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Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Top 10 most infamous shark attacks
Top ten most infamous shark attacks
After a shark killed one tourist and injured several more in a spate of five attacks at Sharm el Sheikh, the Red Sea resort, here is a list of ten of the most infamous shark attacks in history.
#1 Jersey shore, 1916 (The mighty Bull Shark)
Arguably the most famous shark attacks in history resulted in four dead and one injured, probably at the hands of a great white or bull shark, over a ten-day period. Why the notoriety? The spate of attacks is thought to have inspired the film Jaws.
#2 Matawan Creek, New Jersey, 1916
Just a week after the Jersey shore attacks a 12-year-old boy was killed by a great white in Matawan Creek, prompting a shark hunt by local men. It claimed another victim and wounded a third before being caught, and when cut open the shark was found to contain 15lb (7kg) of human flesh and bone.
#3 U.S.S. Indianapolis, 1945
Oceanic whitetip sharks are held to be responsible for the deaths of hundreds of sailors stranded at sea after the U.S.S. Indianapolis was torpedoed. Between 600 and 800 sailors lost their lives but it is not known how many died from exposure and how many from shark attacks.
#4 Brook Watson, 1749
The first known survivor of a shark attack was 14-year-old Brook Watson, a crew member of a trading ship who was twice attacked while swimming in the harbour of Havana, Cuba. His shipmates saved his life, but the shark took his foot and he later had his leg amputated.
Watson went on to become an MP, the Lord Mayor of London, and to be featured in one of the most enduring images of a shark attack, Watson and the Shark by John Singleton Copley, who witnessed the event.
#5 Rodney Fox, 1953
Fox, an Australian spearfishing champion, was defending his title when he was attacked by a great white which took him around his waist in its jaws. After an epic struggle he was released. He is the best-known survivor of a shark attack simply because of the extent of his injuries, which required four hours of surgery and 360 stitches, and his miraculous survival.
#6 Bethany Hamilton, 2003
One of America’s highest-ranked surfers, 13-year-old Bethany Hamilton, lost her arm in an attack by a tiger shark in Hawaii in 2003. She was undeterred by her injury and defied the effect it had on her balance to win a national surfing title in 2005.
#7 Barry Wilson, 1952
Another case that surely influenced the makers of Jaws, 17-year-old Barry Wilson was killed as he swam with a friend off the shore of Pacific Grove, California, in front of scores of witnesses. One saw him jerk suddenly before being pulled from side to side. The shark then lifted him completely out of the water before dragging him under.
#8 Lloyd Skinner, 2010
A shark described as “dinosaur huge” and “longer than a minibus” killed tourist Lloyd Skinner as he swam neck-deep just yards from the shore of a beach in Cape Town, South Africa. The shark, thought to be a great white, twice pulled him under water, leaving behind no trace of the victim except a pool of blood and his swimming goggles.
#9 Henri Bource, 1964
In one of the first attacks captured on film, Henri Bource was swimming with two other divers off the coast of Australia when a great white pounced and bit off his leg. His colleagues saved his life by dragging him to safety and giving first aid. Bource later claimed he tried to free himself by gouging the shark’s eyes and ramming his arm down its throat.
#10 Sharm el Sheikh, 2010 (To be continued....)
A spate of attacks at the Red Sea resort was thought to have ended when two sharks were captured, and the beaches were reopened. The following day a 70-year-old German woman was killed as she snorkelled close to the shore. The attacks were thought to have been prompted by the dumping of a dead sheep from a ship.
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After a shark killed one tourist and injured several more in a spate of five attacks at Sharm el Sheikh, the Red Sea resort, here is a list of ten of the most infamous shark attacks in history.
#1 Jersey shore, 1916 (The mighty Bull Shark)
Arguably the most famous shark attacks in history resulted in four dead and one injured, probably at the hands of a great white or bull shark, over a ten-day period. Why the notoriety? The spate of attacks is thought to have inspired the film Jaws.
#2 Matawan Creek, New Jersey, 1916
Just a week after the Jersey shore attacks a 12-year-old boy was killed by a great white in Matawan Creek, prompting a shark hunt by local men. It claimed another victim and wounded a third before being caught, and when cut open the shark was found to contain 15lb (7kg) of human flesh and bone.
#3 U.S.S. Indianapolis, 1945
Oceanic whitetip sharks are held to be responsible for the deaths of hundreds of sailors stranded at sea after the U.S.S. Indianapolis was torpedoed. Between 600 and 800 sailors lost their lives but it is not known how many died from exposure and how many from shark attacks.
#4 Brook Watson, 1749
The first known survivor of a shark attack was 14-year-old Brook Watson, a crew member of a trading ship who was twice attacked while swimming in the harbour of Havana, Cuba. His shipmates saved his life, but the shark took his foot and he later had his leg amputated.
Watson went on to become an MP, the Lord Mayor of London, and to be featured in one of the most enduring images of a shark attack, Watson and the Shark by John Singleton Copley, who witnessed the event.
#5 Rodney Fox, 1953
Fox, an Australian spearfishing champion, was defending his title when he was attacked by a great white which took him around his waist in its jaws. After an epic struggle he was released. He is the best-known survivor of a shark attack simply because of the extent of his injuries, which required four hours of surgery and 360 stitches, and his miraculous survival.
#6 Bethany Hamilton, 2003
One of America’s highest-ranked surfers, 13-year-old Bethany Hamilton, lost her arm in an attack by a tiger shark in Hawaii in 2003. She was undeterred by her injury and defied the effect it had on her balance to win a national surfing title in 2005.
#7 Barry Wilson, 1952
Another case that surely influenced the makers of Jaws, 17-year-old Barry Wilson was killed as he swam with a friend off the shore of Pacific Grove, California, in front of scores of witnesses. One saw him jerk suddenly before being pulled from side to side. The shark then lifted him completely out of the water before dragging him under.
#8 Lloyd Skinner, 2010
A shark described as “dinosaur huge” and “longer than a minibus” killed tourist Lloyd Skinner as he swam neck-deep just yards from the shore of a beach in Cape Town, South Africa. The shark, thought to be a great white, twice pulled him under water, leaving behind no trace of the victim except a pool of blood and his swimming goggles.
#9 Henri Bource, 1964
In one of the first attacks captured on film, Henri Bource was swimming with two other divers off the coast of Australia when a great white pounced and bit off his leg. His colleagues saved his life by dragging him to safety and giving first aid. Bource later claimed he tried to free himself by gouging the shark’s eyes and ramming his arm down its throat.
#10 Sharm el Sheikh, 2010 (To be continued....)
A spate of attacks at the Red Sea resort was thought to have ended when two sharks were captured, and the beaches were reopened. The following day a 70-year-old German woman was killed as she snorkelled close to the shore. The attacks were thought to have been prompted by the dumping of a dead sheep from a ship.
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Monday, December 6, 2010
A safe place for a swim!!!
Most people wouldn't think twice before jumping in here!
Residents of Boca Ciega Drive say they're less tempted to swim from their backyards after Wednesday's shark attack. The briny water in the little cove nestled into the corner of Boca Ciega Drive and Bay Street was glass calm today, a day after a swirl of teeth and fins left a frantic teenager screaming and bleeding.
For residents along this quiet waterfront neighborhood, the shark bite was somewhat unsettling, but it would do little to change their habits. Jenna James, a graduate of Admiral Farragut Academy who now attends New York University, was lounging on an inflatable raft just a few yards from her dock around 3 p.m. Wednesday, July 23. The 19-year-old was spotted by her neighbor, Frank McMillan, just before it happened.
He and a friend were working in the backyard of McMillan's mother's home and saw James on the raft, he said. 'I had just talked to her,' McMillan said. He walked inside to get something to drink and in the span of about five minutes, he heard a commotion and walked out to see James' sister attending to the teen on the dock. 'It looked pretty bad,' McMillan said.
James was bitten in the lower right leg. She was taken to Bayfront Medical Center where she was treated and held overnight. Emergency medical officials said the injuries were not life threatening. A hospital spokeswoman this morning said the family did not wish to talk to the media and asked that the hospital not release condition updates.
McMillan said he occasionally jumps into the bay behind his mother's home. 'I was swimming out there on Mother's Day,' he said. James and her sister go swimming out there all the time, he said. 'They have a ladder on the dock for that.' He said his mother, Loretta, has lived in the home for about 10 years and he has fished from the dock behind the home more than he has jumped in. 'All I've ever caught is pinfish and catfish,' he said. No sharks.
