Shark Finning – How Municipal Laws in Canada are Saving Sharks & Setting an International Example

Mbour (Senegal) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

By Ryan Venables

Introduction

Arguably, for the first time since the dinosaurs disappeared, humans are driving animals and plants to extinction faster than new species can evolve, one of the world’s experts on biodiversity has warned. Additionally, conservation experts have already signaled that the world is in the grip of the ‘sixth great extinction’ of species, driven by the destruction of natural habitats, hunting, the spread of alien predators and disease, and climate change.

As time passes and we continue to march into the future, it is easy to see that unless more is done to protect vulnerable species, the list of near threatened, endangered, critically endangered, extinct in the wild, and extinct species will continue to grow. Considering Earth’s oceans span approximately 361,419,000 square kilometers or just under 71% of the global surface, I would suggest particular importance should to be given to ensure this resource is protected for the benefit of all who utilize its resources I would further suggest, at the top of the list for protection are the various species of sharks.

Globally, sharks have been under attack for approximately the last 20 years for the value of their fins. Estimates reveal that between 70 and 100 million sharks are killed annually for their fins, which can be valued at up to $300 USD per pound. However, despite the systematic targeting of sharks for their fins, all is not lost. Awareness is being raised, and a global cause to save the sharks, and to protect their fins is growing.

As a result, the focus of this paper will examine many new municipal laws that have recently been enacted which are not only protecting the sharks, but also leading to an outright ban on shark fin products. I would suggest these municipalities are leading a global crusade and are setting an international example on the importance of sharks, and how Earth’s oceans are dependent on sharks as apex predators. I would further suggest Canadian federal laws follow suit and adopt laws which not only outlaw the finning of sharks, but place a wholesale ban on the importation on shark fins. For the purposes of this paper, I will focus on the following issues surrounding shark finning.

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Kathy Dowsett

www.kirkscubagear.com

Shark Diving Tips

Image by guitarfish via Flickr

How to Scuba Dive with Sharks

Chances are that you've been scuba diving with sharks all along. The truth is you’ll be lucky if you get to see a shark underwater. They are a rare privilege to observe. In fact, did you know that you’re statistically more likely to be struck by lightning than bit by a shark?

If it turns out you’re lucky enough to have a close encounter of the sharky kind, here are a few tips to make the experience more pleasurable for both you and the shark:

Go with experts. Dive operators in many areas offer organized shark dives and, while a guided experience can’t guarantee absolute safety, much shark behavior is predictable if you know what to look for. Go with those who know the locals if you want an introduction.

Be prepared. Whether on a guided shark dive or just looking for a chance encounter, you should learn what type of sharks might be in the area and find out how they’re likely to behave.

Dive with a group in the daytime. Scuba divers on their own and in low visibility are more at risk in waters where sharks are likely to be.

Enter the water quietly and descend quickly. Sharks' favorite foods tend to congregate on the surface and in midwater – think seals, sea lions and dead or injured fish. Don’t dilly-dally once you’re in the water and head to the bottom with minimal movement.

It may go without saying, but you don't want to spearfish in the company of sharks. If a shark approaches you when you’re carrying your catch, let it go and stay very still until you can swim slowly away.

Notice the behavior of your underwater neighbors. Fish often swim erratically when sharks are near.

Sharks often swim just beyond steep inclines, so look out into big water as you descend to catch a glimpse. Often the first divers into the water are the only ones who get to see a shark as it swims away from the unwelcome intrusion of a dive boat and the scuba divers it unloads.

Many shark species are timid. If you’re trying to get a glimpse, keep your hands still and by your side at all times.

Don’t look like a fishing lure. Avoid wearing shiny sparkly jewelry underwater because this can catch the attention of a variety of curious fish, sharks included.
While rubber-clad scuba divers with bubbles coming out of their heads are not the shark’s usual choice of cuisine, even accidental contact with one can cause injury. Should you sustain any sort of underwater injury, immediately end your scuba dive, exit the water as quickly as possible and seek medical attention, no matter how seemingly small the injury may be.
Stay alert and limit multitasking so you can focus entirely on your surroundings.

