‘Historic’ day for shark protection Three types of critically endangered but commercially valuable shark have been given added protection at the Cites meeting in Bangkok. The body, which regulates trade in flora and fauna, voted by a two-thirds majority to upgrade the sharks’ status. Campaigners hailed the move as historic and said the vote represented a major breakthrough for marine conservation. The decisions can still be overturned by a vote on the final day of this meeting later this week… Read the full BBC article here
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‘Historic’ day for shark protection

Three types of critically endangered but commercially valuable shark have been given added protection at the Cites meeting in Bangkok.

The body, which regulates trade in flora and fauna, voted by a two-thirds majority to upgrade the sharks’ status.

Campaigners hailed the move as historic and said the vote represented a major breakthrough for marine conservation.

The decisions can still be overturned by a vote on the final day of this meeting later this week…

Read the full BBC article here

I was recently contacted by a young woman pursuing a volunteer program to work with White Sharks in South Africa. Anna has 64 days left (as of 13 Mar. 2013) to reach her fundraising goal. I believe it’s important to get out there and get your hands dirty when deciding on a career. To donate, visit http://www.youcaring.com/other/Help-Me-Help-Great-Whites-South-African-Conservation-Project/40811 Learn about the programs at AVIVA and http://www.marinevolunteers.com/ Photo Credit: Sean McCabe
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I was recently contacted by a young woman pursuing a volunteer program to work with White Sharks in South Africa. Anna has 64 days left (as of 13 Mar. 2013) to reach her fundraising goal.

I believe it’s important to get out there and get your hands dirty when deciding on a career.

To donate, visit http://www.youcaring.com/other/Help-Me-Help-Great-Whites-South-African-Conservation-Project/40811

Learn about the programs at AVIVA and http://www.marinevolunteers.com/

Photo Credit: Sean McCabe

Migratory Behavior of Oceanic Whitetip Sharks Revealed “As the nations of the world prepare to vote on measures to restrict international trade in endangered sharks in early March, a team of researchers has found that one of these species — the oceanic whitetip shark — regularly crosses international boundaries. Efforts by individual nations to protect this declining apex predator within their own maritime borders may therefore need to be nested within broader international conservation measures. The research team, which included researchers from Microwave Telemetry, Inc., the Cape Eleuthera Institute, and the Institute for Ocean Conservation Science at Stony Brook University, attached pop-up satellite archival tags to one male and 10 female mature oceanic whitetip sharks off Cat Island in The Bahamas in May 2011, and monitored the sharks for varying intervals up to 245 days. The tags recorded depth, temperature, and location for pre-programmed periods of time. At the end of the time period, the tags self-detached from the sharks, and reported the data to orbiting satellites. Their findings, published online February 20 in the journal PLOS ONE, show that some of these sharks roamed nearly 2,000 kilometers from the spot where they were caught, but all individuals returned to The Bahamas within a few months…” See Full Article on Science Daily… Image Source: gingercino.tumblr.com
Zoom

Migratory Behavior of Oceanic Whitetip Sharks Revealed

“As the nations of the world prepare to vote on measures to restrict international trade in endangered sharks in early March, a team of researchers has found that one of these species — the oceanic whitetip shark — regularly crosses international boundaries. Efforts by individual nations to protect this declining apex predator within their own maritime borders may therefore need to be nested within broader international conservation measures.

The research team, which included researchers from Microwave Telemetry, Inc., the Cape Eleuthera Institute, and the Institute for Ocean Conservation Science at Stony Brook University, attached pop-up satellite archival tags to one male and 10 female mature oceanic whitetip sharks off Cat Island in The Bahamas in May 2011, and monitored the sharks for varying intervals up to 245 days. The tags recorded depth, temperature, and location for pre-programmed periods of time. At the end of the time period, the tags self-detached from the sharks, and reported the data to orbiting satellites.

Their findings, published online February 20 in the journal PLOS ONE, show that some of these sharks roamed nearly 2,000 kilometers from the spot where they were caught, but all individuals returned to The Bahamas within a few months…”

See Full Article on Science Daily…

Image Source: gingercino.tumblr.com

im-a-warriorr

im-a-warriorr asked:

Hey I have to ask, Don't sharks scare you haha? They are one of my fears! Don't get me wrong I love them as an animal and I don't agree of hurting them I think its really wrong but yeah I'm just curious really.

Hey Gorgeousgypsy,

Do sharks scare me? Sometimes. But for me, it’s not so much a fear as a respect for the shark as a predator. Have I gotten in the water with them? Absolutely!

I am fascinated by animal behavior and I really connect with sharks. That’s why I began to study their behavior, migration & development. It’s because I understand their behavior that I feel comfortable around them.

That said, I was a HUGE baby snorkeling with a group of black tips last year. Being one on one is much easier for me than being surrounded. I put on some scuba gear, hung out deeper in the water column and watched their swimming patterns. Then I felt fine when I went back to the surface.

I’ve swam with white sharks, but I would never jump in the water with several of them after chumming. Their brains are highly sensory oriented and I don’t feel the need to tempt confusion when their minds are focused on hunting. A great quote by Baba Dioum: ”In the end, we will conserve only what we love, we will love only what we understand, and we will understand only what we are taught.” So here are some shark facts that may help your fear:

  • The majority of shark species are less than a meter in length and can’t do much damage.
  • Read my article: Understanding Shark Attacks: The Ocean is not a Swimming Pool
  • Many sharks hunt during dawn & dusk. It gives them the element of surprise. It’s also a great time for mistaken identity. If you live in an area with large sharks, stay out of the water at these times.
  • Behavior is species dependent. Some sharks are more aggressive, others more docile. Swimming with leopard sharks, T. semifaciata, are a big tourist attraction in La Jolla, Ca (San Diego): http://goo.gl/5CfkV
  • On average, there are only 5-7 worldwide fatalities due to sharks attacks each year.

P.S. Loved your comment about not wanting to hurting sharks! Here’s a great video TIMES shot in Hawai’i that talks about why shark culling doesn’t work: Are Shark Attacks on the Rise?

Swimming with Great White Sharks to raise awareness to sharks plight

“While swimming with sharks is certainly a thrilling experience, my attraction to purposely come face to face with sharks such as Great Whites, Tigers and others is for a different reason – advocating shark conservation.”

To read more about Ocean Ramsey’s experience and discover ways to help shark conservation, visit waterinspired.com

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