on a Fijian barrier reef - possibly also because a robust Shark population may favor biodiversity, which would then be a positive small-scale effect!
  
  Those big Tuna heads are rather unattractive to the Nurses who have small mouths and got no means of cutting out adequate portions. And once we shifted to mid-water dumping as opposed to hand feeding in response to the increased numbers of Bulls, the Nurses were less able to monopolize bait on the bottom and may indeed have relocated to Lake Reef where protocols, I hear, are different.

• The Tigers?
  From my observations, they are incredibly persistent to the point of obstinacy - but they like to take their time and certainly don't appreciate the stress of having to contend with those frisky Bulls that have become ever bolder with increasing numbers.
  They certainly don't anymore slink away when the Tiger shows up like in the old times, but instead engage in direct competition to the point of where I dispose of footage of them out-swimming and even shouldering away the much bigger Tigers - meaning that in all likelihood, the latter have simply stopped bothering and prefer to try their luck elsewhere!
  
  And then, there is the fact that recently, the pressure by coastal fishermen on especially the particularly lucrative Tigers has increased substantially.
  If you add that to their risk of running into one of those Tuna longlines during their pelagic migrations, it is quite likely that the Tiger Shark population in Fiji has been depleted by overfishing!

• Not surprised about the Reefies.
  Like Juerg remarks, they nearly never descend to the lower depths and once there, they never attempt to feed, this likely owing to their inexistent chances of competing successfully for the bait but also, the risk of being predated upon by the Bulls. Conversely, we've conditioned the Bulls never to ascend to 10 meters, this also due to our positioning of the clients who obstruct any direct access to the feeder whereas the small Reefies can access him from the reeftop.
  Hence the Reefies are not subjected to competitive exclusion when they stay shallow.

• Generally speaking, resident Grey Reefie populations appear to be comprised of juveniles, subadults and adult females and are usually found at reef passes - but ours are predominantly adult males and thus quite possibly much more transient.
  This appears to be confirmed by the fact that they abscond for months on end in mid year, likely to go and visit one or more resident populations during the mating season, meaning that any newborns would reside there and not in the SRMR. With that in mind and considering the risk posed by the Bulls, they will continue to quickly dash in for a snack during meal times but otherwise remain rather wary and nomadic.

• The Blacktips took forever to accept any bait.
  If memory serves me right, they only started feeding and thus approaching people 6 years ago, and the increase in numbers may well be due to the fact that they are now swimming in from other areas, namely the lagoon side, of Shark Reef during feeding time, to then quickly abscond as soon as the feeding ceases. Like Johann teaches us, they migrate to breed in shallow lagoons, meaning that any juveniles would be found there. But they also disperse, meaning that some may have indeed hopped over from Serua Reef that features similar habitats - but my gut tells me that the majority are resident locals that have simply become bolder.

• And the Whitetips breed on Shark Reef.
  We know that because we've now observed neonates and juveniles on several years, and the population has increased accordingly - no unsolved mysteries there apart from the question of when we will reach carrying capacity and the population will stabilize.

There you have it.

There have been many changes, some of which massive - the question being, is it good or is it bad?

The answer is probably: rather good to indifferent!

Fish stocks are thriving, meaning that I cannot detect any evidence that those increased number of Reefies are having a negative effect - and when it comes to those other larger Sharks with larger home ranges, evidence suggests that they remain well protected within the Shark Corridor, this with the sad exception of those poor Tigers for whom we however carry no responsibility

And in the vicinity?

Yes like Juerg states, we don't quite know
But what we DO know is that the fishermen in Galoa catch more fish, this likely due to overspilling from the SRMR - whereas further away, stocks are grossly overfished and fishing yields have crashed. We also know that our big Sharks are not resident, meaning that we're not subtracting them from elsewhere where they continue to perform whatever functions they are meant to perform..

So with that in mind, how can I not be happy!

And as always, I'm mighty proud - and so thankful to Juerg for yet again a wonderful job in helping us better understand the animals we love and our influence on their life.

Merci Jürg - sisch jo wie immer e super gueti Sach!

They're at it!

Click for detail!

It's that time of the year again.

The Bulls are running, and the action is hot hot hot!

The males are mostly staying away, probably staying deeper in the Beqa Passage where they are likely performing the dirty deed - but we've got plenty of really large females, many of which sport the characteristic fresh mating scars, see above.

Sighted so far: Granma, Tip, Monica, Naughtylus, Pecker, Hook, Lefty, Nick, Curly, Blunt, Nani, Fold, Crush, Valerie, Saddle plus Sharkbite who's obviously still too young - plus very emaciated, and thus revenous Topsail and Gape that have obviously just returned from the nursery and will thus only mate next year!

And for once, the weather is great!

So, what are you waiting for!

Gape!

Gape swinging by to say hello on yesterday's Shark dive - click for detail.

Is Gape pregnant?

Possibly - but then again, maybe not!

She's what Obélix would have defined as tout juste un peu enveloppée, which probably translates best as naturally rotund, so looks may be misleading.

Be it as it may, the lady is a fully mature and very large Fiji Bull Shark and differentiating between her rotundness and outright pregnancy will be difficult, as evidenced by this screenshot from May = way too early for her to show any tell-tale signs.

