Great White Shark

Canadian Government intend to protect the Great White Shark even more!

2011-01-01T22:54:00.002-06:00

If you have seen the movie "Jaws" you know what a Great White shark is...or at least, you have a partial idea of what it is. I say this because the movie is only based on some facts but mostly on fiction. Hollywood took a large fish and made people terrified of them. What are the facts that were "right" in the movie? The appearance, the name, the type of teeth and...that's pretty much it!

You see, the Great White shark is a species consider to be at risk, thanks to that movie! Its population dangerously decreased following its new, unwanted Hollywood fame. In fact, protective laws have been created in numerous countries worldwide, in order to prevent their extinction as they were hunted down, as they were now seen as human eating machines. If you know anything about the Great White shark, you know that most of the information shared by the movie has nothing to do with reality. This shark is more likely to flee humans than eat them. We are too bony for them and don't have that tasty blubber that whales and seals have.

Most people are unaware that 32 Great White sharks have been caught off the Canadian coast of the Atlantic Ocean, in the last 30 years. Most have been accidentally caught by fishermen, some by trade, others by sport.

While it is illegal to intentionally catch a Great White shark, the Canadian government intends to create more laws to help protect this species from extinction.

I must say that when I read something like this from my own government, it makes me proud to be Canadian. Hopefully, this action will lead to other countries adopting the same attitude...worldwide.

Massachusetts: Great White shark caught off the coast!

2010-06-27T14:25:00.004-05:00

Local fisherman have been keeping an eye out for the return of great white sharks after they were spotted and tagged off the coast of Cape Cod last summer.On Saturday, the fishing boat Sweet Dream III was tuna fishing on Stellwagen Bank when the crew spotted one of the predators.Capt. Bruce Sweet said he and his crew caught the 7-foot shark after a one-hour fight to bring it in.The crew then tagged and released the fish.Stellwagen Bank lies off the Massachusetts coast, running some 18 miles from a point six miles northeast of Provincetown to seven miles southeast of Gloucester.

Greg Skomal/Massachusetts Division

Scientists tagged this great white shark and another off Chatham.More

Last September, town officials in Chatham closed all east-side facing beaches to swimming after three great white sharks came within 75 yards of the coastline.A state biologist and a team of Cape Cod fishermen became the first group to successfully tag a great white shark in the Atlantic Ocean, placing tracking devices on two sharks off the coast of Chatham, according to the Department of Marine Fisheries.No fewer than a dozen shark species, including makos, blue sharks and thresher sharks, swim in and out of New England waters each year.

Great White shark mauled by taggers has recovered!

2010-03-27T15:15:00.002-05:00

In 2009 a film/research team badly mauled a white shark at the Farallone Islands.

What is not in dispute is the fact that a circle hook, very similar to the one seen here, was embedded deeply in the throat of a white shark.

The team went on to try and remove this hook by pushing bolt cutters through the gills of the animal and only succeeded in getting a fraction back leaving the animal with a hook still embedded in it's throat.

The resulting media storm over this event sent shock waves through both the research community and the commercial shark world. Only a few of the commercial shark diving operators on the West coast of the USA got in front of this issue, were one of them. Others who are far more commercially invested in the Farallones said and did little in the public forum for reasons that remain their own.

Our long standing commercial and conservation efforts with sharks have been predicated by one mandate "do no harm to sharks." We support all research and commercial endeavors until they break that simple tenant.

The badly mauled shark at the Farallones was tagged with a real time GPS monitor and we were told the animal was "in great health." Unfortunately since December 8. 2009, all our efforts to get this real time data monitored by an independent source seemed to have hit a wall.

To date we have sent six emails to NOAA's and GFNMS regional managers and have been told the following:

The Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary will work with an independent, qualified reviewer with expertise in white shark behavior, husbandry, and/or health to assess the status of the sharks tagged last Fall around the Farallon Islands.

b) The independent reviewer will assess the status of the sharks by reviewing footage of the tagging operations and comparing the tracking data from Dr. Domeier's tags with the tracking data from TOPP's research project at the Farallones over a year's timeframe. The GFNMS has already contacted Dr. Domeier for his data to begin the assessment.

c) The GFNMS will notify you as soon as that person has been identified and the work has begun.

d) The GFNMS will notify you of the results and post the results of the assessment on the Gulf of Farallones website (farallones.noaa.gov)

It has been five months since this tagging disaster and we have not heard anything from NOAA or the GFNMS staff in regards to this pressing matter and it is time that we did.

Editors Note: Fiji's Da Shark has weighed in on this issue (again) and we have to agree with his take, makes for great additional reading.

Teen dives with Great White sharks

2010-03-07T14:15:00.001-06:00

PREPARING FOR ACTION: Invercargill 14-year-old Lydia Ward (left, in cage) who was attacked by a shark at Oreti Beach last month and brother Alex, 10, prepare to face off with great white sharks off the coast of Stewart Island yesterday.

BITE BACK: 14-year-old Lydia Ward who was attacked by a shark at Oreti Beach last month.

GREAT SIGHT: This was one of the smaller great white sharks seen by Invercargill 14-year-old Lydia Ward when in a cage off the coast of Stewart Island at the weekend.

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Five weeks after being bitten by a shark, an Invercargill teen on Saturday dived with her attacker's larger cousins – the great white.

Lydia Ward, 14, gained international media attention last month when she fought off a shark – believed to be a broadnose sevengill shark – with her body-board after it latched on to her right thigh at Oreti Beach.

On Saturday, Lydia again came face to face with a predator at the top of the ocean's food chain – albeit from the safety of a 2m-high dive cage.

Lydia, her father Tim and brother Alex, 10, flew from Invercargill to Stewart Island early on Saturday to be treated to an all-expenses-paid expedition courtesy of shark-dive operation Great White Southern Dive.

Lydia yesterday said a 3m-long great white had come within 1m of her soon after she got in the cage.

She said she didn't have any flashbacks of the Oreti Beach shark attack, but had been a bit wary of the great white.

"I was just staring at it ... and it looked like it was staring right at me. It had a lot of scars all over it."

The experience had been "really cool", Lydia said.

Mr Ward said his daughter had "hesitated very slightly" before getting into the cage, but she was fine once inside.

Though she had not swum at Oreti Beach since being attacked, Lydia believed she would be able to get back into the water, adding she had been coping just fine.

Her father agreed: "From the day after (the shark attack), when she realised she was at the wrong place at the wrong time and there was no man-eater cruising around looking for lunch, she was quite composed," Mr Ward said.

Great White Southern Dive operator Peter Scott said he had offered the cage experience after seeing how much attention Lydia's story had attracted.

"I didn't want people getting the wrong impression (of sharks)," he said. "There can't have been much else happening in the world."

Two or three great whites had been in the water near the cage throughout the day-long expedition for the Ward family, Mr Scott said.

"They just come – they're curious."

Giant squids may cause migration of Great White sharks

2010-03-07T13:48:00.001-06:00

In what could be the ultimate marine smack-down, great white sharks off the California coast may be migrating 1,600 miles west to do battle with creatures that rival their star power: giant squids.

A series of studies tracking this mysterious migration has scientists rethinking not just what the big shark does with its time but also what sort of creature it is.

Few sea denizens match great white sharks and giant squids in primitive mystique. Both are the subject of popular mania; both are inscrutable. That these two mythic sea monsters might convene for epic battles in the stark expanses of the Pacific is enough to make a documentarian salivate.

For more reserved scientists, the possible link between sharks and squid, suggested by marine ecologist Michael Domeier of the Marine Conservation Science Institute in Fallbrook, is just one part of emerging research that has altered their understanding of the great whites.

The shift began eight years ago with the surprising discovery that great white sharks migrate, somewhat as humpback whales do. That and subsequent studies have demolished the iconic image of great whites lurking in relative shallows, ready to snatch an errant swimmer, as popularized in the movie "Jaws."

Domeier said he believes the animals "are not a coastal shark that comes out to the middle of the ocean. They are an ocean shark that comes to the coast. It is a complete flip-flop."

Picture them not as a dorsal fin off the beach but rather as an unseen leviathan swimming through black depths where the oxygen thins and fish glow in the dark, and maybe pouncing on a 30-foot squid.

The squid part is controversial. But Domeier's work and that of other scientists increasingly suggests that great white sharks are not randomly roving eating machines.

Instead, they obey set migration patterns, have distinct populations and return to the same locales. They are not desperadoes but dutiful migrants: Nomads but not outlaws, they yearn for home.

But this new understanding raised a question: Why would an animal so large, that grows teeth as humans grow hair, bother to go so far when it can dine on just about anything in fin's reach? The migration is especially puzzling because it means sharks miss out on coastal food supplies, said the University of Hawaii's Kevin Weng, who also tracked sharks' migration.

Determined to find the reason, Domeier and his team spent three years catching 22 great whites off Mexico's Guadalupe Island, southwest of San Diego, and bolting high-tech tags to their fins. The area, like California's Farallon Islands, is a hot spot for shark visits.

The team used hooks that could cradle a volleyball. They wrestled the sharks onto platforms, lifted them aboard their vessel and put towels over their eyes. The 4,000-pound predator is only a minor threat out of water, Domeier said. But after being thwacked off his feet, he learned to tie up their tails.

Funded by Newport Beach's George T. Pfleger Foundation and others, Domeier arranged a voyage with a National Geographic Channel television crew to follow the sharks in a 126-foot boat. The crew used the tags to track the sharks to an area of the deep Pacific about 1,500 miles east of Kauai that scientists consider an ecological desert because it is so biologically unproductive.

There, the sharks abruptly ended their migration, and satellite tags showed them milling around and diving.

Despite hours of surveys and trolling during last spring's monthlong voyage, members found barely any fish or other prey that the sharks might be eating.

But there was an exception: squids. Purple and neon flying squids were easy to find. There also were leaping sperm whales, a marine mammal known to feed in spawning areas for large squids. To Domeier, it was clear: The sharks had found a squid-based ecosystem with big enough prey to attract sperm whales.

Finally, the crew found a whitish carcass of a giant squid that had been chewed on, perhaps by various predators. Because of the lack of alternative food sources, and the pinging tags that traced deep and frequent dives, Domeier said, he formed a speculative conclusion: The sharks go to the area for the same reason as sperm whales: to feed on large squids, including the giant ones in the area, and on various predators the squids attract.

The weather turned bad, and the investigation ended early. The trip back was boring enough for the crew to form a band, then break up.

Domeier said he believes the sharks return to the coast to breed. His tags showed that some females stayed out at sea full-time.

The idea has set off robust debate. Some scientists argue it remains possible that the sharks mate offshore, and all agree that more research is needed to determine exactly what, and when, they eat. And it's highly unlikely anyone will ever see a shark making an easy kill of giant squid.

But Oscar Sosa-Nishizaki, a fisheries biologist in Ensenada, said the tagging effort helps researchers count sharks and plan conservation efforts.

Shark scientists face a dilemma: There is intense popular interest in their work, but some fret that it may hinder conservation. Media interest in sharks tends to be "sparse on detail, high on testosterone," said marine biologist Weng. "It's as if aliens were to visit planet Earth, and the only thing they saw of human beings was ultimate fighting on TV."

Though wary of pop biology, Domeier made the most of it. He used his time on camera to lobby against eating bluefin tuna and Chilean sea bass.

If mythic predator-mania gave him the chance, so be it, he said. "We are at a state of real disaster of our oceans," he said. "Perhaps the scientific routine . . . doesn't work."

jill.leovy@latimes.com

New seals colony could invite Great White sharks to favorite surfing spot!

2010-03-07T13:40:00.001-06:00

ROTTNEST Island looks likely to become home to a breeding colony of New Zealand fur seals, raising fears that great white sharks will be attracted to the holiday spot.

While several dozen seals have long called Cathedral Rocks near Cape Vlamingh home, University of WA researcher Ana Hara says the seals could establish a permanent breeding colony there by as soon as next summer.

It has raised fears that the popular surfing spot at the west end of Rottnest could attract more great whites.

"The great white is their big predator so that could pose a risk," Rottnest Island Authority ranger Sarah Ellis-Stott said.

Rottnest police officer-in-charge Sgt Peter Bahan, who is also a keen surfer, admitted he no longer surfed the popular break called Cathedrals after a great white "popped up" next to him during a surf last year.

The surf break is less than 50m from the outcrop of rocks the seals inhabit.

"She was a big one," Sgt Bahan said of the shark.

"I won't surf there any more."

He said his was one of at least three confirmed great white sightings off Rottnest last year and a pod of five killer whales was also spotted in waters off the island.

There are 17 recorded NZ fur seal colonies in WA, all in waters off Esperance and Albany.

Ms Hara, who is doing a masters at the University of WA into the diet and distribution of the seals in WA waters, said they were establishing colonies farther north and increasing in numbers.

"It looks like there is now a colony at Bunker Bay (in Dunsborough) and I believe the next point is going to be a breeding colony at Cathedral Rocks on Rottnest Island," she said.

Ms Hara said there were between 10 and 80 seals around Cathedral Rocks at any one time and one animal showed signs of a shark bite.

Rottnest rangers Claire O'Callaghan and Ms Ellis-Stott were monitoring the number of seals and had swum with them. "They're amazing animals," Ms Ellis-Stott said.

"They're really curious and come right up and check you out.

"You often see them thermo-regulating, which actually looks like they're doing yoga."

A Rottnest Island Authority spokeswoman said the seals were an exciting development that would increase visitor appeal to the island.

Tagged Great White shark traveled from Massachusetts to Florida

2010-01-22T20:11:00.001-06:00

Massachusetts marine biologists say one of the great white sharks tagged with electronic tracking equipment last summer off Cape Cod has traveled as far as north Florida.

The great white was one of five sharks tagged by harpoon in September near Chatham by Division of Marine Fisheries biologists. Officials said it was the first successful tagging of great whites in the Atlantic using electronic satellite technology.

Officials said Wednesday that the tag popped off the shark on Friday and began transmitting data by satellite.

Scientists expect tags on the other sharks to surface and begin sending data later this winter and in the spring.

The tags collect water temperatures and depth and light levels, which help determine where the great white has traveled. The information can help scientists better understand shark's migratory behavior.

Facts about the Great White shark

2010-01-02T18:39:00.000-06:00

Great white shark is the most dangerous shark in the sea. This shark can be seen in all the oceans

in the world. However, the largest in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of the United States. This dangerous sharks have very large teeth and her teeth and can be up to 23 centimeters.

This Shark can be long and more than 12 meters which means that this animal is one of the largest shark that now exist in the ocean. To see this huge shark is enough to go with a boat to a destination in the Atlantic Ocean and set the bait near the boat that will easily lure sharks and it will come to feed.

Great white shark feeds on

all that she found on the road and mainly carnivorous. This Shark is the only carnivore and they eat nothing but meat. This large predator can be difficult and up to 16 tons which makes it one of the most difficult mammals that live in the sea.

Shark is very fast and can reach speeds of 25 miles per hour which enables each to catch your prey. Great white shark eat turtles, other sharks, seals, dolphins and all the fish that exist in the sea and ocean.

This predator is very dangerous to humans, and if a man is found in water near the dangerous sharks would be in big trouble. If you go with your boat or yacht to sail an ocean it will follow your ship in search of food.

Today, Great White Sharks saturated types and are not allowed to love because many years ago were much more numerous and their number amounts to over one million until now in the world by some estimates, there are only about 200,000 of these large and dangerous animals.

Were frequent cases of attacks the people of the Great White, while today cases are rare because they are everywhere in America on the beaches designated as the beach would be a warning to all tourists who come on holiday for all other information about the Shark, you can visit a blog that talks about where they live and what the food as well as everything else about this shark.

Blog is created for all lovers of the Great White Sharks and contains a lot of pictures of this dangerous and beautiful animals.

Great White sharks text messaging lifeguards?

2010-01-02T14:40:00.001-06:00

Sharks are an ever-present threat in Perth waters Photo: Amos Nachoun / Barcroft USA

More than 70 white pointers have been tagged by scientists is Western Australia in a world first trial that will send beach lifesavers a text message when one of the predators swims close to the Perth shoreline.

Wildlife officials and scientists will also receive the text or email warning when any of the tagged sharks move to within 500m of metropolitan beaches.

The text messages will be triggered less than two minutes after a shark swims over any one of 18 acoustic seabed receivers.

Since the receivers were installed in May, Department of Fisheries' senior research scientist Dr Rory McAuley said sharks had been picked up in Perth waters on four occasion, PerthNow reports.

The last detection was in September.

"The use of the technology that delivers real-time notifications of tag detections hasn't been used in an operational sense anywhere else in the world," Dr McAuley told the website.

The study is aimed at unlocking the secrets of shark migration patterns and how they relate to attacks on humans.

"The information we are hoping to collect will hopefully provide us some answers to the questions we are always asking about how long white sharks spend off our beaches, whether they come back, is there a season, do they come back one year after the other."

In all, researchers hope to tag 100 sharks over the next two years.

The sharks are fitted with the satellite-tracking darts by researchers who shoot or stab the devices into the flank of the animals.

"I think the public's fear of sharks stems largely from a fear of the unknown," Dr McAuley said.

"Any information we can find out about the real risk of people encountering sharks at the beach will hopefully alleviate people's concerns to some degree."

Shark are an ever-present threat in the waters off Perth. Nine years ago, a man was killed by a white pointer in waist-deep water off Cottesloe Beach.

Since then, there have been a dozen shark attacks in Western Australia, two of them fatal.

Is scientist using "inhumane" tagging methods on Great White sharks?

2009-11-19T19:04:00.000-06:00

Were you able to watch the National Geographic special, "White Shark Expedition," on Monday night -- and if so, what do you think of the methods utilized by researcher Michael Domeier at remote Guadalupe Island off Baja California?

If you live in the Bay Area, you might also have viewed an ABC News program that was spawned by an incident involving Domeier's team using the same methods at the Farallon Islands off San Francisco. The program featured experts who were critical of the methods, which involve using a team of anglers and a large baited hook attached to a line with buoys.

(There's also a film crew, hence the National Geographic special and related episodes to air next summer.)

The hooked shark struggles until it's completely worn out. It's then lifted onto a platform, where a sophisticated tracking tag is bolted into its dorsal fin. A large hose is used to flush water through the shark's gills, so it can breathe throughout a process that can take 20 minutes.

The sharks usually are hooked in the corner of the mouth -- because of the 24-inch circle hook's design --but in at least one case at the Farallon Islands a shark had to be set free with part of the hook lodged deep in its throat.

The specialized tags have a life span of up to six years, providing real-time data and pinpointing precise locations of migrating sharks. They're important, Domeier says, for researchers seeking a clearer picture of these mysterious predators' life history.

I watched both programs and from a non-scientist's viewpoint (mine) the methods appear overly intrusive and harmful to a species of shark that is protected by federal law in the U.S. Given the extent of research already underway on white sharks by renowned scientists at the Farallones, I was surprised to learn that Domeier had even been granted access to the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary.

Said sanctuary superintendent Maria Brown on the ABC News program: "This research helps us protect white sharks. I equated it to ... it felt like what it's like when I go to the dentist; when you go in, you get a cavity filled. It's something that maybe you don't want to go do, but you do it, it's quick, it's over, it's done."

It's not that quick; it involves a giant hook and tiring the predators to the extent they can no longer struggle. Besides, experts from various universities have already learned where these sharks go when they leave the islands -- to a vast, featureless area in the mid-Pacific, and some venture beyond Hawaii. Why they go and what they do there, however, remains unclear.

Like ABC News, I talked to Peter Klimley, a UC Davis professor and one of the world's leading shark researchers. He's against Domeier's methods and called them unnecessary. He said lifting so large a creature from the water Is potentially harmful. He added that pregnant females might be especially vulnerable to the technique. Klimley also expressed concern about how other scientists might be perceived by viewers of the National Geographic special.

"For the most part we are compassionate and we do care about how we handle the animals we work with," he said.

Domeier, president of the Marine Conservation Science Institute, defended his methods and said, via e-mail: "I can unequivocally say that we have tagged and released 17 white sharks in the past two years and every single one has survived. The decision to use these tags was not trivial; the data we obtain from them can be gathered no other way, and the resulting multi-year tracks are going to reveal life history characteristics that will rewrite white shark life history."

Domeier also defended using a team of fishermen headed by big-game angler Chris Fischer, who runs Fischer Productions, and an actor that accompanied the group to Guadalupe Island.

"The reality is this: Without the involvement of the media on this project there would be no project," Domeier said. "The research is hugely expensive and the only way to pay for it is to involve National Geographic and Fischer Productions."

-- Pete Thomas

Photo: Crew member Chad Kiesel, left, and angler Chris Fischer tag a 14-foot female great white shark at Guadalupe Island. The hydration hose in the shark's mouth is designed to keep the predator alive while the team measures and tags it and takes blood samples. Credit: Chris Ross / National Geographic Channel

Huge Great White shark caught off Guadalupe Island

2009-11-19T18:49:00.001-06:00

"Expedition Great White" airs tonight at 9 p.m. on the National Geographic Channel, and if the accompanying photo is an indication, the footage ought to be spectacular.

The location is Guadalupe Island, 160 miles west of Baja California, a truly spectacular destination and one of the world's largest seasonal gathering places for adult great white sharks. That's where researcher Michael Domeier has been studying the apex predators, and using satellite tags to determine their migration patterns and other habits.

And it's where TV fishing personality Chris Fischer got to play the role of angler -- and literally come face to face with a 4,600-pound white shark -- during a monumental capture aboard his 126-foot mothership, named Ocean.

"Like in the movie 'Jaws,' the first time we saw a shark come in and eat the bait and then take off and drag the buoys under and across the water it was a life-changing moment as an angler," Fischer said. "The experience of capturing and releasing giant great white sharks is nothing similar to an angling experience of capturing large pelagic fish. There's a sense of history, a sense of awe, humility and humbleness."

Domeier is a legitimate researcher, but some might question the methods: hooking and hoisting incredibly large sharks from the water -- even if for only brief periods and if great care is utilized -- for tagging, measuring and DNA sampling.

Domeier, however, assures that great care is utilized and that "this is a show about real science ... not science created for TV, which is so often the case."

Tonight's episode is part of a longer series that will air next summer and undoubtedly will shed significant light on the lifestyle of one of the world's most notorious and mysterious predators.

-- Pete Thomas

Photo: Crew member Jody Whitworth lifts the snout of a great white shark as Capt. Brett McBride removes hydration hose that keeps the predator alive while it's on deck. Credit: National Geographic Channel / Chris Ross

Woman fights off Great White shark!

2009-11-19T18:47:00.000-06:00

An Australian woman has survived an attack by a Great White shark by beating it with a paddle after it knocked her off a surf ski.

Linda Whitehurst, the shark's intended victim, said: "I thought this is it, he is going to grab my leg. I had my blade (paddle) and I just kept punching, punching, punching."

She suffered only small lacerations on her right arm in the fight with the 8ft-long shark.

She then managed to scrambling back onto her surf ski and paddling to shore at Byron Bay's famous surfing beach, "The Pass", on Australia's east coast.

A 3m Great White shark was the victim of a...shark attack!

2009-11-15T00:03:00.000-06:00

Concerns were raised after a 3 m great white shark was found dead with two huge bites taken out of its body. Experts believe the bites were made by an even larger predatory fish.

Swimmers have been warned to stay out of the waters off Stradbroke Island, north of Brisbane.

“It certainly opened up my eyes. I mean the shark that was caught is a substantial shark in itself,” Jeff Krause of Queensland Fisheries told the Sydney Daily Telegraph.

Surfers have reacted to the news of the shark attack with shock.

“Whatever attacked and took chunks out of this big shark must be massive,” said Ashton Smith, 19. “I’ve heard about the big one that’s lurking out there somewhere.

Researchers share their findings about the migratory patterns of Great White sharks

2009-11-14T14:31:00.000-06:00

Stanford scientists are learning a great deal about great white sharks.

Scientists at the Hopkins Marine Station have concluded that great white sharks, like salmon, have a specific migratory pattern. Their research, published in the scientific journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B on Nov. 4, also found that Pacific white sharks, genetically distinct from other great whites, are swimming in the San Francisco Bay.

