Ocean Sentry
At least 1.3 million sharks, many listed as endangered, were harvested from the Atlantic in 2008 by industrial-scale fisheries unhampered by catch or size limits, according to a tally released Monday. The actual figure may be several fold higher due to under-reporting, said the study, released by advocacy group Oceana …
November, 2010
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18 November
Massive shark sanctuary declared in the Coral Triangle
A shark sanctuary has been declared around the Raja Ampat islands in Indonesia. Larger than Denmark, the new sanctuary covers 17,760 square miles (46,000 square kilometers) of one of the world”s richest marine biodiverse region, the Coral Triangle. Protections not only cover sharks, but dugongs, marine turtles, mobulas, and manta …
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5 November
Third of Sharks, Rays Threatened with Extinction
One third of the sharks, rays and skates on Earth are threatened with extinction, according to a new study by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The dramatic numbers are part of a larger, comprehensive IUCN study of the state of the planet”s vertebrate populations….
September, 2010
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25 September
Is Gulf oil killing the whale sharks?
During the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico ,4.9 million barrels of oil flowed into an area south of the Mississippi River Delta, where of one-third of all northern Gulf of Mexico, whale sharks have been sighted. Whale sharks are 45-foot-long fish which are considered a protected species …
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23 September
Leave sharks in peace, nations plead
Tiny Palau and Honduras on Wednesday declared that their ocean waters are shark-infested — and they want the rest of the world to jump right in. The presidents of the two tiny countries met in New York to sign a declaration urging other coastal nations to join them in declaring …
August, 2010
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3 August
Brazilian company killed sharks for fins
A conservation watchdog on Monday accused a Brazilian company of illegally fishing 280 000 sharks which were killed to feed Asia”s appetite for shark fin. The Environmental Justice Institute (EJI), a Brazilian group, lodged a suit against seafood exporter Sigel do Brasil Comercio…
July, 2010
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16 July
Dead in their hundreds on the dock
Their bodies rotting on the floor of a Japanese dock, these sharks have been killed for one thing: their fins. Like the slaves who walked the rows of cotton in America”s Southern plantations 200 years ago, Japanese workers move silently between the bodies hacking off the fins and catching them …
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12 July
Shark poachers prowl Egyptian waters
Yemeni shark poachers are operating in Egyptian waters and have been involved in at least one confrontation with the Egyptian navy, environment ministry officials say. Shark fishing is prohibited in Egypt’s Red Sea territorial waters under national legislation passed in 2005 that aims at ending the cruel and wasteful practice …
May, 2010
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29 May
Hawaii bans shark fins in move hailed by conservation groups
Shark conservation groups are celebrating a small but important triumph after Hawaii on Friday became the first state in the nation to ban the sale, possession and distribution of shark fins. Gov. Linda Lingle signed into law a bill that will halt the import of shark fins, which are valued …
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1 May
Pregnant hammerhead shark found dead at Delray Beach
35 pups the shark was carrying couldn’t be saved The massive bloody carcass of a pregnant great hammerhead carried 35 dead pups in her belly when she washed ashore on Delray Beach. They can serve as a reminder: Man is the greatest predator. The shark, considered endangered by advocates, had …
April, 2010
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21 April
Brazil seizes one ton of shark fins headed for Japan
Brazilian prosecutors on Tuesday seized a ton of shark fins destined for the Japanese market, the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA) said…
March, 2010
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26 March
Porbeagle shark dealt setback at UN meeting
A U.N. wildlife meeting has rejected efforts to regulate the trade in overfished porbeagle sharks, reversing an earlier ruling at the conference and leaving none of the proposed shark species with protection. The conference initially approved protection of the porbeagle earlier in the week at the 175-nation Convention on International …