Nine years ago, on a dock not far from here, 69-year-old Thadeus Kubinski jumped into the water, right in front of a large bull shark that took one bite and killed the man.
Bob Hueter, director of the center for shark research at Mote Marine in Sarasota, said it's not unusual for sharks to be in that area this time of year. The most dangerous may be bull sharks, he said. 'They grow to be fairly large and they do come up into the brackish areas and will go after large prey.'
It would only be speculation about the type of shark that attacked James, he said. 'It could have been one of several different species,' Hueter said. 'It could even be a juvenile bull. 'Little sharks still have sharp teeth and if they come up, grab and twist, they can do some damage. No shark bite is trivial.'
He recalled the attack in the same area nine years ago. 'Two attacks is not exactly a trend,' he said. 'I wouldn't start worrying about that area.' Concern would rise when more than one bite is recorded during a single season, he said. Two shark bites in the same area nine years apart are not beyond the norm. 'Over the past nine years,' he said, 'probably thousands of people have been swimming in there.'
Jumping the shark
Jumping the shark - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jumping the shark is an idiom used to denote the point in a television program's history where the plot spins off into absurd storylines or unlikely characterizations. These changes were often the result of efforts to revive interest in a show whose audience had begun to decline.
The phrase jump the shark refers to the climactic scene in 'Hollywood', of the American TV series Happy Days in September 1977. In this story, the central characters visit Los Angeles, where Fonzie (Henry Winkler), wearing swimming trunks and his leather jacket, jumps over a confined shark on water skis, answering a challenge to demonstrate his bravery. The series continued for nearly seven years after that, with a number of changes in cast and situations.
Jon Hein explained the concept as follows: 'It's a moment. A defining moment when you know that your favorite television program has reached its peak. That instant that you know from now on...it's all downhill. Some call it the climax. We call it 'Jumping the Shark.' From that moment on, the program will simply never be the same.'
- Sent using Google Toolbar"
Jumping the shark is an idiom used to denote the point in a television program's history where the plot spins off into absurd storylines or unlikely characterizations. These changes were often the result of efforts to revive interest in a show whose audience had begun to decline.
The phrase jump the shark refers to the climactic scene in 'Hollywood', of the American TV series Happy Days in September 1977. In this story, the central characters visit Los Angeles, where Fonzie (Henry Winkler), wearing swimming trunks and his leather jacket, jumps over a confined shark on water skis, answering a challenge to demonstrate his bravery. The series continued for nearly seven years after that, with a number of changes in cast and situations.
Jon Hein explained the concept as follows: 'It's a moment. A defining moment when you know that your favorite television program has reached its peak. That instant that you know from now on...it's all downhill. Some call it the climax. We call it 'Jumping the Shark.' From that moment on, the program will simply never be the same.'
- Sent using Google Toolbar"
I AM PRAYING FOR A SHARK ATTACK!
Gordon Ramsay Is Getting Thrown to the Sharks - Slashfood:
No doubt there are plenty of chewed-out former contenders from Hell's Kitchen that would like nothing better than to send Gordon Ramsay swimming with the fishes. Well, Britain's Channel 4 is going one better: They're sending the famously ill-tempered chef to swim with the sharks.
And not just any sharks -- bull sharks, perhaps the most aggressive species of shark, prone to unprovoked attacks on humans. (Hey Gordon, sound familiar?)
What might otherwise seem a desperate publicity stunt designed to showcase another side of an overexposed celebrity (presumably Ramsay won't be able to launch into an expletive-laden tirade underwater) is ostensibly for a good cause: It's part of Channel 4's series of programs called 'The Big Fish Fight,' aimed at educating viewers about the impact of overfishing.
According to The Guardian, Ramsay's dramatic contribution will be part of a larger investigation into the controversy over shark-fin soup, which leads to the killing of nearly 100 million sharks per year and had caused significant declines in the population of the ocean-going predator.
And from.... Gordon Ramsay swims with sharks on new Channel 4 program
In the kitchen Gordon Ramsay makes it crystal clear that he is at the very top of the food chain, but on his new Channel 4 program “Gordon’s Shark Bait” the foul mouthed chef will find himself in a new position, potentially as dinner.
On the show Ramsay tackles his “scariest challenge to date” when he swims with bull sharks to coincide with his investigation into the impact of shark fin soup—a delicacy that results in nearly 100 million shark deaths per year.
The program is part of a Channel 4 series airing in January called “The Big Fish Fight” that features celebrity chefs Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Jamie Oliver, Heston Blumenthal and Ramsay.
The aim of the series is to educate viewers on the diminishing stocks of fish worldwide and how the depletion of ocean life impacts everyday life.
Hopefully the chefs learn along with the audience.
One thing is certain, Ramsay better pray that his bull shark counterparts hold the “Hell’s Kitchen” chef in higher regards than he does vegetarians.
No doubt there are plenty of chewed-out former contenders from Hell's Kitchen that would like nothing better than to send Gordon Ramsay swimming with the fishes. Well, Britain's Channel 4 is going one better: They're sending the famously ill-tempered chef to swim with the sharks.
And not just any sharks -- bull sharks, perhaps the most aggressive species of shark, prone to unprovoked attacks on humans. (Hey Gordon, sound familiar?)
What might otherwise seem a desperate publicity stunt designed to showcase another side of an overexposed celebrity (presumably Ramsay won't be able to launch into an expletive-laden tirade underwater) is ostensibly for a good cause: It's part of Channel 4's series of programs called 'The Big Fish Fight,' aimed at educating viewers about the impact of overfishing.
According to The Guardian, Ramsay's dramatic contribution will be part of a larger investigation into the controversy over shark-fin soup, which leads to the killing of nearly 100 million sharks per year and had caused significant declines in the population of the ocean-going predator.
And from.... Gordon Ramsay swims with sharks on new Channel 4 program
In the kitchen Gordon Ramsay makes it crystal clear that he is at the very top of the food chain, but on his new Channel 4 program “Gordon’s Shark Bait” the foul mouthed chef will find himself in a new position, potentially as dinner.
On the show Ramsay tackles his “scariest challenge to date” when he swims with bull sharks to coincide with his investigation into the impact of shark fin soup—a delicacy that results in nearly 100 million shark deaths per year.
The program is part of a Channel 4 series airing in January called “The Big Fish Fight” that features celebrity chefs Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Jamie Oliver, Heston Blumenthal and Ramsay.
The aim of the series is to educate viewers on the diminishing stocks of fish worldwide and how the depletion of ocean life impacts everyday life.
Hopefully the chefs learn along with the audience.
One thing is certain, Ramsay better pray that his bull shark counterparts hold the “Hell’s Kitchen” chef in higher regards than he does vegetarians.
Scientists fear mass extinction as oceans choke
Scientists fear mass extinction as oceans choke - ABC News
Updated Wed Dec 1, 2010 12:20am AEDT
Australian scientists fear the planet is on the brink of another mass extinction as ocean dead zones continue to grow in size and number.
More than 400 ocean dead zones - areas so low in oxygen that sea life cannot survive - have been reported by oceanographers around the world between 2000 and 2008.
That is compared with 300 in the 1990s and 120 in the 1980s.
Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (CoECRS) and from the University of Queensland, says there is growing evidence that declining oxygen levels in the ocean have played a major role in at least four of the planet's five mass extinctions.
'Until recently the best hypothesis for them was a meteor strike,' he said.
'So 65 million years ago they've got very good evidence of the cretaceous exctinction event.
'But with the four other mass extinction events, one of the best explanations now is that these periods were preceded by an increase of volcanic activity, and that volcanic activity caused a change in ocean circulation.
'Just as we are seeing at a smaller scale today, huge parts of the ocean became anoxic at depth.
'The consequence of that is that you had increased amounts of rotten egg gas, hydrogen sulfide, going up into the atmosphere, and that is thought to be what may have caused some of these other extinction events.'
Professor Hoegh-Guldberg says up to 90 per cent of life has perished in previous mass extinctions and that a similar loss of life could occur in the next 100 years.
'We're already having another mass extinction due to humans wiping out life and so on, but it looks like it could get as high as those previous events,' he said.
'So it's the combination of this alteration to coastlines, climate change and everything, that has a lot of us worried we are going to drive the sixth extinction event and it will happen over the next 100 years because we are interfering with the things that keep species alive.
