IMAGE shows a swimmer with a basking shark—a harmless plankton feeder—off the Cornish coast.

The basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus) is the second largest fish in the world, while the equally harmless whale shark (Rhincodon typus) is ranked as the world’s largest fish. These large sharks are slow-moving filter feeders, and both species are threatened by overfishing, since “they have a lengthy maturation time, slow growth rate and a long gestation period.”

Basking sharks can “attain lengths of at least 10 meters, but the average size is 7-9 meters and may live up to 50 years, [and] it is a highly migratory species.” Until now, data regarding the seasonal movements of basking sharks were incomplete. From the Washington Post:

Basking sharks were easy to spot in summer and fall. Many cruised near the surface off New England, filtering water through an impossibly wide mouth.

But then, in winter, the sharks vanished from these waters, and scientists couldn’t find them anywhere else. One guess was that they sank to the bottom and hibernated, waiting out a food shortage. But nobody knew for sure: The basking shark became a reminder of the unsolved mysteries of the oceans.

Last week, however, a group of researchers from Massachusetts and Maine said they had found the answer.

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Soon, the tags began popping up in places that nobody expected a basking shark to be: near the Bahamas, off Puerto Rico, even the mouth of the Amazon River in Brazil. The sharks had remained undetected because they stayed so deep, between 650 and 3,300 feet, that they were not caught in fishing gear.

There is more plankton in warmer waters, scientists said — but it would be abundant enough off Florida, so there would be no reason to visit Brazil. Gregory B. Skomal of the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries said there could be another reason drawing the sharks south. Female sharks could be giving birth and raising young in tropical waters.

“We’ve never seen pregnant females, and we’ve never seen a newborn basking shark,” he said — and that could be because they haven’t been looking in the right place. Skomal said the data could be used to add protections for the sharks in the newly discovered habitat.

Remember, the third week of July is “Shark Week” on The Conservation Report

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When I started Shark Week here on The Conservation Report, I was not aware that the Discovery Channel’s Shark Week was right around the corner. Perhaps my unconscious mind picked up an advertisement somewhere. Anyhow, I hope you enjoyed Shark Week on The Conservation Report, and don’t miss Shark Week 2008 on the Discovery Channel starting July 27.

I will now go back to posting my eclectic mix of environmentally related buzz from the web with a dash of off topic stories.

Go here for more information on the Discovery Channel’s Shark Week.

See more Shark Week on The Conservation Report

Information on swimming with whale sharks at the Georgia Aquarium can be found here.

See more Shark Week on The Conservation Report

We are use to seeing land predators such as lions take down their prey in parts of the world like Africa on television. However, NOAA officials had a very rare opportunity to photograph several tiger sharks (Galeocerdo cuvier) attack a sick humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) calf back in November 2006 off the Kailua-Kona area of Big Island. The scenes are dramatic, because they offer an extraordinary glimpse into the life and death struggle occurring underneath the ocean waves. From NOAA:

They also noted that little could have been done to save the animal. “Shark attacks are part of the natural world in which these animals live,” said Viezbicke. “To them an ailing marine mammal is a meal and what happened was a natural process within the marine world.”

Following the year-old mammal’s death, its carcass was towed and tied to a fish buoy approximately three miles off shore. Officials returned the next day to find the remains gone.

PHOTO CREDIT: KOSTA STAMOULIS, NOAA NMFS PERMIT # 932-1489-08.

Larger Image Found Here
Larger Image Found Here

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The image shows a male great white (Carcharodon carcharias) leaping out of the ocean. Apparently, these large great whites prefer the high fat content of mammalian prey found around Seal Island.

Purchase this image, which captures an amazing display of great white behavior here.

On the Net: Eric Cheng’s Home

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Image Found Here

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Tessa Horan was a Peace Corps Volunteer on the South Pacific island of Va’vau in the Kingdom of Tonga. While swimming in Tongan bay, a tiger shark pulled her underwater and severed her leg. As a result of the encounter, she bled to death. Her story will be featured on Discovery Channel’s Shark Week: Day of the Shark as an educational opportunity.