Prof. Barbara Block, who facilitated and co-authored the study in collaboration with scientists from UC-Davis, among others, compared the decade-long observation of great whites in the Pacific Ocean to studies of lions and tigers in Africa.

“We’re doing [the study] on the largest ocean in the planet – it was a tall task,” Block said. She and other marine scientists tagged a total of 179 great white sharks using Pop Up Satellite Archival Tags (PATs) and monitored their swimming in the Pacific.

The PATs, according to doctoral student in biology, field project leader and co-author Chris Perle, allowed for the sharks to be tracked via satellite. Perle, who helped attach approximately 20 tags to the sharks, explained in an e-mail to The Daily that each tag is pre-programmed to “pop-off” the shark and send data back for analysis. The sharks’ travel is then measured by the light and sea surface temperature data.

Researchers found that great white sharks travel from the central California coast out into the open ocean to Hawai’i and a nearby popular location dubbed the “White Shark Café.”

“What we learned the most about the white sharks was that they were making round trips – 4,000 nautical mile trips,” Block said. “But they were coming back with precision to the place we let them go.”

In an e-mail to The Daily, Bing Director in Human Biology Carol Boggs said the research offered a clearer conception of the relationship of sharks to their environment.

“It is cool that we’re discovering that large marine organisms behave more like what we’re used to thinking of as standard for large terrestrial animals, with defined geography for the population, and even something resembling individual ‘home ranges,’” Boggs said.

“This blows the idea out of the water that the ocean is a vast, trackless melting pot,” she added.

Great white sharks leave from “hot spots” on the shore around where sea lions and elephant seals gather to feed. Using additional acoustic tags acting as a microchip that can be transmitted from 300 meters away, the sharks’ shore movements were tracked by receivers sunk at the bottom of the ocean.

“We call it ‘homing infidelity,’” Block added. “Just like a salmon going up the stream, we didn’t know white sharks had a home spot.”

According to postdoctoral fellow and co-author Salvador Jorgensen, scientists were already familiar with the fact that white sharks migrate. The main discovery is the consistency in these migratory routes, which Jorgensen called “a virtual highway,” and that the sharks did not venture on to other areas of the Pacific.

“This was further confirmed with genetics data based on maternally inherited mtDNA markers, suggesting that we are looking at a distinct population that is demographically isolated from other known populations of white sharks in the Indo-Pacific (i.e. South Africa and Australia/New Zealand),” Jorgensen wrote in an e-mail to The Daily.

Geneticist Carol Reeb, a research associate in biology and co-author, also determined that Pacific white sharks are genetically distinct within their species. She found the difference by comparing a previous study of great white shark genetic sequences from South Africa and New Zealand with the data Jorgensen collected.

The population of white sharks off of the California coast has a 200,000 year-old ancestry with Australian sharks, migrating during the Pleistocene epoch period at the same time humans migrated out of Africa.

“[The Pacific white sharks] didn’t really go anywhere else which was interesting because these are highly migratory animals and they have the potential to go anywhere in theory,” Reeb said.

Male sharks were previously considered to be free-roaming. Conversely, female sharks, according to Reeb, are known to be philopatric, meaning they return to their original birthplaces. This study refutes the original behavioral predictions and confirms a pattern among both sexes.

Reeb is currently working on a similar study with Mexican sharks to determine if they display distinct behaviors and potentially different genes as well. Boggs, who works in population dynamics, finds the potential for further species conservation in this genetic discovery.

“The result that the ‘local’ population is genetically distinct, with a very old separation date from other populations of the same species, is both interesting and surprising,” Boggs said. “It indicates that these sharks may be adapted to the environment of the northeastern Pacific, which has implications for conservation efforts.”

The tracking devices made an additional observation that many found to be more surprising. Great white sharks were detected swimming as far in the San Francisco Bay as the Golden Gate Bridge. However, many of the scientists working on the study were not at all astonished with this finding.

“We learned this only because a row of sensors set up by our colleagues to detect salmon migrations was compatible with our tags,” Jorgensen wrote. “So it was unanticipated but not entirely surprising.”

Five out of 75 great white sharks were detected up to one mile inside the Bay, chalking up to 0.07 percent of the total tag detections in the study.

Surfer attacked by Great White shark

2009-11-07T16:25:00.000-06:00

Last night, during a freesurf session at Lagunas (north of Santa Cruz, where the O'Neill Cold Water Classic is happening right now), pro surfer Eric Geiselman was struck by what is believed to be a great white shark.

Apparently his board was immediately snapped in half but luckily the surfer escaped with no harm. Check out more info about the terrifying incident and some words from the man himself on the link below:

Eric Geiselman Gets Attacked by Shark

Great White sharks spotted on Oregon Coast

2009-11-07T16:06:00.001-06:00

Why are we hearing about great white shark sightings off the Oregon coast?

One was even spotted in three feet of water. And surfers tell KATU News the sharks are coming right up to the surf line. One, believed to be 16 to 18 feet long, swam right between short boarders at South Beach State Park, just outside of Newport.

So what's going on? Why are they here?

One reason for the increase is because the water is warm right now, so the great white is here to feed. And scientists expect their numbers have probably grown since they've been federally protected from being killed since the 1970s.

Then there's the fact that there are more people out in the water off the Oregon coast than ever before.

Shark researchers say great white sharks are more curious than anything when it comes to people in the water. It is believed, however, that they will mistake a surfer sitting on a surfboard for a sea lion and that's when the Great Whites will sometimes go in for a bite.

You often hear how a person was bitten by a shark and then it swam away. Researchers don't know if that's because the shark got a taste of a person and didn't like the flavor or if they're trying to let their prey lose strength before they go back for more.

Monterey Bay Aquarium released another Great White shark

2009-11-07T16:04:00.000-06:00

A great white shark was released back into the wild at Monterey Bay on Wednesday after spending nearly three months at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.The release marks the fifth time the aquarium has successfully exhibited and released a great white shark.

Monterey Bay Aquarium

Aquarium staff released the young, female shark in offshore waters near the southern tip of Monterey Bay just after sunrise.The shark had been collected on Aug. 12 near Malibu after it got caught in fishing nets.Images: Great White Shark Released Into WildIn 50 years of attempts worldwide, the Monterey Bay Aquarium remains the only institution to have a great white shark on exhibit for more than 16 days and then successfully return the animal to the ocean.“I’ve always said that these animals will tell us when it’s time to put them back to the ocean. Now was clearly the time,” said Randy Hamilton, vice president of husbandry for the aquarium. “Her health is excellent, and we learned a lot while she was with us. Based on past experience, we have every expectation that she’ll do well after release.”The shark grew from 5 feet 3 inches and just under 80 pounds to 5 feet 5 inches and 100 pounds during its time on exhibit at the aquarium.During Halloween weekend, the shark received a bite wound and was observed chasing scalloped hammerhead sharks in the exhibit. A Galapagos shark was bitten and injured by the great white, Hamilton said. “We monitor the behavior of great white sharks very closely while they’re on exhibit,” he said. “When we saw a new pattern of aggressive behavior, we decided it was best to release her.”The exhibit of great white sharks at the aquarium is part of an effort to raise awareness and change attitudes toward the ocean predators, aquarium officials said.

Northeastern Pacific Ocean: Isolated migrations of Great White sharks have been discovered

2009-11-07T15:34:00.001-06:00

In a new research, scientists have found that the migratory behaviors of the white shark has lead to the formation of isolated populations in the northeastern Pacific Ocean that are genetically distinct from sharks elsewhere in the world.

White sharks are a large, highly mobile species, said Salvador Jorgensen, a postdoctoral scholar at Stanfords Hopkins Marine Station.

They can go just about anywhere they want in the ocean, so its really surprising that their migratory behaviors lead to the formation of isolatedpopulations, he added.

Scientists with the Tagging of Pacific Predators (TOPP) program combined satellite tagging, passive acoustic monitoring and genetic tags to studywhite sharks popularly known as great white sharks in the North Pacific.

The researchers used a combination of satellite and acoustic tags to follow the migrations of 179 individual white sharks between 2000 and 2008.

These sharks were adults or sub-adults that ranged in size up to 4,000 pounds, and were individually tagged at sites along the central California coast, including the Gulf of the Farallones, Tomales Bay and Ano Nuevo.

The electronic tags reveal that the sharks spend the majority of their time in three areas of the Pacific: the North American shelf waters of California; the slope and offshore waters around Hawaii; and an area calledthe White Shark Caf, located in the open ocean approximately halfway between the Baja Peninsula and the Hawaiian Islands.

The research team placed acoustic listening receivers on the ocean floor at sites thought to be high residency areas, or hot spots.

By attaching 78 acoustic tags that create a unique ping or acoustic code for each tagged shark, the researchers were able to detect when thewhite sharks came within 250 meters (820 feet) of a receiver.

This allowed the researchers to discern their pattern of coastal movements in high detail.

The tags revealed that often sharks had favorite sites where they would remain resident for up to 107 days, although they occasionally would make brief visits to the other nearshore hot spots.

Also, genetics techniques were used to examine the relationships of the California sharks to all other white sharks examined globally.

Studies of maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA sequences show that the populations are distinct, and suggest that the northeastern Pacific population may have been founded by a relatively small number of sharks in the late Pleistocene within the last 200,000 years or so.

According to Molecular geneticist Carol Reeb, a research associate at Stanford, Even though we know they travel great distances, their paths are surprisingly constrained to specific routes. This explains how a highly migratory marine species becomes a genetically isolated population.

Scientist thrilled by presence of Great White sharks

2009-09-19T22:10:00.001-05:00

The great white sharks sighted off Orleans and Chatham last week sent bathers scrambling from the waters but one man was running in the other direction; Dr. Greg Skomal.

Skomal is a marine biologist with the Division of Marine Fisheries, based on Martha’s Vineyard who specializes in sharks. He enlisted harpoon ace Bill Chaprales of Marstons Mills, captain of the EZYDUZIT to use his skills to help imbed high tech tags in five of the sharks.

They did that a week and a half ago, tagging an eight-footer and 10-footer on Saturday Sept. 5, and three more on Monday Sept. 7, including a 15-footer. A spotter crew located the sharks from a plane piloted by George Breen.

These five great white sharks are making history as the first to carry the electronic pop-up tags in the North Atlantic. They have been tagged in the Pacific.

“It’s a species that not only is poorly understood in the Atlantic but one for which information is essential to get a good management plan in place,” Skomal said. “I’m excited to get five tags in place.”

After attending a conference last week Skomal is back on Martha’s Vineyard and he’d love to add a few more sharks to the database. The stormy weather prevented any more tagging last week but so far the sharks have been shy.

“We haven’t been able to locate any others,” he admitted. “We had northeast winds for four days and could get out and our pilot couldn’t see anything because of all the rain. When we were out last week we saw at least two or three other sharks that were not tagged so we knew at that time they were still out there. The question is are they still there?”

Swimmers and lifeguards may be asking that too. They general consensus is that they were drawn in by the plump and tasty seals. Seal numbers are up over recent decades and gray seals are year round residents of Chatham. The teeth of great white sharks are serrated, designed for ripping blubbery flesh.

“September still has plenty of warm water and optimal conditions for them from the environmental perspective,” Skomal noted. “The shark that was around Naushon Island in 2004 came in late September. We’ve had sightings extend into November.”

In any case the five sharks should provide some fascinating data. The tags contain a microcomputer and will remain on the sharks and the first will pop in mid-January, if all goes well, and then pop off, float to the surface and transmit data. It won’t provide real time information on what the shark is up to, instead it as retrospective on where it’s been.

“Pop up tags have been used in the Pacific and Indian Ocean with fantastic results,” Skomal said. “Think of them as a data logger put on the fish that comes off and transmits data to a satellite. It’s complex because you’re dealing with salt water, mircotechnology, batteries and such. It logs information on depth, temperature and ambient light levels.”

Pacific great whites have been documented swimming from California to Hawaii and diving as deep as 3,000 feet.

Unfortunately GPS doesn’t work because the fish are under water. That makes calculating the sharks’ former locations murky. The light data is critical for that. It will allow scientist to estimate day length and hopefully determine the longitude and latitude. Longer days as winter rolls on will indicate the shark was further south. Sunrise and sunsets can give the longitude.

“That method of geographical location is very problematic if the shark doesn’t go far,” Skomal admitted. “It’s not good on a fine scale.”

But if the sharks travel to South America for instance, it’ll be very informative.

“We don’t have a really good sense of their migration pattern,” Skomal said. “All we have is distribution data based on sightings that are fishery dependent, those caught by fishermen, caught in gear, sighted by chance, and that amounts to 4 to 500 data points a year.”

Now, for the first time, individual sharks can be tracked.

“The tags were attached using an intramuscular dart,” Skomal explained. “It’s important to be precise to do it properly because you don’t want to hurt the fish. We used a harpoon-tagging pole to place the tag with pinpoint precision. It’s worked for us with fish the size of blue fin tuna and basking sharks.”

Skomal is the author of the 278-page “Shark Handbook”, available from the Cider Mill Press in Maine. It presents the science of sharks for the general reader covering many species and general biology.
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Teenager escaped the jaws of Great White shark

2009-07-31T23:36:00.000-05:00

An Australian teenager narrowly escaped the jaws of a 4 foot shark, likely a great white, after being knocked off his surf board and thrown high into the air while out in the ocean.

Fourteen-year-old Zac Skyring was out for an early morning surf on the north-east NSW coast with his father when the shark rammed into the underside of his surfboard, catapulting the teenager into the air.

From about 100 feet (30m) away on the beach his father, Nigel, watched in horror as the incident unfolded. When he saw blood pouring from his son's face he feared the worst, but the board had hit Zac's face, causing his lip to split and bleed heavily.

“He was going up the crest of a wave and just as he got to the top a brown thing came through the water and I saw Zac catapulted into the air” Nigel Skyring told The Times.

“When I saw the blood coming from his mouth I thought - Oh no, this isn't good.”

Zac escaped with only a few light puncture marks on his lower arm and a ripped wetsuit. One of the shark's teeth had gone through his watchband.

"We were very lucky," Mr Skyring said. "We are a family of very strong environmentalists and we know that we were in their [the sharks'] territory."

Experts will examine the teeth marks in the wetsuit to determine the breed of shark involved in the attack.

Shark expert Michael Brown, the director of Surfwatch Australia, said the details of the attack strongly suggested it was a great white shark and not a bronze whaler as first suspected.

"Bronze whalers don't tend to come up and hit you from underneath like that and there's really only one type of shark that does, the great white," Brown told The Times.

"Great whites have a set hunting procedure. They spot you, come to the surface and have a look. Once they've identified you as potential prey they go deep under the water, about 15m - 20m, before coming up and with all their might, hitting you as hard as possible. They then back off, circle and wait for the prey to bleed to death."

He added that great white sharks are golden in colour on top, which can cause people to misake them for a bronze whaler.

Conditions have been ripe for shark attacks in recent years along the NSW coast, Brown said.

"The last four years have been exceptionally good for bait fish to breed and multiply. With so many bait fish, more and more sharks are coming in close to shore to feed.

"I personally believe this year will be worse than last [for shark attacks]."

Shark Week at the the Oregon Coast Aquarium!

2009-07-31T22:30:00.000-05:00

Newport, OR - The Oregon Coast Aquarium and the Discovery Channel will celebrate Shark Week August 2 – August 8 with a variety of events highlighting the fascinating world of sharks. Shark Week spotlights sharks as important members of their ocean habitats, unlike the man-eating monsters portrayed in the movies. Sharks live in oceans around the globe—from warm shallows to the cold, deep sea and even fresh water lakes. All of the sharks exhibited at the Oregon Coast Aquarium are species native to Oregon’s coastal waters. Visitors will meet the sharks from Oregon’s coast in the week-long glimpse into the world of sharks.

During Shark Week, the Discovery Channel will offer a week-long series of feature television programs dedicated to facts on sharks. Sharks and their ancestors have presided over the seas for nearly 400 million years, but in the wild today, shark populations are suffering from human activity. Through habitat destruction and overfishing, humans have become more dangerous to sharks than they are to us. Sharks have been depicted as man-eaters and killers for centuries. The reality is that of the more than 350 species, only a handful pose any threat to humans.

Shark Week Schedule of Activities:

Sunday, August 2

10 am – 5 pm – Gleason Room – Shark Stations – Investigate the world of the shark. Feel real shark skin and touch shark teeth. Take home a shark craft.

11 - 11:15 am – Gleason Room - Dive Interpretive Presentation Open Sea.

11 am - 2:30 pm – Gleason Room – Face Painting

1 - 1:15 pm – Gleason Room – Dive Interpretive Presentation Open Sea.

Monday, August 3

11 - 11:15 am – Gleason Room – Dive Interpretive Presentation Open Sea.

1 - 1:15 pm – Gleason Room – Dive Interpretive Presentation Open Sea.

Tuesday, August 4

Aquarium Theater - Shark video – all day

11 - 11:15 am – Gleason Room – Dive Interpretive Presentation Open Sea.

1 - 1:15 pm – Gleason Room – Dive Interpretive Presentation Open Sea.

Wednesday, August 5

10 am - 5 pm – Gleason Room – Shark Station – Investigate the world of the shark. Feel real shark skin and touch shark teeth. Take home a shark craft.

2 - 2:45 pm – Entrance Courtyard to Passages of the Deep – Shark

Dissection. See one of nature’s coolest creatures from the inside out. Learn all about the anatomy of the shark during this hands-on dissection.

Thursday, August 6

10 am - 5 pm – Gleason Room – Shark Station. Investigate the world of the shark. Feel real shark skin and touch shark teeth. Take home a shark craft

11 -11:15 am – Gleason Room – Dive Interpretive Presentation Open Sea.

11:30 am - 12:15 pm – Theater – Presentation “Sharks – Myths and Misconceptions”

1 - 1:15 pm – Gleason Room – Dive Interpretive Presentation Open Sea.

Friday, August 7

10 am - 5 pm – Gleason Room – Shark Station – Investigate the world of the shark. Feel real shark skin and touch shark teeth. Take home a shark craft.

2 - 2:45 pm – Entrance Courtyard to Passages of the Deep – Shark Dissection. See one of nature’s coolest creatures from the inside out. Learn all about the anatomy of the shark during this hands-on dissection.

Saturday, August 8

10 am - 5:00 pm – Gleason Room – Shark Station – Investigate the world of the shark. Feel real shark skin and touch shark teeth. Take home a shark craft.

11 am - 2:30 pm – Gleason Room – Face Painting.

11 - 11:15 am – Gleason Room – Dive Interpretive Presentation Open Sea.

11:45 am - Noon – Gleason Room – Dive Interpretive Presentation Open Sea.

1 - 1:15 pm – Gleason Room – Dive Interpretive Presentation Open Sea.

1:45 - 2:00 pm – Gleason Room – Dive Interpretive Presentation Open Sea.

Raffle for gift basket of shark items (winner to be announced at the end of the week)

The Oregon Coast Aquarium is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit educational attraction dedicated to the highest quality aquatic and marine science programs for recreation and education so the public better understands, cherishes, and conserves the world’s natural marine and coastal resources.

Photo Caption: Celebrate Shark Week at the Oregon Coast Aquarium! The view inside Passages of the Deep (Photo by Cindy Hanson, Oregon Coast Aquarium)

To view Oregon Coast Aquarium's web page on Zoo and Aquarium Visitor, go to: http://www.zandavisitor.com/forumtopicdetail-9-Oregon_Coast_Aquarium

Tadam! Tadam! Shark Week is baaaccckkk!!!

2009-07-31T22:16:00.000-05:00

The Gulf of Mexico is a fine place to find sharks. According to filmmaker Jeff Kurr, the Gulf is teeming with whale sharks, hammerheads, a lot of bull sharks and some “large aggressive makos.”

He cites the Gulf's biodiversity, making it one of his top sites for filming shark footage. “I've had fishermen tell me they've seen great whites,” he says. “You can count on them being everywhere. They circumnavigate the globe. They're everywhere prey exists.”

Kurr's latest film is Shark After Dark, which airs at 8 p.m. Aug. 6. In the great push/pull tradition of the Discovery Channel's Shark Week, it manages to pull an alarm with one hand while gently urging calm with the other. Casual swimmers aren't likely to find themselves in the great white-infested waters around Seal Island off the coast of South Africa, but Kurr's film finds 15-foot sixgill sharks rising from unthinkable depths to feed at night in Puget Sound, just 150 feet from the shore in Seattle.

There've been no reports of a sixgill attack. But footage of the sharks thrashing around hunks of dead fish are a sufficient nudge to avoid the sound at night.

More than two decades old, the Discovery Channel's Shark Week remains required viewing for a dedicated subset of viewer. The week of programming is a titillating cross between nature film and torture porn with a little environmental morality play thrown in.

Kurr points out the disparity in the number of sharks that killed by humans compared to humans killed by sharks. Still the film includes narration that reminds the usually docile sand tiger shark has been charged with 29 confirmed attacks. Cue unsettling music and don't forget to include a crew member saying things like, “The water is churning with teeth and fins.”

Yet Kurr's passion for filmmaking is a reflection of a viewer's passion for what he finds. Despite the sci fi assertion that space is the final frontier, we've a long way toward scratching the surface with the sea.

“It's the last wild frontier left on Earth,” Kurr says. “Just about all terrestrial animals have been fenced off where we can safely see them. But you go into the water at your local beach, and you're in a complete wilderness. In California it's not beyond the realm of possibility to see a great white 100 feet from a beach.”

Despite often being a victim — tens of millions of sharks are killed each year — the shark makes a compelling villain. It's capable of short violent actions only to disappear in a cloud. And it's surrounded by mystery. So, despite few attacks and fewer fatal attacks, the fairly short period of our interaction with sharks has created a chilling sense of terror that has for less than a century fed books and films.

Kurr points out only three instances of multiple attacks in a single area. There was 2001, tagged the Summer of the Shark in Florida, when several people were attacked (it's worth noting that shark attacks worldwide that year were down from the previous year). There was South Africa in late 1957 and early 1958 when five people were killed in a little more than 100 days.

And the one that started it all was off the coast of New Jersey in 1916, when four people were killed. The attacks, including one in a creek, inspired author Peter Benchley to write Jaws. More recently the book Close to Shore was written about that summer when an increasing number of swimmers took to the water to escape then-record heat. This year's Shark Week includes a sort of faux docudrama called Blood in the Water (8 p.m. Aug. 2) that recounts a week of shark attacks.

The 1916 New Jersey attacks are still the source of our cultural shockwaves regarding sharks. Much is still not known. Some theorize that there were multiple sharks, which Kurr believes. Others think it was one, a theory that gets murky because a great whites doesn't seem like a likely predator in a creek 16 miles inland.

The hysteria of the era is best represented by the fact that one report blamed a sea turtle for the attacks. “People knew nothing about sharks and nothing about the ocean,” Kurr says. “And forensics didn't really exist in those times.”

His theory involves weather patterns that drew schools of bait fish into the shallow water. “It's just what you'd call a sharky year,” he says. “It could've just been sharks chasing fish and accidentally attacking people. But the idea that it was the same one cruising along the coast Jaws-style is scientifically, biologically and behaviorally impossible.”

But the story has a narrative sweep and a sense of genuine terror. It's mysterious and chilling and speaks volumes about our fear and fixation with sharks.

Kurr, who made his own film about the 1916 attacks says “the human reaction was the most interesting part of the whole thing”: Panicked people blasting at the water with dynamite and shotguns.

And where some shark obsessives (like me) prefer to keep the fixation to film and the printed page, the more daring sorts like Kurr throw themselves into the water.

The result plays a little into a deeply rooted cultural fear that started in 1916 and was refreshed in 1975 with the release of the feature film Jaws Steven Spielberg's box-office behemoth.

But Kurr's films are informational first and daredevilry second. He's not above tickling the curiosity of shark gawkers, but he's also keen to clear the water and try to replace some myth with fact.

“We keep discovering interesting behaviors,” he says. “And we haven't been studying sharks all that long. There are a lot of great stories out there, lots that we don't know. I think that's why people are fascinated by sharks.”

Shark victims fight to protect sharks from finning!

2009-07-31T20:58:00.000-05:00

Nine shark bite victims presented themselves in Capitol Hill in Washington, to lobby for the support of US Congress to protect wildlife sharks, according to CBS.

