Archive: Nov 2015

Shark and Ocean Sites: SaveOurSeas.com – Save our Seas SharkSavers.org – Shark and Manta Ray conservation Manta Ray of Hope – experts on Manta ray conservation Hawaii.edu/HIMB/SharkLab – Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology Shark Research Group Pew Environment Group Global Shark Conservation  Okeanos Foundation Pacific Voyagers  Monterey Bay Aquarium  SharkProject.org – Shark Organization in Europe…

Be informed about Products Be aware of products made from shark meat, fins, cartilage and squalene. Hundreds of thousands of sharks are being harvested each year to produce these products. Often it is a cleverly hidden ingredient. In Europe the name “dogfish” used in fish and chips hides the fact that it is actually the…

Thriller movies portray sharks as ferocious predators that aggressively attack and kill innocent swimmers. The truth is much less exciting–or dangerous. The chances of a shark attack are extremely low. Sharks are not unpredictable, deranged killers. Rather, sharks play an essential part in the ocean’s balance by removing the weak and sick from marine animal populations. Shark Attacks in Hawaii Unlike most shark species, tiger sharks, great white sharks, and bull sharks regularly hunt prey that is struggling on the surface and that is approximately the size of a human being. When seen from below, swimmers and surf-boarders look similar to seals or the fat bodies of a sea turtle.   Splashing creates irregular ripples in the water below, which entice the shark to check out an apparently injured animal. Combining the outline of a person on the surface, the splashing…

Every year, 23-70 Million sharks are killed for their fins. Shark fin soup is a delicacy sold in most Asian countries, most notably in Hong Kong and Mainland China. Last year, Hong Kong alone imported an astonishing 10.3 million kgs of shark fins in one year. Conservationists across the globe are struggling to slow down the rate of slaughter, but the high profit margin for fins make the trade of fins nearly impossible to stop. Banning the product and establishing areas of complete protection for sharks are the goal many countries are now striving for. In 2010, Hawaii was the first State in the world that banned the possession, sale and trade of shark fins. See more information on all campaigns on Shark Allies.com For shark finning info: http://www.sharkallies.com/Shark-Info OR  SharkSavers.org [/fullwidth]

The questions whether to watch sharks in the wild or inside an aquarium is easily answered: What is the difference between watching African Wildlife in a cage or during a safari out in the bush? Would you rather see a lion inside a concrete Zoo enclosure or proudly roaming the plains of Africa accompanied by his pride? Yes, it is convenient for us to go to a marine park to see sharks behind a glass panel, or even go inside the tank to swim with them. But in comparison to seeing them in the wild, a tank encounter is about as exciting and real as holding a lion cub in a petting zoo. If you are fortunate enough to be in a location where you can observe animals in their natural environment, you should take advantage of it. The opportunities…

The general misconception is that there are still plenty of sharks. It is rare to find sympathy for an animal that most people are terrified of. Sharks have a bad reputation that is undeserved and incorrect. This makes it possible for the slaughter of sharks by the millions to continue, when it should cause a global outrage. The demand for Shark fin soup, considered a delicacy in Asian countries, is wiping out shark populations around the world. More research is needed to find out important information about the biology of individual shark species, and how the current fishing practices will affect their populations. One thing is clear, because sharks are slow to mature and reproduce in very low numbers, the populations will hit a point of no return much faster than any other fish species that is being hunted extensively….

Hawaii Shark Encounters founder and captain Jimmy Hall attracted worldwide attention with an incredible encounter with a giant great white shark on December 28th, 2005. This rare event was the only great white ever filmed in Hawaii. News stations and newspapers all over Hawaii featured this encounter on their daily news and front pages. The response was overwhelmingly positive as the story was reported with great enthusiasm and a positive attitude. Something very rare in the world of sensational media coverage!   Major national networks showed the footage and interviewed Jimmy on live television with millions of viewers… a fact that Jimmy found much scarier than diving with a 20 ft Great White Shark. Related Video [/fullwidth]

Shark Research Movements of Sharks Associated With Cage Dive Ecotourism Principal Investigators: Carl Meyer & Kim Holland Project Overview Concern exists that commercial shark cage diving conducted 3 miles offshore from Haleiwa Harbor increases the risk of shark attack on swimmers, surfers and divers along the North Shore of Oahu (Hawaii). Much of this concern is based on the belief that sharks associated with these commercial tours follow the tour boats back toward shore whenever the boats leave their offshore operation sites. We are using cutting edge technology to track the long-term movements of sharks captured at the cage diving sites and evaluate the public safety implications of these operations. Research Questions We are addressing the following specific questions: (1) How often do sharks visit the cage diving sites and how long do they stay? (2) Do sharks captured at…

Shark experts and eco-tourism operators have recognized the educational value of or tour around the world.  While enjoying the tour and having an experience of a lifetime, the guests are presented with in-depth information about shark biology, ecology and behavior and the threats sharks are facing globally. Our crewmembers have years of experience with sharks and they are ardent conservationist and shark experts.   Dispelling the myth of sharks as mindless killing machines is an important part of shark conservation. People will not protect what they fear and there is a general lack of concern for the demise of sharks. We experience every day that people are indeed interested and fascinated by sharks – there simply is a lot of misinformation and hype and the sensationalism of news programs feeds on the wide-spread fear of sharks. Nothing corrects that impression…

Sustainable Practices  Our tour is inherently low impact – much less than any diving or fishing operation. We go to the same site, three miles off shore and turn off the engines, where we are able to observe a resident population of animals that lives in the area because of optimal conditions. The species of sharks that we see during the tour appear because they live in the environment that is most suitable to their species. We don’t catch sharks or relocate them. We don’t troll, therefore not wasting fuel or polluting the environment. We don’t touch any reefs. We don’t anchor. There is no impact to the environment. We let people climb into a cage to see the sharks in their natural environment, keeping the humans confined and letting the animals be in their natural environment.  It is the…