As a former Peace Corps Volunteer, my heart goes out to her family and their efforts to continue Tessa’s spirit of helping others. From the Aspen Times, CO :

On Monday, July 28 [2008], her story will be featured in a prime-time segment entitled “Day of the Shark” as part of “Shark Week” on the Discovery Channel.

The show was produced to reveal “the science behind what triggers sharks to attack at certain times of day, and what rules humans should follow to avoid incident,” according to the Discovery Channel website.

But for Horan’s mother, Kristena Prater, the Discovery Channel taping was another step in the long grieving and healing process.

“You never get over losing a child, but it gives me solace to be able to continue her work with her family and friends,” Prater said. “Even in her death she has accomplished so much and been such an inspiration.”

In the wake of the attack, Horan has become a “universal symbol” for inspired young people like her, Prater said.

And Horan’s two brothers and sister as well as her father, Kevin Horan, other family members and friends have done everything from building the library in Tonga that
Horan dreamed of to creating community gardens around the U.S. and in Tonga.

See more Shark Week on The Conservation Report

The Mozambican government recently seized a Namibian ship containing tons of illegally fished shark parts. The seizure highlights the problem of foreign fishing vessels pirating the natural resources of other countries, and taking advantage of countries with insufficient monetary resources but rich natural resources. Countries such as Mozambique lack sufficient funding to enforce fisheries regulations or scientifically monitor their fisheries. According to Reuters South Africa, South Africa:

Noticias said fishing inspectors found 43 tonnes of sharks, four tonnes of shark fin, 1.8 tonnes of shark tail, 11.3 tonnes of shark liver and 20 tonnes of shark oil, all with an estimated value of $5 million on board the unlicensed ship.

Shark fins are an expensive delicacy in Asia, while shark liver and oil are used for medicinal purposes.

The Fisheries Ministry fined the ship’s owners $4.5 million, and confiscated the craft and all its contents, the paper said.

Illegal fishing is rife in Mozambique, which lacks the capacity to effectively monitor its high seas.

See more Shark Week on The Conservation Report

Perhaps this isn’t green advertisement, but it is a clever advertisement for the Discovery Channel’s Shark Week.

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A video posted by The Humane Society of the United States on the Oak Bluffs Monster Shark Tournament of Martha’s Vineyard shows two very different world views colliding.

Some folks are questioning the famed images of the a shark leaping behind two surfers. Kem McNair, the surfer who took the photograph says the images are real. Furthermore, people familiar with New Smyrna Beach confirm the behavior of these sharks, since they are commonly seen leaping out of the ocean. From the Times Online:

Kem McNair, who had finished surfing at New Smyrna Beach, Florida, before taking three images of the shark, shot in under a second, said: “I saw something in the background and I thought, ‘What was that?’. I looked back at the display on my camera and there it was — a spinner shark.”

Due to a fatal injury sustained by a great white attack in April, lifeguards patrolling San Diego beaches are developing a shark response manual. The aim of the new initiative is to provide uniform policies that address shark encounters. The lack of a policy is due to the rarity of shark attacks.

The April attack was apparently a mistake, because the animal – estimated to be anywhere from 12 to 17 feet in length – attacked once without pursuing further. The shark was probably expecting more suitable marine prey such as a pinniped, and pinnipeds were reported swimming in the area at the time of the fatal encounter. The victim died from a “single giant bite across both legs in the ocean”. The incident was considered a freak accident due to the sheer infrequency of shark attacks. From NBC Sandiego.com, CA:

Lerma said the Solana Beach attack, which took the life of triathlete Dr. David Martin, was an eye-opener, even if it was a freak accident. And it served as a wake-up call to get a uniform policy in place to deal with sharks.

Lifeguards said they have been getting more sightings this summer, but they said usually it turns out to be something else, like a dolphin or a seal. One of the things on which the action plan focuses is what kind of questions to ask.

