You get what you pay for!

Remember?.

Indeed!

Global Shark Diving - Launch!

Hooray!

Remember this post?

Well today marks the unveiling of one of those initiatives - finally!

Behold Global Shark Diving, the first global alliance of responsible and long-term sustainable Shark diving operators! We pride ourselves in being industry leaders and as such, on top of providing some of the world's best Shark diving and excellent service, we have all committed ourselves to our three guiding principles, namely 

• excellent safety procedures 
• the sponsoring of Shark research and 
• a dedication to Shark conservation. 

With this initiative, we are hoping to gradually direct the industry towards a more credible, eco-friendly and long term sustainable product whilst safeguarding our most valuable asset, the Sharks.

We are currently inviting more operators to join.

Since everybody in the industry knows everybody, we don't entertain applications but instead, membership is being bestowed by invitation only and after a rigorous screening process to assess the candidates' adherence to each guiding principle - and this not in mere words but in facts on the ground! Gotta walk the talk!

I hear that one very prominent operator has already signed on, with possibly two more joining in the very near future - so keep watching that space!

And what's in it for you?

First and foremost, the assurance that by diving with one of those operators, you are giving your business to an industry leader that has made a commitment to adhere to the highest standards, and that will continuously strive to always remain at the forefront of industry developments. On a more practical side, we shall be distributing GSD cards to selected guests that will henceforth be entitled to global discounts plus an array of special initiatives reserved for GSD cardholders only. 

So be nice, and you may qualify! :)

Anyway, I'm very happy.

And mighty proud, too, and relieved - building an alliance of toothy and opinionated Shark diving operators is certainly not for the faint-hearted! So thank you gents, and Vivian our unrivaled and ever-patient web administrator, for pulling this through - all-in-all, this has been a brilliant experience! :)

To be continued no doubt - onward and upward!

Humaniacs and Whackadoodles!

Well well - and I cite.

Let us look at a case in point.

In August a new report was released stating that the worlds’ smallest cetacean (a group that includes whales, dolphins and porpoises), the vaquita, was down to just 97 animals and would likely to go extinct in the next four years. Crucially, all the necessary laws are in place; the solution is better enforcement and retraining of fishermen. And all this needs is money. And probably less than a movie star can make on a single movie.

On an environmental scale this is both tragic and a surprisingly easy fix. 

But, while a reasonable number of news agencies have covered the story, and continue to do so, the level of public outrage since that time can be best described as non-existent...

and

Increasingly, dealing with the whacktivists on “your” side is almost as important as dealing with those on the other side of a conservation issue.
Whacktivists make issues more polarized, putting off potential allies, reducing the credibility of conservation movements and undermining outreach efforts. Opponents to your issue will quickly point to the most extreme whacktivists and highlight them, saying “look at who our opponents are – crazy, illogical extremists” and try to paint all those that oppose them with the same brush. 

Why are there so many whacktivists?
Perhaps it’s because of the idea – exacerbated by social media and the internet – that everyone’s opinion is valid and that you have a right to say whatever you want (even if threatening and unfactual). Couple that with the greater ease with which you can do this in today’s social media age. Moreover, you can find any opinion online to back up your personal beliefs or prejudices, and the public has an increasing inability to discern “opinion” from “facts”.

You really got to read this and this post on SFS.

I've been lamenting the pervading dolphinization of the Shark movement for a very very long time indeed - and it's good to see that the sentiment is increasingly being shared, all the way to Chris Parsons' obvious distaste of the belief that everybody's opinion is equivalent and must thus be communicated and accepted regardless of its content and author. Of course, being a Whale man, he's very much sitting at the epicenter of all the crazy shit that is pervading the movement and knows exactly what he's talking about!

Make sure you also peek at the Sasquatch link - you just can't make that shit up can you...

Solutions?

Methinks Parsons' suggestions are only partly useful, i.e when dealing with those well-meaning activists. There, respect, dialogue, education and cooperation can truly lead to fantastic and mutually beneficial results, see e.g. our highly productive cooperation with Projects Abroad.

But you can't heal stupid and crazy, sorry.

Those are the folks that are directly harming conservation efforts, and they really need to be stomped out - by public criticism, insults, ridicule, whatever. Obviously, not very PC - but assuming that those folks are not reformable, are we just simply gonna ignore them and patiently shoulder the additional burden they are creating?

Think about it.

With those crazies, meek tolerance is just simply not an option.
Correct?

Celebration - BAD Cut!

Brilliant shot by Allen!