The nine people urged Congress to review a loophole that a number of fishermen have been exploiting to get around the shark finning ban.

“Most shark species just can’t reproduce fast enough to sustain the type of commercial fishing that’s going on for them,” said Neil Hammerschlag, who researches sharks in the University of Miami.

A third of shark species are threatened with extinction, with about an estimated 100 million sharks killed every year. Most of these deaths are for the harvesting of shark fins, which is an essential ingredient in shark fin soup, an Asian delicacy.

“You would think that we would all hate sharks,” said Debbie Salamone, one of the shark attack victims.

Actress gets up close and personal with ancestor of Great White shark

2009-07-31T19:46:00.001-05:00

ACTRESS LANA WOOD and a 70 FOOT SHARK

West Palm Beach, FL, July 14, 2009 — Hollywood actress Lana Wood, who once played Plenty O’Toole opposite Sean Connery in the James Bond movie, Diamonds Are Forever, was attacked by what eyewitnesses say was a Megalodon, a 70-foot, 70,000 pound prehistoric cousin of the Great White shark. The attack occurred in the waters off the coast of Monterey, California. . .in the pages of New York Times best-selling author Steve Alten’s new release MEG: Hell’s Aquarium.

Lana Wood, a former Playboy centerfold, has an extensive career in the movies, and wrote a best-selling memoir about her late sister, actress Natalie Wood, back in 1986. She contacted Steve Alten a year ago and asked the author to make her a character in his new MEG book, the fourth and best story in the series.

“My grandson and I love shark stories, and we’re both huge fans of the MEG series. I contacted Steve, and he agreed to write me in as a character. I just finished reading the book – oh my gosh, what a thrill ride, I was exhausted by the time I finished it! Steve is the new Peter Benchley, and MEG is JAWS on steroids. And my character’s scene is so scary. . .but you’ll have to read the book to find out if I survive.”

In his review of Hell’s Aquarium, Steve Donoghue, Managing Editor of Open Letters Monthly states, “Alten writes the whole thing in hyperkinetic present tense, with turns and twists in every scene until it squeaks…there’s a scene late in the book involving a shark autopsy that any thriller-writer would give a tonsil to have thought up! The whole thing fizzes with the kind of fun delirium only the most effective giant killer shark novels dare to attempt.”

Lana Wood will be appearing at Comicon in San Diego July 16th – 19^th as a featured guest in a special area that will house the “Women of James Bond.” George Lazenby, who played 007 in “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service,” will also be appearing. Lana says she will offer free autographs to anyone showing up with a copy of MEG: Hell’s Aquarium.

This year marks Comicon’s 40^th anniversary. Record crowds are expected. Take a look in to Meg_HellsAquarium

Shark novel that should make it on the silver screen

2009-07-22T22:17:00.003-05:00

One source of original material Hollywood often turns to is books. Sometimes it’s short stories that are expanded into full length films such as “The Shawshank Redemption.” Most often they are novels. For an example one doesn’t have to look much further than this Wednesday, when “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” is released. That is another reason movie studios often turn to the world of publishing; to acquire works that already have a built-in audience.

The trick is for a studio executive to find something that will translate well into the film medium. A novel that appears on the New York Times Best Seller List is a good place for them to start. Not every novel that has been a best seller becomes a movie. Some should not have been turned into films to begin with; “The Bonfire of the Vanities” would be a perfect example. Then there are some that have not been made into a movie, but should have! A great example of this would be the 1997 Steve Alten novel, “Meg”.

“Meg” is about a carcharodon megalodon impeding on modern times. In simpler terms, it is a prehistoric great white shark that once swam the oceans of our planet. This shark grew in length to as much as 70-feet long, and had teeth as big as one’s fist. To see such a magnificent creature brought to life on the big screen is what summer blockbusters are made of. The back cover quote on the novel from the Los Angeles Times said it all: “Two words: Jurassic Shark”.

It’s been ten years since a movie involving sharks has hit the big screen. In fact, “Deep Blue Sea” was originally green-lighted to compete with “Meg” which was thought to be coming out around the same time. Steve Alten believes a “Meg” movie could be even bigger, “Intellectual Makos cannot compete with a story about the greatest, most frightening predator in history.”

“Meg” also brings something else many studios hope to find: a franchise. Currently there are four “Meg” books in release, with the fourth one, “Meg: Hell’s Aquarium” having been released this past spring. A fifth novel in the series is also planned. Can this become a successful franchise? The author addresses this issue as well, “Absolutely. The books get better as they go on. So it’s not like “Jaws”, which was a brilliant book and movie, followed by non-Benchley sequels that got silly.” It’s a little scary to imagine if J.K. Rowling just wrote the first Harry Potter novel which became the beloved film, and then afterwards, someone else came along to make movie sequels.

While “Deep Blue Sea” did modest business, it was an R-rated film. While these movies would involve this giant shark eating humans, they can easily be made into PG-13 films without losing any of the impact of the novel. Just imagine a surfer surfing directly into the mouth of this monster. The original novel included many exciting sequences involving this massive creature, including a climax that features feeding frenzy never before seen at the cinema.

Another plus for this potential film is that it can be looked upon as a “monster movie.” Except in this case, it is about a monster that once existed. Steve Alten, as Peter Benchley did with his novel “Jaws”, wrote the screenplay along with one of the producers, and proclaims that the movie will be even better than the novel. Many believe the film version of “Jaws” was better than the book too. If the film can attract the right director and cast, it’s hard to imagine it failing at the box office.

Apelles Entertainment recently got involved with bringing this great book to a movie theater near you. Hopefully it will all pan out. Mr. Alten tells how gratifying it would be to finally see his first work at a Hollywood premiere, “Not a week has gone by in 13 years where I did not imagine myself walking down a red carpet with my family and friends. Even more so, I want to see the movie made for my loyal readers.” The author has named characters after many of his fans. Something former Bond girl, Lana Wood took part in the latest novel. Some of these fans may see their namesakes on the big screen.

If Steve Alten’s dream comes true for himself and his fans, movie audiences around the world are in for a great ride in the theater.

Three Great White shark sightings in San Onofre!

2009-07-11T22:54:00.000-05:00

San Onofre State Beach -- On June 7, 2009 Kevin Rust and several unidentified companions were surfing North of Old Man's, San Onofre State Beach. Air and water temperatures were estimated in the mid-70s and 60s Fahrenheit, respectively. The sky was clear with a mild 1 - 2 knot North-West breeze. It was 7:30 PM and they had been on the water about 2.5 hours. Several Dolphins were observed in the area prior to the encounter. The ocean was glassy calm going to high tied with 2 - 3 foot waves. The water was 8 - 10 feet deep with a primarily rocky ocean floor and some scattered vegetation. Rust recalled; "A few friends and I had been surfing for about 2.5 hours just a peak or so North of Old Man's peak at the San Onofre State Beach, along with the 40 or so other people there at the time. We were sitting in the line up about 100 yards off shore around 7:30 when a 4 - 5 foot Great White Shark jumped out of the water. It was about 50 feet away, farther out. It leaped about 3 feet into the air, came completely out of the water with its belly facing us, and crashed down ungracefully on its side. The belly was white, vertical tail, and a v-ed nose. No one really panicked. It was more awe factor than anything. We just pulled our hands and feet out of the water, made a couple straggler jokes, and that was that. It never resurfaced or made another appearance. I read Redmond's encounter for July 7, and it was the same circumstances, behavior etc., just 5.5 hours later. Same spot, I'll bet even the same shark." Please report any shark sighting, encounter, or attack to the Shark Research Committee.

San Onofre State Beach -- On June 7, 2009 Rudy Fontes was surfing at 'The Point ,' San Onofre State Beach. It was 7:15 - 7:30 PM and he had been on the water about 90 minutes. The water was 8 - 10 feet deep with a cobblestone reef bottom and an estimated temperature of 65 degrees Fahrenheit. The sky was clear with a light breeze and a air temperature in the mid-70s Fahrenheit. The ocean was glassy calm with a 3 - 4 foot swell. Fontes reported; "I had been surfing, but was now waiting in the line-up, maybe 100 yards off shore, between sets and looking out to the horizon. There were maybe a dozen others within 30 yards of me when an estimated 6 foot White Shark hit the surface of the water and became completely air borne above the water, maybe 5 feet above the surface. Its belly was facing all of us and you could see the shape of its mouth (jaw) very clearly. It was moving wildly as if it was attacking a fish or something from below the surface. an awesome site and we were all 'buzzzzing' for a while, never seen that before. I guess it swam off, that was the last of it." Please report any shark sighting, encounter, or attack to the Shark Research Committee.

San Onofre State Beach -- On July 7, 2009 Parker Redmond was surfing 'The Point' at San Onofre. It was 2:00 PM and he had been on the water about 10 minutes. Air and water temperatures were estimated in the low 70s and 60s Fahrenheit respectively. The sea was 'choppy' with a 2 - 4 foot South swell. Redmond recalled; " I was looking off towards Lowers and saw a 4 - 5 foot White Shark leap about 4 feet out of the water. Its tail was inverted just like the Discovery Channel sharks. I knew instantly what I had seen. It had a white underbelly and its back was grey. About 20 minutes after the shark breach 2 Dolphins cruised through the line-up. That made my encounter seem even more absurd, but I promise you it was definitely a White Shark." Please report any shark sighting, encounter, or attack to the Shark Research Committee.

Shark Week is BACK really SOOOOON!!!

2009-07-11T22:31:00.001-05:00

People have long been fascinated with the ocean’s most vicious predator, but before 1916, average people knew very little about sharks. It was that year the New Jersey shore became a feeding ground and five people were attacked in 12 days triggering nationwide panic. It was the first multiple shark attack in American history and the reason sharks are feared to this day. BLOOD IN THE WATER is a gripping two-hour docudrama that brings to life the true story that inspired ‘Jaws’, and kicks SHARK WEEK 2009 on Sunday, August 2, at 9 p.m. ET / PT.

During SHARK WEEK 2009 viewers can find out what makes certain areas of the world shark-attack “hot spots”; if sharks behave differently during the day than at night; and what still puzzles scientists about the most feared shark of them all — the Great White.

Beginning July 15, viewers can surf online (if they dare!) for more information at discoverychannel.ca/sharkweek. The robust site will feature:

· Interactive Map: Shark Attacks
· Daily “Shark” Discoveries
· Backgrounders and Photo Galleries
· Exclusive Video

Companion SHARK WEEK programming will be rounded out with even more fascinating and terrifying shark shows on Discovery HD and Animal Planet. Each night at 7 p.m. ET / 10 p.m. PT, Discovery HD will air one hour of shark-related programming such as the premiere of HOW NOT TO BECOME SHARK BAIT and encore presentation of SHARK FEEDING FRENZY. Over on Animal Planet, August 3-7 at 10 p.m. ET / 11 p.m. PT, SHARK WEEK programming includes a premiere episode of EATEN ALIVE: KILLER SHARKS on Wednesday, August 5.

SHARK WEEK 2009 – Discovery Channel Premiere Schedule

BLOOD IN THE WATER (1 x 120)
Sunday, August 2 at 9 p.m. ET / 9 p.m. PT
The true story behind the bloody shark attacks of 1916 that inspired the movie ‘Jaws’. A nine-foot long shark cruises just off the New Jersey beaches. For centuries its ancestors have done exactly the same. But today there’s unusual company. Human Beings.

DAY OF THE SHARK 1 (1 x 60)
Monday, August 3 at 8 p.m. ET / 9 p.m. PT
Experts explore the science behind what triggers sharks to attack at certain times of day, and what rules humans should follow to avoid incident.

DEADLY WATER (1 x 60)
Tuesday, August 4 at 8 p.m. ET / 9 p.m. PT
SURVIVORMAN’s Les Stroud is back for more nail biting - shark chomping action, and this time, he’s taking on the deadliest waters around the world. His quest is simple – which water is the deadliest?

DAY OF THE SHARK 2 (1 x 60)
Wednesday, August 5 at 8 p.m. ET / 9 p.m. PT
In this harrowing hour, see what happens when a Great White breaks through a 300-pound aluminum shark cage and traps the divers inside, or when another tackles a former Navy Seal in shallow waters in the early evening in St. Petersburg, Florida.

GREAT WHITE APPETITE (1 x 60)
Thursday, August 6 at 8 p.m. ET / 9 p.m. PT
The Great White is one of the most feared predators on earth as well as one of its most efficient hunters. The Great White Shark patrols the shores of more than fifty percent of the world’s inhabited coastlines, and despite having killed thousands of people, we know almost nothing about them.

SHARK AFTER DARK (1 x 60)
Thursday, August 6 at 9 p.m. ET / 10 p.m. PT
A team of divers descends into the dangerous after-dark hunting ground of sharks.

Sharks are most aggressive and most active in the dark, but the fact is, we know very little else about the nocturnal nature of these creatures.

SHARKBITE SUMMER (1 x 60)
Friday, August 7 at 8 p.m. ET / 9 p.m. PT
The bite-by-bite account of America's notorious "Summer of the Shark" in 2001.

Two Great White sharks caught in fishing nets of Korean coast

2009-07-09T23:29:00.002-05:00

To Koreans, an attack by sharks as in ``Jaws'' used to be something that happened in other countries far away from here. But it may not be so now, as sharks have been seen along the coasts here in recent months.

The National Fisheries Research and Development Institute has warned vacationers visiting beaches to pay attention to sharks between May and September, saying the country is no longer a shark-free region.

The growing danger is due to rising sea temperatures and the expansion of warm currents to the peninsula. ``With the warm currents flowing toward the country, sharks' prey such as mackerel and squid, are coming to the coast, and sharks are following them,'' Kim Jung-nyun, a researcher at the institute, said.

Korea used to have reports of sharks in the Yellow Sea and sometimes off southern shores as well, but now sharks are found in the East Sea even though temperatures are relatively lower _ in February and March, two great white sharks were caught in fishing nets near Mukho Port, measuring 3.5 and 4.7 meters in length, respectively, and weighing 1 and 1.5 tons.

``Two sharks were caught in the early spring, even though the seawater temperature was not that high. Korea now needs to prepare for possible danger from sharks,'' Kim said.

According to the institute, great whites, shortfin makos, hammerheads, copper sharks and whale sharks are likely to appear off the Korean coast.

``On the west coast, there were six deaths from shark attacks over the last 20 years, and most of the victims were women divers. Korea has not had a report yet of a shark attack on a swimmer on the beach, but beach management authorities are coming up with preventive measures,'' Kim said.

Haeundae Beach in Busan, one of the most popular summer vacation spots, recently bought shark-repelling devices from Australia. The device, to be attached to jet skis, emits pulses of a 5-meter radius for six to seven hours, and can be used 45 meters below sea level.

Those enjoying leisure pursuits on the seashore, such as scuba divers, are advised to be careful. ``People are advised not to swim alone; at night; and when they are bleeding. When encountering a shark, they should not provoke it even if it is a small one, but just should get back to the beach quietly. It is also advisable for divers to tie ropes or belts on their ankles to make themselves look longer and bigger, as sharks do not attack an object larger than themselves,'' he said.

He also said that when a shark attacks, people are advised to hit its nose, where sensory organs are gathered, with wooden or iron poles, and then it will swim away.

By Kim Rahn
Staff Reporter

rahnita@koreatimes.co.kr

Shark Week is back this summer!

2009-07-09T23:03:00.002-05:00

Photo:Discovery Channel

Shark Week returns to the Discovery Channel on Sunday, August 9, 2009 at 9PM ET/PT. The annual seven day programming event kicks off with “Blood in the Water”. “Blood in the Water” is a two hour tale, focusing on how in the year 1916 in a period of less than two weeks, five people suffered attacks by sharks on the shores of New Jersey.

If you are a long standing fan of Shark Week and expect that you may have already seen all that it has to offer, fear not. For 2009, Shark Week will integrate six new premieres into its outstanding selection of previously aired features focusing on sharks. If you have never tuned into this series of shows before, then you will receive the privilege of experiencing some of the most amazing marine footage ever recorded, from a fresh perspective. In 2008, 29.1 million people watched Shark Week, an increase of approximately 6.5 percent from the previous year.

The programming schedule will include nightly broadcasts of information intended to educate viewers on shark conservation. These segments will be produced in a joint effort between the Discovery Channel and the marine conservation organization, Ocean Conservancy. In 2003, National Geographic reported that a group of scientists conducting a study that centered on the review of 15 years of fishing logbooks, came to the conclusion that all but two of the 17 shark species included in the study had seen their numbers slashed nearly in half in less than two decades. In 2007, a Foxnews.com report stated that "Large sharks have been functionally eliminated from the East Coast of the U.S., meaning that they can no longer perform their ecosystem role as top predators”

The Discovery Channel will also provide a complex interactive website at discovery.com/sharkweek, where enthusiasts can enjoy such features as live blogging, a video mixer, Facebook content, quizzes and a shark based, interactive alternate reality game.

If you wish to see a shark up close, here is a venue in Montauk that allows adventurous Long Islanders to observe these majestic creatures in their natural environment:

http://www.ecophotoexplorers.com/MontaukCageDiving.asp

Shark Week on the Discovery Channel

Shark Week premieres on the Discovery Channel on August 09, 2009 at 9PM ET/PT.

View Slideshow »

Author: Marc Ciborowski

Marc Ciborowski is an Examiner from Long Island. You can see Marc's articles on Marc's Home Page.

A woman donates shark tooth that belonged to the ancestor of the Great White shark

2009-07-09T22:44:00.001-05:00

Photo 1 of 1 | Zoom Photo +

Diann Barber of Hampton Beach shows off her remarkably preserved shark tooth which she found on the beach and scientists believe came from a 40-million-year-old ancestor of the great white shark. Scott Yates photo. 4-24-09Scott Yates/syates@seacoastonlin

HAMPTON — The woman who found a rare fossilized Great White shark tooth at Hampton Beach has decided to donate what she calls the "find of her lifetime" to the University of New Hampshire.

"What was I going to do with it?" asked 63-year-old Diann Barber, who lives on the beach. "It would just sit in a drawer and I would take it out every once and a while and say 'Oh wow.'"

Hunt Howell of the Coastal Marine Laboratory at UNH accepted the donation of the tooth last week and told Barber the university will use it for educational purposes as well as keep it on display in the Rudman Biological Science Building.

"I just think that is the coolest thing," Barber said. "Now when my kids, grandkids come up I can send them to the university to check out the tooth I found. It's a good feeling to be able to have done that."

Barber called donating the tooth the end of an incredible journey.

She found the fossilized shark tooth several months ago while searching for sea glass along the shore of Hampton Beach.

What appeared to be an odd looking sea shell, she said, turned out to be a tooth of some kind.

"Something made me go back and pick it up," Barber said. "I didn't know what it was.

"You find all kinds of things at the beach you never expect to see — beer tabs, cigarette butts, condoms — but not a shark's tooth?" she said.

After the "find," her husband, Bill Levis, said his wife spent countless hours researching what kind of tooth it was, even asking the advice of a shark expert form the Smithsonian Institution.

"I haven't seen her this excited about something in a long time," said Levis.

David Bohaska at the Smithsonian aided in identifying the tooth by having Robert W. Purdy, a retired museum specialist, who is an expert on fossilized sharks, take a look at it.

"He confirmed that it is carcharodon carcharias, the Great White shark," Bohaska said. "Bob tells me that this species is known from the Miocene Epoch (about 15 million years ago) to the present."

Exactly how old it is and how it got to Hampton Beach is still the question.

Bohaska said it's hard to pinpoint the age of the tooth because Barber found it on the shore. If it was found encrusted in rocks or cliff, it would have been easier to pinpoint a rough time frame.

In general it takes approximately 10,000 years for a tooth to become a true fossil, he said.

Barber said she has enjoyed learning about sharks.

"I called it doing my homework," Barber said. "It was really cool to learn about how long ago it existed and how large the animal was. I'm sad that it's all over.

"I temporarily had it wrapped around my neck because it was kind of a spiritual thing because it is so old and rare," she said. "This was a really cool journey that will be in my heart always. It was a unique experience in my life."

In return for her donation, Barber received a Wildcats sweatshirt and also a mug with a photo of the tooth that she found on it. She also received a nice thank you letter from Howell.

Barber said she still walks the beach every day looking for her next find.

"I doubt that I will find anything as cool as the shark tooth, but you never know," Barber said.

"A lot of people say lightning doesn't strike twice. Well, I know someone who was struck by lighting twice. So who knows?" she said.

"There is always something to find at Hampton Beach," Barber said. "Maybe there is another treasure waiting for me."

By Patrick Cronin

pcronin@seacoastonline.com

June 23, 2009 6:00 AM

United Kingdom could end up with several changes by 2080, including the visits of Great White sharks

2009-07-09T22:19:00.000-05:00

Great white sharks could be regular visitors to the coast by the 2080s, where they could find more bathers enjoying the Mediterranean climate. Photograph: Martin Barraud/Getty

Public health

The Department of Health predicts about 1,000 more heat-related deaths each year by the 2020s, mainly among sick and elderly people, rising to 2,800 by the 2080s. Warmer weather could help stomach bugs to thrive, and could see an extra 14,000 cases of food poisoning by the 2080s. But warmer winters are expected to save many people from cold-related deaths, with numbers down 14,000 by the 2020s and 29,000 by the 2080s. Malaria could appear in Britain by mid-century if mosquitoes flourish, but is unlikely to pose a major threat. But increased exposure to ultra-violet light beneath cloudless skies could cause 2,000 extra cases of cataracts each year and 30,000 more cases of skin cancer by the 2050s.

Agriculture

Current levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are below the optimum for photosynthesis, so rising carbon emissions could boost growth and yields in the short-term. Longer growing seasons could help too, but drier summers could hit grass production and, without irrigation, some parts of the country could become too dry for many crops. By the 2050s, yields of winter wheat could rise by a quarter, though these gains might be threatened by pests and weeds that could flourish in the new climate. Oilseed rape may struggle, but the range of sunflowers and maize could spread northwards to take its place. By the 2080s, English wine growers could harvest French grape varieties on the slopes of the Lake District.

Wildlife

The range of many plants and animals will shift northwards with the changing weather, but some may be unable to make the journey unaided. Beech trees that find it too warm on the south coast within a few decades might need humans to plant saplings further north, and butterflies squeezed north towards cooler climes could find their route blocked by a shortage of suitable habitat in the midlands. The situation in the sea is simpler, and more octopus and squid could appear in the English Channel and southern waters, as cold water species such as cod head away. Great white sharks could be regular visitors to the coast by the 2080s, where they could find more bathers enjoying the Mediterranean climate.

People

British holidays could boom, but increased visitor numbers could spell problems for footpaths in already overrun and eroded National Parks such as the Lake District. So could heavier winter rainfall. Cafe culture in cities such as Manchester could blossom, but would people be willing to brave the summer heat? By the 2080s, officials may be forced to rejig the school year, with July and August simply too hot for traditional summer holidays. Climate refugees from increasingly arid and drought-struck southern Europe could head towards UK shores.

Sea level and flooding

Ice caps and glaciers do not need to melt for sea level to rise – warmer temperatures are enough because the sea water expands. By the 2020s, this thermal expansion could raise global sea level by 6cm. But the increase around the UK will not be even because the bedrock beneath is gradually tilting, with the south-east sinking. By the 2080s, sea level could be 70cm higher at the southern end of the UK and 50cm up along the northern coast. An estimated 2 million people will be at risk of flooding and there will be a 17-fold increase in flood risk along the east coast. London could face a £25bn clean up bill after a freak storm surge overwhelms the Thames barrier.

When will finning sharks become illegal EVERYWHERE?

2009-07-09T21:56:00.000-05:00

A letter was published recently in the Bangkok Post's Postbag about shark fin soup and how the writer was disgusted with the fact that the Bangkok Post had previously mentioned that shark fin soup was available at various restaurants throughout Bangkok.

The writer thought that the Bangkok Post was advocating the sale of shark fin soup and was horrified that it would do such a thing. I confess I never read the article, but I do have very strong feelings on the matter.

Simply put, finning - the act of cutting off a shark's fins for the shark fin soup trade - is appalling. Not only is it barbaric, it is an eco-catastrophe of humongous proportions.

