Blog about "The World's best Shark Dive" by Beqa Adventure Divers.
Featuring up to eight regular species of Sharks and over 400 different species of fish, Shark diving doesn't get any better!
This is a Shark Conservation Blog - so why this obsession with Global Warming?
The why is that Species Protection doesn't work: it needs to be Habitat Protection! That's why we have established a Marine Protected Area, Shark Reef Marine Reserve, and that's why we have established the 30-mile long Fiji Shark Corridor once our data suggested that the area of the SRMR was too small for the Bulls and Tigers. Our present acoustic tagging exercise may well reveal that we may have to expand the area even further.
But to get back to what we really do: our Marine Reserve would die and the Fish and our Sharks would have no more place to live in.
Just scaremongering? Just a Conspiracy by the Liberals and the Scientists (and I may add: the Reptilian Humanoids)? To rule the word, promote a socialist agenda and get more funding - and steal a Nobel Prize and an Oscar in the process? Really!, who are those people who come up with this garbage?
But granted: may there be an element of hysteria and may some of the predictions be exaggerated? Sure, most probably! As in all marketing!
But whatever the full Truth: can we really afford not to heed the warnings and continue to waste time by engaging in pointless discussions instead?
Recognize anybody? (click)
Ten BAD Boys and Girls and six Gentlemen from Waitabu Marine Park have spent three days learning about Reef Ecology and Fiji's Fisheries Law, courtesy of the Coral Reef Alliance who fronted the costs for the Taveuni gang and SRMR and BAD who organized & financed the whole gig.
Our thanks go to the Department of Fisheries, foremost to the Director, Commander Naqali for having accepted to run the course and for having sent us a team of brilliant lecturers. All the participants have assured me that they have thoroughly enjoyed the experience and learned heaps in the process!
The result?16 brand new Fish Wardens! These are sort of "Park Rangers" who are given full authority by the Government to enforce the Fisheries Law. They can arrest poachers, inspect cargo, even confiscate catches and boats - great for monitoring and enforcing the fishing ban in our respective Marine Protected Areas!
Fisheries tell me that they would welcome more such cooperation between Government and the Private Sector.
To us, it makes perfect sense: it is in our best business interest to protect the reefs we dive and by being on the water on a daily basis, we have the best chances of catching any poachers. Much more effective than training people from the Communities who all too often don't dispose of adequate boats and quite frankly, often lack the motivation to go out and do the job - very difficult anyway as chances are that one may have to arrest a relative.
Washington -- The House of Representatives passed the Shark Conservation Act of 2009 (H.R. 81) yesterday. This bill would require sharks to be landed with their fins still naturally attached, which allows for better enforcement and data collection in stock assessments and quota monitoring. The Shark Conservation Act will improve existing laws that were originally intended to prevent shark finning. This legislation will also allow the U.S. to take action against countries whose shark finning restrictions are not as strenuous, labeling the U.S. as a continued international leader in shark conservation. Oceana now looks to the Senate for fast action to enact the Shark Conservation Act into law. It is time for the U.S. to end shark finning once and for all. Background: Tens of millions of sharks are caught globally for just their fins each year. During the finning process, sharks are typically hauled up on deck, their fins sliced off and the animals thrown back to sea, often still alive."
Whereas this is very good news, for which Oceana needs to be applauded, I cannot help but being angry - again!
First, let's not kid ourselves: "Finning" is merely one -albeit particularly repugnant- technique and killing Sharks remains perfectly legal! Don't get me wrong, banning it is certainly good Conservation! Not only is it an ethical imperative, it also reduces catches as the ships are now required to land, and thus store the whole carcasses instead of being able to fill their holds with just the much more valuable fins. So far so good, provided that it is intended as a first step towards a comprehensive ban on Shark fishing.
What pisses me off is the wording of the press release.
What's that Shit about "data collection", "stock assessments" and "quota monitoring"???
Guys, that's typical Fisheries lingo. What it means is: we plan to procrastinate until there's nothing left to protect. What's there to "assess"??? Is there any doubt that Sharks stocks are severely depleted, with Oceanic species critically endangered? Haven't you heard that starting from today's levels, some species will take Centuries to recover - if all fishing stops now? What possible "data" need to be collected, I mean: additionally, in order to document a case that is so blatantly obvious and overwhelmingly documented?