Plan your dive and dive your plan - paying attention to currents, depth and air consumption. Don’t dive too deep or come up too fast – in other words, use safe diving practices at all times. Then, if you’re lucky enough to see a shark, you can enjoy the moment free from worry.

Thanks to Padi

Kathy Dowsett

www.kirkscubagear.com

3 Very Cool Things About Sharks

Oh, the shark. Most people are terrified of them, yet have never seen them but in pictures. They are mutilated for their fins, the eating of which is a symbol of affluence, yet little respect is paid to the shark’s amazing legacy. Sadly, the decimation of many species has been so extreme, that the shark may one day join the ranks of many extinct creatures, whom we can only imagine today.

It’s time some of the sharks’ finer points were brought to light.

Hammerhead shark

Sharks have been here quite awhile.

Scientific evidence through study of fossils indicates that the shark has been inhabiting Earth’s oceans for a period of 400 million years. Fossil evidence shows dinosaurs only started showing up about 230 million years ago, making the shark one of the planet’s oldest inhabitants. Although sharks have evolved from their early inception, for the last 100 million years or so they have remained largely unchanged. Many species have become extinct within this time, but the shark on the whole has survived through millennia, as a testament to their adaptive capabilities and tenacity. Are humans to be responsible for the ultimate demise of their species?


Leopard shark

Sharks are highly intelligent.

Many people think the shark is an instinct-driven predator, and that its only motivation is blood. However, research has shown that sharks are indeed intelligent animals, displaying cognitive behaviors related to problem solving, social activity, and curiosity. They have been observed working as members of a team to fulfill a task. Some scientists think that the intelligence level is comparable to that of a canine. There are many anecdotal reports that the great white can display nipping and nose bumping as a means of trying to figure out what a diver or a vessel is, but when their curiosity is satisfied that it is not a food source or threat, it swims away. Sharks are sensitive to electromagnetic currents, and will steer clear of bait, humans, or areas that exhibit such properties, regardless of whether it is a regular feeding ground or source of food.

Sharks are vital to the world’s ecosystems.

People are often given misinformation as to the danger a shark presents to human life. While attacks have happened, it is statistically more likely for a person to get hit by a car or fatally stung by a bee than it is to be attacked by a shark.

Whale Shark

Humans are not a tasty dish to the shark; they prefer the blubber of sea lions and other ocean creatures. The danger that is less reported is what will happen to the planet’s ecosystems if sharks are removed from the food chain. For example, sharks fill a very important role in keeping numbers of herbivorous fish at bay. If herbivorous populations were allowed to increase ad infinitum, the very phytoplankton that is the source of half of the world’s oxygen would face overconsumption by herbivorous creatures. Sharks are akin to lions and tigers in the food chain — their place at the top allows for a filtering effect that affects every living thing. Because there is no precedent set for the consequences of their extinction, many turn a blind eye to theories regarding this very real situation.

This information is given with the intent to make people think beyond the present time, if only for a minute. Every creature has a role on this planet, and the shark is one of the most important. Instead of acting out of fear or ignorance, we should strive to become educated on the whole issue and make choices based on that information.

As it’s been said in a variety of ways over history: knowledge is power.

Thanks to Leisure Pro and Aqua Pro News

Kathy Dowsett

www.kirkscubagear.com

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Stunning video footage used in fight to save Bahama's sharks

Image via Wikipedia

Regardless of how people feel about sharks, or underwater feeding operations that lure sharks in for the benefit of scuba-diving tourists, they're bound to appreciate the spectacular footage in the accompanying video, produced by Joe Romeiro.

It features renowned dive master Cristina Zenato at the center of a feeding session at Grand Bahama Island, and builds to a climax moment when Zenato takes a large shark into her lap and rubs its snout until it becomes so mesmerized that she's able to stand the predator by its snout on the palm of her hand (beginning at the 2:00 mark).