So there.

I just couldn't resist.

If you compare this to Dave's edit, whilst hopefully respecting the brilliant original, I've saturated it a bit more, replaced some of the Fishes, de-emphasized the Tigers as really, our flagship species are the Bulls and Reefies, and added some more little tweaks to further accentuate the beat.

But it remains Dave's edit - so praise him if you like it and blame me if you don't!

I trust you know your Sharks - so here' something about the other critters.

• 00:36: Yellownose Shrimpgobies, Stonogobiops xanthorhinica, with Randall's Snapping Shrimp Alpheus randalli.
• 00:37: male Squarespot Basslet,  Pseudanthias pleurotaenia.
• 00:38: Gray Sandtilefish, Hoplolatilus cuniculus, a shy, deep-water Fish that can be rarely seen on the deep slope to Beqa Channel.
• 00:39: Blacklip Butterflyfish Chaetodon kleinii feeding on a Jellyfish.
• 00:40: male Stocky Anthias Pseudanthias hypselosoma.
• 00:41: Trumpetfish Aulostomus chinensis.
• 00:43: Antenna Turkeyfish Pterois antennata.
• 00:45: Yellowtail Coris Coris gaimard, moving a rock to look for hidden prey.
• 00:46: Stonefish Synanceia verrucosa.
• 00:47: Large-toothed Cardinalfish, Cheilodipterus macrodon, mouth-breeding an egg cluster.
• 00:51: possibly, Minifin Parrotfish Scarus altipinnis. The differently colored Fishes are different phases of one and the same species, with the supermales being blue-green.
• 00:53: Bluestreak Goby Valenciennea strigata.
• 00:54: Fire Dartfish Nemateleotris magnifica.
• 00:55: Map Puffer Arothron mappa.
• 00:56: Elegant Dartfish Nemateleotris decora.
• 00:57: Banded Sea Krait Laticauda colubrina, one of the incarnations of Dakuwaqa.
• 00:58: male Stocky Anthias Pseudanthias hypselosoma with Bull Shark in the background.
• 01:13: Arc-Eye Hawkfish Paracirrhites arcuatus fighting over a coral head.
• 01:59: juvenile Clown Triggerfish Balistoides conspicillum, yawning.
• 02:22: Elongate Surgeonfish Acanthurus mata. Normally seen in schools, they can quasi-instantly change color from dark to silvery.
• 02:23: Hawksbill Turtle Eretmochelys imbricata.
• 02:24: Fiji Foxface, Siganus uspi. This Rabbitfish is endemic to Fiji and named after the University of the South Pacific USP.
• 02:26: possibly, Highfin Parrotfish Scarus altipinnis.
• 02:34: Narrowbarred Spanish Mackerel Scomberomorus commersoni, the ubiquitous Walu from the local Fish menu.
• 02:37: Slender Grouper, Anyperodon leucogrammicus.
• 02:38: Bluestriped Fangblenny Plagiotremus rhinorhynchos, a predatory mimic of the common Cleaner Wrasse.
• 02:39: female Squarespot Basslet,   Pseudanthias pleurotaeniae.
• 02:40: Splendid Garden Eel, Gorgasia preclara from the sand patch in front of the 25m feed.
• 02:42: Gillraker Mackerel, Rastrelliger kanagurta, often seen but only rarely approached at the 4m safety stop where they engage in spectacular displays of their shiny gill plates. This is one of the few Bony Fishes that filters Plankton.
• 02:54: Blue-and-Yellow Fusilier, Caesio teres.
• 02:56: Longnose Filefish Oxymonacanthus longirostris from the 4m safety stop.
• 02:58: Peacock Smasher Odontodactylus scyllarus, house keeping.
• 02:59: Striped Cleaner Wrasse Labroides dimidiatus servicing a Grey Reefie. That's a shot I wanted to get for ages!
• 03:03: Blackfin Hogfish Bodianus loxozonus.
• 03:05: Pink Anemonefish Amphiprion perideraion.
• 03:06: Darn Damnsels and a gaggle of Reefies.
• 03:12: Giant Moray Gymnothorax javanicus watching Granma being fed.
• 03:14: Hawksbill Turtle Eretmochelys imbricata.
• 03:17: Bicolor Hawkfish Paracirrhites bicolor.
• 03:18: Bluespotted Fantail Ray Taeniura lymma. Now reclassified as T. lessoni.
• 03:19: Banded Sea Krait, Laticauda colubrina.