Are those guys ever going to learn from the mistakes of the past? Maybe, for once, issue preventive measures first and if really needed, collect data afterwards? Atlantic Cod Fisheries anyone? Scallop Fisheries? Orange Roughy?
As a Supporter of the Year of the Shark - Fiji, you can now order them at our dive shop: just call 3450 911 0r write to Info@FijiShark.com. We'll give them at cost and it's entirely up to you whether you hand them out for free as part of your Shark Awareness Course or mark them up and sell them instead.
However, please keep in mind that the footage is copyrighted to BAD and that you may not use it for any other purpose. Vinaka!
“I wish you would use all means at your disposal — films! expeditions! the web! more! — to ignite public support for a global network of marine protected areas, hope spots large enough to save and restore the ocean, the blue heart of the planet.”
You have to hand it to George, he always comes up with the answers.
Last year, he managed to link some Shark attacks in Mexico to the La Niña. Did anything useful eventuate from his subsequent fact-finding trip to the region, apart from free tickets and a vacation? Did anybody see a paper outlining his thus acquired insights?
This time, he's linking a drop in Shark attacks in 2008 to the economic downturn.
is that because historically, the majority of victims have been tourists and not local surfers, swimmers and spearos?
is that because the residents of, say, Florida, California, SA and Oz who couldn't afford a holiday didn't use their own beaches but locked themselves into their homes instead? In utter frustration?
and when, exactly, did the economic downturn explode? Maybe very much at the end of last year, i.e. kinda late for having a noticeable effect on the statistics? But before the recent events in recession-plagued Oz?
Well, to his credit, he then manages to observe that there might be a lot less Sharks around - but then, why predict an increase in attacks in the long term? Because there will be more Sharks? I wish!
Collecting Shark attack data may be related to Ichthyology - or not. But it certainly doesn't qualify anybody to go dabbling in Meteorology, Sociology and Economics - that is, unless interviewed in a Discovery Channel special where obviously anything goes and bloviating is being elevated to an Art.
Or is this the new direction of Academia, to reach out to the masses by postulating ludicrous Correlations based on completely inadequate Sample Sizes and nonexistent Hypotheses Tests? Remember the Scientific Method?
And: did you notice the statistics from Florida? Where they did ban Fish feeding in 2002? Will somebody please start asking the question what may be attracting the Sharks to the beaches? Yes, I know, I'm repeating myself.
Remember John the Renaissance Man?
When I blogged about him last year, I mentioned his very own first disciple Rob Whitton, "a young, smart, promising computer whiz".
As in "Computer Geek", a largely harmless and often endearing subspecies of Homo nerdicus, or Common Nerd.
But that was last year.
Before I found out that he hangs around with these guys! Warning: absolutely shocking content!!!
You had been warned!
All I can say is that Tourette's is hardly conducive to ever attaining the required Gravitas of a "serious scientist doing serious science, seriously" - John (one of the above perpetrators) being the one notable exception. So far, that is - as long as he doesn't start rebreather diving in his speedos like that other dude! Rob has just left after two weeks of Ichthyological rummaging and now I know better: far from being harmless, the man is lethal! And I'm not only referring to his deadly dabbling with (as in "rebooting of") my wireless router and aircon!
Turns out that before professional Geekdom, Rob used to be an Officer (but I bet: not a Gentleman!) in the Army Rangers!
Correct me if I'm wrong - but the way I understand it, those are NOT the surgical guys, as in Special Forces and the like! These are the guys who Rain down Punion, as in indiscriminate and wide-spread Punishment and destruction!
And an anonymous rewiever (yes this post has been subjected to peer review!) informs me that "Rob is also a combat Frisbee player! Whatever that means, and I’m not sure, it would seem to combine antithetical geek and ranger qualities into a sort of Ninja Nerd, no?"
As I said: Lethal!!!
Case in point, the Punion he and John have wreaked among the Eviotapoplulation of Shark Reef and of the "Best Muck Dive in the South Pacific", i.e. a desolate piece of rubbly (or was it "rubbishy"?) aquatic real estate in front of Lalati!
Yes you guessed it, Jack is revising the Genus and needs specimen! Dunno who Jack is? Read this : if there ever was Da Man, this would be him! And he's the nicest, most generous and funniest guy on top of that!
Back to the serious stuff.