The video, posted Friday on YouTube, (22nd April/11) portrays Caribbean reef sharks as beautiful, graceful creatures that comprise a valued centerpiece attraction of island eco-tourism operations. Romeiro produced the video after learning these same sharks might soon fall victim to large-scale slaughter.
The Bahama Tribune reported recently that there are no laws to protect sharks from finning operations, and that at least one seafood company is considering expanding its cucumber export business on Andros Island to include the export of shark fins to Hong Kong.

"All those sharks could be killed," Romeiro complained.

Shark finning is carried out globally to satisfy demand, mostly in China, for shark-fin soup. Finning operations kill up to 100 million sharks per year, by some estimates, and imperil several shark species.

The waters around the Bahamas contain a robust population of Caribbean reef sharks, which have not yet been targeted. While expanded fishing operations might increase local employment they'd provide only a short-term economic boost, opponents of finning say, lasting only until the sharks were fished out.

Larry Cartwright, the Bahamas' minister of agriculture and marine resources, agreed that sharks ought to be protected but acknowledged that there is no official government position against finning, and that there are no legislative safeguards in place.

"I wouldn't say shark finning is not going to happen here because what's happening elsewhere I am sure will come this way eventually," Cartwright told the Tribune. "And when the time comes we will look into legislation."

Meanwhile, the Bahamas National Trust, in partnership with the Pew Environmental Group, has launched a campaign to create legislation that would ban finning, and nearly a dozen environmental groups, including the Nature Conservancy, have begun lobbying on behalf of the sharks.

With his video, entitled "Nina Salerosa," Romeiro has taken an artistic approach to the campaign. Since Friday (22nd April/11) it has been viewed by more than 15,000 people.






Thanks to Outdoors, action and adventure

Kathy Dowsett

www.kirkscubagear.com

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Shark Attack in Mexico My Story of Survival

My Story by Nicole Moore

Okay….I know everyone wants to know the real story since the media has made a debacle of the entire incident, AKA Nicole Ross. After waking up and hearing about the media reports, I now understand why so many people were freaking out after reading the media’s account of how the story unfolded. So here is the general scoop straight from “shark bait’s” mouth…

I was away in Cancun with a group of friends. On January 31st, I had just finished playing a game of beach volleyball when I went into the water to rinse off. A couple of Sea-Doers off in the distance were yelling at me in Spanish and waving me to shore. I was only waist high in the water so I couldn’t understand how I could be in their way or why they were so mad but turned to head into shore anyway. That is when I felt a bump and the sharks teeth sinking into my left leg. As my blood started to turn the water around me red, I knew what had happened the minute it happened. Everyone asks how I felt at that moment and the answer is scared sh*#less but what I thought was that sharks like blood and that I had to get out of the water so I continued heading to shore. Before I knew it, a shark, (same or a different one I don’t know) bit down on my left arm and it wouldn’t let me go. The shark was pulling me so with my right hand I grabbed it’s nose and pulled my left hand out. The Sea-Doers were close by but unable to grab hold of me, I just kept thinking of my children, and just kept inching towards shore. Eventually one of the Sea-Doers was able to grab my right hand and pulled me up onto the shore. People were buzzing around me, speaking only Spanish but unfortunately I don’t speak Spanish so I laid on the beach feeling completely helpless aware of injuries and the severity of them. Fortunately, two young nurses identified themselves asking me my name and telling me that they can help. I told them my name and that my leg needed a tourniquet. Selflessly a man applied pressure to my leg while someone else was able to place a tourniquet. I then told the nurse that my arm was bleeding badly and needed a tourniquet too. I believe that swimsuit strings were used to control the bleeding and that this was the single greatest contributor to me reaching the hospital alive. I lost a tremendous amount of blood and because so many people offered help to me, I am here to tell my story and grateful to so many people that I will never even know. Even though I was attacked by I shark I consider myself to be extremely lucky.