Finning for soup

There are around 50 million sharks killed by humans each year, but that may be a conservative estimate, given the existence of the illegal fishing trade. There may well be many more millions killed, especially for their fins.

When a shark is caught for its fins, it is hauled onto a boat, where its dorsal, pectoral and tail fins are removed. Then it is thrown back into the ocean, often alive, and left to bleed to death, drown or be eaten alive by other fishes. This is wanton brutality.

The worst thing about shark fin soup is that it is happening because of a status issue. Many Chinese eat shark fin soup as a sign of elitism, and it is often served at special occasions like weddings, birthday parties and business dinners. And the irony of it all is that it has no real taste!

The fin is cooked until it breaks down into its cartilaginous threads, a little like transparent noodles. It has flavour only because it is cooked in beef or vegetable stock.

Some people argue that a shark fin has medicinal value, but no scientist would ever confirm this. As is always the case with barbaric wildlife abuses, when the buying stops, the killing can too.

Evolutionary peak

Sharks and rays represent evolution at its finest. They are a branch of fish known as cartilaginous fish, as their support system is composed of cartilage, not bones, unlike the bony fish you may be familiar with.

There are over 360 known species of shark and they have been around in their modern form for about 100 million years. Based on fossil evidence, sharks and their ancestors have been on earth for around 420 million years.

All sharks are carnivorous, with most being streamlined and sleek for quick swimming when hunting. Although many people have a fear of sharks, arguably due to the Jaws movies, the vast majority of sharks are not harmful to humans.

The largest shark species is the whale shark, measuring up to an incredible 12m in length, making it the largest fish in the ocean. Yet despite its size, it eats tiny krill and other small invertebrates. The second-largest shark, the basking shark, is also harmless and is a filter feeder like the whale shark.

The largest predatory shark is the great white shark. It can grow to over 6m and has been known to kill people, but surprisingly, the number of deaths is much less than you would imagine. Other sharks that have been known to prey on humans include the oceanic whitetip shark, the tiger shark and the bull shark.

Despite these apparently ferocious animals living in our seas, oceans and, in the case of bull sharks, even rivers, there are only about four to five human deaths per year. Compare that to the over 50 million shark deaths caused by humans, and then ask yourselves who the real predators are.

Odd adaptations

With over 360 species, there is still a lot to be discovered about sharks. Some strange shark species include the dwarf lanternshark, which is the smallest known species, with adults rarely exceeding 20cm in length!

There is also the very odd-looking wobbegong shark, which lies motionless on the bottom of the sea, waiting for any passing fish to strike at. Although this doesn't quite fit the streamlined approach common to many sharks, it is still an efficient predator.

The 7m Greenland shark is a huge deep-ocean monster. Although not harmful to humans and very sluggish, it does feed on large mammals. Strangely, in all the Greenland shark adults, there is a parasitic copepod, a small crustacean, which attaches itself to the cornea of the eyes of the shark and feeds on the eye tissue! This makes the sharks nearly blind, yet they all have them!

A strange adaptation of sharks is that they don't have a swim bladder. This means that if they stop swimming they will sink! Many also have to constantly swim in order to obtain oxygen through their gills. Many beaches have shark nets to prevent sharks from getting to swimmers, and sharks that get caught in them often drown. It seems odd that you can drown a fish, but, sadly, it is true.

The skin of sharks is covered with teeth-like structures. If you rub a shark from head to tail, it will feel smooth, but if you stroke its skin in the opposite direction the skin will feel very rough and can even cut your hand! These dermal denticles reduce water resistance while the shark is swimming.

Shark's teeth constantly replace themselves throughout the life of the animal. They have many layers of teeth that rotate to the edge of their mouth, kind of like a conveyor belt. When the teeth get old or become worn out, the new rows of teeth behind simply roll forward and take their place. Therefore, sharks can have thousands of teeth in their lifetime, all of which are shaped and adapted to the kinds of food the shark eats.

Sharks have a sixth sense and are sensitive to electrical impulses. They have electroreceptor organs in their heads, allowing them to detect the movements of fish.

The most stunning example of an adaptation in the animal kingdom is arguably the hammerhead shark. It is the most sensitive animal in the world to electrical impulses. Its sensors are located all across the front of its oddly shaped head. It uses them to sense the impulses given off by a struggling fish.

The most bizarre feature of sharks is that if you turn them upside down, they go into a state of torpor, a kind of sleep!

Shark researchers often catch sharks and turn them upside down so that they can record information relating to the creatures without having to drug them. There are even people who try to do this with great whites, but it is not an easy task!

Dave Canavan has an MSc in Behavioural Ecology and is the Head of Secondary at Garden International School. Dave is fascinated by science and loves animals, especially the dangerous kind! You may contact Dave at davidc@gardenbangkok.com .

By: DAVID CANAVAN

Published: 16/06/2009 at 12:00 AM

Newspaper section: Learningpost

Korean Peninsula is now protected by electric device repelling sharks

2009-07-09T21:45:00.001-05:00

On top left is a shark-repelling device which Haeundae Beach in Busan will adopt next month, while top right is a scuba diver who has the device attached to his ankle. Bottom is an image of the device attached to a buoy.

/ Yonhap

Haeundae Beach in Busan, one of the nation's most famous summer vacation destinations, will use a device to drive away sharks, for the first time in Korea.

The measure comes after the National Fisheries Research and Development Institute warned of great white sharks off the coast here between May and September when the warm current flows to the Korean Peninsula.

The Busan Metropolitan City Fire Department said Monday that it will buy the shark repelling device from Australia and use it at the beach, which opens July 1.

``A shark catches preys by feeling a weak electric current from them. The device emits a very strong electric pulse to disorientate sharks,'' an official of the department said.

The 950-gram device can be attached to scuba diving gear apparatus, jet skis or buoys.

With batteries, it gives out electric pulses with about a 5-meter radius for six to seven hours, and can be used up to 45 meters below sea level.

The department will adopt three of the devices this year and attach them to patrol jet skis.

``Haeundae has never had a shark sighting before, but there are chances of it because of the rise in seawater temperatures caused by global warming,'' the official said.

By Kim Rahn
Staff Reporter

rahnita@koreatimes.co.kr

Great White shark's close encounter with teenage surfers in New South Wales!

2009-07-04T00:18:00.001-05:00

A group of teenagers on the New South Wales far south coast say they'll keep surfing despite a big white pointer shark crusing the area.

The young surfers came within a metre of the 5m to 6m shark that has been sighted between Merimbula's bar and Pambula Beach over the past week.

One of the surfer's fathers, Pambula Surf Lifesaving President Don Hay says the boys were unsettled by the incident but realise it is a risk they take.

"As the boys said, if it'd wanted to eat them, they couldn't have done anything about it", he said.

"So it was obvious that the shark saw them and didn't realise it was dinner time, I suppose, which is obviously a great thing".

Jessica Alba will not be charged for vandalizing advertising to raise awareness of Great White sharks

2009-07-04T00:06:00.003-05:00

Jessica Alba will not be prosecuted for her role in vandalizing a Lamar Advertising in a stunt to raise awareness of the dwindling great white shark, according to the AP.

The actress had plastered a Lamar board — being used by charity group United Way — with a giant picture of a great white. The protest was organized by blogger White Mike, who travels the country plastering shark pictures everywhere in hopes of getting people to sympathize with the scary but endangered beasts.

After complaints came in, Alba — no guerilla activist, she! — immediately apologized:

I got involved in something I should have had no part of … I realize that I should have used better judgment, and I regret not thinking things through before I made a spontaneous and ill-advised decision to let myself get involved with the people behind this campaign. I sincerely apologize to the citizens of Oklahoma City and to the United Way for my involvement in this incident.

Oklahoma City’s Parks and Rec Dept filed a complaint with police and photos of Alba committing the act appeared briefly — and where then removed — on White Mike’s blog.

To add insult to injury, the board had been donated to United Way by Lamar for free. The AP:

Lamar Advertising, which owns the billboard, also said the company doesn’t plan to pursue charges, said Bill Condon, general manager and vice president of the company’s Oklahoma City office.

“I think her comment and what she released seemed pretty sincere,” Condon said.

Three sharks caught off the Malta coast were mistaken as Great White sharks

2009-07-03T23:50:00.000-05:00

Three sharks which Maltese fishermen recently caught close to the island were wrongly described as great whites even if they were the much smaller and less infamous short-fin makos.

Inspectors from the Malta Environment and Planning Authority investigated claims about the catch and found it was not the case, a Mepa spokesman said.

Besides the effect the report could have on bathers and tourists wanting to visit the islands given the bad reputation these marine predators have been given, catching great whites is illegal because the species is protected.

The reports originated from a chain e-mail, which spoke of great whites having been caught but actually carrying an image of a Mako caught four years ago, shark enthusiast Alex "Sharkman" Buttigieg, said.

The last great white catch recorded in Malta was the much-publicised female that was fished in 1987 by Alfredo Cutajar.

Sharks rarely swam into Maltese waters and, when they did, they generally did not approach the shore, Mr Buttigieg said.

He pointed out that, although all shark populations in the Mediterranean were dwindling due to over fishing, the mako was not protected. Other sharks, like the angle, were in much more immediate need of protection.

In fact, Shark Alliance, a coalition of non-governmental organisations dedicated to science-based conservation of sharks, which Mr Buttigieg forms part of, was lobbying for better protection at EU level.

Earlier this year the EU announced a plan of action for the conservation and management of sharks. The plan protects sharks from finning, the practice of killing sharks for their fins, which are used for an oriental soup. Although there was no finning in Malta, there was no guarantee that there would never be, Mr Buttigieg said.

Shark fishing has been growing rapidly since the mid-1980s, mainly driven by expanding demand from Asian markets. Between 1984 and 2004 world catches of sharks grew from 600,000 to over 810,000 metric tonnes annually. The EU fleet now takes about 100,000 tonnes of sharks and related species each year.

The Sharks brothers will offer a "Sharks Clinic" to kids in order to demystify sharks

2009-07-01T21:15:00.001-05:00

The Shark Brothers - actual blood brothers who share the same last name - will present "Sharkstravaganza" at a free children's clinic in the Bay Walk area at noon Saturday as part of 2009 Shark Fest today and Sunday on Fort Myers Beach.

Sean and Brooks Paxton are catch, tag and release shark fishing specialists from North Port. The brothers are known for their biography on Frank "the Monsterman" Mundus, the Captain Quint character on which the movie "Jaws" was based. Mundus was the captain of the Cricket II boat that was responsible for the largest shark ever caught on rod and reel. Angler Donnie Braddick caught the 3,427 pound great white shark.

"Our underlying theme and goal of this is for people to come down and leave with a greater understanding, broader appreciation and respect for these animals," the brothers Paxton agreed.

The Paxton Brothers will show some of the memorabilia they have collected from the show as well as a Monsters from the Deep traveling exhibit. They also will entertain festival goers with a shark show and tell.

They will have some special artifacts and specimens including teeth from the largest shark ever caught. They will pass around skin samples of sharks because they are made up of millions of tiny little teeth. They'll have tiger jaws that were proven to be responsible for several attacks in Hawaii in the 1990s. They'll also have lots of video that supports the type of work they do and footage of the largest shark ever caught on rod and reel.

The brothers will be indirectly involved in the Are You Man Enough Shark Challenge 3, the catch-and-release shark tournament where teams of anglers from around the country begin their full moon, overnight competition at 8 p.m. Saturday to grab the prize for the biggest catch.

With the format change to all catch-and-release, they will go out before the tournament and pre-tag and release five sharks. Those tags will have cash and prize awards attached. So, should an angler catch one of those sharks and snip that tag off and retrieve it, they can win big money in cash and prizes.

The tagging process does not harm the sharks.

They will use platform boats using traditional methods like circle hooks, line and bait where one of the two will use a tag stick with tags specifically provided by the National Marine Fishery Service. The tag will be applied to the skin right next to the dorsal fin, "sort of like a shot for a human being with the same amount of discomfort."

The Shark Brothers then explained what happens if the tagged shark doesn't get hooked and the tag remains on its skin.

If the tags are not retrieved, the benefit is that these tags will go into an international data base for the National Marine Fishery Service to propagate shark research, they said.

Shark Fest 2009

Tournament Director Jack Donlon - also the festival founder- and the Bay Walk Group at Times Square are hosting the inaugural Shark Fest, a combination boat show, street fair and shark contest. On Saturday and Sunday, Old San Carlos Boulevard will be closed from 3rd Street to the waterfront to make room for new and used boats that will be on display on land as well as the Back Bay during the festival; more than 80 vendors featuring nautical, educational and shark merchandise; live bands; a bounce house for the kids; and a mechanical shark ride for the adults.

The Bay Walk Group - including Snug Harbor Waterside Restaurant; The Matanzas Inn and Waterfront Restaurant; The Smokin Oyster Brewery; The Yucatan Beach Bar & Grill; The Ship Wreck Motel and Treasures; and Surf Pie - will run specials during the weekend at their respective businesses.

The Yucatan Beach Stand, one restaurant in the group, will be having a MAKO Vodka promotion as well as Landshark beer specials, live entertainment, giveaways and JAWS trivia on both days of the event.

"We at the Yucatan are pleased with the recent changes to event making it more eco-friendly," said Yucatan General Manager Stevie DeAndelis. "The open container law has been relaxed so festival goers can stroll through the event grounds and see all the festival has to offer and enjoy a cold beverage at the same time. As a member of the Bay Walk Group, the Yucatan looks forward to more festivals and family friendly events in this venue."

Snug Harbor Waterside Restaurant, another Bay Walk eatery, will have a festival booth on the fountain side of his restaurant for take-out fare.

"It really is exciting to be able to use this space for the first time it was designed to be used," said Snug Harbor General Manager Mickey Ferry. "Under the gazebo, there will be a 12-foot (SharkTron) screen. The anglers will bring their picture and video cards (for viewing). People can see what is going on at the tournament."

Top beaches for shark attacks...including Great White sharks!

2009-07-01T21:12:00.000-05:00

North America is home to dozens of beaches where swimmers and sharks intermix, even though the humans may never know it.

According to George Burgess, an ichthyologist at the University of Florida who maintains a database called the International Shark Attack File. When the rare attack happens it's usually a predatory mistake. "In the surf zone, where many attacks happen, sharks need to make quick decisions," he said. "Humans on surfboards-hands splashing, feet kicking - can trigger a shark to think there's trouble or a wounded animal, and it looks like an easy meal."

But according to Laleh Mohajerani, executive director of the shark conservation organization Iemanya Oceanica, sharks are not looking to interfere with humans in the water. Our shark-attack fears are irrational, she said. "You are more likely to be hit by lightning."

Indeed, there's no arguing the numbers. Of the millions of people who enter the ocean each year, almost none are touched.

But for most people, fiery emotions override even the coldest numbers. A single scary story - be it on the news or in an effects-heavy Hollywood production - will destroy the efforts of hundreds of scientists trying to communicate on research and logic.

Take a dip if you dare.

New Smyrna Beach, Fla.
Due to its thousands of annual - as well as its toothy inhabitants that hunt offshore - New Smyrna is the shark attack capital of the world. That's according to the International Shark Attack File, which cites 210 attacks in the beach's home county of Volusia, Fla. But miles of white sand and consistent surf breaks continue to draw vacationers and locals alike into New Smyrna's waters.

North Shore, Oahu, Hawaii
No. 2 on the International Shark Attack File for unprovoked attacks is Oahu, where tiger sharks, Galapagos sharks and sandbar sharks congregate in high numbers, especially near beaches on the island's north shore. This doesn't stop surfers, who flock to Velzyland Beach, the Leftovers Break and dozens of additional wave-beaten beaches where sharks search and swim.

Long Beach Island, N.J.
Source material for "Jaws," a 1974 novel by Peter Benchley - and later a movie by Steven Spielberg - came from incidents at this New Jersey beach in 1916. In an unprecedented 11 days, five major shark attacks took place along the Jersey Shore, four of which were fatal. Reports cited blood turning the water red and sharks following victims toward the beach. Today, sharks are rare, but the legend lives on in the surf and swells of these tepid Atlantic waters.

Stinson Beach, Calif.
In the shadow of Marin County's Mt. Tamalpais, Stinson Beach is a spot where great white sharks swim into the shallows. Patric Douglas, owner of Shark Diver, an ocean guiding outfit in San Francisco, said he has sighted them at Stinson - which is a neighboring stretch of sand east from Bolinas Beach (No. 3 on the list)- in less than 20 feet of water. "They're coming to feed on seals, though it's not uncommon for surfers to see them," he said.

Beaches of Brevard County, Fla.
In the past 100 years, there have been 90 reported shark confrontations on beaches in this county on Florida's east coast. Visitors head east from Orlando to the ocean to dip toes in the tepid waters at Cocoa Beach, Jetty Park and Klondike Beach, a 24-mile-long wilderness beach accessible only by foot in Canaveral National Seashore preserve.

Horry County, S.C.
South Carolina has seen more than 50 total shark attacks over the past century, according to the International Shark Attack File. Of those, 16 attacks are recorded off the beaches of Horry County, where the town of Myrtle Beach is famous as a tourist destination. The good news: The International Shark Attack File cites no fatal shark attacks in South Carolina since 1852.

Solana Beach, Calif.
A freak great-white attack in 2008 at Solana Beach in San Diego County, Calif., killed a 66-year-old swimmer. He was on a morning swim, training with a group when the attack occurred. Solana Beach, home to a population of seals, is at the periphery of the corridor where great sharks commonly roam.

By Stephen Regenold, Forbes Traveler

Maltese fishermen caught 3 Great White sharks

2009-06-14T20:26:00.000-05:00

Maltese fishermen are said to have landed three Great White sharks recently, caught on trawl lines that are several miles long and laid in the sea to fish for tuna and swordfish. One of them is said to have been caught some 10 kms off Gnejna. Tuna and swordfish fishing, using mackerel among other bait, is usually done in long fishing trips that last several days. The Great White shark is known in Maltese as pixxiplamtu, though Aquilina in his dictionary refers to the pixxiplamtu as the Porbeagle Shark.

Great White shark sighted in action, near Perth

2009-05-31T15:14:00.000-05:00

A great white shark has been sighted circling a whale carcass near a popular Perth beach.

Floating about six nautical miles west of Scarborough Beach, the carcass is believed to have attracted the shark, which was spotted on Sunday.

WA Department of Fisheries spokesman Tony Cappelluti said he was concerned the dead whale would float closer to the shoreline.

"While the carcass is a long way off any Perth beaches, it is important that boat users or divers are aware of the potential increased shark activity near the carcass," Mr Cappelluti said.

"There has also been another shark sighting this morning at Strickland Bay on Rottnest Island, where warning signs were erected several days ago after sightings made during the week.

Bill Donovan, the Basketball coach will swim with Great White sharks

2009-05-31T14:51:00.000-05:00

No one has ever questioned if Florida basketball coach Billy Donovan can swim with the sharks in the brutal world of college hoops.

Now he's going to take a dip with the real thing.

Donovan's wife, Christine, organized a trip to South Africa where only a cage will separate the UF coach from great white sharks for several days during feedings.

"My youngest boy (Bryan, 12) loves sharks and we had talked a bunch about going to South Africa and getting in the cage with white sharks," Donovan said while attending the Southeastern Conference's spring meetings. "My wife said, 'I'm tired of all the talk. All you guys talk, but you don't do anything.' And she got on my calendar and she said, 'You're free for these days.' And she booked the whole trip."

Donovan, along with Bryan, Donovan's mother and a friend from Lexington, Ky., and his daughter, are taking the trip.

"We're leaving (today), it's an 18-hour flight," Donovan said. "We'll be in Cape Town for four days, and then we're going to Kruger National Park for four days."

Donovan and his son will go under water in cages, for protection from the sharks.

"I've never, ever scuba-dived," he said. "I think they give you a snorkel mask and the cage is like three-quarters of the way submerged. And then, four straight days we're going to watch them breach, jump out of the water. I got a great e-mail from the lady doing the trip and she said there's a lot of shark activity right now. I'm excited about it, I really am."

He said Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley wanted some assurances.

"Jeremy Foley wanted to know that there would be no hands or limbs or anything else out of the cage while this is going on," Donovan said with a sheepish grin. "Yeah, that's what he told me. He said he needs some type of insurance policy there will not be any limbs outside the cage."

While Donovan was in Sandestin, however, Christine was dealing with another headache. Donovan found out Monday his passport had expired and she was scheduled to drive to Miami on Wednesday to pick up a replacement.

"My name is not real big at home right now," Billy Donovan confessed of the passport blunder.

Why take the trip now?

"The guy from Lexington that we're going with, his wife passed away four months ago with brain cancer," Donovan said. "She was my wife's best friend. My wife was like, you know what? Money, time, nothing can take the place of you and your son doing this experience-wise. And I'm not a great organizer. . . . She did the whole thing. (Bryan is) really, really excited and it's going to be a great time. He's really pumped up about this."

Contact Jones at 242-3682 or djones@floridatoday.com

Whale scavenged by Great White sharks

2009-05-31T14:33:00.000-05:00

Kina Scollay/TREVOR ROBB

BIG BLUE: The 27-metre long, 150-tonne blue whale carcass found about 7 kilometres south of the Whanganui Inlet, at the southern end of Farewell Spit, on Tuesday.

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A massive blue whale that washed up on a remote West Coast beach had several shark bites, but experts said it was unlikely the sharks killed it.

Paua fishermen found the 27-metre long, 150-tonne carcass about 7 kilometres south of the Whanganui Inlet, at the southern end of Farewell Spit, on Tuesday.

Nelson paua fisherman Philip Walker said most of the tail had been chewed off and there were other bites on the whale's body.

He said Department of Conservation (DOC) staff had confirmed the bites were made by great white sharks. "It's the biggest one I have seen," Walker said."It was huge."

Another fisherman at the scene, Kina Scollay, was attacked by a great white shark, which took a bite out of his leg, off the Chatham Islands in 1995.

Whale expert Anton van Helden, collection manager of marine mammals at Te Papa in Wellington, said it was likely the bites were made after the whale died. A tissue sample would be taken for Auckland University's whale database.

Two unexpected Great White sharks participate to scientific study!

2009-05-25T19:51:00.000-05:00

Two hungry sharks feeding on the rotting carcass of a whale off the Perth coast yesterday unwittingly joined Australia’s biggest research project into the predators’ behaviour.

WA Department of Fisheries spokesman Tony Cappelluti said a research vessel was heading north yesterday morning when its crew spotted a 3.5m great white shark feeding on the carcass about six nautical miles west of Scarborough.

Shark expert Dr Rory Macaulay went to investigate and a second, 4.5m-long shark was soon spotted. The scientists seized the opportunity to tag the sharks for a continuing, Australia-wide research project into when, where, how often and for how long great white sharks visit metropolitan beaches.

Leaning into the water only a metre or so away from the feeding beasts, they shot a dart-tipped spear into the back of the sharks near their dorsal fins.

This embedded tags that will monitor their movements for up to 10 years and set off alarms when they near the coastline.

“There’s hardly any reaction from the sharks — it’s almost like hitting them with a fly-swat,” Mr Cappelluti said.

He said with the prevailing weather conditions, the sharks were unlikely to present much of a risk to beachgoers.

“Those sharks will probably clean it up over the next few days,” Mr Cappelluti said.

“We’ll probably not see that whale carcass come ashore and it therefore won’t attract any sharks to the coast.” A third shark was spotted by a surfer at Rottnest yesterday morning.

New protective laws for the Great White shark

2009-04-01T22:54:00.001-05:00

Great white sharks, seagrass in Tomales Bay and other parts of the aquatic environment off Marin's coast will enjoy more protection under new federal rules that took effect this month.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which oversees federal marine sanctuaries, developed the regulatory changes after years of study, planning and public comment.

As part of the changes, great white sharks are now protected from people who want to get a closer look at them. There is now a prohibition against getting closer than 50 meters - or 164 feet - of a white shark within 2 nautical miles of the Farallon Islands. The rule also bans the practice of using decoys or chum to lure sharks.

"We have had cases where people in vessels come charging up to the sharks, scaring them away from food they have just caught," said Mary Jane Schramm, spokeswoman for the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. "These activities threaten the health of the species."