10 days of digging around have resulted in a whopping 53 additional species that are shortly going to populate the ever-expanding Shark Reef Fish List. Yes, that would be approx. 430 species on a small patch reef in Fiji! And counting! And this despite the fact that precious time was regularly wasted on filming our Shark feeding spectacle (Chondrichthyans??Anathema!!You just wait til I tell Jack...!!), and despite the fact that all planned Rotenone stations were quickly disposed of by our ever-greedy Giant Trevally who absconded with the plastic bags!
The Geek of course failed miserably.
He would regularly come back empty-handed, preferring to indulge in the collection of pretty (as opposed to "useful") images rather than bagging his daily quota of specimens. This on top of his ignominious failure to reach the boat when dropped on the corner of the reef that prompted a heroic rescue mission by his sensei.
But to his credit, whenever faced with the risk of terminal excomunication, he would miraculously throw a Hail Mary and come up with some spectacular result. Like when he managed to use a jeweler's loupe and one of my spaghetti containers (hence gifted to science) in order to photograph the above, and possibly undescribed (ever seen an esca like this?) tiny fella. Yes that is sand and that's a dime - click on the pics and be amazed!
Or by coming up with some whopping range extension or in my case, by showing me how to save flash files to disk.
Meaning that I shall -grudgingly- welcome him back next year.
Because Shark Reef is far from having been exhausted.
The Eastern side is largely unexplored and being more exposed to the current, it constitutes a different habitat featuring different corals and thus very possibly more of the species that are frequent in current-swept Beqa Lagoon but that we have so far failed to see in the Reserve.
Also, the deeper reaches have likely so far produced below their potential due to a combination of short bottom times and inquisitive macro Elasmobranchs. We shall address that by using rebreathers and an escort of fearless indigenous bodyguards.
And lastly, we shall try to finally collect the Holotypes of those likely new shrimp Gobies that we failed to bag last year, by devising a new, Trevally-proof technique - as in deploying cutting-edge implements like empty jars of Vlasic's Original kosher Pickles, at least as groundbreaking an approach to Taxonomic Research as the aforementioned spaghetti containers!
But, we're getting there: the latest issue of Mai Life, one of Fiji's most popular magazines is featuring a multi-page article about the Year of the Shark and MaiTV will run a feature about Shark Conservation for which they have already interviewed Ron and Valerie along with Juerg.
Here's an excerpt from the magazine. Click to read and admire the (Shark) pics, courtesy of Sasha! ..
This is the brand-new line for the YoS-Fiji and as a registered Supporter, you can now order it from Sean at Windward Apparel! Obviously, you can then add your own logo instead of ours.
Sean has announced that 10% of the proceeds will go toward the YoS and namely, the printing of further materials, as in the upcoming Poster.
I am a proponent of shark diving. While it does affect a few sharks, when compared to the approximately 100 million killed annually for fin and flesh the minimal impact of this human activity pales in comparison.
I feel that shark dives produce several very beneficial outcomes for humans and sharks. First exposing divers to sharks, safely and professionally - and in a beautiful environment will inevitably turn fear into fascination. Quickly these people become ambassadors for shark conservation. Further it produces jobs and income for areas and folks that need the work - especially in an economy such as the Bahamian one. Tourism in the Bahamas is the country's life blood, and sharks are a draw!!
As for hazard - tens of thousands of divers worldwide have safely enjoyed professional shark encounters ever since they were established in the Bahamas nearly 40 years ago. It is true that some people have been injured and there was even one fatality, but compared to other water sports this is a pittance.
Nearly a decade ago the World Health Organization estimated that over 400,000 people drowned in year 2000 making this the second leading cause of unintentional death after highway accidents. So shark dives turn out to be a very SAFE form of water activity when conducted in a professional way.
What I have written is controversial. Animal lovers think that humans have no right to interfere with non-human creatures. This is their opinion, not mine. Biologists always say "don't feed the animals." But I have been feeding sharks at my field station for over 20 years www.miami.edu/sharklab, and have observed their behavior carefully (my degree is inmarine animal behavior and sensory physiology).I know for a fact that our shark encounters do not greatly affect the Caribbean reef sharks we feed.
- They do not become habituated to humans such that they completely lose their natural fear. - They do not begin to consider us as food.
- They are very focused on what we do and learn almost instantly what the feeding situation means.
