A large Vietnamese ship containing two tons of drying shark fins or more was sunk by the Indonesian government. The ship had been illegally collecting a tremendous number of sharks to get their fins. Finning sharks is a disgusting, and very destructive practice that kills millions of sharks every year just to get their fins,
What does a shark actually see from its perspective? How does it spend its time, where/why does it travel, and how does it eat? Well, we now have a better idea — new research from the University of Hawaii and the University of Tokyo has revealed, for the first time, a shark’s eye view of
A diver in California’s kelp forest. A new study will explore possible radioactive contamination from the 2011 Fukushima meltdowns (Wikimedia Commons/Ed Bierman). Biology professor Steven L. Manley of California State University, Long Beach, and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s Head of Applied Nuclear Physics Kai Vetter have set up monitoring off the state’s coast throughout
A great white shark was filmed near Boothbay Harbor, Maine. It was feeding on a minke whale carcass and looking noticeably pedestrian. This is an important point because so much media depicting sharks presents them as threatening and vicious, when in fact the number of attacks from great whites and all sharks is extremely small.
A man living in the Nantucket area caught a shark while fishing and spent about 45 minutes wrestling with it. He said he enjoys catching them in this manner and then letting them go. “I always let them go. I’m not trying to hurt the sharks,” he explained according to CNN. Amazingly, it has also
Sharknado is not must-see TV, unless you are drawn for the unintended humor, ala Manos. In other words, it’s so stupid, it’s laughable. Or you could say comically bad. The extremely silly premise of Sharknado is that sharks could be lifted out of their marine habitats and propelled by violent tornadoes onto land where mayhem
Many species of shark and ray have taken major hits from human over-hunting (e.g., “finning” and sport-killing) as well as marine environment changes brought about by climate change impacts (e.g., the collapse of many smaller fish species). Understanding how these creatures live out their lives is crucial to helping protect them. Most sharks and
Here are some top activism stories of the past day or so. Check ’em out
OK, this video of a baby chimp feeding a tiger cub is too cute. Check it out and hear the cute story of how this care-taking came about…
Here are some top animal stories of the week (other than what we’ve covered already). Feel free to drop more stories or videos in the comments below if you have them.
26-73 million sharks are killed every year out of ephemeral desire for their fins! But the good news: governments around the world have taken action to stop people from killing sharks for their fins.
In concluding the International Year of Biodiversity, the good news is that manatees are still with us, the bad news is that manatee deaths in U.S. waters continue to climb. In 2009, there were 429 reported manatee deaths, which was about double the number from 2008. As of December 2010, however, manatee deaths totaled 699.
We’ve got some good news this week regarding sharks. The U.S. Senate and House of Representatives just passed the Shark Conservation Act (apt timing considering our last 10 Friday Photos post was on sharks… and the fact that the lame duck session is drawing to a close soon in Congress). The Act will bring an end to shark
Photo Credit: protecttheoceans via Flickr For me, sharks, with their beautiful look and power, are one of the most interesting animals. Often, people describe them as a ugly, brutal animals that are dangerous. The other awful case is that some people eat them, which is thousands times more cruel than the few events in which
For all those in the UK who care about sharks and want to see an end to shark finning, here’s an action opportunity via Animal Aid: The European Union Commission is currently reviewing the EU shark finning ban, and this is a great opportunity to close the loopholes in the current regulations. Please contact your
In a rare win for protecting the beautiful creatures of the sea and biodiversity as a whole, the small Island nation of Palau is acting big. Yale Environment 360 reports: The Pacific Island nation of Palau has announced the establishment of a 230,000-square-mile marine mammal sanctuary that will protect whales, dolphins, and the endangered dugong
Dunham the bottlenose dolphin was attacked by sharks and euthanized this Tuesday just 3 hours after being released from Florida’s Clearwater Marine Aquarium. Experts nearby monitoring the dolphin said he was attacked by at least two different sharks, and that the wounds were life-threatening. They euthanized him immediately upon arriving at the scene.
[social_buttons] Image ©Beth Bader Nine shark attack survivors will lobby the Senate to put new restrictions on fishing for sharks. The current legislation, Shark Fisheries Management Plan, implemented in the late 1990s, and the Shark Finning Prohibition Act of 2000 has failed to prevent thirty-two percent of the sharks and rays that live in the
In a bit of good news for sharks, Unilever, a global cosmetics company that makes Dove and Pond’s brands, will stop using shark liver oil, or squalene, in the making of its cosmetics. Squalene-free products that use a plant-based substitute could be on the shelves as soon as spring of 2008. The announcement heralded marine
