Shark shooter identified, but has he broken any laws?

Posted on By David Shiffman 18 Comments on Shark shooter identified, but has he broken any laws?
Conservation, Popular Culture, Science

Earlier this month, a video of fishermen shooting a rifle at sharks appeared on YouTube and caused quite a stir. The video has since been removed, but not before shark conservation activists  made copies (warning: the videos are extremely graphic and have inappropriate language). Apparently some computers can access the site with the videos and others can’t, if you can’t access the site and want a copy of the videos just let me know. All images in this post are screenshots from the video.

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Nominations now open for the Oceana Ocean Hero award!

Posted on By David Shiffman
Uncategorized

Oceana is accepting nominations for their Ocean Hero award until April 27th. There are two categories: adult  (over 18) and junior (under 18). According to the contest rules: “Any individual who has volunteered, organized, cleaned up or otherwise acted in a way that benefits the world’s oceans, its inhabitants or the communities and peoples that … Read More “Nominations now open for the Oceana Ocean Hero award!” »

Severely injured great white shark found, are scientists responsible?

Posted on By David Shiffman 125 Comments on Severely injured great white shark found, are scientists responsible?
Conservation, Popular Culture, Science

[Editor’s Notice – Comments have been suspended on this post. Please visit “Full video of injured shark shows numerous natural injuries” for an update on this controversy]

Last summer, I reviewed National Geographic’s “Expedition Great White” and interviewed the lead scientist. Several researchers and conservationists were concerned about the methods that Dr. Michael Domeier uses to study great white sharks, particularly after one shark was “foul hooked” through the gills. These methods (removing captured great white sharks from the water to study them using a forklift-like structure) make for excellent television, but may be harmful to the sharks.  As I reported last year:

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Beneath the Waves Film Festival: Spectacular When Spotted

Posted on By David Shiffman
Science

This year’s Beneath the Waves Film Festival was a huge success, and we’ve already started planning for next year. In the meantime, I’ll post some of the 2011 entries. “Spectacular when spotted” follows a spotted eagle ray research project in Bermuda. It has some great footage of these amazing animals, and shows some field scientists … Read More “Beneath the Waves Film Festival: Spectacular When Spotted” »

SFS Gear Review: Ex Officio Buzz Off Gear

Posted on By Bluegrass Blue Crab 2 Comments on SFS Gear Review: Ex Officio Buzz Off Gear
Uncategorized

Amongst my field gear is a buzz off shirt, hat, and bandana that were purchased in Alaska to ward off the state bird – the mosquito. Upon arriving to Fairbanks, I realized within the space of a few days that I would need some better bug gear for my tenure there and found a local store stocked with an entire floor of their store featuring buzz off gear.

Ex Officio definitely has a style that carries over into their bug gear, making it a cross between travel gear and classic field clothes. I kind of wish they had included their travel pockets in the shirt, for instance. But they’ve included the buzz off chemical, whatever that may be, into their quick-dry cloth, meaning that you can wash and wear while traveling.

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Indian Ocean Tuna Commission Rejects Shark Conservation Policies

Posted on By David Shiffman 1 Comment on Indian Ocean Tuna Commission Rejects Shark Conservation Policies
Conservation, Science

Last week, the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission held their annual meeting in Sri Lanka. As one of the few international fisheries policy organizations in the region, the IOTC is also responsible for management of billfish and sharks. Several new shark conservation policies were proposed this year. These included species-specific protections for hammerhead and oceanic whitetip sharks, closing loopholes in existing policies that ban finning sharks and discarding the bodies at sea, and requiring fishermen to collect and report more types of data on their shark bycatch. All of these proposals were rejected.

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