There you have it - confused? :)

Anyway: enjoy!

For our Friends in Fiji and the SoPac!

Presenter Rachna Nath

Fiji's new National Park will be featured on Fiji One.

Please watch Talk Business tonight at 08:05pm.
Enjoy!

Shark Selfie - fail!

Not cool, and pretty darn stupid on top of it - source.

Read this.

I fully concur.

I do like Peter, and the selfies per se are cool - but showing how one recklessly leans out of the cage is not, and the messaging is once again just the usual tired pseudo-conservation clap trap. Belittling the danger posed by GWS actually does them a disservice by not respecting them as what they are, apex predators - and absolutely not, not all strikes by GWS are investigative and/or mistaken identity!

And should you have any doubts that it was just simply stupid.
I got a friend who got nailed in the head when engaging in the exact same antics, and who only got away, with according copious loss of blood and major drama, because the Shark bit the skull and didn't injure the neck! And what would have been the head-lines, pun intended, and the according setback for Shark conservation, had the accident not been successfully hushed up?

Needless to say that my pal has learned his lesson and is not anymore doing any of that!

Anyway.

Maybe the operators should examine the size of those camera ports and ensure that those overly eager photographers are being prevented from taking those unnecessary risks?
 

Ils sont fous ces Écossais!

Source.

Story here.

Shark Escape!

Happening at Guadalupe right now!



Pete Thomas here!

Great Fiji Shark Count - still going strong!

Yes it's that time of the year again!

Wow, how time flies.

It feels like yesterday when we started, and now it's already our third November session. Thanks to the continued support of the Shark Foundation and of PADI AWARE, all materials have been distributed to the participants, and gaggles of eager divers have already started to swarm over the reefs and are busy counting Sharks, Ray and Turtles.

Have fun everybody!

 

No-Cage Shark Diving?

Nice pic! Source.

For those of you who may have read this.

Jimmy cannot talk for obvious reasons.

But we have spoken, and what I can say is that like I speculated then, it was a diving accident - not good, but nothing to do with Shark strikes let alone cage-less diving.

Period - everything else is the usual tired old clap trap.

More reflections by Martin here.

Barefoot Skiing behind Airplane!

Source.

Too busy for posting substantive stuff.
But this is awesome - enjoy!

The Revenge of the Sea Kitten!

From PETA's idiotic Sea Kitten Stories.

Bitter and insane, she spends her day plotting revenge against the Land Kittens who live such happy lives in comfortable homes, free from the terror of being eaten.

Free no more - behold the terror!
Story here.

Tetamanu - Grouper Spawning and Predation!

Much upgraded since I last was there - Tetamanu Village, the place to stay. Source.

This is one of my very favorite dive sites.
Enjoy!

Tahiti Tiger Sharks!

Source.

This is for everybody that got skunked.
Very special H/T: Johann!

Enjoy!

Red Sea Shark Attacks - Paper!

The Mako- source.

So there.

My backlog is nearly cleared.

Have you read the post about Collier's demented dog like I suggested?
If not, please do - and then please refresh your memory by reading, in chronological order, this and this post, and links, about those 2010 Shark attacks in the Red Sea.

And now, read this.

Well what can I say.

In general terms, it's probably the worst anti Shark feeding piece of pseudo-scientific rubbish I've read, ever. Considering the caliber of three first authors, this is hardly surprising - but it's a real shame to witness that they've managed to rope in Vincent, a generally smart guy who happens to make a living by taking customers diving with OWTs in baited conditions and regularly hand feeds large predatory Sharks!

Buddy - what the fuck?

But by all means, let's look at that shit.

There is actually one aspect I do like, and that is the evidence collection.
We now dispose of a good time line, good descriptions of the attacks and the injuries, have a good overview of the locality and of possible (albeit not always plausible, see below) factors contributing to the attacks and dispose of credible evidence linking an individual Mako and an individual OWT to the first two pairs of attacks.
But having said that - why does the paper assert that victim 2 was bitten in the buttock when the description of the attack states nothing of the kind? And where, please, is the evidence that the perpetrator of attack 5 is an OWT, let alone the same OWT as in 1 and 2?

And the interpretation?

Generally speaking, nothing I read leads me to differ from what I speculated back then, so no need to elaborate: agree about the contribution of the unique topography and the elevated numbers of water users, and that those were predatory events = attacks; skeptical about the Sheep and the Fish feeding; strongly dispute that the elevated temperature was causing a "need to feed" in the homeothermic Mako - rather the exact contrary! Or not?