- They do not depend on us for food but hunt normally and supplement this ordinary behavior with our feedings.
- New individuals join the colony all the time, learn what we do and do not pose a danger. These reef sharks leave the area during breeding season in August and go about their normal reproductive activities. They return about three months later.
I cannot even begin to tell you how utterly rewarding (and surprising) it is to have a scientist of Doc's caliber make the above unequivocal statements. This is exactly our own perception and we're currently spending quite a bit of time collecting the data that will eventually lead to a paper dispelling the old tired "association" myth.
Thank you Doc, you're a shining beacon in an Ocean of ignorance and prejudice!
He's currently here in Fiji where we're busy Radio and Satellite tagging, plus DNA sampling!
Plus, John the Renaissance Man is adding more species every day: 412 and counting, and this without ichtyocides - yet! To the Butterflyfish counters among you: every species known from Fiji is right there on Shark Reef!
Talk about fast and furious action!
Juerg has kindly agreed to give this public lecture about his latest findings:
Subject: An integrated Approach to studying Bull Shark Behavior and Ecology in the South Pacific: The Bull Shark Tagging Programme
Synopsis:
Bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas) are widespread along the continental coasts of all tropical and subtropical seas but also occur around remote island states far away from continental waters. They are often found close inshore in shallow water which makes them readily accessible for scientific study.
The Bull Shark Tagging Programme started in 2003 with a pilot study in the Bahamas to test the feasibility of studying movement patterns and habitat use of bull sharks with state-of-the-art pop-up satellite archival tags. Since 2004 the project's main field site is located in Shark Reef Marine Reserve off the southern coast of Viti Levu, Fiji, where the behaviour and ecology of bull sharks is investigated using direct and indirect observational and monitoring techniques and tools.
You and your friends are cordially invited to attend.
Looking forward to meeting you there!
A Production Company who know nothing about the subject proposes a documentary about Big Cats to a big Television Channel.
So far, they have produced "Lion Hunters" and "Lion Hunters II" where teams of big game hunters compete for bringing down the biggest lions. The new show will feature the "Mountain Man", an extreme solo mountain climber and absolute ignoramus of felines. He will be safely sitting on the roof of a Land Rover from where he will throw a) a wheel of Emmenthal cheese b) a Yellowfin Tuna and c) a Black Forest Cake at the World's "deadliest Cats", i.e. a pride of African Lions, a Bengal Tiger and a Jaguar. Obviously, these groundbreaking experiments require that the team travel to the most iconic Wildlife Parks of Africa, India and South America, all expenses paid.
The Television Channel enthusiastically accepts and airs the piece during their "Safari Weeks". The Big Cat lovers are outraged but the Television Channel couldn't care less. Business is Business.
Sound preposterous and stupid? Look no further than Discovery Channel's "Shark Feeding Frenzy" where "Survivorman" Les Stroud throws Turkeys, Beef and Hams at some unsuspecting and undoubtedly surprised Sharks in the Bahamas and in South Africa! Did the idiotic diet harm the animals? Probably not. Did the "experiments" lead to any insights, scientific or otherwise? Yeah, Right!
But, and this is important: did the show demean the Sharks and once again reduce them to nothing but dangerous and brainless eating machines? Very much so!
And what about the treatment of Sharks in "Shark Hunters" and "Shark Hunters II", the same Production Company's previous Shark "documentaries"? You be the judge of that.
With the Shark Week 2009 shooting season in full swing, here come those very same guys with the following proposal for yet another Pro-Shark "documentary-entertainment show".
Titled "Deadly Waters", the plan is to travel to the five "most dangerous beaches for Shark attacks" where the waters are "infested with Sharks" and conduct a series of "experiments" to determine what causes the attacks. The locations they have chosen are the Bahamas, South Africa, Oz, Florida and... Fiji! A list of questions includes - what makes these specific locations so deadly? - do you have any documented Shark attack case studies....?
Well, we sent them packing - and I herewith formally apologize to those well-meaning friends who sent them our way thinking that they were doing us a favor.
Thing is, we were not only outraged by their unacceptable portrayal of Sharks and the stupidity of their new "experiments" - but also and foremost, because of the damage they were intending to inflict to the reputation of Fiji. Talk of "deadly beaches"and "Shark infested waters" is simply toxic for the Tourism Industry, the principal income earner of most Island Countries. Yes, also for the Bahamas whose image has already been tarnished by past and equally stupid programs.