Tomales Bay's seagrass, which helps species such as herring, will get special protection. Seven buoys will be placed in the bay to protect eelgrass and other seagrasses so boaters do not drop anchor or moor over the areas, which can damage the grasses or prevent them from getting sun.

The grasses help trap sediment, reduce nutrients and pollutants in the water and improve water quality. Seagrass also provides important habitat for migratory birds, such as shorebirds.

Marin has two parks just a short boat ride away: the Gulf of the Farallones is a 1,255-square-mile area made up of tidal flats, rocky intertidal areas, wetlands, subtidal reefs and coastal beaches. The sanctuary is home to thousands of seals and sea lions, hosts great white sharks and the largest concentration of breeding seabirds in the continental United States.

The Cordell Bank Sanctuary sits beyond the Gulf of the Farallones, 52 miles northwest of Marin's coast, at the edge of the continental shelf. It encompasses 526 square miles. Endangered humpback whales, porpoises, albatross and marine species flourish in the marine environment. Part of the Monterey Bay Sanctuary also bumps up against coastal Southern Marin.

Other new rules for sanctuaries prohibit:

- Harmful discharges from cruise ships and other large vessels.

- Discharges beyond the boundaries of the sanctuaries that enter and damage the sanctuaries' resources.

- Abandoning vessels.

- Introducing non-native species.

- Disturbing or killing sensitive wildlife like marine mammals, seabirds and sea turtles.

"They have been working on the regulations for some time and put a lot of effort into it," said Terri Watson of San Rafael, executive director for the Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association. "I'm confident they heard all the issues from all sides."

Sanctuary officials will work with the U.S. Coast Guard as well as researchers to help enforce the new rules. Violations are subject to citations and fines.

"There are many things affecting the sanctuaries: tourism, proposals for wave energy, invasive species, oil spills, they need to be better protected," Schramm said.

Contact Mark Prado via e-mail at mprado@marinij.com

Face to face with a Great White shark!

2009-04-01T21:47:00.000-05:00

THIS is the moment extreme sports adventurer Paul Leneghan, of Laxey, came face-to-face with a great white shark off the coast of South Africa.

Paul, who was in an underwater cage in an area known as Shark Alley Gansbaai, near Cape Town, during a trip to South Africa, was travelling with his 15-year-old son, who, not surprisingly, chose to stay on dry land during this adventure.

Paul said: 'They tie tuna heads on to lines and bait the sharks to breach and snap at them just in front of you.

'But when it was our turn the tuna head bait was too close to the cage and when the great white closed his jaw on to what he thought was the tuna head he actually snapped shut on the cage!'

Paul added: 'It shook the whole cage with five of us in it – no problem. I was scared to bloody death, that was not in the script!'

In future, Paul hopes to swim with bull sharks.

Discovery of the fossil of the ancestry of a Great White shark

2009-04-01T20:48:00.002-05:00

This four-million-year-old fossil has taken some of the bite out of the great white shark's supposedly menacing ancestry, a new study finds.

The specimen—which includes part of the spinal column, the head, jaws lined with 222 teeth—is the most complete fossil known of an ancient great white shark.

Scientists had long assumed that great whites—which can reach lengths of 20 feet (6.1 meters)—were close kin of the prehistoric "megatooth" sharks, frightening creatures that grew up to 50 feet (15.2 meters) long and had jaws more than 9 feet (2.7 meters) wide.

But a new look at the fossil suggests that great whites are more closely related to the less fearsome and smaller mako shark, which belonged to a genus that still exists today.

If true, megatooths and great white sharks may have hit jumbo size independently, said study lead author Dana Ehret, a graduate student at the Florida Museum of Natural History.

Competition between great whites and megatooths may have contributed to both species' growth, said Ehret, whose study appears this month in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.

The well-preserved specimen, found in 1988 in southwestern Peru, was donated to the Florida museum in 2008.

"It's really outstanding—not like anything we've seen in the fossil record in the past," Ehret said.

Can E-tagging sharks could help prevent shark attacks?

2009-03-07T18:30:00.001-06:00

The NSW government is turning to a new high-tech approach to shark tracking in the wake of three recent attacks off Sydney beaches.

The government's initiatives, to be released for public comment by the end of the month, include a DNA library, GPS monitoring of nets and an electronic tagging program.

It comes after the third shark attack in Sydney in three weeks, in which 15-year-old Andrew Lindop was mauled while surfing off Avalon Beach on Sunday by what was believed to be a two metre-long great white.

The teenager remains in a satisfactory condition in a Sydney hospital, after suffering deep cuts to left thigh that required four hours of surgery.

Andrew's sister on Monday said he was making jokes, and was being "really, really brave".

The NSW opposition has criticised the government for not doing enough to prevent shark attacks.

"We have a situation that shark nets are deteriorating, the minister has not renewed the quota on catching sharks, and the time of the Westpac (helicopter) shark patrol has been cut," opposition industry spokesman Duncan Gay said on Monday.

But Primary Industries Minister Ian Macdonald said the government will adopt a range of new scientifically-based measures as part of its review of the NSW Shark Meshing (Bather Protection) Program.

It is the first public review of the program since 1972.

"The recent series of shark attacks in the Sydney area has caused community concern and it should be known the government is taking action," Mr Macdonald said in a statement.

He said the measures would include a DNA library, a new tagging program and research on population trend, patterns and movements, to help identify high risk periods and hot spots.

Mr Macdonald said he would be meeting with lifesaver groups later in the week to discuss practical options that could be implemented.

He rejected calls for aerial patrols over beaches, saying a 2006 summit found fixed wing aircraft could not cover enough area to be effective.

"This is for a number of reasons - identification of species (even telling whether things are sharks or just a big fish) is difficult from a plane," he said.

"In bad light - when sharks are particularly active - and at dawn and dusk (when all three recent attacks in the Sydney area occurred), visibility is poor from a plane."

The attack off Avalon Beach was the third shark attack in as many weeks.

Navy clearance diver Paul de Gelder lost a hand and a leg and was lucky to survive after being mauled by a 2.7-metre bull shark in Sydney Harbour on February 11.

Just a day later, 33-year-old surfer Glenn Orgias was attacked at Bondi Beach by a 2.5-metre great white that shook him and nearly severed his left hand.

Teenager victim of a shark attack is doing well, after surgery

2009-03-01T21:46:00.001-06:00

A TEENAGE surfer mauled by a shark off Sydney's northern beaches is recovering well in hospital after four hours of surgery on his leg.

Andrew Lindop, 15, was attacked by a shark, believed to be about 2m long, during an early morning surf with his father off North Avalon beach yesterday.

The 6.45am attack prompted renewed warnings about swimming and surfing at dawn or dusk, which are prime feeding times for sharks.

Local surfers said yesterday's conditions had made an attack more likely. Warm waters and coastal rains had attracted large numbers of baitfish to the area, bringing predators with them, The Australian reported.

Marine experts are working to identify the species of shark responsible for the latest attack. Sydney's Daily Telegraph reported it is believed to be a great white.

Andrew's father Charles had just caught a wave when he heard Andrew scream as the shark bit deeply into his left thigh, its teeth penetrating to the bone.

He turned back to see Andrew thrashing about in the water and managed to get him to shore, where local off-duty surf club members helped care for him until paramedics arrived.

Andrew was rushed to Royal North Shore Hospital (RNSH) by helicopter, where he spent four hours on the operating table. It is the third attack in Sydney in as many weeks.

A hospital spokesman said Andrew was in a general ward and recovering well from surgery. "Doctors are very happy with the results," he said. "He's resting comfortably in a satisfactory condition."

Club member Volker Klemm said the lifesavers grabbed first aid gear when they saw what was happening and raced across the beach in a buggy. "All the time we were talking to Andrew, how he was feeling.

"He was making even some funny jokes," he said on ABC television.

Surf lifesaver Mike Stanley-Jones said Andrew's father had already wrapped his son's legrope around the wound to stop the bleeding when the lifesavers arrived to help.

He said Andrew's mother was a lifesaving trainer and he and his dad were regulars at the beach. "There was no bleeding but the injuries were large," he told Channel Seven this morning.

Mr Stanley-Jones said he had spoken to the family in the wake of the attack, which forced the closure of several beaches. "They are all in good spirits," he said.

In earlier attacks, Navy clearance diver Paul de Gelder lost a hand and a leg and was lucky to survive after being mauled by a 2.7m bull shark off Garden Island in Sydney Harbour on February 11.

Just a day later, 33-year-old surfer Glenn Orgias was attacked by a 2.5m great white that shook him and nearly severed his left hand.

Teenager victim of a shark attack

2009-03-01T21:43:00.000-06:00

An Australian surfer has been attacked by a shark at a northern Sydney beach - the third such attack in as many weeks.

The teenager was said to be in a stable condition after suffering severe lacerations to his leg when surfing with his father at Avalon.

Experts believe cleaner waters around Sydney, plus a rise in fish stocks due to a ban on commercial fishing, have attracted more sharks to the area.

In one recent case, a diver lost limbs in a shark attack.

The 15-year-old boy suffered severe cuts, particularly to the upper thigh, and was bleeding heavily when he was brought to shore.

He was airlifted to hospital, where his condition has been described as stable.

Nobody has been killed in the attacks, but a naval diver lost an arm and a leg after being attacked in the city's harbour, close to the Opera House.

And a surfer almost lost a hand when he was savaged at Bondi.

It was the first attack at Australia's iconic beach in 80 years.

People have been warned not to swim alone at dawn or dusk, but researchers have also pointed out that more people die from bee stings and lightning strikes than shark attacks.

Electronic shark deterrent may become compulsory for police divers

2009-02-28T20:05:00.000-06:00

POLICE divers may be ordered to always use the world's only electronic shark deterrent - credited with forcing a great white to release a scuba diver it was eating.

The state's police divers have been equipped with Shark Shields - which emit an electric impulse - for more than a year but it is not compulsory to use them.

"Assessments are made before each dive, taking into account the water and weather and location," a police spokesman said. "However NSW police have now instigated a policy review of the use of the shield. compulsory use may be one of the issues under revue."

The spokesman said one issue the divers had with the shield - a small black box with an antennae attached - is that in confined spaces underwater, such as searching a submerged vehicle, it could "zap the divers themselves."

Shark phobia has seen a massive jump in demand for the Australian-made Shark Shield's unique protection against the marine predators, its makers said yesterday.

SeaChange Technology co-founder Rod Hartley said his company had fielded "amazing numbers" of requests for information from dive and surf shops across Australia, with a 200 per cent increase in inquiries in the past two months.

He said the Shark Shield - invented in South Africa - works by emitting exceptionally strong electrical impulses that are intensely painful to sharks.

Great White sharks chased by life savers

2009-02-28T19:57:00.001-06:00

SURF life savers were forced to chase sharks – including two great whites – out to sea after they came within about 100m of surfers at Waitpinga Beach and Parsons, near Victor Harbor, yesterday.

In the first sighting, surf lifesavers in the Westpac helicopter cleared the water and herded two 2m-2.5m bronze whalers out to deeper water off Parsons beach at 4.50pm.

They then spotted two 3.5m-4m sharks, believed to be great whites, at neighbouring Waitpinga, with one just 40m from shore.

Surf Life Saving SA state operations manager Shane Daw said when the helicopter returned at around 5.45pm after refuelling, there were again forced to herd six sharks off Waitpinga.

Fisherman were cleared from the water as the two hammerheads and four bronze whalers were scared out to sea.

Mr Saw said during the first sighting sharks, which were chasing schools of fish, came as close as 100-150m to surfers.

"One of the great whites on the Waitpinga side was more stubborn . . . and didn't move out that far," he said.

"It kept coming back in close and hanging around.

"They put the siren and landed on the beach to alert the public in that case. The water was cleared, there were a number of surfers in the area.

"Once they knew the area was safe they flew to Middleton and Goolwa and refuelled and about 5.45pm they came past again and there were six sharks in the area. All the surfers and swimmers had gone by then but there were a couple of fishermen in the water."

The close call for surfers follows more than 60 shark sightings from North Haven to Normanville this summer.

Mr Daw said sightings usually dropped off around mid-late January as large schools of fish stop moving through our beaches.

Shark spotter: Great White sharks are not monsters!

2009-02-28T19:09:00.000-06:00

Shark spotter Patrick Davids is glad to see the back of the busloads of visitors who flocked to his powder-white beach over the New Year, distracting him with surfing spills, near drownings and illicit booze.

In contrast to the human hordes, the great white sharks under his watch behaved impeccably, says Davids. He regards the mighty predators as familiar friends with names like Speedy, Nosy, Rosy and Charlize.

"These sharks aren't monsters like most people think," declares Davids, standing near the small blue and red beach hut that serves as command center for his shark-spotting team.

On a mountain drive above Muizenberg, another spotter with vision-sharpening polarized glasses and binoculars remains in constant contact with Davids. They use a green flag to give the all-clear and a white flag with black shark and a siren to sound the alert to clear the waters.

The project started five years ago and now employs around 15 people from the poorest backgrounds with funding from the city and conservation groups. Sports shops have donated equipment.

Surfers like student Anthony Selley depend on the system. Three years ago he watched as a fin circled his friend on an unmonitored beach and then swam away. It temporarily put him off surfing, but he says he trusts the spotters.

In the past five years, the spotters spread at several key beaches around Cape Town have recorded more than 470 sightings of great whites, the only variety of shark to swim in the chilly local sea. The system isn't foolproof - the water is often too murky or choppy to see properly - but there hasn't been a single fatal shark attack since it started.

Great White shark attacked surfer!

2009-02-28T18:46:00.002-06:00

This occurred in Pillar Point Harbor, about 20 miles from my house. From my HOUSE! Where my wife sleeps; where my children come to play with their toys ...

The ocean is teeming with killer sharks, apparently. Luckily I never venture outside of the basement.

Veteran surfer Tim West, 25, and a friend were paddling about an eighth a mile off shore about 5 p.m. Wednesday when a shark came up underneath his board and went on the attack. "This is where it hit, majorly with the tooth still in it," West said while pointing to his damaged board. "It hit pretty hard. Then there are pressure dings in the top from the top jaw."

The signs should read 'Beaches closed, by order of Amity PD.' And let Polly do the printing.

Assistant San Mateo County Harbor Master Matt MacDonell said the details of the attack make him believe West had a run-in with a great white shark. "So what happened to him is the shark came up, bite the board, knocked him off the board," he said. "It took the board as if it was its dinner…It trashed with the board and then because it didn't taste any blood — it spit the board out."

Here's a closer look at the tooth embedded in West's board. Comical West quote: "I'm thinking eBay. Dude, I might do that. At first I wanted to just fix it and ride it again, but if I could sell for it two grand, I could get like four new boards."

Pillar Point is home to the Mavericks Surf Competition, which should be very interesting this year indeed.

Great White sharks adopt Gulf of Mexico as winter getaway!

2009-02-28T17:23:00.000-06:00

At first, Roger Young thought he was the victim of a practical joke. "A great white shark in the Gulf of Mexico? No way," the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission captain recalled. Over the years, Young has been sent on his share of wild goose chases. "But if we get a tip, we have to check it out, no matter how improbable it may be," he said. The anonymous call, placed two years ago this month, reported that a white shark, like the villain from the movie Jaws, had been caught on a grouper longline boat and brought into Madeira Beach.

"The species has been protected since 2004," Young said. "If you catch one, you have to let it go."

If you don't, it can be trouble.

The commercial shark season reopened at midnight this morning in the Gulf of Mexico. But white sharks are one of 20 species that must be released.

Last month, authorities concluded a two-year investigation sparked by that tip that resulted in two cases totaling more than $40,000 in civil fines.

The tipster said the shark had been killed and its jaws removed for sale on the black market.

"White shark jaws are quite valuable," said Kelly Moran Kalamas, a special agent with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Office of Law Enforcement. "I have seen estimates of anywhere from $7,800 to $22,000 for a single set of jaws, and that was before the sale became illegal."

The caller directed Young, Kalamas and their colleagues to a storage facility in Seminole, where they discovered the head of a 10- to 12-foot-long white shark sitting on ice in a large cooler.

"We couldn't believe our eyes," Young said. "It was a first for me."

Demon of the deep

Of all the creatures in the sea, none strikes fear in the hearts of humans like Carcharodon carcharias. With its black eyes and distinctive white belly, this open-ocean predator is usually associated with the cool waters of New England (the setting for Jaws), California, South Africa and Australia, not the Gulf of Mexico.

But come January, when the temperature in the gulf plummets to 60 degrees or lower, the large sharks move into area waters, usually 20 miles or more offshore.

"These fish migrate from northern waters during the winter months," said Bob Hueter, a shark expert with Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota. "When they are young, white sharks feed primarily on fish. But as they age, their teeth change so they are better equipped to eat marine mammals."

Jose Castro, a shark specialist with NOAA's Fisheries Service, said white sharks probably once fed on Caribbean monk seals, which became extinct in 1948.

"People forget that we once had seals here," Castro said. "White sharks probably fed on these marine mammals. So historically speaking, white sharks have always been here."

Though the shark head seized in the joint federal-state investigation belonged to a juvenile shark, Hueter said most gulf sharks tend to be on the large side.

Big ones in gulf

A young, 10-foot white shark could kill a human, and the species can grow to 18 or 19 feet.

"We don't have any specimens larger than that," Castro said. "There have been reports of sharks larger than that, but we just don't have any proof."

Over the years, the bay area has had a few monsters brought into its ports, including a 151/2-foot white shark estimated at 2,200 pounds caught 23 miles west of Indian Rocks Beach on Jan. 23, 1994, Hueter said.

"When we do get great whites, they are usually pretty big," he said.

Bob Spaeth, a Madeira Beach seafood dealer who has worked with the commercial longline industry for 20-plus years, said he has had a few encounters .

"They'll come up and eat a big grouper in one bite," Spaeth said. "We hooked one that must have been 18 feet long, 80 miles offshore. We got it up alongside, and it scared me."

Spaeth said the shark lingered for a minute, then swam off, breaking 900-pound-test line as if it were kite string.

"I think there are a lot more of them out there than people think," Spaeth said. "You just don't hear about them."

Charges filed

State and federal authorities spent months working the white shark case.

"It was very complicated," FWC Officer Ed Chambers said. "This case led us to another set of white shark jaws. We spent months putting all this together."

And once the civil charges were filed, it took another year for the cases to work through the slow-moving federal administrative process.

In December 2008, nearly two years after the seizure, authorities released details of the operation, which resulted in total fines of $45,500. Three individuals and two corporations were charged with violating the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.

According to federal documents, Deborah Thorsteinsson, 56, of Seminole, who had the original shark jaws, was fined $5,000. Nicholas Carter, 25, of Largo, the captain of the Blackjack IV, the vessel that caught the shark, was fined $20,000. The boat's owner, Cargold Fishery Inc. of Valrico, received a $4,000 fine.

In the second white shark case, Jeffrey Stark, 43, of Madeira Beach, captain of the Provider, was fined $12,500. The corporation that owned the boat, Provider Inc., received a $4,000 fine.

"Like any top predator, such as a tiger or mountain lion, white sharks have never been abundant," Castro said. "But they are out there and probably more common than people realize."

FAST FACTs

At a glance

White shark, Carcharodon carcharias: Also known as the great white shark, white pointer, white death and man-eater.

Distribution: Found worldwide, particularly in the cool waters off the coasts of New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, New England and California, and during the winter months, in the Gulf of Mexico.

Size: This open-ocean predator reaches sexual maturity at 11 to 14 feet but can reach lengths of 18 to 19 feet. Larger specimens have been reported, but documentation is limited.

Diet: Fish, squid, other sharks, sea turtles, seals, sea lions and dead whales.

Status: Protected since 2004 by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.

Record (rod and reel): 2,664 pounds, April 21, 1959, by Alfred Dean in Ceduna, Australia.

Source: International Game Fish Association

White shark Q&A

How common are white sharks in the Gulf of Mexico?

Numbers aren't known because no formal census has been conducted. But from December to February annually, commercial bottom longline boats working the west coast of Florida typically catch several white sharks while fishing for grouper.

How come the area hasn't had reported attacks on humans?

In the Gulf of Mexico, white sharks are typically found in deep water, from 20 to 100 miles offshore. Unlike California, Australia and South Africa, which have marine mammals — i.e., seals and sea lions — living along their coasts, the gulf doesn't have a food source to bring white sharks close to shore.

The great white in the movie Jaws looked huge. How big do these sharks really get?

Mature white sharks average about 14 feet in length, though they can grow to 18 or 19 feet. A 21-foot white shark was reportedly caught off the coast of Cuba in 1948, but marine biologists doubt the veracity of that claim. Reports of white sharks 20 feet and longer can be found in historic record, but those reports have not been substantiated.

Terry Tomalin, Times Outdoors Editor

Shark attacks in Australia, one ended in tragedy!

2009-02-28T17:20:00.000-06:00

There have been several shark attacks in Australia this summer.

An Australian man fought off a shark as he snorkelled near Sydney, freeing his leg from its jaws with a punch. Steven Foggarty, 24, was bitten on his right leg by the bull shark as he snorkelled in the mouth of Lake Illawarra, suffering 40 puncture wounds to his calf.

A surfer punched a five-metre shark in the head as he rescued his 13-year-old cousin who had been bitten on the leg and dragged beneath the water off Tasmania. Syb Mundy, 20, put the girl onto his surfboard with him and paddled into shore.

In another near-tragedy a surfer on Australia's northeast coast survived a shark bite and paddled himself to shore with a 40-centimetre gash in his left thigh. Jono Beard, 31, was surfing with friends when he was bitten. He paddled for 80 metres to the shore, all the while shadowed by the shark.

A 51-year-old Australian man was killed by a Great White Shark on December 27 while he was snorkelling off a beach south of Perth in Western Australia.

Huge shark is back in Taranaki waters!

2009-02-28T16:43:00.000-06:00

It's back - a six metre great white shark dubbed the Taranaki Terror has once again returned to prowl the region's coastline.

A rash of reports have been received from boaties and yachties in recent days of sightings of the beast.

It's been spotted everywhere along the coast from the Sugar Loaf Islands to Wai-iti Beach.

Department of Conservation programme manager Bryan Williams confirmed he's been told of the arrival of the shark, and he says it'll be the one dubbed the Taranaki Terror.

The shark first hit the headlines in 2004 when it lunged at a small runabout off Waitara, leaving teethmarks in its hull. Since then, it has a been a regular summer visitor.

"We prefer to call her Mrs White, because a couple of summers ago we identified her as a female. Great whites are real creatures of habit, and she comes here every summer to feed on the seals."

New Plymouth kayaker Stephen Casey didn't care whether the big shark was female or male when he encountered it late last week he just wanted to get out of the water.

"I was heading out of Port Taranaki to go fishing, when it passed under me," he said.

"I couldn't get a real idea of its length all I know was this huge dark shape swam under my kayak when I was about halfway between the main breakwater and Moturoa Island.

"I turned round and headed straight back to the breakwater. I figured that I needed to be close to land."

Members of the New Plymouth Yacht Club reckon they might have seen it too.

Competitors in the recent national laser championships got the jitters when a very big fin was spotted on the edge of their course off the port.

Organising committee member Denny Holdt said the shark was spotted at the bottom mark of the course laid out for competitors.

"It was at least as big as my boat, and it had a big fin sticking out of the water," said Mr Holdt, who was in a patrol boat.

"The shark was exactly where the competitors were jibing to come around.

"So we hung around there just in case someone ended up in the water and we didn't tell anybody about the shark until after the racing."

Club commodore Mark Hatch said another big fin was seen just off the port entrance on Saturday.

"We're not sure if it was the actual shark, but we've certainly seen some big fins," he said.

And now that the Taranaki Terror is back in town, everyone seems united in a single plea leave it alone.

Mr Williams said great white sharks have been fully protected since 2007.

This means it is illegal to target them within 200 nautical miles of New Zealand's shores or to fish for them in New Zealand-flagged boats on the high seas.

Punishments can reach a $250,000 fine or six months in jail.

Great White sharks encounters in California

2009-02-28T15:53:00.000-06:00

More and more, surfers are keeping an eye out for dorsal fins in the water. More and more, surfers are reporting sharks.

Ralph Collier's Web site, www.sharkresearchcommittee.com, reports stepped-up sightings near San Clemente since Richard Thornton and Dave Schulte's reports of possible great whites generated publicity in January.