But I notice that both the Mako and especially the OWT look emaciated which may be lending some creed to the argument about the overfishing of prey - but then, should the Sheep not have provided sufficient nourishment? Or may those Sharks have been sick?

And I'm still baffled by the fact that both Sharks were not coastal but epipelagic, and that they and at least one more OWT had quasi simultaneously found their way into the Gulf of Aqaba, well north of their usual reported range! Were they following a vessel or more likely, following prey that had been displaced north due to the heat wave?

Leaves Collier's demented dog.

Those folks continue to assert that an OWT that was being fed Fish by divers was thus conditioned to go and eat not divers but snorkelers. And that it bit them in the hands and in the ass because it had been hand fed, and the bait was being kept in a fanny pack. Like Collier's demented family dog!

What a load of crap!

This is what really happened.

Two, possibly three (additional Carcharhinid in attack 4) or even four (Carcharhinid in attack 5) Sharks attacked snorkelers and swimmers = people that emit noise/vibrations and are thus routinely the targets of Shark strikes. All Sharks and not only the hand-fed one struck the extremities (both legs and arms) because the principal vibrations originated there and because the victims used them to fend off the attacks.  The buttocks of victims 1 and 5 were never primary targets - instead, the injuries to the buttocks happened as the Sharks bit the victims in the upper legs and torso.

That simple - even an idiot like me can see it.

Any other interpretation is nothing but unsubstantiated anti-feeding propaganda, totally speculative pseudo-scientific horse shit. After literally thousands upon thousands of hand feeds of numerous species, we observe absolutely nothing of the kind those folks assert and on the contrary, are actually astonished at the continued shyness of the very same animals in un-baited conditions - and this corresponds to what everybody else in the industry is witnessing as well. Again: with the possible exception of SA, there is no geographical correlation between baited Shark dives and Shark strikes! Think Florida, California, WA, Reunion, Recife etc etc - there is no Shark feeding at any of those locations!

Like I said, not surprised,
When it comes to Levine and Collier under the academic leadership of Dr. Hopalot, it just reinforces my contempt for those people and their fake research institute. As per the link above, Collier is somebody who knows something about something and now has taken it upon himself to bloviate about Shark-related topics he hasn't gotten the faintest clue about. Ritter and Levine, barf - but considering that they regularly sell and partake in provisioned Shark dives, this moronic filth is just the pinnacle of hypocrisy.
Fouda was likely their host in Egypt and likely doesn't know better. Special H/T to Jennifer V. Schmidt and to all the other reviewers for their glaring failure in discerning the egregious faults of this stupidity. And finally, congratulations to Burgess, normally an anti hand feeding advocate, for not having partaken in this fiasco - likely more out of distaste for the individuals, but well done none-the less!

And Vincent.

Stop being a sucker - that affiliation will end up biting you in the ass big time!
Pun intended!

Oh and...  oceanic whitetip shark, Carcharinus longimanus (first paragraph). Really. If that doesn't say it all...
  

Rhinochimaera - way cool!

Source.

Watch.

Rhinochimera (Harriotta sp.) swims 10 meters above the seafloor in Hydrographer Canyon during Dive 05, July 13, of the Okeanos Explorer Northeast U.S. Canyons Expedition 2013. Video courtesy of NOAA Okeanos Explorer Program.

Enjoy!

El Diego - it's a Boy!

Bravo!

El Diego has just published his master's paper.

I must say that in its details, it far surpasses the knowledge accumulated in my truncated biology studies many decades ago - but what I (maybe) understand, is that it provides evidence for two distinct populations of Pelagic Threshers in the Pacific. Considering that this is an extremely wide-ranging epipelagic Shark, this is rather spectacular - as is the fact that individuals from the two groups are living sympatrically in Hawaii without interbreeding, a fact that could indicate that they may well be distinct subspecies or species.

Or maybe I understand nothing and it's all different.

You be the judge of that - open-access paper here!

Enjoy!

Jean-Marie - still at it!

Right - and I cite.

“One day in Guadalupe [an island off Baja California in Mexico] three of us were swimming with two great whites. One was a young macho who just wanted us out of the water. But there was this huge, five-metre female who was the coolest shark I’ve ever met. She played with us for one and a half hours and she wanted the contact - she was free to move wherever she wanted, but she clearly wanted company.” 

Played with us huh. Wanted company huh.

What a load of idiotic self serving horse manure.

Martin is of course correct.

But worry not, I've said all that needed saying back then (and here) so no need to double down.