See more Shark Week on The Conservation Report

The Georgia Aquarium is offering the public a chance to swim with whale sharks. Whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) are the largest known fish, so they are rare in captivity. Their feeding behavior, diet, and size make whale sharks unsuitable candidates for captivity, since these characteristics pose certain challenges by making them difficult to house. The aquatic beasts can grow around 45 feet in length or more.

Outside of Asia, the Georgia Aquarium is the only aquarium to house whale sharks in captivity. Two whale sharks have been lost in recent years at the Georgia Aquarium, and there is plenty of dissent on whether these gigantic cartilaginous fish should be kept in captivity. However, the Aquarium is investing in conservation and scientific programs that focus on whale sharks. Furthermore, the Aquarium maintains that its programs are important to connect humans with conservation and nature.

Personally, I’m not sure how I feel about keeping such large creatures in captivity. Certainly, the conservation awareness factor is immense; however, so are the resources involved, risks, and unknowns. I do believe in zoological conservation and its utility, but some species should not be in captivity unless it’s absolutely necessary. In my opinion, species that demonstrate intelligence such as parrots, higher primates, and marine mammals in addition to species that naturally have large territories like big cats are good examples of species that are not good candidates for captivity.

Additionally, not to sound like a first year law student, but certainly a balancing test is appropriate to apply in analyzing such conundrums. Considering the totality of the circumstances is important as well. Such key factors in determining whether an animal belongs in captivity or is appropriate for a particular aquarium or zoological park may include: The intelligence and behavior of the species, resources needed to successfully keep the species in captivity, the aquarium’s or zoo’s budget, the status of the species in nature, or the awareness factor generated by keeping the species. There is no bright line rule to apply. From The Canadian Press, ATLANTA:

“An immersion experience is the ultimate way of connecting people and animals,” said Bruce Carlson, the aquarium’s chief science officer.

“It’s a real opportunity for us to expand ways for people to get to know the animals here at the aquarium and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our visitors to see animals they’ll probably never get a chance to see in the wild.”

But the ambitious program has raised concerns from critics who worry that dangling legs and curious tourists could stress the habitat of the whale sharks and thousands of other animals that share the massive tank.

“There’s a chance these animals can become stressed because of the increase in the amount of people in their environments,” said Lori Marino, an Emory University biologist who studies whale biology. “Not only can it affect their physical health, but their mental health. And we don’t know how much stress this puts on the animals or how they could respond.”

The Georgia Aquarium is one of the few places that have ever attempted to house the creatures, and the only in the U.S.

See more Shark Week on The Conservation Report

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On the Net: Georgia Aquarium

A grey nurse shark (Carcharias taurus) was discovered with a gaff lodged in its throat. The grey nurse shark or sand tiger shark of Australia is very sensitive to overfishing because this “large coastal species of shark has one of the lowest reproductive rates known among elasmobranchs, giving birth to one or two large young every two years [so]…annual rates of population increase and ability to sustain fishing pressure are very low.” As a result, the grey nurse shark is considered endangered by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, and saving every individual – especially a large female – is important for species conservation. The significance of every individual is highlighted by what may be seen by some, as extreme measures taken by government divers and a veterinarian.

Veterinarian David Blyde put his hand down the shark’s throat to remove the gaff, and noted, “as a veterinarian you [are] often putting your hands in places that people find somewhat unattractive.” The gaff was successfully removed, and the animal was released. From the Herald Sun:

Scientists are unsure how the gaff came to be embedded in the 2.97m-long shark but said it was in good health and there was no bleeding when the pipe was removed.

“She was pale, which you’d expect, but once released swam back to the other sharks,” Mr Macdonald said.

A satellite tag has been attached to it so its recovery can be monitored by scientists and local divers. Marine Parks staff also volunteered to look out for her.

The grey nurse shark population is under threat, with less than 500 left in NSW waters.

See more Shark Week on The Conservation Report

Images Found Here

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An angel shark (Squatina sp.) camouflaged against sand. As a genus, angel sharks are considered endangered, since historically they have been overfished.

This is a file from the Wikimedia Commons. Information on this image is found here.

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From Ads of the World: Creative Advertising Archive & Community:

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Creative Director: Tito Araya
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Published: June 2008

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