The latest report on the Web site was Feb. 1 from Marty Colombatto, who was stand-up paddling south of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station: "Over a one-month period … I have had three encounters at the same location. First encounter, it swam slowly under our boards about two to three feet below the surface. Second encounter, we saw it swim in front of us and darted away when we got close. Third encounter, it was sitting motionless about two feet below the surface."

A Jan. 30 report from Keith Lee, who was stand-up paddling a mile south of the nuclear plant, said: "The shark did a drive-by to check me out. It never surfaced. It was 8 feet long, dark gray or brown in color. After a moment it submerged and was gone."

On Jan. 25, Manuel Quinitana reported from Cottons Point in San Clemente: "It took me about five seconds to realize that it was very close to me. I began to second-guess myself and thought it might be a dolphin. After watching it for several moments slowly swim in a straight line, I saw the size, color and realized that it was a large shark very near to me.

"I headed for the shore and I tried to take small strokes. I finally made it. The head and tail never surfaced, but a large light-gray dorsal fin with a triangular shape did pop up in front of me. It was just cruising. It had to be over 10 feet in length."

On Jan. 19, Jason Jacobs reported from San Onofre: "At about 2 p.m., while stand-up paddling at Dog Patch Beach, San Onofre, Drew Fischer encountered a 7-foot great white shark.

"The shark breached four feet out of the water only 30 feet away from him. It came out of the water and did a roll onto its side. I had just gotten out of the water.

"It is possible the shark may have been interested in a paddler who had his dog way out past the lineup. The dog was swimming around and thrashing in the water. Drew immediately caught a small wave in and exited the water. The other witness said he was scared to death and frantically paddled straight to the beach."

Contact the writer: fswegles@ocregister.com or 949-492-5127

Beach reopens following sightings of sharks, including a Great White shark!

2009-01-31T16:51:00.000-06:00

Lifeguards closed Thirroul Beach after wakeboarders spotted three sharks yesterday.

The sharks, estimated at 1.2m long, were spotted 300m offshore about 1pm.

After closing the beach, lifeguards conducted a grid search of the water using a jet ski from Stanwell Park and reopened the beach about 2pm.

Wollongong City Council spokesman Jason Foye said swimmers were kept aware of the threat and warning signs were put in place.

He said the jet skis were used not only to search the area but also to ward off any unwanted visitors.

"We use the jet ski as a control measure. The vibrations under the water do tend to send (sharks) away from the area," he said.

He said lifeguards continually monitored the beach from elevated positions "so they can maintain surveillance not only in the designated swimming area but up and down the beach".

It was the second shark sighting at Thirroul Beach this year.

Surfers said they saw a great white between 2.5m and 3.5m long on January 14.

"It sort of jumped up out of the water right next to one of the other guys, had a look around and then dived down and swam off," surfer Keith Fennell said at the time.

The latest incident is one of a string of shark sightings on Illawarra beaches this summer.

Sharks have been seen at Thirroul, Corrimal, Windang, Warilla, North Wollongong and Blacks beaches.

Twenty-four-year-old Steven Fogarty also suffered 40 puncture wounds to his right calf and cuts to his fist when he was attacked by a shark in Lake Illawarra on January 12.

Traveller will tell all about trip and experiences, even with Great White sharks

2009-01-31T16:48:00.000-06:00

FORMER Herald writer and sub-editor Caroline Merry has embarked on the adventure of a lifetime, spending seven months travelling the world in search of sun, sea and unforgettable scenery.

Caroline, 24, has quit her job in journalism, selling her beloved VW Beetle to raise funds for the trip which will last a total of 283 days and include countless countries, cultures and sights ranging from Table Mountain to Ayer's Rock, Victoria Falls to the 'killing fields' of Cambodia.

Her adventure begins in Johannesburg – the starting-point of a camping safari that will see Caroline cross Zambia, Botswana and Namibia before finishing in cosmopolitan Cape Town.

The 25-day trip includes some nights spent sleeping under the stars, spying on Africa's predators on night drives and even braving a great white shark cage.

Next Caroline will journey to Singapore where she'll set off for North Thailand, stopping in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam to trek through jungles, ride elephants and take in the stunning scenery of these parts before heading to Bali to work on her tan and try out the surf.

The next stop on Caroline's whistle-stop tour of the world will be Australia. Here she hopes to dive the Great Barrier Reef, stand in the shade of Ayer's Rock and get the perfect postcard picture at Sydney Opera House.

The final stop will be New Zealand, where sand will be replaced by snow and Caroline can hit the slopes for a spot of snowboarding before returning home.

You can read Caroline's latest blog online now by clicking here.

Huge Great White shark sighted near popular beach

2009-01-24T14:13:00.000-06:00

Police are urging swimmers to be on alert after a 16 ft great white shark was spotted by local fisherman in Edrom Bay, south of Eden in Australia yesterday.

Police are asking swimmers to watch their backs as sharks “do get a little bit confused may snap an odd leg.”

Tagging is imminent for Great White sharks in the Far North

2009-01-24T13:50:00.001-06:00

Seeing a great white shark next to the boat is close enough for most people.

So imagine the nerves needed to haul one of the ocean’s most feared predators onto the boat to tag it.

For Conservation Department marine scientist Clinton Duffy, it’s all in a day’s work.

Clinton has spent the last three years hunting New Zealand’s coastal waters for great whites as part of a joint project between DOC, National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, German website Shark Tracker and The German Society for Nature Conservation – NABU.

Next month, Clinton will hunt for great white sharks in the Far North in a bid to learn more about this species which is declining worldwide thanks to trophy hunters, shark control programmes, accidental capture in gill nets and vulnerability to over-fishing.

Tagging great whites with satellite tags will allow Clinton to capture data on light levels, temperatures and depths experienced by sharks.

His research has already debunked the image of great whites as cold water, coastal sharks.

Previously tagged sharks have been found as far away as Tonga, New Caledonia and the Great Barrier Reef and recorded diving to depths of 1000 metres.

Scientists have also discovered that great white sharks make trans-oceanic migrations to tropical waters.

They don’t know for certain why great whites take winter holidays in the tropics.

However, they may be searching for humpback whale calves, because a lot of tags have surfaced in or near calving sites.

Mr Clinton will talk about his work at the Houhora Big Fish and Sports Club on Friday at 7pm.

The evening promises to add a different perspective on the ‘Jaws creature of terror’ image that still plagues this vulnerable fish.

Surfing school owner neglects to tell students about the shark!

2009-01-17T21:39:00.002-06:00

A SURF school owner has defended his failure to warn his class that a large shark was swimming close to teenagers on a popular NSW beach.

Should the students have been told of the shark?

Silvio Rodriguez was photographing other surfers near the surf school students about midday when he noticed a large shadow. "At first I thought it was weed, but I kept an eye on it then out of the corner of my eye I saw the massive fin come up," Mr Rodriguez, 31, said.

"It was only maybe 30m away from the nearest learner surfer." Former professional surfer Gary Hughes, who runs Gary Hughes Surface School of Surf and Surf Consultancy, said he was aware of the shark and had been monitoring it.

"I did not tell the students because they just would have worried," Mr Hughes, 50, said.
"It was just having a cruise, it wasn't showing attack behaviour."

What can you do if a shark attacks you?

2009-01-17T21:34:00.001-06:00

• If you are in the water, remain calm. You cannot outswim a shark and sharks can sense fear.

• Keep your eye on the shark at all times. Sharks may retreat temporarily and then try to sneak up on you.

• If you can't get out of the water right away, try to reduce the shark's possible angles of attack.

• Fight. Playing dead doesn't work. A hard blow to the shark's gills, eyes, or, as a last resort, to the tip of its nose will cause the shark to retreat. If a shark continues to attack, or if it has you in its mouth, hit these areas repeatedly with hard jabs, and claw at the eyes and gills.

• If you are near shore, swim quickly, but smoothly. Thrashing will attract the shark's attention.

• Sharks have difficulty biting things that are vertical (their nose gets in the way) so avoid leaving your hands and feet loose or going horizontal to swim away from the shark.

• Sharks can't breathe out of water, so, if possible, hold the bitten part of your body out of the water, and get their gills into the air and they will let go of you.

• Sharks tend to thrash prey around to tear chunks out of it, so you should latch on to the shark.

• Repress the urge to scream. Screaming will not deter the shark much and may provoke it further.

Teenager fought 5 meters Great White shark

2009-01-17T21:20:00.002-06:00

Syb Mundy, who saved his teenage cousin Hannah Mighall from the jaws of a shark, has shrugged off the tag of "hero".Mr Mundy, 33, said Hannah, 13, was the one who deserved accolades for her bravery.

Mr Mundy was surfing with Hannah at Binalong Bay, near St Helens, in Tasmania's north-east, yesterday afternoon when a five-metre great white latched onto her leg.The shark dragged her under the water twice before her cousin reached her on his surfboard and hit it on the head.

Mr Mundy was still in a state of disbelief when he spoke at the St Helens District Hospital in Tasmania, describing graphically how a casual surf at Binalong Bay almost ended in tragedy.
"We were just surfing and she was probably five or 10 metres out in front of me," he said.

"The next thing I know she screamed and disappeared under the water.

"She came up and was fighting the shark and hitting it and screaming: 'Help me, help me, help me.' We didn't see it coming.

"It dragged her around a bit and then she went down and under again. I was really worried. There was blood all in the water.

"It brought her up to the top again and I paddled over to her and tried to push it with the board and tried to hit it but I don't think it felt it really. It was a pretty big shark - a monster.

"It would have had two goes at her. She's lucky she didn't lose her leg.

"Hannah kept a really good head on her - kept it together.

"It grabbed her surfboard and dragged that under and she still had her leg rope on and it dragged her under again.

"The shark started circling us and coming up underneath us and when it did that we stopped and turned to face it so we could push it out of the way or poke it in the eye or something.

"She kept it together. There was blood everywhere and I didn't know whether it was going to try and bite her again.

"Then a wave came along and I said 'No matter how weak you are, try and hang on. This wave is going to save our lives.'

"And then we caught that wave to the beach, dragged her up on the beach and saw her leg had been mauled.

"It was pretty deep, in behind her knee was deep. You could almost see the bone. It was pretty horrible really.

"We were lucky the water was cold. It slowed her heart rate so when we pulled her out of the water the leg wasn't spurting blood everywhere.

"There happened to be a doctor and a nurse on the beach. We got a leg rope ... and wrapped it around and then wrapped some towels around to try and slow the blood down. We got a mobile phone and rang the ambulance.

"I just think it was meant to happen for a reason. I'm blessed.

"She was on the beach and whingeing about the pain. I said: 'You should be laughing that you're alive, don't whinge about the pain.'

"She's 13 years old. She made me very proud. She gave me the strength to stay there with her in the water - when I saw the way she was fighting it off.

"She was scared but she fought it off. She wasn't going to let it beat her.

"I was really scared but the way she fought that shark off. What are you going to do, leave your relative to die?

"I was stunned - I didn't know what to do. She was the one who pulled me through it. She's the hero. She's my hero.

"She's going to be all right, but she's going to have a big scar and a story to tell. She's a very, very, very brave girl.

"As for the shark, well they belong there, there's nothing you can do. It just did what it instinctively thought to do.

"That's life. Hannah would say the same. She actually wants to be a marine biologist and this hasn't changed her mind.

"When she came up I said: 'Try to get your leg rope off, try and get your leg rope off', and I was trying to look for the shark because it disappeared and all I could see was blood in the water.
"The leg rope is about six foot [1.8 metres] long, but then it broke and she popped up and I said: 'Jump on my back.'

"She jumped on my back and we started paddling to the beach and I said 'Don't let go, whatever you do don't let go.' "Mr Mundy said hitting the shark on the head "was like hitting a brick wall - it was that dense"."I didn't have a tape to measure it but it was huge. It was easily the length of a car."It was just a monster."

The Examiner, with AAP

Survivor of shark attack tells all!

2009-01-17T21:02:00.000-06:00

October 23, 2002 started out as an ordinary day for 13-year old Bethany Hamilton, a Kauai native as she and her friends went for a morning surf. However, the morning took a terrible turn when a great white shark attacked her, severing her left arm.

Her friends paddled her back to shore and used her surfboard leash as a tourniquet. Though she had lost 70% of her blood, Hamilton survived the attack, and still surfs. The doctors say that if the shark had bitten her two inches higher, the attack would have been fatal.

Public dissection of Great White shark was quite educational

2009-01-17T20:45:00.000-06:00

New Zealand scientists have finished dissecting a three-metre long great white shark as part of their research.

They found that its liver alone weighed 39 kilograms.

More than 2,000 people stood for hours under Auckland's hot sun to watch the public dissection at the city's museum.

The 300-kilogram female shark died a fortnight ago after getting caught in a fisherman's gill net in a harbour, north of Auckland.

The great white shark was only declared a protected species in New Zealand 18 months ago.
Marine scientist Clinton Duffy says nowadays there is less fear and more respect for the animals.
"I've also heard that the humble scallop is the most dangerous animal in New Zealand waters," he said.

"More divers drown hunting scallops than have ever been eaten by great white sharks in New Zealand"

When the scientists cut open the shark's stomach it was filled with brown mush.

On closer inspection they found fish bones, a tapeworm and a fish hook.

Mr Duffy says seals had also left bite marks on the shark's snout.

"The scarring on the snout tells us at this age the shark had switched to eating seals, so it tells us something about its diet," he said.

He says at three metres in length, the adolescent female could eat a seal whole.

Auckland Museum is keeping the organs for more research.

Robo-shark vs. Great White shark, what are facts or fiction?

2009-01-17T20:23:00.001-06:00

Myhtbusters build "Robo-shark"

Test eye-gouging as survival method

Look at whether chilli can deter sharks

THE whacky scientific masters of TV program Mythbusters have set about their biggest challenge yet - constructing a mechanical, anatomically-correct great white shark.With 90 serrated metal teeth, powered by hydraulics and measuring 5m from tip to tail, the show's resident experts Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman dubbed the creature Robo-shark.

As shark sightings threaten to close some of Australia's most populated beaches, the Mythbusters crew used Robo-shark to test if it's possible to locate, reach and gouge the eyes of the fierce ocean dweller when under attack.

"(Mythbusters' daredevil) Tory Belleci was able to find the eye and hit the (eye) switch and turn it off but in my opinion if this was a real life situation it would be too late ... you're done," Hyneman said of the 15-second battle.

However, the program, which is airing during Shark Week on the Discovery Channel from January 18, passes the experiment off as plausible, acknowledging Australian spear-fishing champion Rodney Fox's survival of a similar great white shark attack in 1963.

Other controversial theories tested include whether or not dogs swimming in the ocean or using torches during night dives attract more attention.

Popular notions that sharks can be repelled with chilli and magnetism are also trialled. While the torch theory got the thumbs up, no proof was found to support claims that chilli or magnetic fields deter sharks or that frantic paddling and the scent of dogs attract the predators.

The best tips on avoiding becoming shark bait this summer include swimming in a group, not wearing shiny jewellery or brightly coloured clothing, and not entering the water if bleeding.

Great White shark to be dissected publicly is a...

2009-01-17T20:07:00.000-06:00

It's a girl! Auckland Museum today made its proud announcement about its "long, sleek" great white shark thawing in its loading bay, awaiting dissection.

On Thursday the museum and the Department of Conservation (DOC) will perform a necropsy, or fish autopsy, on the shark and the public has been invited along to watch.

The free event is to raise awareness of the threats facing this vulnerable and unfairly maligned species, museum curator Tom Trnski said.

The three metre, 300kg shark was found in the Kaipara Harbour on Monday last week, tangled and dead in a gill net.

A protected species in New Zealand, the great white was recovered and frozen by DOC staff, and was now defrosting in preparation for the necropsy.

The procedure would be carried out by Clinton Duffy from DOC's marine conservation section and Dr Trnski.

"The great white arrived this morning and is currently wrapped in muslin to keep it moist while it thaws, however I did manage to carry out a cursory examination and confirm we have a female.
"It's exciting to consider what we'll discover about this magnificent species during the necropsy," Dr Trnski said.

"This is the first time the museum has ever carried out a public necropsy, and anticipation is building."

Auckland Museum's website will be screening footage of the great white necropsy from 2pm on Thursday.

They will look at the shark's stomach contents and measure its internal organs.

Beach reopens following fatal shark attack!

2009-01-01T17:16:00.000-06:00

Swimmers have returned to the water at Port Kennedy, south of Perth, four days after a man was believed to have been taken by a great white shark.

Authorities on Wednesday said they had reopened the Cote d'Azur Gardens beach where 51-year-old Brian Guest, of Mandurah, disappeared while snorkelling with his son on Saturday.

Several shark sightings have been made in the days since, including a "huge" white pointer which surfaced beside the dinghy of a local fisherman and his wife on Tuesday.

Rockingham Mayor Barry Sammels said no sharks had been sighted during aerial and sea patrols in the last 24 hours and "beach closed" signs had been taken down.

"Our rangers met on site down at Port Kennedy this morning in consultation with the water police," Mr Sammels told ABC Radio.

"There've been no reported incidents last night or this morning.

"There's been a helicopter flyover and we decided to reopen the beach."

No trace has been found of Mr Guest apart from pieces of his wetsuit which were found on Saturday, close to the spot where witnesses said he was attacked.

Couple encountered Great White shark believed responsible for snorkeller's death!

2008-12-31T16:46:00.001-06:00

A British couple had what they described as a "Jaws" encounter with a great white shark yesterday when it nudged their dinghy as they fished in the same spot where an Australian man was attacked last Saturday.

Paul Vickery, originally from Somerset, said the 5-metre (16ft) shark "appeared from nowhere" while they were fishing at a Perth beach off Australia's west coast.

"It was huge. I've never seen anything so big," said Vickery. "You could see its whole body and it was bigger than our little boat."

The 46-year-old said he and his wife, Lesley, "froze with fright" as the shark lifted its head out of the water centimetres from their boat.

"It was just like [the movie] Jaws except he had his mouth closed. It actually touched the boat. If the shark had wanted to he could have headbutted us and tipped us over but luckily he didn't," said Vickery.

The incident occurred about 500 metres north of the spot where Brian Guest, 51, was believed to have been snatched by a shark on Saturday morning. Guest vanished while snorkelling for crabs with his son. Witnesses reported seeing a fin and splashing in the water before the sea turned red.
Guest's shredded wetsuit was recovered but a four-day air and sea search has failed to find his body.

In yesterday's encounter, the Vickerys had gone fishing and crabbing off Port Kennedy Beach, south of Perth.

Vickery said they usually snorkelled for crabs but yesterday chose to take out their 4-metre aluminium dinghy because his wife was nervous after the recent shark attack. "The wife didn't want to go out because of what happened to that poor man but I talked her into it," he said.

Lesley Vickery, who was born in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, before emigrating to Australia, said the shark bobbed up "right beside our boat" as they tended to the crab nets.

"It just appeared like a submarine would come up. We never heard or saw anything," she said. "I was petrified. It was too close for comfort. We only have a little dinghy and it was a lot bigger than it."

Her husband said "the boat lurched" when the shark touched the dinghy.

"It nudged the boat. He just came up to have a very close look and as he rolled over I heard a slap and he disappeared. It all happened so quickly."

The couple, who were about 50 metres from shore, quickly pulled up anchor. "I just turned to my husband and said: 'Get us out of here now'. I was petrified. It was frightening but over in a matter of seconds."

A fisheries department boat, which had been searching for Guest's body, came to the couple's rescue and escorted them to shore.

Swimmers were evacuated from the water and two beaches along the coastline have been closed indefinitely.

Fisheries officers spotted the shark feeding in the shallows a short time later but lost sight of it when it moved into deeper water.

A fisheries spokesman, Tony Cappelluti, said it was impossible to tell if it was the same shark that killed Guest.

Guest's family requested last weekend that authorities did not kill the shark.

Paul Vickery said he believed the shark was attracted yesterday to the smell of the burly – a mixture of fish oil and wheat product – which they had put in the water to attract fish.

"We had burlied up and had the crab nets down in the water when he came up and had a look at us."

He said the outcome could have been different if they had been snorkelling. "We swim there all the time and it's normally a really safe area. I don't want to think what could have happened."

While he is keen to go back fishing, he said his wife wouldn't be venturing out for a while.

Asked whether he thought they were lucky to escape unharmed, he said: "For sure. I'm going to buy a lottery ticket."

Paul Andrew, of Surf Lifesaving Western Australia, said people should swim at patrolled beaches where lifesavers regularly looked for sharks.

Was it a Great White shark attack?

2008-12-30T23:47:00.000-06:00

A father of three was swimming just six metres from his son when he disappeared in bloody, churning waters after what is believed to have been a fatal shark attack.

The attack happened at Port Kennedy, near Rockingham, about 30 kilometres south of Perth, about 7.15am West Australian time.

Police and rescue crews, including helicopters, were this afternoon searching for the missing man, 51, who had been snorkelling for crabs when the shark closed in. His 24-year-old son did not see the attack.

The missing man has been identified as Brian Guest. It is believed he lived in an estate near the beach.

Friend Steve Kent said the family was in shock as they tried to support each other through the tragedy.

"It's a shock loss for the family. He was a loving father and husband who appears to have been taken by a shark," Mr Kent said.

"At the time he didn't sight what happened. People on the beach saw and heard things in the water."

The missing man has been described as an avid fisherman who loved the water and had great respect for its marine life.

The beach remains closed as police, surf lifesavers and council workers search the area using quad bikes, four-wheel drives and boats.

Police have asked the public to avoid the area until further notice.

Police spokesman Mark Valentine said witnesses had reported seeing "something pretty violent" happening in the water, which turned red.

"Something very traumatic has happened there and we are treating it as a probable shark attack," Mr Valentine told AAP.

"There was lots of talk among witnesses at the incident location about seeing fins in the water but we can't yet say whether there was definitely a shark out there."

The beach is a popular swimming location and there were many people out because of warm weather, Mr Valentine said.

Channel 9 reported a four-metre white pointer was spotted in the area yesterday.

Kayakers saved by fishermen from a Great White shark!

2008-12-30T23:03:00.000-06:00

A great white shark has menaced a group of kayakers off Sydney's northern beaches until some quick-thinking fishermen in a tinnie went to their rescue.

The fishermen at first made light of the danger when they spotted the five-metre shark off Long Reef, the Seven Network reported on Saturday.

The fishermen can be heard shouting "great white" and "how's your undies boys" on a tape of the incident before they realise that one of the three kayakers was in the water and raced to his aid.
Kayaker Steve Kulscar was in the water for about a minute.

With the massive shark slowly circling, the other two kayakers lashed their craft to the tinnie and sat out the drama that lasted about 10 minutes.

At one stage the men can be heard saying "look at the size of it, it's bigger than the boat" as the shark edged ever closer until eventually it swam off.

"I want to get his address and send him a case of beer, that's the least I could do," Mr Kulscar told Seven.

"I really should sign the mortgage over."

Another of the kayakers, Justin Stanger, said: "I'm thinking, 'I hope I don't look like a seal or a turtle.
"I'm hoping it's not that hungry."

Meanwhile, the search is continuing for a man feared taken by a shark off the West Australian coast.

Brian Guest, 51, was snorkelling for crabs with his son off their local beach near Rockingham, south of Perth, when he suddenly disappeared from view shortly after 7am (WDT) on Saturday.
His 24-year-old son swam to shore and raised the alarm.

Witnesses told police they saw flashes of fins in the area and the water was coloured by blood.

Is the Great White shark as rare as publicized?

2008-12-30T21:12:00.000-06:00

The white shark, the famed Carcharodon Carcharias or Great White, is well-known for its migratory habits of roaming cold-water oceans in areas such as South Africa and - in the United States - off the coast of New England and California.

For a fearsome white shark to be encountered or documented off the more temperate Southeast Coast, specifically the South Carolina coast, is exceptionally rare. Or is it?

A few incidents in 2008 raise speculation - just how rare is this species off the Palmetto State's coast?

Morris Island Stranding: The most publicized white shark incident of the year came in November when a dead 13-foot, 2-inch long specimen washed up on Morris Island, just south of the jetties of Charleston.