With that in mind, we took it onto ourselves to go talk to the local Authorities and to the Tourism Association. As a consequence, not only will those guys be denied any filming license, but anybody enabling this shoot will have to face serious consequences. Having spread the word, we understand that similar initiatives are being undertaken in the Bahamas. Enough is enough.
At the same time, Shark Divers have turned down another idiotic request for yet another idiotic Discovery show.
Does that mean that we hate Discovery or that we want to harm those Production Companies?
Certainly not! Discovery has recently aired some wonderful Shark programs, like Mike deGruys wonderful piece on the research conducted at Osprey Reef, or "Sharkman" where Mike Rutzen experiments with Tonic Immobility. Truly epic programming and they must be commended for it!
So why the garbage? Wolf's insightful post and the ensuing discussion thread clearly point to the fact that those guys are merely trying to do Business, and that they are merely satisfying the market's demands for ever bigger sensations and ever dumber programs. And I might add: for ever dumber show hosts! Is absolute ignorance and zero experience a precondition for getting the job? And what is it with those herp guys (one already deceased) that are being unleashed on the Marine environment? Is being bitten in the arse by giant snakes not good enough anymore?
But I'm digressing. Thing is, what we do is not Entertainment, it is Shark Conservation. Following the obvious utter failure of the 2007 open Letter to Discovery and their equally obvious disregard for the welfare of Sharks, those who care will have to find other ways of getting their voice heard.
One strategy may be to convince everybody in the Industry to simply follow our example. After all, it is us the operators who control the locations, opportunities and animals. If we refuse to partake in this stupidity, the buck stops right here and now. Yes it is cool to be on Discovery and it might also be good money - but in the long term, we not only harm our own reputation, we also contribute to harming the reputation and the well-being of our host Country.
Is that really what we want? Is that what our clients want? How does it dovetail with the image of Sharks we are trying to portray?
At the same time, some serious talk with the Authorities of the Countries most affected by this nonsense could well lead to better scrutiny and especially, to stiff sanctions vis-a-vis those operators that enable those shoots. And finally, the clients should be alerted to shun those operators who obviously put money and short-lived fame ahead of long-term sustainability and Conservation.
Ever since having become a Member, we've been working on a concept enabling us to create a positive buzz for Sharks all across Fiji. We are lucky insofar that Shark Conservation ties in beautifully with Fijian Culture as for many indigenous Fijians, Sharks are sacred and killing them is Taboo. As an example, many of our feeders hail from Beqa Island and are thus protected by the Shark God Dakuwaqa.
We call it the Fiji Shark Conservation and Awareness Project and it hinges on a Shark Awareness Presentation that we are currently rolling out to the participating Dive Shops. As you can see, the presentation is kind of "open-ended", allowing for a short 15-20 minute overview or instead, for a fully fledged and much more detailed lecture in Shark Biology and Shark Conservation. Giving the short presentation to clients is merely a minimum requirement for participation and we are sure that the individual Dive Shops will find ample ways to expand on the concept and develop other Shark-related initiatives of their own.
At the same time, we plan to reach out to the schools via the Fiji Ministry of Education.
This is obviously very much work in progress but after having secured the support of two key Government Departments, Fisheries and Environment, and of several Dive Shops that have agreed to act as Regional Representatives, we're ready to go! Official Start: today January 19!
Matava has very generously set up a great website and we've run this very first little local marketing brochure (click for details) in order to get things started.
The next phase will be a drive for membership and as the different categories (Dive Shops, Resorts, NGOs etc) get populated, we anticipate many more events and initiatives. On our side, we have already secured several guest lecturers and are working on several Fiji-wide initiatives aimed at mobilizing and educating the public at large. Watch this space!
Feedback so far has been overwhelming and although this is very much in its initial stages, we are very confident that 2009 will be a good year for Shark Conservation in Fiji!
We've never met but I do like and respect the man. He's obviously intelligent and very experienced and his love for Sharks knows no boundaries. I'm sure that he would never, ever do anything that would put Sharks in harm's way or somehow tarnish their reputation.