Follow Nicoles' Blog and keep abreast of her recovery

Kathy Dowsett

www.kirkscubagear.com

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Great white shark proposed for protection

Image via Wikipedia

The federal government may add the great white shark, an ocean predator made famous by the 1975 movie Jaws, to the Species at Risk Act.

Great whites swim closer to the shores of Atlantic Canada than most people realize, but they've been on decline for more than 30 years. Their appearance in Jaws raised the sharks' profile but also opened them to greater risk at the hands of humans.

"The movie had the effect of, first of all, making everybody afraid of sharks, of course — and great whites in particular," said Steven Campana, from the Bedford Institute of Oceanography in Dartmouth, N.S. "There was also a move on the part of some recreational fishermen to go out there and catch a shark, a great white, to show their manliness."

Campana is a senior scientist at the Bedford Institute and also heads the Canadian Shark Research Laboratory there.

While there are no accurate numbers for the great white population, scientists agree their numbers are declining.

'They are out there.'— Mike Henneberry, fisher

It's already illegal to kill a great white in Canada, but now the federal government is hoping to give the species greater protection.

"It's really a matter of supporting other international efforts to reduce catches of great whites and somehow limit their by-catch in other fisheries," Campana explained.

Scientists say about 32 great white sharks have been captured in waters off Atlantic Canada in the past 30 years. In most cases, fishermen hauled the sharks up accidentally.
Mike Henneberry and his crew once hauled in a great white while fishing tuna. Mike Henneberry and his crew once hauled in a great white while fishing tuna. (CBC)

Marty Henneberry of Sambro, N.S., said he and his crew hauled in a huge great white while fishing tuna aboard an American ship.

"It took us like an hour-and-a-half to get it up, to visualize, to see what it was," Henneberry told CBC News.

"As it came up, we seen the tail come out of water. We knew it was a shark but wasn't sure what kind, right? I never ever seen a great white myself."

Henneberry explained they put the shark on a winch, but it because it weighted an estimated 3,000 pounds (1,360 kilograms), it was too heavy to hoist aboard.

"It stalled our winch. We got it up to see the head, and it had the triangle teeth, and that's how we identified it," Henneberry said. "They are out there."

Experts say there is no need to panic, however.

Campana said there are about 300 million sharks swimming around the Atlantic Canadian region, but they're far less interested in people than people are in them.


thanks to the CBC for this posting!!!

Kathy Dowsett

www.kirkscubagear.com

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What happens in a shark attack?

Image via Wikipedia

We've all seen Jaws, but believe it or not most shark attacks don't end up with swimmers being dragged around in circles so that they look like they're being sucked down a plughole.

In fact there are three main types of unprovoked shark attack, and the experience and chances of survival vary dramatically depending on the behavior and intentions of the shark.

Here is a breakdown of what each one consists of.

Hit-and-run attacks

More often than not sharks will "attack" humans out of curiosity having mistaken them for a seal or other more common form of prey.

These attacks occur in shallow waters and surfing spots. The shark will usually give the swimmer or surfer a single bite before retreating and will often not return, having realized the human is bigger than, or different to, its normal prey.

Sneak attacks

As the name indicates, this attack happens without warning. Unlike hit-and-run attacks, sneak attacks are thought to be the result of feeding or aggression rather than mistaken identity.

The attacks usually happen in deeper waters and will usually involve a number of bites or injuries, often proving fatal.

Bump-and-bite attacks

Similar to sneak attacks, these usually take place in open sea and will tend to involve multiple bites because the shark's intention is to attack the victim, rather than simply investigate.

The difference is in the shark's behavior. Rather than pouncing unexpectedly, the shark will repeatedly circle the victim and bump into them in a sign of aggression before actually attacking them.

Thanks to ::: Florida Museum of Natural History and Nick Collins of the Telegraph

Kathy Dowsett

www.kirkscubagear.com

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