'Ocean ecosystems are in a lot of trouble and it all bears the hallmarks of human interference.
'We are changing the way the Earth's oceans work, shifting them to entirely new states, which we have not seen before.'
He says while it is impossible to predict the future, in a century from now the world will be vastly different.
'A world without the Great Barrier Reef, where you don't have the pleasure of going to see wild places any more,' he said.
'We might be able to struggle on with much lower population densities, but ultimately it won't be the world we have today.
'The idea of walking in the Daintree will be a forgotten concept because these changes have occurred.'
Hearts and lungs
Scientists say ocean dead zones, which vary in size from one square kilometre to 70,000 square kilometres, have been found all over the world.
Particular hotspots include the Gulf of Mexico, off Namibia in the South Atlantic, in the Bay of Bengal, in the Baltic, the Black Sea, the tropical South Pacific, off China and south-eastern Australia.
'We're seeing an expansion of areas of the ocean which are very low in oxygen and also very low in nutrients,' Professor Hoegh-Guldberg said.
'Climate change is driving changes to water circulation - so winds, strange weather patterns, have a consequence for how the ocean turns over and aerates and so on, and it's the winds which are delivering a lot of organic compounds into the deep sea.
'At the same time we are putting a lot of fertiliser off coastlines, those sorts of things are incubating these deep water anoxic zones.
'So it's the combination of those two things that are having a big change on how the ocean works.'
He says organic matter building up in the sea is a huge problem.
'You get enormous amounts of organic carbon building up at depth, bacteria then likes to break down that organic matter and bacteria uses up the oxygen,' he said.
'So then what you get is a substantial drop in oxygen - that then has the consequences for fishers, for the productivity of coastlines and so on.'
Destructive path
Associate Professor Mark McCormick, also of CoECRS and from James Cook University, says low oxygen levels increase stress on fish.
'We know from our recent work that increases in stress result in deformities, leading to poorer survival of fish larvae,' he said.
'It has also been found they can cause fish to have smaller ovaries, produce fewer eggs, so larvae are also smaller and less likely to survive.'
Professor Hoegh-Guldberg says the problem is not as significant in Australia as other parts of the world, but that it is heading along the same, destructive path.
'We've been altering coastal areas, delivering nutrients into the ocean, and of course you see the Great Barrier Reef, which has been quite damaged due to nutrient run-off,' he said.
'But the point is that our activities on land have a big influence on what goes on in the oceans and now we are starting to reap the harvest of those changes.'
He says the heart and lungs of the planet are being tampered with.
'We are starting to see changes in the ocean's ability to produce oxygen and to produce food and produce all of the ecosystem's services that are so important to not only us, but all of the other organisms on the planet,' he said.
'It's mucking around with the heart and lungs of the planet - that's essentially what the oceans are, a huge respiratory system.
'We damage them, the consequences could be very serious.'
Professor Hoegh-Guldberg says while the dead zones may only exist in pockets of ocean today, it will affect a far greater area in the future unless steps are taken to reduce the impact of human activities on the world's oceans and their life.
- Sent using Google Toolbar"
Updated Wed Dec 1, 2010 12:20am AEDT
Australian scientists fear the planet is on the brink of another mass extinction as ocean dead zones continue to grow in size and number.
More than 400 ocean dead zones - areas so low in oxygen that sea life cannot survive - have been reported by oceanographers around the world between 2000 and 2008.
That is compared with 300 in the 1990s and 120 in the 1980s.
Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (CoECRS) and from the University of Queensland, says there is growing evidence that declining oxygen levels in the ocean have played a major role in at least four of the planet's five mass extinctions.
'Until recently the best hypothesis for them was a meteor strike,' he said.
'So 65 million years ago they've got very good evidence of the cretaceous exctinction event.
'But with the four other mass extinction events, one of the best explanations now is that these periods were preceded by an increase of volcanic activity, and that volcanic activity caused a change in ocean circulation.
'Just as we are seeing at a smaller scale today, huge parts of the ocean became anoxic at depth.
'The consequence of that is that you had increased amounts of rotten egg gas, hydrogen sulfide, going up into the atmosphere, and that is thought to be what may have caused some of these other extinction events.'
Professor Hoegh-Guldberg says up to 90 per cent of life has perished in previous mass extinctions and that a similar loss of life could occur in the next 100 years.
'We're already having another mass extinction due to humans wiping out life and so on, but it looks like it could get as high as those previous events,' he said.
'So it's the combination of this alteration to coastlines, climate change and everything, that has a lot of us worried we are going to drive the sixth extinction event and it will happen over the next 100 years because we are interfering with the things that keep species alive.
'Ocean ecosystems are in a lot of trouble and it all bears the hallmarks of human interference.
'We are changing the way the Earth's oceans work, shifting them to entirely new states, which we have not seen before.'
He says while it is impossible to predict the future, in a century from now the world will be vastly different.
'A world without the Great Barrier Reef, where you don't have the pleasure of going to see wild places any more,' he said.
'We might be able to struggle on with much lower population densities, but ultimately it won't be the world we have today.
'The idea of walking in the Daintree will be a forgotten concept because these changes have occurred.'
Hearts and lungs
Scientists say ocean dead zones, which vary in size from one square kilometre to 70,000 square kilometres, have been found all over the world.
Particular hotspots include the Gulf of Mexico, off Namibia in the South Atlantic, in the Bay of Bengal, in the Baltic, the Black Sea, the tropical South Pacific, off China and south-eastern Australia.
'We're seeing an expansion of areas of the ocean which are very low in oxygen and also very low in nutrients,' Professor Hoegh-Guldberg said.
'Climate change is driving changes to water circulation - so winds, strange weather patterns, have a consequence for how the ocean turns over and aerates and so on, and it's the winds which are delivering a lot of organic compounds into the deep sea.
'At the same time we are putting a lot of fertiliser off coastlines, those sorts of things are incubating these deep water anoxic zones.
'So it's the combination of those two things that are having a big change on how the ocean works.'
He says organic matter building up in the sea is a huge problem.
'You get enormous amounts of organic carbon building up at depth, bacteria then likes to break down that organic matter and bacteria uses up the oxygen,' he said.
'So then what you get is a substantial drop in oxygen - that then has the consequences for fishers, for the productivity of coastlines and so on.'
Destructive path
Associate Professor Mark McCormick, also of CoECRS and from James Cook University, says low oxygen levels increase stress on fish.
'We know from our recent work that increases in stress result in deformities, leading to poorer survival of fish larvae,' he said.
'It has also been found they can cause fish to have smaller ovaries, produce fewer eggs, so larvae are also smaller and less likely to survive.'
Professor Hoegh-Guldberg says the problem is not as significant in Australia as other parts of the world, but that it is heading along the same, destructive path.
'We've been altering coastal areas, delivering nutrients into the ocean, and of course you see the Great Barrier Reef, which has been quite damaged due to nutrient run-off,' he said.
'But the point is that our activities on land have a big influence on what goes on in the oceans and now we are starting to reap the harvest of those changes.'
He says the heart and lungs of the planet are being tampered with.
'We are starting to see changes in the ocean's ability to produce oxygen and to produce food and produce all of the ecosystem's services that are so important to not only us, but all of the other organisms on the planet,' he said.
'It's mucking around with the heart and lungs of the planet - that's essentially what the oceans are, a huge respiratory system.
'We damage them, the consequences could be very serious.'
Professor Hoegh-Guldberg says while the dead zones may only exist in pockets of ocean today, it will affect a far greater area in the future unless steps are taken to reduce the impact of human activities on the world's oceans and their life.
- Sent using Google Toolbar"
Fisherman investigated after illegal shark catch
Fisherman investigated after illegal shark catch - ABC News
The Department of Fisheries is investigating a Sunshine Coast fisherman who breached new shark laws.
The man caught a 2.8 metre bull shark at Eenie Creek in Noosa last month and failed to release it. The amazing thing about this catch is that the location was 14km from the ocean and the creek was estimated at only 3m wide and 5m deep where it was caught!
Under a state law brought in six months ago, the giant shark was almost twice the legal size of 1.5 metres.
Greg Bowness from Fisheries Queensland says if found guilty, the man faces a maximum penalty of up to $100,000.
'There are a number of options open to the department in relation to these issues so we'll look at the evidence before us and make a decision based on that,' he said.
'There has been a whole raft of changes made to fisheries legislation.
'It is really important for people who are going fishing that they are aware of the specific rules that apply to catching fish and that includes size and bag limits, closed areas and apparatus restriction.'
