Sharks

March, 2009

• 10 March

  Anglers banned from catching big whaler sharks

  

  The new laws prohibit recreational fishers from taking whaler sharks with an interdorsal fin length exceeding 70cm, in the State’s West Coast and South Coast bioregions. The West Coast Bioregion extends from the Zuytdorp Cliffs, north of Kalbarri, to Black Point, east of Augusta, while the South Coast Bioregion stretches …
• 3 March

  Slaughtered sharks are gory sight, but Fisheries says it’s not illegal

  

  Members of the Caye Caulker tourism industry are up in arms tonight following the documentation of a shark slaughtering near the village over the weekend. According to twenty-five-year-old Caye Caulker tour guide James Rosado, on Saturday, February 28, he and his girlfriend were fishing when they came upon the gory …
• 2 March

  Ministry bans reef shark fishing

  

  The ministry of fisheries and agriculture has extended the moratorium on reef shark fishing to cover the whole of the Maldives, as part of a move towards a total ban on both reef and oceanic shark hunting. On the assumption that many tourists visited the Maldives to see sharks, a …
• 2 March

  Young whale shark trapped in Tainan Canal

  

  A young whale shark became trapped in the Tainan Canal in the southern city of Tainan Monday, in what was the first such occurrence in the canal”s 90-year history. Members of the city”s Fire Department and wildlife conservationists rushed to the scene to observe the whale shark, which is about …

February, 2009

• 25 February

  Rampant shark poaching on

  

  Indiscriminate shark catching continues in the coastal areas to the south of Patuakhali and Barguna districts defying ban and threat to ecology in the Bay. With more and more fishermen and traders getting involved in the “lucrative business”, some 250 trawlers with around 2,000 fishermen are now engaged in netting …
• 24 February

  Ban shark finning activities

  

  The Semporna Tourism Action Council (STAC) has proposed that a ban be placed on shark fishing and finning activities in Sabah to protect the State”s diving industry. Responding to reports that divers are threatening to boycott the State if such activities continue, the council which was initiated in October 2007 …
• 16 February

  Divers threaten to boycott Sabah over shark finning

  

  Sipadan conjures up an image of a serene, protected underwater world — one of the world”s top dive spots. But just a half-hour boat ride away off Pulau Mabul, the blood of magnificent sharks, crudely finned and gutted by the boatload stains the sea red. Shark finning has been going …
• 5 February

  EU fishery chief promises to save threatened sharks

  

  Europe”s fisheries chief pledged on Thursday to tighten hunting controls for sharks, under threat from chronic overfishing and the practice of slicing high-value fins off one of the world”s most vulnerable predators. Scientists say around a third of the shark species found in European waters are now under threat because …

January, 2009

• 29 January

  Borg wants better protection of the EU’s endangered sharks

  

  The European Commission will next week attempt to come to the aid of endangered sharks. Joe Borg, the European commissioner for fisheries and maritime affairs will propose safeguards to protect sharks from over-fishing, demanding better reporting of how many sharks are caught and a more stringent approach to limiting catch-sizes.
• 29 January

  Chinese New Year celebrants targeted in shark-fin campaign

  

  Chinese New Year celebrations are underway and that means a feast for Asian families gathering to mark the Year of the Ox, although it”s the shark that environmentalists are worried about. Humane Society International is targeting Chinese restaurants and diners in major cities across North America this week with its …
• 25 January

  Maldives moves to protect whale sharks

  

  The Maldives has taken the first steps towards establishing a protected area for whale sharks. The government-backed initiative is being supported by biologists, diving professionals and representatives of the local community.For years, the Maldives has been renowned for its whale shark encounters, which, while not as seasonal as those of …
• 24 January

  Protect The Sharks, “Gimme a Hug”

  

  Sharks are one of the most important top-predators in our oceans and there is still a lot we don’t understand, or even know, about this fascinating animal. This short documentary shows one of the most mysterious phenomena in the animal world; amazing animals, showing a totally different behaviour then most …