"From the Heart", I fully agree with every word he says - the more as every single one of our feeders will always feel compelled to give a little affectionate pat to any Shark coming in for a snack. This may look stupid in view of the fact that Sharks are not likely to take it the way it was meant - but as Wolf correctly remarks, it does clearly habituate them to our presence. In fact, most of our old-timers hardly ever deploy their nictitating membranes and when they do, we've learned to be especially cautious. Check out the pic and you'll notice that Olga is obviously equally relaxed.
And yet, upon coming across some images of a dive trip to Tiger Beach, I felt compelled to raise my voice in alarm. What ensued was an interesting conversation thread and I'm particularly happy that we all managed to remain mutually respectful and polite, a rare feat in the ever passionate and opinionated world of Shark aficionados.
That conversation has apparently continued "behind the scenes", as witnessed by Wolf's desire to set the record straight. It certainly has continued at this end, both in terms of e-mails we have received but also, in terms of internal discussions about our own procedures.
Personally, it's a case of Zwei Herzen, ach, schlagen in meiner Brust. You may have gathered that we at BAD Love Sharks, with a Passion! We name them, we research them, we protect them, we keep track of their individual lives and are overjoyed when our old friends turn up after their yearly walkabout, like right now - and yes, we also pet them! You may have also noticed that although we interact with the biggest, and most dangerous coastal species, we don't define and market ourselves in spectacular adjectives like "ultimate" (as in "terminal"? Yes, I'm being facetious), "extreme" and the like. Our aim is not to sell some death-defying "adventure", but to showcase our Sharks to our Clients and to have them come away with a new, personal appreciation for their beauty, grace and mellow disposition - whilst contributing to their protection in the process. From that point of view alone, we're as "Shark-hugging" as one can possibly get!
And yet, we couldn't be more controlled and have more stringent and inflexible procedures! I've blogged extensively about it before and won't bore you with more of the same. Essentially, it's about commercial versus private Shark diving. Commercial Shark diving means stacking the cards in one's favor and never forgetting the awesome power of the animals we're dealing with. It also has to do with our responsibility towards our Clients and the fact that they, and not the Sharks, can be highly unpredictable!
In that regard, I'm grateful that Wolf has generously posted a caveat not to try and emulate what he does. Thank you!
Is what he does "disrespectful"? That's really a difficult one.
We've been accused of "demeaning" our Sharks by conditioning them to participate in what some rightfully call a "Circus act". Our standard answer is to point to our Conservation efforts and also, to the fact that the alternative is not a "happy life" but to end up as Shark fin soup. We also feel that we need to do so for safety reasons, as the such conditioned animals are certainly easier to handle. But I realize that what we do will always remain controversial.
Same-same for Wolf's effusions. There is really no need for them - but knowing who he is and having read his post, he means only the best and causes no harm whatsoever, certainly not to the animals. There are scores of Fish- and Shark-touchers, foremost Valerie who'll pet anything from Nudis, Morays and Dugongs all the way to Great Whites! People like them are instrumental in changing perceptions and are to be commended for doing so. In brief, Wolf, go for it! As I said before, I sometimes bemoan the fact that having crossed the fence, I won't be able to join you!
Would I however strongly object if boatloads of divers started doing the same? Most certainly, experience or no experience! In the end, the Ocean is no Zoo and direct interactions like petting and feeding are generally to be discouraged as they impact on the animals, most likely in a negative way. Moreover, when it comes to predatory Sharks, one must never forget that they are potentially lethal and that every direct interaction carries the risk of accidents - certainly bad for the person involved but devastating for the image of Sharks and our efforts to get them protected.
OK, enough of this. Back to Shark Protection - judging from the projects I know about, 2009 is going to be an awesome year!
Some scientists attribute the apparent increase in numbers to successful Shark protection measures and warn of an increased risk of attacks as a consequence. Maybe this is partly correct, at least when it comes to Great Whites - but it is still a very unfortunate statement as it may well hinder Shark Conservation going forward.
Others beg to differ citing natural life cycles and flaws in the collection of data. Naturally, we tend to side with the latter opinion, the more as the new Shark Count seems to be lacking any baseline data. Trends will only be visible in several years and until then, any interpretation cannot be more than educated guess. Also, is anybody analyzing the correlation to the number of aquatic recreationists?
Amid all the brouhaha, the other half of Bayden's fin has been recovered from Blueys Beach.
A bit of gaffer tape and he should be able to take it back out again!