- Sent using Google Toolbar"
The Department of Fisheries is investigating a Sunshine Coast fisherman who breached new shark laws.
The man caught a 2.8 metre bull shark at Eenie Creek in Noosa last month and failed to release it. The amazing thing about this catch is that the location was 14km from the ocean and the creek was estimated at only 3m wide and 5m deep where it was caught!
Under a state law brought in six months ago, the giant shark was almost twice the legal size of 1.5 metres.
Greg Bowness from Fisheries Queensland says if found guilty, the man faces a maximum penalty of up to $100,000.
'There are a number of options open to the department in relation to these issues so we'll look at the evidence before us and make a decision based on that,' he said.
'There has been a whole raft of changes made to fisheries legislation.
'It is really important for people who are going fishing that they are aware of the specific rules that apply to catching fish and that includes size and bag limits, closed areas and apparatus restriction.'
- Sent using Google Toolbar"
Shark attacks don't warrant increased cull
Shark attacks don't warrant increased cull - ABC News
Australia is not alone in having large sharks near populated beaches or for having a reputation for shark attacks.
South Africa is the world's hotspot for great white sharks. It is where documentary makers come to film the dramatic scenes of white sharks breaching in the chase for Cape fur seals and it is the centre of the great white shark cage diving tourism industry where, on a daily basis, fleets of boats head out of the tourism centres packed with people wanting to view a great white shark from the safety of a cage.
In terms of documented attacks, there were six in the period from 1951 to 1970, 25 incidents between 1981 and 1990, 23 incidents reported from 1991 to 2000, and 11 reported great white attacks in the first half of this decade.
In some years, there were anomalously high numbers of attacks, such as Black December in 1957 when five people were bitten by sharks south of Durban, or 1998 when a total of 18 attacks were recorded in South Africa.
The longer term trend of rising incidents since the 50s and 60s mirrors an increase in beach use but cannot explain the year-to-year variations. To date, science cannot conclusively say why there are higher numbers of shark incidents in some years compared to others. It is likely that an array of oceanographic, ecological or behavioural factors are to blame for bringing more or fewer sharks in contact with people in any particular year, but the specific causes remain unknown.
Already it looks like 2009 will go down in the record books as having an anomalously high number of shark attacks in Australia and in the Sydney region in particular. Just as with South Africa, more people in the water increases the chance of an interaction. A cleaner Sydney harbour also increases the chance of finding sharks as well as fish, but it is not clear what other biological, environmental or behavioural factors, if any, are adding to the high recent number of attacks.
There is no doubt that any shark attack is a terribly unfortunate and traumatic incident. Our sympathies are with the victims and their families. On a global scale, elephants, bees, crocodiles and lightning strikes kill more people each year than shark attacks, and beachgoers are at a far greater risk of death by drowning from rips or surf, yet the thought of being attacked by a shark remains a terrifying prospect.
Actions that can help ensure bather safety include increased investment in education and awareness program so that people understand basic rules. Some of these include avoid swimming alone, avoid being in the water when there are low light levels or reduced visibility, don't swim in waters with known effluents or sewage and stay away from fish or gull feeding areas.
Increased investment is needed in research and development, and testing of options such as observer programs, use of electromagnetic field technology and new shark repellent advances in concert with research into sharks, so that we understand more about the behaviour, ecology and environmental cues that affect these species. Together these will allow bather safety programs to be designed to be as targeted and effective as possible without also causing the deaths of marine creatures such as dolphins and turtles that also call the ocean home.
Of the more than 300 species of shark found in Australian waters, there are only a couple of species, most notably the great white shark and bull shark, that are recorded as attacking humans. The vast majority of sharks are shy elusive creatures that appear in a range of often bizarre shapes and sizes, patrolling reefs and open oceans where they fulfil a critically important role at the top of the food chain.
In terms of their reproduction, sharks are long-lived, slow growing and produce relatively few young, which gives them a population dynamic that is more similar to whales and dolphins than to fish. This makes shark populations vulnerable to over-fishing.
The history of shark fisheries the world over is one of 'boom and bust' where excessive fishing pressure causes populations to crash.
The result is that shark species are increasingly finding their way onto the lists of at-risk or endangered species, almost as quickly as new species are being described.
The high price being paid for shark fin in the Asian marketplace appears to be driving a gold rush type mentality around shark fisheries in Queensland and New South Wales. Opportunistic fishers push fisheries managers to increase shark catches and create new shark fishing licences, despite there being no scientific basis that such levels of take are within safe limits for the large numbers of species involved.
With sharks very much in the spotlight, cool heads need to prevail.
The calls for an increase to the shark fishing quota in NSW are driven by this opportunism. Some fishers are using the current media feeding frenzy around sharks to call for an increase in shark hunting levels and are making claims that have no scientific basis. They should be ignored.
Many of the sharks they already catch are docile creatures that are not involved in attacks on bathers. Some of the populations of shark species that these fishers pull out of the water for their fins and flesh are in steep decline.
This is not to deny that we need to find ways to ease the interaction between sharks and humans along our beaches. There needs to be an investment in education, awareness and research and development, so that bather safety programs can be as effective as possible.
But equally, we need to protect the dwindling populations of sharks that have lived in our planet's seas for millions of years. There is no justification for increasing a fishing quota that could see these ancient creatures disappear from our oceans.
Dr Gilly Llewellyn is World Wildlife Fund-Australia's oceans program leader
- Sent using Google Toolbar"
Australia is not alone in having large sharks near populated beaches or for having a reputation for shark attacks.
South Africa is the world's hotspot for great white sharks. It is where documentary makers come to film the dramatic scenes of white sharks breaching in the chase for Cape fur seals and it is the centre of the great white shark cage diving tourism industry where, on a daily basis, fleets of boats head out of the tourism centres packed with people wanting to view a great white shark from the safety of a cage.
In terms of documented attacks, there were six in the period from 1951 to 1970, 25 incidents between 1981 and 1990, 23 incidents reported from 1991 to 2000, and 11 reported great white attacks in the first half of this decade.
In some years, there were anomalously high numbers of attacks, such as Black December in 1957 when five people were bitten by sharks south of Durban, or 1998 when a total of 18 attacks were recorded in South Africa.
The longer term trend of rising incidents since the 50s and 60s mirrors an increase in beach use but cannot explain the year-to-year variations. To date, science cannot conclusively say why there are higher numbers of shark incidents in some years compared to others. It is likely that an array of oceanographic, ecological or behavioural factors are to blame for bringing more or fewer sharks in contact with people in any particular year, but the specific causes remain unknown.
Already it looks like 2009 will go down in the record books as having an anomalously high number of shark attacks in Australia and in the Sydney region in particular. Just as with South Africa, more people in the water increases the chance of an interaction. A cleaner Sydney harbour also increases the chance of finding sharks as well as fish, but it is not clear what other biological, environmental or behavioural factors, if any, are adding to the high recent number of attacks.
There is no doubt that any shark attack is a terribly unfortunate and traumatic incident. Our sympathies are with the victims and their families. On a global scale, elephants, bees, crocodiles and lightning strikes kill more people each year than shark attacks, and beachgoers are at a far greater risk of death by drowning from rips or surf, yet the thought of being attacked by a shark remains a terrifying prospect.
Actions that can help ensure bather safety include increased investment in education and awareness program so that people understand basic rules. Some of these include avoid swimming alone, avoid being in the water when there are low light levels or reduced visibility, don't swim in waters with known effluents or sewage and stay away from fish or gull feeding areas.
Increased investment is needed in research and development, and testing of options such as observer programs, use of electromagnetic field technology and new shark repellent advances in concert with research into sharks, so that we understand more about the behaviour, ecology and environmental cues that affect these species. Together these will allow bather safety programs to be designed to be as targeted and effective as possible without also causing the deaths of marine creatures such as dolphins and turtles that also call the ocean home.
Of the more than 300 species of shark found in Australian waters, there are only a couple of species, most notably the great white shark and bull shark, that are recorded as attacking humans. The vast majority of sharks are shy elusive creatures that appear in a range of often bizarre shapes and sizes, patrolling reefs and open oceans where they fulfil a critically important role at the top of the food chain.
In terms of their reproduction, sharks are long-lived, slow growing and produce relatively few young, which gives them a population dynamic that is more similar to whales and dolphins than to fish. This makes shark populations vulnerable to over-fishing.
