Sharks

August, 2008

• 21 August

  Opponents hoping to sink Saco’s Shark Tournament

  

  (From pressherald.mainetoday.com) Gulf of Maine, United States- Fishermen in as many as 45 boats will ply the waters off Saco this weekend in hopes of reeling in a big shark. Back on shore, the surrounding community has found itself dragged into a national battle over the treatment of the ocean”s …
• 20 August

  Saving Whale Sharks Off Kenya’s Coast

  

  (From fsrn.org) Kenia – The whale shark is the biggest fish species in the ocean. Up to 18 meters long, this vegetarian is found across the world”s tropical waters, from Belize to northern Australia. Their huge dorsal fins, which make for highly prized culinary delicacies, fetch high prices on South-East …
• 14 August

  Deep-Sea Predators Threatened by Bowls of Chinese Soup

  

  (From beavertonvalleytimes.com)- This month, the eyes of the world are on Beijing and many travelers are experiencing Chinese cuisine for the first time. Among dishes of sea cucumber, scorpion and thousand-year-old egg, one high-profile Chinese delicacy is setting off alarms among environmentalists: shark fin soup. The soup, made from the …
• 13 August

  Conservationists Don’t Want Reef Shark Fishery

  

  (From abc.net.au)- Environmentalists say a shark fishery on the Great Barrier Reef would be a disaster for the species. Paul Watson from the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society says state and federal authorities must rule out the idea once and for all. “There”s a proposal in Queensland to kill sharks to …
• 11 August

  Jaws at Risk

  

  (From 2.journalnow.com)- Several factors help explain why the shark population has declined in the Mediterranean, Ferretti said. Fishing vessels are focusing on them to meet the Asian demand for shark-fin soup, he said, while simultaneously trying to compensate for the fact that they have depleted other fisheries. Another team of …
• 6 August

  Fishing Takes Toll on Shark Populations

  

  (From kpbs.org)- A new study says sharks are necessary for healthy oceans, but commercial fishing is taking a toll on their populations. Each year, tens of millions of sharks are caught only for their fins. Sharks have been swimming in the world”s oceans before dinosaurs roamed the Earth. But whether they”re …
• 6 August

  Costa Rica Proposes New Shark Finning Law

  

  (From costaricapages.com)- Finning in Costa Rica may finally become illegal. Unfortunately, the proposed Shark Finning Prohibition Law states that the whole shark must be killed and used instead of cutting off the fins and throwing the animal back in the water where it is left to agonize and die anyway. …
• 3 August

  Sharks Defy Magnetic Attraction

  (From abc.net.au)- World-first research in Cairns has found magnets are very effective in repelling sharks. Six shark species were tested and all were found to avoid areas where magnets were present. James Cook University honours student, Damian Rigg, is working on the project and he says they”ll now trial using …
• 1 August

  Few Turn up at Shark Restrictions Meeting

  

  (From stories.thefacts.com) – Federal officials are working on possible catch restrictions for the blacknose shark, which turns up regularly in Gulf Coast shrimping nets. A 2007 assessment showed blacknose sharks, which are found in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf Coast waters, have been overfished, Wilson said. Many of the blacknose …
• 1 August

  Man Accused of Selling Sharks

  

  (From glendalenewspress.com) La Crescenta,CA- A federal grand jury on Thursday indicted a 57-year-old La Crescenta man for allegedly selling hundreds of juvenile leopard sharks on the black market, officials said. Eduardo Fernandez Carvajal was indicted on 18 counts of wildlife trafficking and one count of conspiracy for collecting and helping …
• 1 August

  Shark Fillets Confiscated After Freezer Fails

  

  (From euroweeklynews.com) Spain- Tonnes of frozen fish have been removed by the Guardia Civil’s environmental wing, SEPRONA, after the freezer on a transporter lorry failed. More than 24 tonnes of filleted Iridescent Shark from Vietnam were taken away last Monday from a storage unit on the El Viso industrial estate …

July, 2008

• 31 July

  Blue Sharks Escape Being Hunted by Tasting Bad

  

  (From timesofindia.indiatimes.com) Washington – A new study on western North Atlantic blue sharks has found out that since their taste is not liked by consumers in the US and Canada, the marine animal escapes being hunted and in turn the threat of extinction. According to a report in Discovery News, …