A 30-foor Bull Shark???

Normally, it's quite easy.

Mating season starts with the Running of the Bulls in December/January and ends in February, and  during that time, we keep detailed records of any mating scars as evidenced by the below picture of the equally enormous Naughtylus from February. Thus, we usually have a list of likely suspects which in 2013 includes Sickle, Tip, Granma, Valerie, Chica, Nani and  Brenda. 

But Gape only turned up later and by then, any scars would have healed, meaning that we will have to rely on visual inspections and on personal intuition - and my intuition says, she is expecting!

I interpret those lines, and the wrinkles around the gills as being age marks - but who knows!

As always, we shall see.

If she is, she will become positively obese by latest September, and then depart for the river nurseries at the end of her 10-11 month gestation period which I would expect to be rather December than mid-November owing to the fact the that water temperatures (which influence embryonic development) are already heading towards positively chilly - and thank you again Fourth Element!

All pretty exciting, really!

Keep watching this space for updates!

Bimini - Barbarians at the Gate?

Check out that pic.

Five people found it fit to send it over in e-mails replete with expletives - and yes this would be the daily fare in the life of an infamous watchdog blogger! :)

Prima vista this is certainly disturbing - but having been accused of jumping to conclusions prematurely, let's maybe hear it from the horses mouth first.

Eli, what happened?

This is obviously one of Bimini's Great Hammerheads.

I was first alerted to their existence by Joe's fantastic portrait and then later, by these stellar pics about the research conducted by Doc's Sharklab. And now that the Hammer is out of the bag, so to say, there are reports that everybody, his dog and the dog of is dog are invading the island in search of those elusive images - foremost of which the infamous twins of Discovery Channel Shark Porn made in the Bahamas, Stuart Cove and Gurney Productions! And of course, I hear, everybody is filming for fun and not commercially, lest they would have to, gasp, apply for the proper permits - I mean, seriously, is Discovery really that cheap?
Actually, forget that question!

But I'm digressing as always.

Don't get me wrong here.

It is great that Bimini is experiencing a growing influx of Shark enthusiasts that may, if properly managed, inject valuable long-term tourism dollars into the local economy.

But at the same time, this is already feeling like the proverbial free-for-all where an excess of exuberance may well end up ruining it for everybody - let alone desecrate the hallowed research sites of what is arguably the world's foremost and certainly most revered Shark research institution!

In brief - don't you go messing with Doc's Sharks!

From an initial missive by Tristan Guttridge, Executive Director of the lab.

For the past 23 years the Bimini Biological Field Station, "Sharklab" has been documenting the occurrence of Great hammerhead, S. mokarran sharks around the Bimini Islands.
In 2003 we located an area, "The Grate" where these animals could be baited in for snorkeling experiences and to facilitate tagging and genetic sampling. Last year this site was used for the first time commercially as a scuba diving experience for tourists and in the past two months a number of live-aboard vessels have begun to explore its potential. Whilst we are delighted to see people from around the globe interact with, and observe up close one of the worlds most charismatic predators we are keen to ensure that such experiences are conducted in a safe and responsible manner.

And there's also this open letter.
I must applaud Grant as this is really as good as it gets - kudos!

Indeed, luckily it's by no means too late.

With a bit more of respect and mutual cooperation, this could be turned into a win-win for everybody: Bimini's tourism industry, the Shark divers, Shark research and most importantly, the Sharks themselves! The solution: some of that good old fashioned self regulation for which the diving industry has always been a shining example!

At the risk of being accused of interfering.

We here at BAD sit very much at the junction of where Shark tourism intersects with Shark research, and are continuously learning and always thinking hard about the best ways of improving and promoting both sometimes conflicting sides of that equation.
Here's what I would suggest for Bimini's Shark viewing tourism - for Hammerheads but eventually also for other sites and species.

First and foremost.

• Somebody needs to assume the leadership role.
  The natural candidate for this would have to be the Sharklab which is by definition neutral and also disposes of by far the most comprehensive knowledge base about the local Sharks and potential Shark viewing sites. But this would imply their willingness to devote part of their resources to something ouside of their strictly academic purview, and they may not want to assume that responsibility.
  If so, is there some local tourism org (maybe Grant's?) that could do the honors?

Then, I believe that everybody should agree on a common set of procedures.

They should address the following.

• Snorkeling/free diving or SCUBA?
  This depends on species and possibly also on how the Sharks are being provisioned. Lots of bait/dangerous species = no snorkeling!.
  In the case of Great Hammers that appear to be specialized hunters of Stingrays and smaller Sharks but also Fishes and that as far as I know have never been implicated in predatory attacks on humans, I believe that both is possible and desirable, also in order to maximize the number of potential tourists.