The history of shark fisheries the world over is one of 'boom and bust' where excessive fishing pressure causes populations to crash.
The result is that shark species are increasingly finding their way onto the lists of at-risk or endangered species, almost as quickly as new species are being described.
The high price being paid for shark fin in the Asian marketplace appears to be driving a gold rush type mentality around shark fisheries in Queensland and New South Wales. Opportunistic fishers push fisheries managers to increase shark catches and create new shark fishing licences, despite there being no scientific basis that such levels of take are within safe limits for the large numbers of species involved.
With sharks very much in the spotlight, cool heads need to prevail.
The calls for an increase to the shark fishing quota in NSW are driven by this opportunism. Some fishers are using the current media feeding frenzy around sharks to call for an increase in shark hunting levels and are making claims that have no scientific basis. They should be ignored.
Many of the sharks they already catch are docile creatures that are not involved in attacks on bathers. Some of the populations of shark species that these fishers pull out of the water for their fins and flesh are in steep decline.
This is not to deny that we need to find ways to ease the interaction between sharks and humans along our beaches. There needs to be an investment in education, awareness and research and development, so that bather safety programs can be as effective as possible.
But equally, we need to protect the dwindling populations of sharks that have lived in our planet's seas for millions of years. There is no justification for increasing a fishing quota that could see these ancient creatures disappear from our oceans.
Dr Gilly Llewellyn is World Wildlife Fund-Australia's oceans program leader
- Sent using Google Toolbar"
NSW releases shark attack proposals
NSW releases shark attack proposals - ABC News
The New South Wales Government has released a number of new proposals to prevent shark attacks, as it defends itself against claims it is failing to protect swimmers after three attacks in Sydney in as many weeks.
The measures include a new shark tagging program, the use of GPS to monitor shark nets and a list of shark attacks by beach since 1900.
The Government is also considering upgrading shark fishing gear and researching shark movements, attacks and population trends to try to identify hotspots and high-risk periods.
The proposals are part of the first review of the long-standing shark net program since 1972. They also include publishing an annual report about the nets' performance.
Primary Industries Minister Ian Macdonald says the Government will also consult with surf lifesavers.
'The Government in the past has provided a number of jet skis to surf lifesavers that have helped them monitor and deter sharks and we'll be discussing these on Thursday,' he said.
The Opposition says the Government has not done enough to protect swimmers and surfers. It says shark nets are deteriorating, the shark fishing quota should be increased and beaches need more aerial patrols.
But Mr Macdonald says aerial patrols do not spot sharks at dawn and dusk, the high-risk periods when the three latest shark attacks occurred. He says the patrols sometimes confuse big fish with sharks.
The Minister also says only 4.2 per cent of sharks caught in the fishing quota are dangerous.
In the latest shark attack, 15-year-old Andrew Lindop was bitten on the leg while surfing with his father, a veteran lifesaver, at Sydney's Avalon Beach at dawn on Sunday.
The boy is recovering in a stable condition in hospital after being rescued by his father.
This year's first Sydney victim, elite Navy diver Paul de Gelder, lost a hand and a leg after being attacked by a bull shark at dawn off Garden Island in Sydney Harbour on February 11.
The following day, surfer Glenn Orgias was mauled by a great white shark at the southern end of Bondi Beach at dusk.
His hand was hanging off his wrist by a three-centimetre piece of skin but doctors have managed to save it in what they have described as a 'minor miracle'.
The proposals will be made open to public consultation next month.
- Sent using Google Toolbar"
The New South Wales Government has released a number of new proposals to prevent shark attacks, as it defends itself against claims it is failing to protect swimmers after three attacks in Sydney in as many weeks.
The measures include a new shark tagging program, the use of GPS to monitor shark nets and a list of shark attacks by beach since 1900.
The Government is also considering upgrading shark fishing gear and researching shark movements, attacks and population trends to try to identify hotspots and high-risk periods.
The proposals are part of the first review of the long-standing shark net program since 1972. They also include publishing an annual report about the nets' performance.
Primary Industries Minister Ian Macdonald says the Government will also consult with surf lifesavers.
'The Government in the past has provided a number of jet skis to surf lifesavers that have helped them monitor and deter sharks and we'll be discussing these on Thursday,' he said.
The Opposition says the Government has not done enough to protect swimmers and surfers. It says shark nets are deteriorating, the shark fishing quota should be increased and beaches need more aerial patrols.
But Mr Macdonald says aerial patrols do not spot sharks at dawn and dusk, the high-risk periods when the three latest shark attacks occurred. He says the patrols sometimes confuse big fish with sharks.
The Minister also says only 4.2 per cent of sharks caught in the fishing quota are dangerous.
In the latest shark attack, 15-year-old Andrew Lindop was bitten on the leg while surfing with his father, a veteran lifesaver, at Sydney's Avalon Beach at dawn on Sunday.
The boy is recovering in a stable condition in hospital after being rescued by his father.
This year's first Sydney victim, elite Navy diver Paul de Gelder, lost a hand and a leg after being attacked by a bull shark at dawn off Garden Island in Sydney Harbour on February 11.
The following day, surfer Glenn Orgias was mauled by a great white shark at the southern end of Bondi Beach at dusk.
His hand was hanging off his wrist by a three-centimetre piece of skin but doctors have managed to save it in what they have described as a 'minor miracle'.
The proposals will be made open to public consultation next month.
- Sent using Google Toolbar"
Mexican Shark Decline
Shark Diver Magazine Blog
Holbox Island was once a shark fisherman's paradise. Everyone on the island used to fish for sharks. In the 50's and 60's, they would sell the shark oil, in the 70's, it was their skin and oil, the vendors were after, in the mid 80's and above, it was the fins. Now the vendors want the entire shark. The 'coyote', that is the name of the guy who purchases sharks on the island. He takes the sharks and the sharks ultimately end up getting cut up and sold to different countries in Florida. Nice! Of course the islanders are not fishing for sharks anymore. They decimated the entire population of local and migratory sharks, to the point that the island can only sustain 3 to 4 shark fishermen now.
- Sent using Google Toolbar"
Holbox Island was once a shark fisherman's paradise. Everyone on the island used to fish for sharks. In the 50's and 60's, they would sell the shark oil, in the 70's, it was their skin and oil, the vendors were after, in the mid 80's and above, it was the fins. Now the vendors want the entire shark. The 'coyote', that is the name of the guy who purchases sharks on the island. He takes the sharks and the sharks ultimately end up getting cut up and sold to different countries in Florida. Nice! Of course the islanders are not fishing for sharks anymore. They decimated the entire population of local and migratory sharks, to the point that the island can only sustain 3 to 4 shark fishermen now.
- Sent using Google Toolbar"
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Why Study Shark Attacks
Because they provide a glimpse - a window - into the world of sharks and their behaviors. By understanding when and why sharks sometimes bite humans it is possible to lessen the likelihood of such accidents. Humans are familiar with predators found on land; we know enough not to walk into a pride of lions and we don't try to pet a growling dog that is baring its teeth. Similarly, we need to recognize and avoid potentially dangerous situations in the water. The individual case histories provide insights about specific geographical areas and their indigenous species of sharks. However, when all known case histories are examined, much is revealed about species behavior, and specific patterns emerge.
Most of the incidents in the Global Shark Attack File have nothing to do with predation. Some incidents are motivated by displacement or are a territorial behavior, or when the shark feels threatened; still others are the result of the shark responding to sensory predatory input (i.e., overwhelmed by the presence of many fishes) and environmental conditions (murky water) which may cause the animal to respond in a reflexive response to stimuli. Sharks also exhibit curiosity and may investigate unknown or unfamiliar objects; they learn by exploring their environment, and - lacking hands - they use their mouths and teeth to examine unfamiliar objects.
A very small percentage of shark species, about two dozen, are considered potentially dangerous to humans because of their size and dentition. Yet each year, for every human killed by a shark, our species slaughters more than 10 million sharks - about 100 million sharks last year. We are stripping the world's oceans of one of its most valuable predators - animals that play a critical role in maintaining the health of the world's oceans. An unreasonable fear of sharks has been implanted in our minds by the hype that surrounds the rare shark attack and by movies that exploit our primal fears. It is the mission of the Global Shark Attack File to present facts about these events, thus enabling them to be put in perspective. Sharks are necessary and vital to the ocean ecosystem. Without sharks our planet's ocean could eventually become a watery graveyard, with little sustainable life. This is not the legacy the Global Shark Attack File and the Shark Research Institute wishes to leave our children and our children's children.
