More than 50 countries have agreed to protect shortfin mako sharks, an endangered species that has been teetering on the brink of extinction due to fishing overexploitation. The decision has been welcomed by conservationists and scientists who have worked for years to enact a fishing ban on the species, Isurus oxyrinchus, although they say the […]
Tag: sharks
Terrifying moment shark breaks into diver’s cage as seven encircle helpless man
FOOTAGE of a man desperately fighting off sharks from entering his diving cage after the lock broke resurfaced online in a terrifying video that nearly cost the diver his life. A diver was forced to fight off a shark who tried to break into his cage after the lock on the door broke, forcing him […]
Great white shark attacks on humans may be case of mistaken identity, study suggests
On the rare occasion a great white shark attacks a human, the bite may be the result of mistaken identity, according to new research. A study by Australian scientists suggests the apex predator may not be able to visually distinguish surfers and swimmers at the water’s surface from their natural prey. “They’re not these mindless […]
The surprising ways sharks keep the ocean healthy
Sharks, among the fiercest predators in the ocean, are also some of the most vulnerable. Three-quarters of open-ocean shark and ray species are threatened with extinction, primarily because of overfishing. For years, scientists have warned that these plummeting numbers could be catastrophic. Because sharks are top predators that help keep the food web in check, […]
Squalene: How Sharks are Killed to Extract this Oil from Their Liver to Make Daily Products and Supplements
Did you know that a compound taken from sharks is currently used in COVID-19 vaccine testing as well as many other products? The ingredients that companies use in their products are wide-ranging, from chemical compounds that are difficult to pronounce to organic herbs. Many ingredients may simply be strange, but some are also unsustainable and […]
Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act Reintroduced in Congress
Good news! On April 22, 2021, Representatives Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan (D- MP) and Michael McCaul (R-TX) reintroduced the Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act. A previous version of this bill passed the House of Representatives in November of 2019 with a 310-107 majority. Unfortunately, the companion bill, introduced by Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Shelly […]
Sharks on a knife’s edge as Maldives mulls lifting 10-year fishing ban
It’s not easy to find sharks these days. Just ask Demian Chapman, a marine scientist who leads Global FinPrint, a project that assesses shark populations on reefs worldwide. But he says there is a spot where they’re often found: the Maldives, a tiny nation of islands speckled in the Indian Ocean. “The Maldives is a […]
European tuna boats dump fishing debris in Seychelles waters ‘with impunity’
In 2019, when Jeremy Raguain turned up for a cleanup campaign on Aldabra Atoll, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, he bagged a marine monstrosity like no other: a beached fish aggregating device, or FAD. It was a massive tangle of buoys, netting and fishing ropes weighing hundreds of kilograms. The fishing aid, like most FADs, […]