• Baiting or hand feeding?
  We hand feed as we believe that by doing so, we can control the behavior of the (many) animals by controlling the amount of food we introduce. But we're the only operator on site and our feeders undergo many months of training. Also, Great Hammers tend to be solitary so control is not a primary concern and judging from this picture gallery, baiting via rigged baits is an effective and proven technique.
  But you can't have both!
  E.g., the Sharks in Tiger Beach experience both hand feeding and baiting. The result is that TB has become notorious for its beggar Sharks, i.e. Sharks that when there is no feeder acting as a focal point, approach and bump and even maul (!) unsuspecting clients - which to say it mildly is slightly disconcerting!
  We strongly believe that for the sake of the tourist but above all, the animals, protocols should be kept uniform in order to establish a predictable and thus safe routine.
  With that in mind and because not everybody is as good as Eli who really knows what he is doing, and because many oppose hand feeding for perceived ethical reasons: hand feeding is likely to be a no-go.
  And may I strongly advise against indiscriminate dumping, especially from the surface as this precludes any control over the animals' behavior!

• No more than one operator on site at any time - meaning that operators should announce themselves and that outings need to be coordinated (like e.g. in Cocos and the Galapagos)
  Compare once again with TB where multiple simultaneous operators have resorted to out-baiting each other in order to draw the Tigers to "their" side! There's also a risk of overcrowding and according lack of control by the operators. And most importantly - there needs to be coordination with the Sharklab not to interfere with their research!

• No touching, riding or otherwise molesting!
  This I hear has already happened and risks alienating the notoriously shy Sharks. It is I believe also profoundly disrespectful - can't one just fucking watch, capture images and admire?

Further suggestions

• Those bigger liveaboard vessels should install fixed moorings not to unnecessarily disrupt the habitats!

• Visiting vessels should make it a point to contribute to the local economy, e.g. by docking, buying souvenirs, having a meal at a local eatery, taking local tours, even refueling, much along the lines of Grant's letter.
  Ideally tho, clients should be encouraged to fly in and go out with a local operator - whilst staying at e.g. the Bimini Sands and Bimini Big Game that are Shark Free Marinas and that do not contribute to the destruction of Mangroves (and thus, of the Lemon Shark nurseries) like their principal competitor!

• Sharklab researchers should be invited to join in in order to add to their data and maybe even make presentations which would be a big plus for the tourists.

• The Sharklab could develop a simple citizen science questionnaire.
  It could comprise data about numbers, sex, size, presence of tags, simple behavior etc., and operators should encourage their clients to participate. This is valuable science and also great tourism as customers love taking part in research!

• The Sharklab could offer guided tours of the lab.
  Once again, shark divers love that kind of stuff and will undoubtedly be happy to pay a fee or make a donation!

So much for the Hammerheads and Reef dives

And the Bimini Bull Run?

As far as I understand it, it's a caged Bull Shark dive for punters off a dock at the Big Game. If you recall, that's the marina where that jackass hooked one of the resident Bulls, camera running - but those shenanigans are now being contained.

It is totally safe and utterly harmless, and good on them for having set it up.

But - and yes there had to be a but... :)

With experience telling us that it won't be long before some moronic punter will try and do this cageless (to change perceptions and for the Sharks!), may I suggest to prophylactically already develop adequate protocols for dealing with that inevitable eventuality!

Anyway.

As always, just a couple of personal suggestions..

But in the end, these are not my Sharks and this is certainly not my territory - and there are undoubtedly good local people already  looking into this and hopefully, taking charge!

Wishing everybody all the very best of success!

Shark!

Nice pic!

Found it on the Fiji Tourism FB page, with a link to here.

Matthew dove with us last week and appears to be a real interesting dude. You can read about his global adventures here and I look forward to his description of the dive - and of course, of Evan!

And the lonely Bull?

It's that time of the year where they are skittish - but having said this, at least one pregnant female, Curly, has returned from the nursery, and we're witnessing the first mating scars - meaning that the Running of the Bulls is imminent!

Keep watching this space!

Mating scars!

Shredded - click for detail!

They're at it again!

The first ladies are turning up with mating scars, meaning that they're currently doing it down deep in Beqa Channel. Consequently, most of the Bulls that pop up are very small young subadults that have very likely not yet reached sexual maturity. 

This one is on the brink as she's rather small.

The scars will heal within the shortest time, at most 10 days - and then the bets are on as to who will get pregnant. And whilst the big Sharks are away, we're being literally swamped by Greys, Black- and Whitetips and even a couple of the elusive Silvertips!

It's really a great time of the year.

The weather is not yet stifling hot, the water already warmer and there's plenty cool stuff happening within the Reserve. And very soon there will be the Running of the Bulls where the big females and the males will swarm the feeding site and things will start to get really, really interesting.

So, what are you waiting for! :)

At it!

Sorry for the poor quality of the pics.

The viz has been horrible and that's the best I've been able to come up with.

Anyway, I wanted to share that the Bulls are running!
The big females have left early to give birth in the rivers and are already back - and the others are mating down in Beqa Channel, meaning that we (obviously...) see no males and that many of the females are featuring mating scars, like Lee below who appears to have gotten herself into quite a bit of trouble*. Viz permitting, we're already counting up to 35 individuals, which is unprecedented for early January - and with at least already 4 identifiably new individuals, 2012 already promises to be a spectacular year!

So what are you waiting for!

Lee - roughing it! Click for detail.

* Yes Juerg, we're keeping tabs - don't worry! :)