The Global Shark Attack File was created to provide medical personnel, shark behaviorists, lifesavers, and the media with meaningful information resulting from the scientific forensic examination of shark accidents. Whenever possible, GSAF investigators conduct personal interviews with patients and witnesses, medical personnel and other professionals, and conduct examinations of the incident site. Weather and sea conditions and environmental data are evaluated in an attempt to identify factors that contributed to the incident.
Early on, we became aware that the word "attack" was usually a misnomer. An "attack" by a shark is an extremely rare event, even less likely than statistics suggest. When a shark bites a surfboard, leaving the surfer unharmed, it was historically recorded as an "attack". Collisions between humans and sharks in low visibility water were also recorded as "attacks".
When a shark grabs a person by the hand/wrist and tows them along the surface, tosses a surfboard (or a Frisbee as in case 1968.08.24) it is probably "play behavior", not aggression. How can case 1971.04.11 which the swimmer was repeatedly bitten by a large shark and case 1985.01.04 in which the diver's injury necessitated a Band-aid be compared? It is akin to comparing a head-on high-speed vehicular collision with a shopping cart ding on the door of a parked car. Global Shark Attack File believes the only way to sort fact from hype is by forensic examination of each incident.
Although incidents that occur in remote areas may go unrecorded, the Global Shark Attack File is a compilation of a number of data sources, and we have a team of qualified researchers throughout the world that actively investigate these incidents. One of our objectives is to provide a clear picture of the actual threat presented by sharks to humans. In this regard, we remind our visitors that more people drown in a single year in the United States than have been killed by sharks throughout the entire world in the last two centuries.
Most of the incidents in the Global Shark Attack File have nothing to do with predation. Some incidents are motivated by displacement or are a territorial behavior, or when the shark feels threatened; still others are the result of the shark responding to sensory predatory input (i.e., overwhelmed by the presence of many fishes) and environmental conditions (murky water) which may cause the animal to respond in a reflexive response to stimuli. Sharks also exhibit curiosity and may investigate unknown or unfamiliar objects; they learn by exploring their environment, and - lacking hands - they use their mouths and teeth to examine unfamiliar objects. A very small percentage of shark species, about two dozen, are considered potentially dangerous to humans because of their size and dentition. Yet each year, for every human killed by a shark, our species slaughters more than 10 million sharks - about 100 million sharks last year. We are stripping the world's oceans of one of its most valuable predators - animals that play a critical role in maintaining the health of the world's oceans. An unreasonable fear of sharks has been implanted in our minds by the hype that surrounds the rare shark attack and by movies that exploit our primal fears. It is the mission of the Global Shark Attack File to present facts about these events, thus enabling them to be put in perspective. Sharks are necessary and vital to the ocean ecosystem. Without sharks our planet's ocean could eventually become a watery graveyard, with little sustainable life. This is not the legacy the Global Shark Attack File and the Shark Research Institute wishes to leave our children and our children's children.
The Global Shark Attack File was created to provide medical personnel, shark behaviorists, lifesavers, and the media with meaningful information resulting from the scientific forensic examination of shark accidents. Whenever possible, GSAF investigators conduct personal interviews with patients and witnesses, medical personnel and other professionals, and conduct examinations of the incident site. Weather and sea conditions and environmental data are evaluated in an attempt to identify factors that contributed to the incident.
Early on, we became aware that the word "attack" was usually a misnomer. An "attack" by a shark is an extremely rare event, even less likely than statistics suggest. When a shark bites a surfboard, leaving the surfer unharmed, it was historically recorded as an "attack". Collisions between humans and sharks in low visibility water were also recorded as "attacks".
When a shark grabs a person by the hand/wrist and tows them along the surface, tosses a surfboard (or a Frisbee as in case 1968.08.24) it is probably "play behavior", not aggression. How can case 1971.04.11 which the swimmer was repeatedly bitten by a large shark and case 1985.01.04 in which the diver's injury necessitated a Band-aid be compared? It is akin to comparing a head-on high-speed vehicular collision with a shopping cart ding on the door of a parked car. Global Shark Attack File believes the only way to sort fact from hype is by forensic examination of each incident.
Although incidents that occur in remote areas may go unrecorded, the Global Shark Attack File is a compilation of a number of data sources, and we have a team of qualified researchers throughout the world that actively investigate these incidents. One of our objectives is to provide a clear picture of the actual threat presented by sharks to humans. In this regard, we remind our visitors that more people drown in a single year in the United States than have been killed by sharks throughout the entire world in the last two centuries.
Source: Global Shark Attack File
Website: http://www.sharkattackfile.net
How to Avoid Shark Attacks
Recommendations to avoid and survive a shark attack:
"Seek advice of local people before swimming, surfing or diving in areas where shark attacks have occurred.
Reason: Locals know the area.
Remain aware of your surroundings and the behavior of marine life nearby.
Reason: Their actions may alert you to the presence of marine predators.
If you suddenly become uneasy, leave the water immediately.
Reason: Your instincts may be providing a warning of impending danger.
Do not harass or touch any shark, even a small one.
Reason: Any shark is capable of inflicting injury.
If swimming or surfing do not enter the water when sharks are present, and leave the water the water slowly and quietly if they are sighted or you are requested to do so by a lifeguard.
Reason: If sharks are in the immediate area, the risk of injury is increased.
Do not swim, surf or dive alone
Reason: Sharks may be more likely to bite solitary individuals, and if you are injured there is nobody to help you.
Do not stray far from shore
Reason: You are farther from assistance, should you need it.
Avoid swimming at night.
Reason: There is strong evidence to suggest that sharks move in closer to a land mass (island or shore) following sunset.
Avoid murky or turbid water.
Reason: Some species of sharks hunt in murky or turbid water, others may bite because of stress, and others may simply fail to recognize an object and bite to find out what it is. It is also difficult to defend yourself from something you cannot see.
Avoid swimming close to river mouths.
Reason: Freshwater plankton dies and attracts fish, some species of fish spawn at river mouths, and carcasses of dead animals are carried downstream. All these conditions attract predators such as sharks.
Be cautious when swimming in the breakers.
Reason: Sharks may become stressed due to the low visibility and sudden presence of humans..
Don't swim close to sandbars.
Reason: Any natural structure attracts a variety of marine animals and may be a feeding area for sharks.
Be cautious crossing channels between sandbars or on the edge of steep drop offs.
Reason: These are often feeding areas for sharks.
Avoid swimming or surfing near jetties.
Reason: These are often feeding areas for sharks.
Do not corner a shark or cut off its path to open water.
Reason: It may feel threatened and react defensively.
Avoid swimming in areas where birds are diving into the water.
Reason: Diving birds indicate schools of fish are in the area and the likelihood that sharks in the area is increased.
If schools of fish are milling nearby, do not attempt to chase them from the area.
Reason: Frightened, darting fish create distinctive sounds that are very attractive to sharks.
If baitfish are leaping at or above the surface, leave the water immediately.
Reason: Predator fish, possibly sharks, are feeding on the baitfish.
If spearfishing or collecting shellfish, do not attach your catch to a stringer at your waist, and stay alert when removing a fish from your spear. If wade-fishing, do not carry bait on your person.
Reason: A shark attempting to snatch your catch or the bait, could inadvertently injure you.
If spearfishing, change your location frequently.
Reason: The vibrations of speared fish attract sharks.
Avoid areas where any type of fishing activity is taking place or offal is dumped into the sea.
Reason: These areas attract sharks.
The presence of porpoises and dolphins may indicate sharks are hunting in the area.
Reason: These species often feed with sharks.
Leave the water when pods of dolphin cluster or head inshore
Reason: This behavior is often associated with the proximity of sharks.
Avoid swimming, surfing or diving in the vicinity of pinniped haul-outs or rookeries.
Reason: These animals are the prey of large sharks, including white sharks.
Avoid high contrast swim suits
Reason: It is thought sharks are attracted to high-contrast objects.
Refrain from excess splashing or making quick, abrupt movements in the water.
Reason: It suggests an animal in distress.
Do not swim with dogs or horses.
Reason: Their splashing may attract a predator.
If a shark approaches uncomfortably close, keep it at bay with your speargun or a shark “billy”.
Do not attempt to spear the shark unless you think an attack is imminent.
Reason: The shark may simply be curious, but if you respond with aggression the shark may react in the same way.
