In late March and early April this year, researchers from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands teamed up with fishers, conservationists and scientists in Guinea-Bissau to catch, study, sample and release more than 50 sharks and rays off the coast of the West African country. The team, which included experts from the Guinea-Bissau-based Institute […]
Tag: sharks
Whale Shark is World’s Largest Omnivore, New Study Shows
The whale shark (Rhincodon typus), which have been reported up to 18 m long, is the largest known extant fish species. This creatrure is a filter feeder and has long been observed eating plankton, including krill, copepods, crab larvae, tiny squid or fish. But new research shows that the floating macroalgae, Sargassum, is a significant […]
Activists Calling for An End to Cruel Shark Fishing Tournament in Palm Beach County, Florida
A shark fishing tournament happening in Palm Beach County, Florida, has received national controversy, with a petition garnering over 120,000 signatures to have it canceled. Organizers said they created the event to call attention to the “surging bull shark population.” Local fishermen claim that the populations of sharks in the area need to be managed […]
Calls for more “humane” shark confinement techniques after entanglement of humpback whale in shark nets off the coast of Queensland
New appeals for more “humane” shark confinement techniques have been made in response to the capture of another whale in shark netting off the coast of Queensland. Following reports to the 24-hour Shark hotline at 6.30am on Friday, the whale was freed at 9am by personnel from Sea World and the Queensland Boating and Fisheries […]
Girl, 15, loses leg after being attacked by a shark while scalloping in 5ft-deep water in Florida
A teenage girl lost her leg after being attacked by a shark while she was scalloping in five-foot deep water and was saved by a family member who jumped in and beat the animal off her. The 15-year-old, whose has not been identified, was attacked near Grassy Island, off Keaton Beach in Taylor County. Her […]
In Sri Lankan waters, endangered but unprotected rays encounter a killing field
COLOMBO — When fishermen in southern Sri Lanka recently caught a giant oceanic manta ray, they needed a backhoe to haul it out of the water once they reached land. Weighing 800 kilograms, or nearly 1,800 pounds, the catch drew much local attention. It sold for 170,000 rupees, or about $470, and soon this endangered […]
How to avoid great white sharks and what to do if you encounter one
Like it or not, great white sharks are wending their way north to begin their annual visit in Atlantic Canada and feast on their favorite snack—the region’s abundant seal population. The forbidding predator—best known for terrifying a generation of beachgoers with its outsized portrayal in the film Jaws—typically returns to the region from July to […]
California Drift Gillnets Entangled About 12 Humpback Whales in 2021
SAN FRANCISCO— After new federal reports estimated that the California drift gillnet fishery caught about 12 Pacific humpbacks in 2021, the Center for Biological Diversity warned the National Marine Fisheries Service today to expect to be sued for failing to protect these endangered whales from entanglements in drift nets. Today’s legal notice points out that […]