The female was spotted on the beach and subsequently found by South Carolina Department of Natural Resources biologists on Nov. 18 on the uninhabited island, not far from the Morris Island Lighthouse.

The shark showed no signs of trauma from a fishing encounter or being hit by a boat or propeller. But, interestingly enough, scales from large red drum were found in its digestive tract during a necropsy.

Charles H. Farmer, III, retired from the DNR after 37 years, served many years as a marine biologist specializing in sharks off the S.C. coast. Farmer, now a legislative council and lobbyist for Coastal Conservation Association South Carolina, is the author of "Sharks of South Carolina."
"Just from what I was able to find out it probably died from some sort of disease," Farmer said earlier this week. "This one was likely feeding on big red drum, the big ones, the 10-30 pound red drum, in the coastal waters 4 to 10 miles offshore. That's where these big red drum congregate particularly in the fall of the year."

Smaller, mostly juvenile red drum, known locally as spottails, are also found in S.C. estuaries, but Farmer doubts this Great White entered estuary waters to feed on them.

Farmer did note that "years ago he documented an 8-foot Great White that had become entangled in a gill net at the end of the jetties at Charleston, not far from the spot where this specimen was found in November.

Great White Tagged: Tim Handsel, Director of Husbandry at Myrtle Beach's Ripley's Aquarium, and a crew were aboard a 25-foot research boat long-lining for sharks on May 3. The aquarium has a federal permit from the National Marine Fisheries Service's Highly Migratory Species Management Division and a state Scientific Activities Permit from the DNR to long-line.

While fishing 5½ miles off Garden City Beach in 34 feet of water with a surface water temperature of 69.5 degrees, the crew checked the 70-75 hooks (baited with chunks of mackerel) on the short long-line. They were surprised to find a nearly 10-foot female white shark.

"On that particular day there was a large slick in the area of the long-line and from what we could determine it was oil from a decaying animal," recalled Handsel earlier this week. "There probably was a carcass on the bottom the shark was feeding on that was the reason it was in the area. [The decaying animal] was within 200-300 yards of where the line had been set. That's when we caught the Great White."

Handsel and crew observed the shark, took measurements and photos, implanted a NMFS Apex Predator CSTP capsule tag into it and released it in very good shape.

"We were pretty certain [it was a Great White] and we talked to a number of authorities across the country to confirm our identification," Handsel said. "It weighed 400 to 500 pounds and that's a guess - we never lifted her out of the water. We've been doing this for several years and this is the first one we've seen."

Vermilion Wreck: This spring, in mid-April, a four-man crew, including Marlin Quay Marina owner Charles Stone, his two grandsons - Taylor and Austin Stone - and Lee Elkins ventured from Murrells Inlet to fish on the Vermilion wreck, located 27 miles east-southeast of the Winyah Bay jetties in 105 feet of water.

Taylor Stone described what they saw while drifting bait near the 460-foot wreck.

"We [saw] a school of amberjack under the boat and we saw what [we thought] was a big tiger shark," said Taylor Stone. "The water was crystal clear that day and it kept circling and got closer to the boat.

"When it came by the last time it was probably 6 to 7 feet under the water. Lee said 'Is that what I think it is?' I said 'It looks like a Great White.'"

Elkins grabbed a camera and snapped a photo of the shark as it eased past the boat.

"It was a huge animal," Charles Stone said. "I've been fishing out of here for 30 years and that's the first one I ever saw. I absolutely thought it was a Great White."

Taylor Stone was in awe of the size of the shark, especially considering they were fishing in a 27-foot center console Sea Pro.

"That shark was well over three-quarters of the length of the boat," said Taylor Stone. "It was every bit of 18 feet long. And that's conservative."

In all, that makes two definite Great White occurrences in South Carolina waters and one more possible encounter from April to November. Are these top-of-the line, apex predators more common here than many think? Farmer gave his thoughts on the subject.

"When I look back at the three or four animals I looked at and reports that [the DNR received] over the last 35 years, we're probably in the southernmost part of that species range," Farmer said. "In South Carolina you find generally very, very few numbers. We're on the fringe of seeing these animals and that's why you occasionally get reports like that."

Dr. Jose Castro is a scientist with the National Oceanographic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and a senior biologist with the Shark Research Department of Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, Fla., and gave his thoughts on the migratory habits of the species.

"They migrate all along the coast and they are in South Carolina waters going [north] in the month of May," Castro said. "They move up north until they get above New York and they go all the way to Newfoundland. That's part of their natural habitat and range."

Farmer notes that the white shark is one of 22 species of sharks that are protected - no possession or harassment of the species allowed - in South Carolina and federal waters.
"They're slow-growing, they're very late to mature and [reach] 12-13 feet before they reproduce," Farmer said. "They only give birth to about 3 to 4 young every year or every other year.
"Its numbers are so depressed the species is really threatened. They're in danger and without conservation measures they'd eventually be wiped out."

Contact GREGG HOLSHOUSER at 843-651-9028 or at wholshouser@sc.rr.com.

Is your fear of sharks based on facts or fiction?

2008-12-23T14:44:00.000-06:00

Shark attacks are the stuff of nightmares and horror movies. Steven Spielberg's Jaws has a lot to answer for.

It's probably the thought of something menacing watching us from below - razor sharp teeth bared and soulless eyes masking an insatiable hunger for flesh. If Spielberg is to be believed, from the moment we set foot in the water, our life span can be measured in moments.

Yet history shows us the chances of being attacked are extremely unlikely - you are far more likely to drown or be killed in a car smash on your way to the beach.

Each year, over summer, reports of shark sightings dominate the news and old fears are raised anew.

This year is bound to be the same. As the weather heats up, Kiwis flock to the beaches in their thousands and, with more eyes at the beach, shark sightings are inevitable.

Already a half-tonne mako has been caught off Nelson and a 2.4 metre thresher shark scared swimmers out of the water in the Bay of Plenty. Kite surfers on their way across the Cook Strait also recently reported surfing past a two-metre shark.

Few creatures capture the imagination or instil such a sense of fear as the shark, but scientists believe that fear is unreasonable.

New Zealand has around 66 different sharks species and very few of them are dangerous to humans.

NIWA shark expert Malcolm Francis tries to put the threat of an attack into context:

"Humans are a top predator ourselves and we don't like the idea that there is another predator out there that is bigger and stronger than we are and might eat us.

"But, having said, that there's a lot more people killed every year by tigers, lions, hippos round the world than there are by sharks and yet we seem to have this real fear of sharks and what they might do to us."

He points to the fact millions of people are in the water over summer, surrounded by sharks, yet the attack rate is incredibly low.

According to the Conservation Department, there have been 13 fatal shark attacks recorded in New Zealand in the last 170 years - the last was 32 years ago when a spear fisherman was attacked at Te Kaha in the Bay of Plenty.

"That just indicates to me that they're not really considering us as food at all," he said.

Francis says that, if sharks wanted to eat us, we would never be able to go in the water.

"They are out there in numbers and they are all around the coast ... it's extremely likely that when we have been in the water, there has been a shark there that's ignored us."

Francis likens shark attacks to plane crashes: "When they happen they're horrifying and particularly nasty but the chances of them happening is extremely low," he said.

A diver for over 30 years himself, Francis says he has only ever seen three sharks while in the water - none of them dangerous.

Scientists have identified most attacks happen during daylight on adult males aged between 18 and 30 - the group that happens to spend the most time in the water and the time-of-day they tend to be there.

The only places Francis says to avoid swimming are near seal colonies, and dead animals. Spear fisherman should also get speared fish out of the water straight away, or at least keep them as far away from their bodies as possible.

People should also try to swim in groups and not too far from shore, to ensure help is at hand should they be bitten.

Most attack fatalities are the result of blood loss from a bite, rather than the shark eating its victim, he says. They will attack, bite their victim, and back away for up to 15 minutes - a defence mechanism he says they have built up to protect themselves from the teeth of seals, their main source of food.

This often allowed the victims' companions time to get them out of the water and do first aid.

SHARK NUMBERS SWELL

Though more eyes at the beach inevitably mean more sightings, Francis says it's true there are more sharks around over summer.

Populations in coastal areas increase as sharks come in to breed and feed, though most will be small and harmless.

The chances of bumping into a big, dangerous shark are remote - but if you see one, it pays to get out of the water, Francis says.

It appears a lot of the fear and misinformation about sharks comes from a startling lack of scientific information.

The shark which the general public know most about - the great white - scientists actually know very little about.

New Zealand is recognised as one of the world's hot spots for the apex predator, along with the waters off California, in the United States, and South Africa, Australia and Japan.

However, Francis says that, despite their fearsome reputation, great whites are extremely cautious. When Francis and his team tried to attract sharks with blood and bait in the water, some would circle the boat for hours, deciding whether or not to take the bait.

This suggests they are curious but selective when choosing their prey, he says.

NIWA, the Conservation Department and Dr Ramon Bonfil from Shark Tracker/NABU in Germany, have been tagging great whites with satellite tags since 2005.

Though the data is still sparse, the research has yielded some surprising results and Francis believes they are making progress.

After analysing the data from 10 tags, scientists were surprised to find great whites were leaving New Zealand and heading from the Chatham Islands to Tonga - a journey of over 3000km.

Scientists can only guess why the sharks undertake this epic journey, but believe it must be to chase food - probably humpback whales.

What science has told us is that shark numbers are drastically low. Nineteen of the world's shark species are listed as vulnerable, 17 endangered, and four critically endangered, according to the 2000 World Conservation Union Red List.

Four New Zealand sharks - including the basking, spiny dogfish, whale and great white - were listed as vulnerable.

Humans kill more than 100 million sharks worldwide each year, in recreational and commercial fishing.

Though Great Whites have been protected in New Zealand since 2007, many are still caught in nets and on long lines by commercial fisherman.

There is no penalty for accidentally catching sharks, but fishermen must report it to the conservation department within 24 hours.

SPECIES' SURVIVAL

Knowledge is essential in order to ensure their survival. Francis believes that, if we can identify when and where sharks are, we can design management measures to reduce shark by-catch in fisheries.

"[Sharks] don't really have the reproductive capacity to bounce back very quickly so unless we take the pressure right off, it's going to be hard for the populations to increase back up to normal."
Scientists believe the shark population is going down, but don't know the rate of decline.

One thing is certain: sharks across the globe are in danger of being wiped out. There are already vast areas of the ocean where sharks have been fished out, Francis says.

Francis believes people have a moral imperative to protect sharks. But only further research and policy change will save them.

Here are a few shark species!

2008-12-23T14:35:00.000-06:00

There are about 66 species of shark in New Zealand waters and only a few are considered dangerous.

They include:

Great white:

The best known and most feared shark is also the one responsible for the highest number of attacks worldwide and in New Zealand. Great whites breed around northern New Zealand, and move south into colder waters around seal colonies as they mature. Great whites grow as long as six metres and over 2000kg.

Short-fin mako:

The world's fastest shark, makos have been clocked at around 50km/h. They are prized by big-game fisherman for their fight when hooked. Mako sharks grow to around two metres long and 200kg.

Blue shark:

One of the most abundant oceanic sharks, blue sharks are generally docile but they have killed people in the past. They are often found in schools segregated by sex and size. Blue sharks can grow to almost four metres and around 150kg.

Bronze whaler:

A reputation in Australia for unprovoked attacks on people and have been responsible for two non-fatal attacks in New Zealand. They also come inshore during spring and early summer to breed and are reportedly often seen in large schools. Bronze whalers grow to around three metres long and weigh up to 300kg.

Hammerheads:

Growing up to six metres in length, hammerhead sharks are notable for their distinct hammer-shaped head. Large hammerheads can be dangerous to people.

Tiger shark:

Second only to great whites in terms of the threat they pose to humans and their number of attacks worldwide. Tiger sharks are rare in New Zealand but grow up to four metres and 900kg.

Sharks attack survivor now studies sharks instead of hating them

2008-12-23T14:32:00.001-06:00

Kina Scollay knows better than most the dangers of a shark attack.

Thirteen years ago, aged 22, Scollay was diving off the coast of the Chatham Islands when he was attacked by a five-metre great white.

He had been diving for paua when he accepted a dare to dive to the seafloor 18m below. He grabbed a rock from the bottom to prove he had made it.

On his way back to the surface he was attacked. The shark's first bite hit his weight belt, and the second struck his leg.

He managed to beat the shark off with the rock and get to the surface where he was helped into the boat by his friends who administered first aid. He received extensive gashes and was flown to Christchurch Hospital for emergency surgery.

Yet Scollay refused to let the experience cower him and he has dedicated much of his time to documenting sharks, where he specialises in filming them underwater.

He has worked on the shark tagging project with NIWA and the Conservation Department, and made a documentary film describing the then unheard-of behaviour of great white sharks hunting in packs.

Now 35, Scollay does not want to talk about his attack, but wants to emphasise the low risk and the promising research being conducted into the behaviour of great whites.

"I'd hate to put a kid off swimming," he said.

"I still dive and I'm more aware of the risks than probably anyone and know a hell of a lot about white sharks - I've been working with them for twelve years ... I wouldn't dive if I thought it was unsafe and people can feel safe going swimming," he said.

"Your chances of getting attacked by a shark in New Zealand waters are absolutely bloody low no matter were you are."

Scollay said that, while many shark sightings would be a case of mistaken identity, people should be wary of certain situations.

"Obviously people should be sensible if there is a shark sighting or if there is a whale stranding or something like that, perhaps you should be careful, but other than that I think the risks are absolutely minimal for most people on most beaches."

"All the New Zealand shark attacks, including mine ... have all been in high risk places that most people will never be," he said.

Scollay said people should not be alarmed by an increase in shark sightings over summer.

Great White shark scare water police divers during training exercise

2008-12-23T14:21:00.000-06:00

A GROUP of Water Police has been forced to wait 10 minutes underwater while a 4m great white shark circled above.

The divers were at 18m, on a training exercise at Grange tyre reef, when the shark appeared near a boat above them.

They remained in radio contact with boat crew until given the all clear to surface.

The divers were wearing Shark Shield, an electronic shark protector vest. The incident, on Monday, is one of four shark sightings this week.

Great White shark attack was foiled by a pod of dolphins

2008-12-21T23:43:00.000-06:00

On Oct. 30, 2004, a pod of dolphins saved a group of lifeguards from being mauled by a shark in New Zealand.

According to reports by the New Zealand Herald and the Canadian Broadcasting Corp., Rob Howes and three women lifeguards (who included his 15-year-old daughter) were on a training swim off Ocean Beach when seven bottlenose dolphins swam toward them and circled them.
When an opening in the circle occurred, Howes and one of the women drifted away from the group. One large dolphin detached itself from the circle and dove a few meters away from them. Howes turned, waiting to see where the dolphin would surface.

That’s when he saw the three-meter-long great white shark. Per Howes’ account, the shark started moving toward the two other women and the dolphins “went into hyperdrive.”

They herded the swimmers together, circling four to eight centimeters from them, and slapping the water with their tails for about 40 minutes. The shark left when a rescue boat neared.

Could it be the same Great White shark?

2008-12-21T23:02:00.000-06:00

A fisherman on the far south coast of New South Wales says he has been menaced by a large great white shark off Eden.

Allen Roberts of Pambula says he was 300 metres offshore last week when he encountered a shark he says was equal in size to his six-metre runabout.

"A great white had hold of the sea anchor and came straight at the boat," he said.
Local fishermen have reported similar incidents on the south coast in recent years.
Two years ago, a big shark towed a small fishing boat almost a kilometre out to sea near Montague Island, off Narooma.

There has been some local speculation that it might be the same shark.

Shark expert Rodney Fox says it is almost certainly not.

"It is probably lots of different sharks that are passing through of similar size," he said.
"They haven't got a number plate."

He says the species is known to travel thousands of kilometres in a relatively short period.

Shocked anglers came face to face with a Great White shark

2008-12-14T13:21:00.000-06:00

Three local anglers shared a once-in-10-lifetimes scare last week.

Captains Dave Crisp, Fred Morrow and Rick Ryals slipped out around 2 p.m. to do a quick snapper fishing trip near the Pablo Grounds on Crisp's 21-foot Sailfish.

As Ryals tells it, he was fishing one side of the boat when he heard Crisp yell. He looked around in time to see Crisp jacking a red snapper up out of the water and under it, "all I could see was white."
The blur that Ryals saw was the underside of a great white shark that had come out of the water after the snapper.

Ryals said it happened "in seconds, but it took us all 20 minutes to compose ourselves and start fishing again."

Ryals said they estimated that the shark's head was between 3 and 4 feet wide and its length was between 15 and 20 feet.

"It was nearly eye-level out of the water," Ryals said. "The three of us have, I'll bet, 125 years of experience on the water and it scared us like I've never been scared before."

The shark disappeared, but not before taking the snapper by biting cleanly through an 8/0 hook. This is the time of year that these rare encounters with great whites occur off our coasts. The big sharks follow the migration of right whales south. The whales calve here and baby whales are among the shark's favorite prey.

FWC reduces Gulf snapper limits

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission voted Dec. 4 to reduce the recreational bag limit of Gulf gag grouper and red grouper from five to two fish daily per angler. It also closed the recreational harvest of gag and red grouper from Feb. 1 to March 31.

Other new rules increased the recreational minimum size limit for amberjack from 28 to 30 inches fork length and the limit on grey triggerfish from 12 to 14 inches. These rules take effect Jan. 1. The full agenda is online at MyFWC.com/commission/2008/Dec08/index.htm.

Bird seasons open again

The second phase of waterfowl and coot season opened Dec. 6 and runs through Jan 25. In addition to a regular hunting license, hunters are required to have both a Florida waterfowl permit and a federal duck stamp. It is illegal for hunters even to possess lead shot shells when waterfowl hunting. Woodcock season opens Dec. 20 and closes Jan. 18.

FWC sets blue crab closed seasons

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission has proposed six regional closed seasons to the harvest of blue crabs.

The closures would be for 10 days and allow the FWC and other conservation groups to identify and retrieve lost or abandoned crab traps in state waters. The closure in the St. Johns River will be from Jan. 16 to Jan. 25.

All other state waters from the Georgia state line through Volusia County would close Aug. 20-29.

Shark bite being tested!

2008-12-06T14:42:00.000-06:00

Marine biologist Enrico Gennari dangles one foot into the water as he calls out to a Great White shark circling his boat.

"Come on, Come on, you can do it," he says, as a 10-foot Great White shark swims within inches of the bait before turning away.

A BBC News report describes an outing with Mr. Gennari, in which he demonstrates his technique in measuring the biting strength of a Great White shark.

Gennari had spent three hours hanging his "Bitemeter" in the water. However, the long metal rod with a bag of fishy remains at the end was not having its intended effect this day.

Although Gennari and his team were successful in attracting a steady stream of sharks to the boat, the problem seemed to be that the sharks simply didn’t want to eat.

"Look at the marks on the gill. It's Roxanne," Enrico declared as he recognized a familiar shark passing by.

"We've know her for quite a while, We've tagged her a few months ago and tracked her."

But Roxanne, like the other sharks, was only interested in circling the boat, not in chomping down on "The Bitemeter”.

Enrico and his three volunteers had to settle for photographing fins and sporadically plunging a pole into the shark's side to obtain DNA samples.

The work is part of research being conducted by the South African Marine Predator Laboratory (SAMPLA) in Mossel Bay, whose goal is to establish a complete picture of the Great White's way of life.

"Humans can take the attitude: Let's just kill all the sharks and we can be safe," Ryan Johnson, a SAMPLA scientists, told BBC News.

"Or you can try and understand them and work out where they are at certain places in the bay and with that type of knowledge mitigate the threat they pose to us."

As well as being a popular tourist destination, Mossel Bay is home to roughly 80 Great Whites. Indeed, in Mossel Bay's tourism office, brochures for shark cage diving sit right next to those for beach resorts.

Fortunately, there has not been a fatal shark attack for nearly two decades, thanks in large part to information that SAMPLA has provided.

In many parts of South Africa and Australia surfers are occasionally mistaken for seals by the Great Whites. Seals are among the sharks’ favorite food.

However, in Mossel Bay surfers have been informed about safe locations and time of day.
"There are quite a few [sharks] but we haven't had problems here," a surfer told BBC News.
"If you go round the point there, there are a couple more sharks closer to the seals."
"The people are quite safe. The sharks stay around the island," Marcia Holm, the operations manager, says.

"The island has lots of seals and that's their diet - they don't really like humans."

After three-and-a-half hours, a shark finally gives "The Bitemeter" a nip.

"It was just 89 pounds per square inch - just a little bit more than a human bite," Gennari says proudly.

But for him, every hour spent trying to get a Great White to bite proves the sharks are not demonic creatures simply attacking everything in sight.

"This shows us that the Great Whites aren't animals that bite something every time they meet it,” he said.

"It's not an incredible Pac-Man that bites everything. It's a very cautious animal."

Shark Conservationist and expert test drive a Great White shark!

2008-12-06T14:40:00.000-06:00

I seek a few thrills every now and again, but South African diver Mike Rutzen, Discovery Channel's "Sharkman", makes his thrill-seeking look more like death-seeking. Here, he slaps a great white. Then, he pokes it, grabs its fin then tail and holds on for a ride.

Now, Retzner is an expert. He's an accomplished free diver and shark conservationist with loads of experience (he even runs a "cage-free" great white diving experience). This stunt, like his show, is meant to show that Jaws was just a movie.

But still, don't try this. Ever.

Taggin Great White sharks is quite an experience!

2008-11-29T23:16:00.000-06:00

A PAIR of divers based at RAF Coningsby have been helping tag sharks in waters off Central America.

Plt Off Matthew Skulskyj, an air traffic controller and Cpl Matthew Wood, an aircraft mechanical engineer, are part of the Joint Services Shark Tagging Team (JSSTT), a group of divers who help scientists tag sharks.Their first deployment was to the Coco's Islands in Costa Rica, working with the Shark Research Institute (SRI). The tags are used to research the sharks and help publicise their plight.The Coco's Islands were the setting for the Jurassic Park films so the exercise was named Jurassic Shark.

A second expedition saw Plt Off Skulskyj and Cpl Wood work with a team of 16 military divers tagging great white sharks, whale sharks and scalloped hammerhead sharks around Guadalupe and the Revillagigedo Islands, off the Pacific coast of Mexico.Describing the experience, Plt Off Skulskyj said: "A fin breaks the surface of the water momentarily behind the boat, swiftly disappearing back under the dark blue water around Guadalupe."

You can see a dark shape slowly approaching the side of the small fibreglass boat where large lumps of bait are tied."You start to prepare yourself, checking what now looks to be a woefully inadequate pole spear which resembles a tent pole more than a piece of scientific equipment."You only have one chance and your aim has to be exact; too high and you'll miss, too low and you can potentially injure the very species you're trying to protect."This is it, the shape changes direction and builds up speed, rapidly approaching the bait tied just 3-feet below the thin deck."

It's getting closer, you can see the mouth begin to open showing row upon row of razor sharp triangular teeth, the eyes beginning to roll back."Suddenly it breaches the surface and you're looking down the mouth of a five and half metre Great White Shark."There is no time to think twice, you thrust the spear into the water, catching the shark in exactly the right spot just below the dorsal fin."The shark reacts, flicking its tail into the side of the boat, pushing it violently across the water."The Shark swims back down to the depths; however, it's now trailing a £1000 radio tag that will monitor its movements over the coming year."

* Have you had an exciting encounter with a creature from the deep?

Email sean.topham@jpress.co.uk or write to the Editor, Horncastle News, Church Lane, Horncastle LN9 5HW.

Great White shark washed ashore!

2008-11-24T19:18:00.000-06:00

A great white washes ashore on a Lowcountry beach.

The 13-foot-long shark was found at Morris Island last week by fishermen.

The Department of Natural Marine Biologists says the shark may have starved to death or been stranded.

"They are extremely rare in this area. They're actually rare throughout their range. Their large apex predators, so there's basically not a lot of them around.. And they are actually solitary animals," DNR Marine Biologist, Josh Loefer said.

Great white sharks like cool coastal waters and are typically between 12 and 15 feet in length.