If you are bitten by a shark and you are wearing a wetsuit, don't remove the wetsuit except to control arterial bleeding.
Reason: A wetsuit acts as a pressure bandage and restricts the loss of blood.
Take both a CPR course and an advanced first aid course.
Reason: Many fatalities in the GSAF file could have been avoided if arterial bleeding had been recognized and stopped, and basic life support provided until professional medical assistance arrived. The life you save could be your own or that of a loved one.
"Seek advice of local people before swimming, surfing or diving in areas where shark attacks have occurred.
Reason: Locals know the area.
Remain aware of your surroundings and the behavior of marine life nearby.
Reason: Their actions may alert you to the presence of marine predators.
If you suddenly become uneasy, leave the water immediately.
Reason: Your instincts may be providing a warning of impending danger.
Do not harass or touch any shark, even a small one.
Reason: Any shark is capable of inflicting injury.
If swimming or surfing do not enter the water when sharks are present, and leave the water the water slowly and quietly if they are sighted or you are requested to do so by a lifeguard.
Reason: If sharks are in the immediate area, the risk of injury is increased.
Do not swim, surf or dive alone
Reason: Sharks may be more likely to bite solitary individuals, and if you are injured there is nobody to help you.
Do not stray far from shore
Reason: You are farther from assistance, should you need it.
Avoid swimming at night.
Reason: There is strong evidence to suggest that sharks move in closer to a land mass (island or shore) following sunset.
Avoid murky or turbid water.
Reason: Some species of sharks hunt in murky or turbid water, others may bite because of stress, and others may simply fail to recognize an object and bite to find out what it is. It is also difficult to defend yourself from something you cannot see.
Avoid swimming close to river mouths.
Reason: Freshwater plankton dies and attracts fish, some species of fish spawn at river mouths, and carcasses of dead animals are carried downstream. All these conditions attract predators such as sharks.
Be cautious when swimming in the breakers.
Reason: Sharks may become stressed due to the low visibility and sudden presence of humans..
Don't swim close to sandbars.
Reason: Any natural structure attracts a variety of marine animals and may be a feeding area for sharks.
Be cautious crossing channels between sandbars or on the edge of steep drop offs.
Reason: These are often feeding areas for sharks.
Avoid swimming or surfing near jetties.
Reason: These are often feeding areas for sharks.
Do not corner a shark or cut off its path to open water.
Reason: It may feel threatened and react defensively.
Avoid swimming in areas where birds are diving into the water.
Reason: Diving birds indicate schools of fish are in the area and the likelihood that sharks in the area is increased.
If schools of fish are milling nearby, do not attempt to chase them from the area.
Reason: Frightened, darting fish create distinctive sounds that are very attractive to sharks.
If baitfish are leaping at or above the surface, leave the water immediately.
Reason: Predator fish, possibly sharks, are feeding on the baitfish.
If spearfishing or collecting shellfish, do not attach your catch to a stringer at your waist, and stay alert when removing a fish from your spear. If wade-fishing, do not carry bait on your person.
Reason: A shark attempting to snatch your catch or the bait, could inadvertently injure you.
If spearfishing, change your location frequently.
Reason: The vibrations of speared fish attract sharks.
Avoid areas where any type of fishing activity is taking place or offal is dumped into the sea.
Reason: These areas attract sharks.
The presence of porpoises and dolphins may indicate sharks are hunting in the area.
Reason: These species often feed with sharks.
Leave the water when pods of dolphin cluster or head inshore
Reason: This behavior is often associated with the proximity of sharks.
Avoid swimming, surfing or diving in the vicinity of pinniped haul-outs or rookeries.
Reason: These animals are the prey of large sharks, including white sharks.
Avoid high contrast swim suits
Reason: It is thought sharks are attracted to high-contrast objects.
Refrain from excess splashing or making quick, abrupt movements in the water.
Reason: It suggests an animal in distress.
Do not swim with dogs or horses.
Reason: Their splashing may attract a predator.
If a shark approaches uncomfortably close, keep it at bay with your speargun or a shark “billy”.
Do not attempt to spear the shark unless you think an attack is imminent.
Reason: The shark may simply be curious, but if you respond with aggression the shark may react in the same way.
If you are bitten by a shark and you are wearing a wetsuit, don't remove the wetsuit except to control arterial bleeding.
Reason: A wetsuit acts as a pressure bandage and restricts the loss of blood.
Take both a CPR course and an advanced first aid course.
Reason: Many fatalities in the GSAF file could have been avoided if arterial bleeding had been recognized and stopped, and basic life support provided until professional medical assistance arrived. The life you save could be your own or that of a loved one.
Police dog braves shark infested river
Anything to do with Bull Sharks is big news on Queenslands Gold Coast (Australia), even if it has nothing to really do with sharks at all:
Police dog braves shark infested river to catch criminal | Dream Dogs Stud Dogs News
by Mark Glenning on November 26, 2010
In an amazing climax to a police chase, a fearless police dog sank his teeth into a fleeing criminal and refused to let go, even though they were swimming in a shark infested stretch of water.
The Hollywood style pursuit began at 3 AM in Ashmore Plaza, on the Gold Coast, when police were called to an incident involving a break-in at a shop. Officers arrived to disturb two men, one of whom fled on foot whilst the other leapt into a car and drove off. One officer opened fire on the vehicle, but the thief made good his escape.
Half an hour later, police spotted the vehicle again and gave chase. The driver crashed into a roundabout, blowing out a tyre before reversing into a police car. He decided to make a run for it, and officers released a police dog – a police dog who had no intention of letting the criminal evade him.
After a chase through the backstreets, the dog caught up with the fleeing criminal and sank its teeth into his leg, refusing to let its quarry go. In desperation, the thief tried to swim across the Nerang River, which is renowned as a hotspot for Bull sharks, which are notorious for attacking humans and whose bite is often mistaken for a Great White – the shark from the film Jaws.
As the wanted man was struggling to cross the river, with the dog still attached, police commandeered a passing jet ski, and headed out into the water to make an arrest.
Two men aged 33 and 30 are now in custody.
- Sent using Google Toolbar"
Police dog braves shark infested river to catch criminal | Dream Dogs Stud Dogs News
by Mark Glenning on November 26, 2010
In an amazing climax to a police chase, a fearless police dog sank his teeth into a fleeing criminal and refused to let go, even though they were swimming in a shark infested stretch of water.
The Hollywood style pursuit began at 3 AM in Ashmore Plaza, on the Gold Coast, when police were called to an incident involving a break-in at a shop. Officers arrived to disturb two men, one of whom fled on foot whilst the other leapt into a car and drove off. One officer opened fire on the vehicle, but the thief made good his escape.
Half an hour later, police spotted the vehicle again and gave chase. The driver crashed into a roundabout, blowing out a tyre before reversing into a police car. He decided to make a run for it, and officers released a police dog – a police dog who had no intention of letting the criminal evade him.
After a chase through the backstreets, the dog caught up with the fleeing criminal and sank its teeth into his leg, refusing to let its quarry go. In desperation, the thief tried to swim across the Nerang River, which is renowned as a hotspot for Bull sharks, which are notorious for attacking humans and whose bite is often mistaken for a Great White – the shark from the film Jaws.
As the wanted man was struggling to cross the river, with the dog still attached, police commandeered a passing jet ski, and headed out into the water to make an arrest.
Two men aged 33 and 30 are now in custody.
- Sent using Google Toolbar"
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Is the Ocean Dying?
Scientists fear mass extinction as oceans choke - ABC News
Low oxygen levels, which have been found along south-eastern Australia, are known to increase stress on fish. (Reuters: Ho New)
Australian scientists fear the planet is on the brink of another mass extinction as ocean dead zones continue to grow in size and number.
More than 400 ocean dead zones - areas so low in oxygen that sea life cannot survive - have been reported by oceanographers around the world between 2000 and 2008.
That is compared with 300 in the 1990s and 120 in the 1980s.
Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (CoECRS) and from the University of Queensland, says there is growing evidence that declining oxygen levels in the ocean have played a major role in at least four of the planet's five mass extinctions.
'Until recently the best hypothesis for them was a meteor strike,' he said.
'So 65 million years ago they've got very good evidence ... all the dinosaurs died because of smoke and stuff in the atmosphere from a meteor strike.
'But with the four other mass extinction events, one of the best explanations now is that these periods were preceded by an increase of volcanic activity, and that volcanic activity caused a change in ocean circulation.