She turned up one month ago and quickly became the darling of a Spanish group we were hosting. After a collective pow-wow, they asked us to name her "Maite".
Being my usual nosy self, I went digging and discovered that it is a name of Basque origin and means "Beloved". Great choice! The more as in my adopted native Country Switzerland, the very same word means "Girl"!
Maite has become a regular fixture on The Shark Dive where she is notable for her impressive size but also, for her mellow, and indeed lovely disposition. Welcome aboard, young girl!
I've ranted about it before, it just pisses me off to see rare and valuable scientific resources, and brainpower, squandered on such trivia! Does it get any more useless, wasteful and stupid than this?
Cui bono? Is this going to save a single Shark from Extinction? Because, and I shall never tire to repeat it, in 2009, the only possible justification for any Biological Research is Conservation. Funding is extremely scarce and hard to come by and just cannot be squandered on such frivolous and unnecessary projects, full stop!
Plus, I cannot even begin to try and fathom the ethics of "knocking out" big and threatened Sharks to then electronically stimulate their jaws - for Nothing! Guys, for crying out loud!!! What would you say if somebody traveled to China and did the same thing to an effing Panda??? Huh?
And yet, the man has managed to surprise me. According to this astonishing piece, POTUS is establishing the World's largest Marine Protected Area in the Pacific. As usual, I really know very little about the details but it looks like for once, he's managed to withstand both the Vice President and the Fishing Lobby, that in itself a more than remarkable feat. Time to give Honor to Whom Honor is due - reluctantly!
Speaking of which, I feel that we must also thank him for his legacy of Bushisms. All were stupid, most were funny, some were even prophetic. Like this one, from Oct 4, 2001: "There's no doubt in my mind, not one doubt in my mind, that we will fail".
Colin Gans hails from Aotearoa where he's a founding member of SEAFANZ, New Zealand's premier digital underwater photographic society. I particularly like his Fiji Shark pics because contrary to many others, he's not gone super-wide. As a result and instead of being all teeth and head, the images very much depict the animals as we know them: beautiful, majestic and peaceful.
The pic above (click to fully enjoy) is of a very pregnant "Granma", the largest of our Bull Sharks.
Me neither, until a very pink website announced that it was Thailand's new hotspot for Bull Sharks.
I must admit that at first glance, I was rather skeptical. The first pics showed smallish Sharks with a very distinct dark rim to their tail fin, something that I had never seen in Fiji. Bull Sharks have a closely allied species, the Java or Pigeye Shark (Carcharhinus amboinensis) and my gut feeling was that it could be that species, which would have been a great find in its own right.
As more and more images began populating the site, I however started seeing Sharks that were very much the same as our own sub-adults. Must be that the "rimmed" Sharks were either smaller than even our smallest animals, or that they were displaying some typical Thai color pattern, not at all impossible per se. We know that from Grey Reefies where local populations have a white rim on the first dorsal fin, prompting some splitters to try and describe them as an own species (which they are not).
Having alerted "our" expert Juerg, he confirms the original diagnosis.
Kudos to DJL (yes: Davy Jones' Locker, of all things...) on Koh Tao for their find and correct identification of the Sharks.
As our regular readers know, I'm a big fan of the incomparable SeaWay Blog.
Once again, Guido has managed to unearth a batch of stunning pictures of which he has posted a water-related selection. Should you want to savor the full scope of last year's best images -and you should!- here's the link to The Big Picture, a Blog by the Boston Globe.
What is now a colloquialism actually stems from this scene where the desperate Producers of Happy Days had the Fonz jump over a Shark pen. In Speedos and leather jacket! How more seventies can one get!
Well, we knew that didn't we? The more interesting angle of this short article is that it focuses on Predator/Prey interaction and co-adaptation. Well, we knew that as well but still, it's nice to see it spelled out with respect to Sharks. Must be the South African track record of observing and protecting terrestrial wildlife that has led them to start asking the right questions.
As in terrestrial Conservation, Shark Conservation will not succeed unless we gather a full picture of the interactions of the animals with their Environment, of which Predation is obviously a key component. It's a fascinating, and essential topic and I invite you to click the links and take it from there.
And on top of the demise of the Coral Reef Habitats, the Ocean would lose, and even reverse its present function as the most important Carbon Sink, obviously with further devastating consequences for the whole planet.