Australia: 18 foot Great White shark sighted near Kiah River's mouth

2008-11-23T14:51:00.000-06:00

An 18-foot great white shark was spotted cruising near the Kiah River mouth by local salmon fishermen Roger Fourter, Peter ‘Mozzie’ Stevens and fisherwomen Julie Fourter last week.
Mr Stevens said “it was bigger than the fishing boat’s net boat which is about 16 feet.

“When we saw it, it was about a third of the way down from the Kiah river mouth to Moutries reef.
“There was wake coming off it and then its fin rose out of the water.

“It was about 15 foot off shore then it turned and went back out to the middle of the bay.”

The sighting has deterred Mr Stevens from participating in the annual lobster season.

“I usually go lobster diving this time of year but I leased my quota to a bloke up north.”

In a separate report given to National Parks and Wildlife Service the shark was seen inside the river mouth, feeding on Australian salmon.

The sighting comes almost two years after ex-abalone diver Eric Nerhus fought his way from the mouth of a great white after being attacked while abalone diving off Cape Howe, south of Eden.

Recovered tags give more information on Great White sharks

2008-11-22T20:34:00.000-06:00

One of three electronic transponders so far discarded near Tonga by great white sharks tagged at the Chatham Islands has been recovered from the Ha'ateiho Reef.

Roger Miller and Bruce Dixson from Waste Management Ltd's Nuku'alofa office, found the $5200 tag at the coordinates it transmitted.

Mr Miller lives about 1.5 kilometres from the beach but was unable to find the tag before it stopped transmitting on November 7, the Matangi Tonga newspaper reported.

Last night the tag again transmitted briefly and Department of Conservation scientist Clinton Duffy in Auckland was able to send the new coordinates.

"We were able to track it by GPS to within 20 metres of its location and then we saw it lying on the reef," said Mr Miller. "It was slowly moving down the coastline".

There was no reward for the recovery but Mr Miller said that Air New Zealand's Nuku'alofa agent had offered to carry the tag free of charge back to Auckland.

The data it contains will be analysed by New Zealand marine scientists to trace the shark's diving behaviour and temperature preferences, and a record of light levels to roughly estimate the path it travelled.

The information may provide clues to why the sharks are travelling to Tonga, when local fisheries archives show no record of the species there.

Six great white sharks were tagged in the Chathams in April, and so far three tags have recently surfaced in Tonga, but this is the only one to be recovered.

The researchers said the tags appeared to have detached prematurely, and they hope two tags thought to still be attached will stay on until January to see if those sharks return to NZ waters.

Great White shark set a deep diving record!

2008-11-22T15:36:00.000-06:00

A great white shark tagged off Stewart Island has set a world diving record as it crossed the Tasman Sea to the Great Barrier Reef.

Three four-metre-plus great whites tagged off the Chathams have also surfaced in Tonga for a midwinter feast of humpback whale calves.

News of the sharks migrating to the tropics surprised Malcolm Francis, of the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research in Wellington.

"We used to think great white sharks were shallow-water coastal species that lived in cold areas, where there were lots of seals to eat," he said.

"Now we have changed our impression of what they do."

Niwa and the Conservation Department have been attaching satellite tags to great whites, to measure position, depth and water temperature. After several months, the tags pop off and float to the surface, where the data is transmitted to a satellite.

Dr Francis said that this year two Stewart Island whites had gone 4000 kilometres to Queensland's Great Barrier. Surprisingly, they go in a straight line.

"They seem to know where they are going," he said, noting that they moved through the water at between 4kmh and 5kmh, or an impressive 120km a day.

Up to 70 percent of the time they are near the surface but this winter one of the whites dived. "We've got what we think is a world record of 1000 metres for a white shark."

He believes it would have gone after a giant squid or phosphorescent fish. At that depth it would be pitch black and the white would have been guided in by the fish glow.

A tag on a white shark popped up off Mana Island but its data was partly corrupted. The shark had been north to the tropics for winter and had come back in summer.

Three of six sharks tagged at the Chathams were found to have swum 3000km north to Tongatapu, the main Tongan island.

"They head off to the tropics, and we're not quite sure what they are doing but we think they are showing interest in humpback whales," Dr Francis said.

The areas the tags were found are humpback whale calving areas.

Evidence exists of whites feeding on dead whales and dead calves.

Now Niwa thinks the whites follow the whales when numbers begin declining in seal colonies over winter.

Great White sharks sighted close to shore

2008-11-15T22:14:00.000-06:00

At least 27 great white sharks have been discovered swimming yards off the sandy tourist beaches of Australia's Mid-North Coast, a video crew said Friday.

The crew said it spotted the 10-feet-long juvenile sharks in the Port Stephens natural harbor as it was in a boat videotaping for a fishing DVD.

The sharks, the world's largest known predatory fish, could grow to more than 20 feet long and weigh up to 5,000 pounds.

On three other days Al McGlashan and his Strikezone video crew found an average of 16 great whites a day -- all between 6 feet and 10 feet long.

I've never heard of anywhere near this many in one area, McGlashan told The (Sydney) Daily Telegraph.

It's amazing. They are just babies or young sharks, he said.

Great White are passionate hunters!

2008-11-15T22:11:00.000-06:00

Great white sharks can stir emotions like no other creature. For many, that emotion is fear, but for those with an adventurous heart, Great Whites can be a thing of wonder.You might think you need to head to South Africa or the South Pacific to see these creatures, but that's not true.

One of the greatest places to see these magnificent sharks is only a day trip from Sacramento.Recently, on a cold, damp morning, two CBS13 viewers and other local adventurers decided to uncover some of the mysteries of the great white shark for themselves. Just 27 miles away from the Golden Gate, the Farrallon Islands are considered part of the city of San Francisco, and is one of the four places in the world to view white sharks.Great white sharks are "intelligent creatures and magnificent creatures that need our protection," said James Moskito, an expedition leader for Shark Diving International.

After a two and a half hour trip from Emeryville aboard the 56-foot "Superfish," the rugged Farallons, also known as the Devil's Teeth, emerge from the mist to reveal their natural beauty. Once anchored, seal-shaped decoys are deployed to lure sharks toward the boat -- no chum is needed as the waters around the island uniquely teem with marine mammals, making the Farallons a world-wide hot spot for great whites.

Those wishing to experience a true up-close encounter can lower themselves into the expedition's reinforced shark cage, while others can choose to view from above."It's exciting to be out here," said shark-watcher Kim Yarris.

"A little bit scary because you have to know where to look at the right time."With eyes peeled above and below, everyone looks for the tell-tale sign of shark activity.And then, in the distance, a seal is attacked.

Seagulls circle the wounded seal, waiting to pick at the remains.While today's visit to the Farallons didn't bring the "close encounter" others have seen on Shark Diving International's expeditions, no one was left unhappy."If you just go for it and just realize that you are totally safe, it is just an awesome experience," said Jerric Fruits.

One of the reasons the people at Shark Diving International are so passionate about what they do is because the great whites play a key role in the oceanic food chain. It is also their hope that the more people learn about these sharks, the more that will be done to protect them.

Singles bar for Great White sharks?

2008-11-15T21:13:00.000-06:00

A decade-long study involving thousands of scientists suggests that great white sharks meet at a specific spot between California and Hawaii in what marine biologists think may be an underwater singles bar.

The stretch of ocean the sharks make for - from both California and Mexico - is not a particularly rich feeding ground but it may act as a “singles bar” where they can find a mate.

“There is something going on there but as yet we don’t know,” said marine biologist Professor Ron O’Dor [Hee hee! "Odor"! -- Ed.]. “Maybe it’s just a good place to pick up girl sharks.”

Great White causes fright

2008-11-08T21:36:00.000-06:00

A FISHERMAN terrorised by a shark for half an hour off the Henley Beach coast yesterday said he predicted a "horrific summer" ahead.

Boat owner Lucio Signore, his 10-year-old son David, Joe Garreffa and Vince Vozzo were fishing for garfish between Henley and Grange about 4km from the shore when the shark swam into the motor.

It was the second shark sighting in a week with a great white shark spotted about near West Lakes Shore last Saturday.

But keen fisherman Mr Signore – who also saw the shark last week – said this was not the same shark.

"It was bigger, it was at least four to four and a half metres," he said.

"I see the occasional shark but to see two sharks in one week is just unbelievable.

"I've probably seen about half sharks in 20 years of fishing those waters.

"I think it could be a horrific summer, it doesn't look good I've never seen them that close."

Mr Garreffa yesterday described their frightening ordeal.

"Little David had his line cast out and he actually had a fish on the line and was bringing it in and then then shark just went straight for the motor and hit the back motor, but the motor was off," he said.

"Then it just swam under the boat and came back again several times, he was trying to bite the motor."

As the shark held the boat captive by bumping the boat, the savvy passengers decided to pull up the anchor and allow the boat to slowly drift before making their quick get-a-way.

"It was quite a unique experience, exhilarating I would say," Mr Garreffa said.

"I just could not believe how close we were and how close it was to the shore.

Mr Signore warned.

"I've just never seen anything like this before," Mr Signore said.

"I don't get too frightened very often but this one here put the shivers up my spine."

Lifeguard encounters Great White shark

2008-11-08T21:30:00.000-06:00

COUNCIL lifeguard Dave White found himself in a scene straight from the movie Jaws when he spotted a buoy and then a fin moving off Mermaid Beach yesterday.

When he grabbed the buoy in shallow water just off shore, Mr White received a surprise -- on the end of the hook was a 2.3m great white shark.

"I was checking the flags on the beach when I saw the buoy moving and thought, 'that isn't right'," said Mr White.

"When he swam back against the current and I saw the fin I realised something was going on."
Thankfully the beaches were empty yesterday, as the grey skies kept many swimmers and beach revellers away.

It was the second great white caught off the Coast in the past three days after a 2.1m shark was hooked off Rainbow Bay on Wednesday.

It follows reports from scuba divers who saw three 4m great whites at The Pass at Byron Bay and at Smith's Shoal, near Flinders Reef off Cape Moreton, in the past two weeks.

Yesterday's action happened about 12.30pm. With the help of another lifeguard who left his tower up at Nobby Beach, Mr White managed to drag the line and wrangle the shark to shore.

"It was shock more than anything, especially when I realised it was a great white," he said.

A number of stunned witnesses watched as the shark was taken from the water.

Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries Queensland shark control program manager, Tony Ham, said great white sightings were not uncommon on the Coast this time of the year.

"It's a bit unusual in that they normally tend to be held in the drum line once they have been caught," said Mr Ham.

"However, from time to time they will thrash and bite frenetically at the anchor rope, as happened yesterday."

The shark was on the beach for about 20 minutes before DPI&F officers took it away to be studied and to check its stomach contents.

Yesterday's catch was the twelfth great white caught in the nets on the Gold Coast since 2003.
Mr Ham said swimmers should be mindful of the great white's presence on the Coast. They would be around for at least another month as they followed the whale population on its migration south.

"It goes to show people should still exercise caution when they are swimming at the beaches, even if they are in the patrolled areas," he said.

Family gets a close encounter with a large Great White shark

2008-10-26T21:51:00.000-05:00

A FAMILY stalked in their boat by a great white shark off Adelaide yesterday say they feared for swimmers at a nearby beach.

The massive shark - one witness said it was longer than 5m - was seen as close as 1km from the West Lakes Shore beach by boaties aboard at least three vessels between 8.30am and 11.30am yesterday.

Surf Life Saving SA was alerted and water police monitored its movements.

Aldgate mum Melinda Barnard was aboard an aluminium boat about 4km offshore with her father, Ian Westley, and sons Max, 6, and Eli, 4, when they spotted the huge shark approaching the vessel around 11.15am.

Ms Barnard, 35, said the shark was about as big as the 5m boat she was in.

"He had a nibble of the outboard motor and then nudged the boat before circling us for about 15 minutes," she said.

"It was like something out of Jaws . I made eye contact as it raised its head out of the water just near the bow of the boat. It was scary because it was like he was sizing me up.

"I guess you get a bit paranoid, because I kept the boys in the middle of the boat in case it leapt out of the water. I looked back to the beach and saw all these swimmers and I knew the shark was looking for a feed. . . "

Kerryn Manuel, 33, saw the shark from his boat about 8.30am when 2.4km offshore.

"It was huge, as big as Jaws, and I was shaking because it was so scary," the Royal Park resident said.

"It was a big white pointer which could have easily swallowed a person whole - my boat is 5.75m in length and this thing looked even longer."

Also on board the boat was Mr Manuel's son, Clayton, 7, and fishing mate Les Cook.

Clayton said he would certainly have a tale to tell his mates at school tomorrow. "I was scared," he said, "but not as much as dad."

Police reported another sighting of a large shark, possibly the same one, about 1km off West Lakes Shore beach about 8.30am.

Surf Life Saving SA state manager Shane Daw said reports of sharks the size of yesterday's were uncommon.

"Sharks are attracted to bait and blood, and they are also inquisitive creatures who will nudge a boat," he said.

He said helicopter patrols of the metropolitan foreshore would begin on November 1.

Five people have been taken by sharks in SAn waters since 2000. Dr Rachel Robbins, from the Rodney Fox Research Foundation, confirmed from pictures that the shark was a great white."Six metres is about the size limit for this species but even if it is 5m that is still a big shark," she said.

Man survives Great White shark attack off Croatian Coast

2008-10-25T22:59:00.000-05:00

A spearfisherman survived a bite by a massive 20ft Great White Shark as he swam off the Croatian coast with pals.The 500lb monster took a piece out of 43-year-old Damjan Pecek's leg as he swam underwater near the remote Adriatic island Vis.

Doctors later pulled two huge shark teeth from the diver's calf.The first his friends knew of the encounter was when their pal surfaced in a pool of his own blood screaming "Great White. Oh God it's a Great White. Help me. Help me. Get me out."

The incident happened just 20 feet from the shore in the island's Smokova bay, a popular spot with tourists.After getting him ashore, Damjan's pals radioed for an ambulance. The diver is now in hospital in Split where doctors are treating the wounds to his leg.

The attack is one of a growing number of incidents in European and British waters involving Great Whites, which normally prefer warmer waters off Australia and South Africa.

Saving the Great White shark

2008-10-11T20:02:00.001-05:00

South Africa is the first country to give protection to one of the ocean's ferocious predators, the great white shark. The country is also leading a conservation research to ensure its survival.The Save our Seas Shark Center in Kalk Bay is conducting in-depth research into this mysterious, threatened creature.

Alison Kock, the project’s team leader says: “In some parts of the world, great white shark populations have decreased by up to 80%. South Africa is in such a valuable position to conserve the great white shark populations.”The great white is more accessible in South Africa than anywhere else on earth, and can be studied year-round.

Seventy-eight sharks have already been tagged, and are closely monitored.The research will provide important clues on how best to protect them. Researchers also hope to shatter the vicious myths surrounding them, and get the public involved in saving these invaluable oceanic giants.

Jaws based shark hunter dies at 82 years old

2008-09-21T16:16:00.000-05:00

The legendary shark fisherman who is said to have been the inspiration behind the character Captain Quint in ‘Jaws,’ has died. Frank Mundus died Wednesday at The Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu after suffering his second heart attack in four days. He was 82.

Mundus had a history of heart problems. He had his first heart attack in 1998 and later underwent quadruple bypass surgery.

He was known as ‘Monster Man’ because he caught large sharks, including a 4,500 pound Great White shark, in his famed boat, the Cricket II. “I had a lot of close calls. Probably too many close calls,” he once said.

Mundus began hunting sharks in 1951and began promoting shark conservation in the 1960s. He retired in 1991.

He is survived by his wife Jeanette Mundus, 46.

Luring Great White sharks with...sausages?

2008-09-13T23:39:00.000-05:00

WHY is it whenever someone catches a shark there's always a variety of car parts - from old tyres to numberplates - inside?

I can't imagine a great white lining up at an RTA cafeteria asking for a meal of personalised plates. Yet it's a phenomenon that's intrigued me since I saw that scene from the movie Jaws.

I figured a mix of me wrapped in sausages sitting in a Mini Moke would offer even the most fussy great white a good feed - crunchy on the outside and chewy in the middle.

And although, as I was lowered into the Great Southern Ocean I was suddenly struck with the realisation this was probably the most stupid thing I'd ever done, it's one of those car stories that we needed to explore. Welcome to Top Gear Australia. If you're not familiar with the BBC motoring series Top Gear then you've probably been living west of Gulargambone in a plywood caravan. Top Gear UK has clocked more than half a billion viewers worldwide.

And now, for the first time, there is an overseas franchise, Top Gear Australia, which starts screening on SBS later this month.

Together with former Sydney boy, racing driver and BBC motorsport commentator Charlie Cox and driver trainer Steve Pizzati, I'm lucky enough to be one of Top Gear Australia's hosts - a dream from which I'm terrified I'll wake up. The three of us and a sizeable camera crew have spent the past few months driving an incredible array of cars in some of Australia's most far-flung locations.
From Kununurra in the Kimberley to the west coast of Tasmania, Charlie, Steve and I have had enormous fun finding out what various cars will - and won't - do.

Driving cars is only part of what is Top Gear. The program has been described as a show about "the failings of men". That's why women enjoy it. It confirms their suspicions blokes behave like dills when left alone.

Making an Australian version of one of the world's most successful television programs has required careful thought. But there are a few things rusted-on fans of Top Gear might like to know. They can sleep at night because Top Gear Australia is not replacing the UK version.

We'll be attempting some hare-brained challenges that you just can't do in the UK or in Europe - I should know because I spent a day sitting underwater in a Mini Moke wearing bandoliers of sausages.

Young Great White shark from Monterey Bay Aquarium has been released into the wilderness

2008-09-13T22:08:00.000-05:00

A young great white shark that was exhibited at the Monterey Bay Aquarium for 11 days was released into the wild this afternoon, aquarium officials announced.

The shark was brought to the Monterey Bay Aquarium on Aug. 27 and because she ate only once while living in the million-gallon Outer Bay exhibit, the animal care staff decided she should be returned to the ocean, according to aquarium officials.

"These decisions are always governed by our concern for the health and well-being of these animals under our care," Jon Hoech, director of husbandry for the aquarium, said in a statement.
"On Saturday, it became clear it was time to release her," Hoech said.

When the shark was collected from the Santa Monica Bay on Aug. 16 by an aquarium team, she was 4.5 feet long and weighed 55.5 pounds.

She was released at about 1:30 p.m. today into offshore waters in the Santa Barbara Channel.
Monterey Bay Aquarium has housed three other great white sharks, each for a period of four to six months before they were returned to the ocean.

Each shark, including the one released today, was tagged with a tracking device that documents the sharks' movements in the wild, according to aquarium officials.

The tag records information on where the sharks travel, the depths the sharks dive to and the water temperatures the sharks favor for the first 148 days upon their release.

(© 2007 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. In the interest of timeliness, this story is fed directly from the Associated Press newswire and may contain occasional typographical errors. )

Tagging Great White sharks

2008-09-13T21:49:00.000-05:00

Record year for white shark tagging

Another tagged New Zealand great white shark has migrated to the Great Barrier Reef off Australia – 1 of nine sharks to be satellite tagged this year.

The 3.5 metre shark, nicknamed ‘Thomas,’ was tagged with a popup archival satellite tag. The tag records information on light levels (from which approximate daily latitude and longitude can be estimated) as well as water depth and temperature so that the shark’s movements can be tracked.
After a predetermined time (six months for this shark) the tag pops off the shark, floats to the surface and transmits the data to a satellite that emails the information back.

‘Thomas’ was tagged by Department of Conservation (DOC) scientist, Clinton Duffy, off Ruapuke Island in Foveaux Strait, in February. The satellite tag popped up at Swain Reefs, off Rockhampton, late in August.

"This is only 100 kilometres from where another tag popped up last year from a shark tagged at Stewart Island after having travelled over 3000 kilometres," says Mr Duffy.

The shark tagging project, which began in 2005, is an international collaborative programme being run by the National Institute for Water & Atmospheric Research (NIWA), DOC, and Dr Ramon Bonfil from Shark Tracker/NABU (Germany).

NIWA fisheries scientist Dr Malcolm Francis says this has been a bumper year for white shark tagging.

“Until this year we’ve only been able to tag six white sharks in three seasons of field work. This year has greatly added to our tally with three more being tagged at Stewart Island and six more at Chatham Islands. Two tags have failed but we still have six more tagged sharks in the water which are due to report back between October and January, offering us an amazing insight into the secret lives of these apex predators.”

Once all the data has been transmitted from the latest shark, the project team will be able to determine the route the shark took, how deep it dived, and the water temperatures it experienced.
“Previous tagged white sharks have dived as deep as 1000 metres and encountered temperatures ranging from 3 degrees in deep water to 24 degrees in shallow tropical waters. This huge range in temperature is very unusual among fishes,” Dr Francis says.

Other tags have popped up in New Caledonia, Vanuatu, and half-way to Tonga.

“Previously we thought great whites were cold water, coastal sharks but we now know that many make trans-oceanic migrations to tropical waters. The reason for their winter tropical holiday is still unknown but we think they may be searching for newborn humpback whale calves, because all tags have surfaced in or near known humpback calving sites.”

Missing swimmer may have encountered a Great White shark

2008-09-06T21:40:00.000-05:00

A Great White shark was spotted today about an eighth-of-a mile from where Big Island firefighters found tattered board shots belonging to a missing 27-year-old swimmer.

The white shorts appeared to have teeth marks in them, said Battalion Chief Darren Rosario.
"The shorts were torn with strong evidence that a shark had hit it," Rosario said. "They had teeth patterns like a shark bite."

But it remains a mystery whether the bites were related to the swimmer's disappearance, Rosario said.

"Nobody will ever know that," said Chadwick Chun Fat, a Big Island fire rescue specialist who saw the great white shark from a helicopter and later dived into the ocean and found parts of the tattered shorts and pieces of underwear belonging to the missing swimmer.

The shark was spotted today swimming parallel to McKenzie State Park where the swimmer was swept away from the steep and rocky shoreline last night during a night of drinking and partying.
"It was very big," Chun Fat said.

He compared the shark to the size of a 25-foot boat, with a blunt snout and large tail, pectoral and dorsal fins.

"We thought maybe it was a big Tiger shark at first but then we flew at it with the sun at our back and said, 'That's no tiger shark,'" Chun Fat said. "It had no stripes, just dark gray. It looked like a big, stubby submarine."

Chun Fat is both a commercial fisherman and avid diver and said, "We see a lot of sharks out here — Galapagos, Tigers — but that's the first time I've seen a great white in person."

The shark's dorsal fin stuck about a foot out of the ocean and its tail fin also broke the surface of the water until the helicopter flew close by.

Even then, the shark dipped just below the surface of the ocean, Chun Fat said.

The missing man had been drinking at McKenzie State Park Saturday night when he jumped into the ocean just before dark and got into trouble.

Friends threw him makeshift flotation and tried to string ropes together, but they could not reach him, Chun Fat said.

The rocky shoreline features 30-foot cliffs and a strong ocean surge, Chun Fat said.

Fire officials today showed the tattered shorts to the man's family and the search for his body was suspended, Rosario said.

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Two unexpected Great White sharks participate to scientific study!

New protective laws for the Great White shark

Face to face with a Great White shark!

Discovery of the fossil of the ancestry of a Great White shark

Can E-tagging sharks could help prevent shark attacks?

Teenager victim of a shark attack is doing well, after surgery

Teenager victim of a shark attack

Electronic shark deterrent may become compulsory for police divers

Great White sharks chased by life savers

Shark spotter: Great White sharks are not monsters!

Great White shark attacked surfer!

Great White sharks adopt Gulf of Mexico as winter getaway!

Shark attacks in Australia, one ended in tragedy!

Huge shark is back in Taranaki waters!

Great White sharks encounters in California

Beach reopens following sightings of sharks, including a Great White shark!

Traveller will tell all about trip and experiences, even with Great White sharks

Huge Great White shark sighted near popular beach

Tagging is imminent for Great White sharks in the Far North

Surfing school owner neglects to tell students about the shark!

What can you do if a shark attacks you?

Teenager fought 5 meters Great White shark

Survivor of shark attack tells all!

Public dissection of Great White shark was quite educational

Robo-shark vs. Great White shark, what are facts or fiction?

Great White shark to be dissected publicly is a...

Beach reopens following fatal shark attack!

Couple encountered Great White shark believed responsible for snorkeller's death!

Was it a Great White shark attack?