'Just as we are seeing at a smaller scale today, huge parts of the ocean became anoxic at depth.
'The consequence of that is that you had increased amounts of rotten egg gas, hydrogen sulfide, going up into the atmosphere, and that is thought to be what may have caused some of these other extinction events.'
Professor Hoegh-Guldberg says up to 90 per cent of life has perished in previous mass extinctions and that a similar loss of life could occur in the next 100 years.
'We're already having another mass extinction due to humans wiping out life and so on, but it looks like it could get as high as those previous events,' he said.
'So it's the combination of this alteration to coastlines, climate change and everything, that has a lot of us worried we are going to drive the sixth extinction event and it will happen over the next 100 years because we are interfering with the things that keep species alive.
'Ocean ecosystems are in a lot of trouble and it all bears the hallmarks of human interference.
'We are changing the way the Earth's oceans work, shifting them to entirely new states, which we have not seen before.'
He says while it is impossible to predict the future, in a century from now the world will be vastly different.
'A world without the Great Barrier Reef, where you don't have the pleasure of going to see wild places any more,' he said.
'We might be able to struggle on with much lower population densities, but ultimately it won't be the world we have today.
'The idea of walking in the Daintree will be a forgotten concept because these changes have occurred.'
Hearts and lungs
Scientists say ocean dead zones, which vary in size from one square kilometre to 70,000 square kilometres, have been found all over the world.
Particular hotspots include the Gulf of Mexico, off Namibia in the South Atlantic, in the Bay of Bengal, in the Baltic, the Black Sea, the tropical South Pacific, off China and south-eastern Australia.
'We're seeing an expansion of areas of the ocean which are very low in oxygen and also very low in nutrients,' Professor Hoegh-Guldberg said.
'Climate change is driving changes to water circulation - so winds, strange weather patterns, have a consequence for how the ocean turns over and aerates and so on, and it's the winds which are delivering a lot of organic compounds into the deep sea.
'At the same time we are putting a lot of fertiliser off coastlines, those sorts of things are incubating these deep water anoxic zones.
'So it's the combination of those two things that are having a big change on how the ocean works.'
He says organic matter building up in the sea is a huge problem.
'You get enormous amounts of organic carbon building up at depth, bacteria then likes to break down that organic matter and bacteria uses up the oxygen,' he said.
'So then what you get is a substantial drop in oxygen - that then has the consequences for fishers, for the productivity of coastlines and so on.'
Destructive path
Associate Professor Mark McCormick, also of CoECRS and from James Cook University, says low oxygen levels increase stress on fish.
'We know from our recent work that increases in stress result in deformities, leading to poorer survival of fish larvae,' he said.
'It has also been found they can cause fish to have smaller ovaries, produce fewer eggs, so larvae are also smaller and less likely to survive.'
Professor Hoegh-Guldberg says the problem is not as significant in Australia as other parts of the world, but that it is heading along the same, destructive path.
'We've been altering coastal areas, delivering nutrients into the ocean, and of course you see the Great Barrier Reef, which has been quite damaged due to nutrient run-off,' he said.
'But the point is that our activities on land have a big influence on what goes on in the oceans and now we are starting to reap the harvest of those changes.'
He says the heart and lungs of the planet are being tampered with.
'We are starting to see changes in the ocean's ability to produce oxygen and to produce food and produce all of the ecosystem's services that are so important to not only us, but all of the other organisms on the planet,' he said.
'It's mucking around with the heart and lungs of the planet - that's essentially what the oceans are, a huge respiratory system.
'We damage them, the consequences could be very serious.'
Professor Hoegh-Guldberg says while the dead zones may only exist in pockets of ocean today, it will affect a far greater area in the future unless steps are taken to reduce the impact of human activities on the world's oceans and their life.
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Low oxygen levels, which have been found along south-eastern Australia, are known to increase stress on fish. (Reuters: Ho New)
Australian scientists fear the planet is on the brink of another mass extinction as ocean dead zones continue to grow in size and number.
More than 400 ocean dead zones - areas so low in oxygen that sea life cannot survive - have been reported by oceanographers around the world between 2000 and 2008.
That is compared with 300 in the 1990s and 120 in the 1980s.
Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (CoECRS) and from the University of Queensland, says there is growing evidence that declining oxygen levels in the ocean have played a major role in at least four of the planet's five mass extinctions.
'Until recently the best hypothesis for them was a meteor strike,' he said.
'So 65 million years ago they've got very good evidence ... all the dinosaurs died because of smoke and stuff in the atmosphere from a meteor strike.
'But with the four other mass extinction events, one of the best explanations now is that these periods were preceded by an increase of volcanic activity, and that volcanic activity caused a change in ocean circulation.
'Just as we are seeing at a smaller scale today, huge parts of the ocean became anoxic at depth.
'The consequence of that is that you had increased amounts of rotten egg gas, hydrogen sulfide, going up into the atmosphere, and that is thought to be what may have caused some of these other extinction events.'
Professor Hoegh-Guldberg says up to 90 per cent of life has perished in previous mass extinctions and that a similar loss of life could occur in the next 100 years.
'We're already having another mass extinction due to humans wiping out life and so on, but it looks like it could get as high as those previous events,' he said.
'So it's the combination of this alteration to coastlines, climate change and everything, that has a lot of us worried we are going to drive the sixth extinction event and it will happen over the next 100 years because we are interfering with the things that keep species alive.
'Ocean ecosystems are in a lot of trouble and it all bears the hallmarks of human interference.
'We are changing the way the Earth's oceans work, shifting them to entirely new states, which we have not seen before.'
He says while it is impossible to predict the future, in a century from now the world will be vastly different.
'A world without the Great Barrier Reef, where you don't have the pleasure of going to see wild places any more,' he said.
'We might be able to struggle on with much lower population densities, but ultimately it won't be the world we have today.
'The idea of walking in the Daintree will be a forgotten concept because these changes have occurred.'
Hearts and lungs
Scientists say ocean dead zones, which vary in size from one square kilometre to 70,000 square kilometres, have been found all over the world.
Particular hotspots include the Gulf of Mexico, off Namibia in the South Atlantic, in the Bay of Bengal, in the Baltic, the Black Sea, the tropical South Pacific, off China and south-eastern Australia.
'We're seeing an expansion of areas of the ocean which are very low in oxygen and also very low in nutrients,' Professor Hoegh-Guldberg said.
'Climate change is driving changes to water circulation - so winds, strange weather patterns, have a consequence for how the ocean turns over and aerates and so on, and it's the winds which are delivering a lot of organic compounds into the deep sea.
'At the same time we are putting a lot of fertiliser off coastlines, those sorts of things are incubating these deep water anoxic zones.
'So it's the combination of those two things that are having a big change on how the ocean works.'
He says organic matter building up in the sea is a huge problem.
'You get enormous amounts of organic carbon building up at depth, bacteria then likes to break down that organic matter and bacteria uses up the oxygen,' he said.
'So then what you get is a substantial drop in oxygen - that then has the consequences for fishers, for the productivity of coastlines and so on.'
Destructive path
Associate Professor Mark McCormick, also of CoECRS and from James Cook University, says low oxygen levels increase stress on fish.
'We know from our recent work that increases in stress result in deformities, leading to poorer survival of fish larvae,' he said.
'It has also been found they can cause fish to have smaller ovaries, produce fewer eggs, so larvae are also smaller and less likely to survive.'
Professor Hoegh-Guldberg says the problem is not as significant in Australia as other parts of the world, but that it is heading along the same, destructive path.
'We've been altering coastal areas, delivering nutrients into the ocean, and of course you see the Great Barrier Reef, which has been quite damaged due to nutrient run-off,' he said.
'But the point is that our activities on land have a big influence on what goes on in the oceans and now we are starting to reap the harvest of those changes.'
He says the heart and lungs of the planet are being tampered with.
'We are starting to see changes in the ocean's ability to produce oxygen and to produce food and produce all of the ecosystem's services that are so important to not only us, but all of the other organisms on the planet,' he said.
'It's mucking around with the heart and lungs of the planet - that's essentially what the oceans are, a huge respiratory system.
'We damage them, the consequences could be very serious.'
Professor Hoegh-Guldberg says while the dead zones may only exist in pockets of ocean today, it will affect a far greater area in the future unless steps are taken to reduce the impact of human activities on the world's oceans and their life.
- Sent using Google Toolbar"
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