End of the non-rant.

Ila vs David - big Kerfuffle!

Totally uncool - monster tournaments. Source.

Oh my.

Whilst I was away, the shit has hit the fan.

And yes, having been asked and after much deliberation, I'm gonna wade right in - and I may add, with much trepidation! :)

But first.

Please read David and Neil's paper about recreational Shark fishing in Florida. At the time, I did applaud it as the way I read it then, it aims at promoting catch-and-release as a more benign alternative to (lethal) trophy fishing.

After having re-read it, I stand by that judgment.

But of course, there is a big BUT - and here's where Ila comes in!

You must now read her op-ed - not this censored edited version but the original that includes the contentious assertions about the paper and its authors.

You can find it (after a toothy intro) right here.

The reaction was of course immediate.

David did post this and his interventions with Live Science did lead to the abovementioned editing - and totally unsurprisingly, things have since escalated. The usual tribalism is king and there is now a David camp vociferating against the Ila camp and vice versa, and what could have been an interesting discussion has long become irrational and personalized and is really benefiting no-one anymore.

My take?

From what I can discern, the question about whether Fish in general and Sharks in particular feel pain remains largely unresolved, with both camps being able to cite scientific literature in support of their viewpoint - but do those minutiae really matter in the present case?

Whether it is "pain" like we perceive it (from what I can observe, probably not) or another sense of acute discomfort, it is pretty much evident that being hooked is certainly a traumatic event that will always have negative consequences for the Sharks. Even if the animals are being released, some of the consequences will be transient and some will be more permanent and possibly debilitating - but a considerable percentage of the Sharks will die, and this depending on a whole array of variables ranging from the fishing technique to the length of the fight to the handling of the animal to the Sharks' species-specific resilience, etc etc. 

With that in mind, the topic of catch-and-release fishing for Sharks touches on animal welfare all the way to Shark conservation and on that, I'm 100% with Ila in stating that it is certainly never "good".

But here's where I differ - reluctantly!

I am a recreational fisherman. Although I strictly fish for food, and this only for non-threatened species, I'm not gonna try to deflect and obfuscate and state clearly that I certainly do so principally for the thrill and the challenge. I understand that this will disappoint some purists, but this is how it is. I could also add that for obvious reasons (= I love Sharks and yes, they are not Trout!) and because technically, Shark fishing sucks, I'm totally against targeting Sharks - but that's not the point.

The point is that there is thousands upon thousands of people like me. The point is that in this real world we live in as opposed to some idealistic but equally unrealistic utopia, they constitute an economically important, powerful and well organized force whereby if we really want to further the cause of Shark conservation among the recreational fishermen, we must learn to work with and not against them - re-read this.

Again: reluctantly - but that's the only viable strategy!

David and Neil know that.

I've now followed them for many a year and there has been considerable evolution - incidentally, like with yours truly, read these posts bottom-to-top! The net result of their efforts and those of many other equally evolving Shark conservation advocates has been, among others, the reforming of several kill tournaments, the establishment of the Shark Free Marinas Initiative (again, read bottom-to-top), the adoption of length- instead of weight records by the land-based Shark fishermen, etc - by no means perfect but still a notable step in the right direction. 

With that in mind and like their recent paper against weight records, the chastised article is not proof of their affiliation to nefarious fishing interests like asserted but rather, a testament to David and Neil's advocacy of positive, albeit (only) gradual and organic reform!

And one last thought if I may.

Whereas the Hammerschlag labs are simply brilliant in their outreach, they continue to fail quite miserably in handling critique, be it ever so benign. Guys, in the softest possible way: if you publicly circulate your research in the mass- and social media, you must a) develop a better strategy for dealing with the inevitable, equally public and possibly unsubstantiated criticism and b) develop a thicker skin - and I can certainly spare myself the examples as I'm sure you understand!

Or not? :)

End of wading!

Comments policy: read this! :)

PS - Martin here!
PPS - David's final comments here!
 

North Carolina - Shark Feeding Frenzy!

Source.

Again, very cool!

On Thursday, October 9 at around noon, while at a retreat at Cape Lookout National Seashore off the coast of North Carolina, the leaders of One Harbor Church witnessed a shark feeding frenzy. The men were out fishing for the evening’s dinner when they stumbled across more than 100 sharks attacking a school of blue fish. As seagulls and pelicans joined in on the meal, the men began to cast into the surf, catching fish.

Would those be Blacktips - JSD?

Enjoy!