Marine biologist Mauricio Hoyos has spent decades studying sharks, but his most recent encounter with one nearly cost him his life. While tagging a 10-foot Galapagos shark near Costa Rica’s Cocos Island, the animal suddenly lunged and bit into his head and cheek. Miraculously, the shark released him almost immediately, leaving him with deep scars […]
Tag: sharks
Humpback whale calf entangled in shark nets dies off NSW coast – video
A juvenile humpback whale has been found dead after becoming entangled in a shark net off the New South Wales coast. The 8-metre whale, estimated to be two years old, was found wrapped in netting north of Wollongong on Tuesday, in waters between Coledale and Wombarra. It is the 15th whale entangled in shark nets […]
Pet sharks have become cool, but is owning them ethical?
When Laurie was a kid, she had recurrent nightmares that featured her getting eaten by a shark. Decades later, Laurie goes to sleep next to them (or at least in the same house). She’s the proud owner of two epaulette sharks (Hemiscyllium ocellatum) in her 1,135-liter (300-gallon) tank: bottom-dwelling spotted sharks up to 0.6 meters […]
Brazil weighs new measures to manage shark trade, fishing
The Brazilian government is reviewing its legal framework for the trade in sharks. Measures now under consideration include a potential ban on fin exports and stricter rules for shark fishing and imports, as well as revising the rules governing the fishing of blue shark (Prionace glauca), the only species that’s legal to catch in Brazilian […]
Are shark attacks on the rise in Australia? And what is being done to reduce the risk of fatal interactions?
Mercury Psillakis had spotted the shark. Moments before he was fatally attacked by what is believed to have been a 3.5-metre great white last Saturday at Long Reef beach in Sydney, the surfer warned his friends about the animal. “Merc saved his friends in the surf,” his family said in a statement this week. “He […]
Man banned from chasing dolphins on his jet ski
A man has been issued with a police warning after using his jet ski to deliberately disturb a pod of dolphins in Cornwall. The incident, which occurred in St Austell Bay in June, saw the man approach the marine mammals and reportedly encourage others to do the same. Devon and Cornwall Police confirmed the man, […]
Netflix’s Shark Whisperer Makes Waves for Shark Conservation
Netflix’s latest nature documentary, Shark Whisperer, dives deep into one of the planet’s most misunderstood predators—and the woman trying to save them. According to Lisa Respers France at CNN, the film follows free-diving conservationist Ocean Ramsey as she swims—literally and figuratively—into the heart of shark Conservation. Directed by Oscar-winner James Reed (My Octopus Teacher), Shark […]
Illegal shark product trade evident in Australia and New Zealand
Research from the University of Adelaide’s School of Biological Sciences and Wildlife Crime Research Hub has highlighted evidence of shark products entering both Australia and Aotearoa/New Zealand, including clear patterns in flows between the two countries. According to the study, published in Pacific Conservation Biology, the products identified were carried in personal luggage and postage, […]