Are sharks being attacked by killer whales off Cape Town’s coast?
Large, predatory sharks occupy the top of ocean food chains, where they play important roles in maintaining diverse and healthy ecosystems. The loss of these predators can therefore have significant impacts on ecosystems. Morne Hardenberg/Shark Explorers By Alison Kock, South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity and Tamlyn Engelbrecht, University ofContinue Reading
‘Sharks need more protection in Irish waters’
DUBLIN (IRELAND)- Over 60 percent of all sharks and rays in Irish waters are threatened with extinction or ‘near threatened. Last month the Irish navy detained Spanish fishermen for allegedly finning sharks at sea, a practice that has been banned in EU waters since 2013. More protection is urgently needed,Continue Reading
Madagascar is a hotspot for whale sharks
ANTANANARIVO (MADAGASCAR)-The isolated island continent of Madagascar is a hotspot for whale sharks. This was confirmed by a new study published in the journal Endangered Species Research this summer. It revealed that juvenile whale sharks swim to Madagascar to feed. 85 individual sharks were identified in a single season usingContinue Reading
New Zealand bans shark cage diving
AUCKLAND (NEW ZEALAND)- The Court of Appeal of New Zealand has ruled shark cage diving is an offence under the Wildlife Act, a move being welcomed by paua divers. Divers and tourists are less happy. With the ruling ends a long legal battle between paua (abalone) divers from Stewart Island andContinue Reading
Shark tourism can change your mind about these much-maligned predators
OAHU (HAWAII)- Shark ecotourism can change people’s attitudes about sharks and make them more likely to support conservation projects – even after allowing for the fact that ecotourists are more likely to be environmentally minded in the first place. Michele Barnes, James Cook University and Sarah Ruth Sutcliffe, James CookContinue Reading
In search of great whites in Canadian waters
HALIFAX (CANADA)-Great whites in Canada? Yeah for sure. Research group Ocearch is starting a research expedition next week in Nova Scotia, the east coast province of Canada. The researchers are looking for name suggestions for the sharks they find lurking in these cold waters. Ocearch is famous for tagging andContinue Reading
New large shark species heading for the UK? That’s no cause for panic
SOUTHAMPTON (UK)- The climate is changing – and so are our seas. Warming sea temperatures have resulted in British cod moving north, benefiting Iceland. The English Channel has warmed during the last half century and the grey Atlantic triggerfish is now a year-round, rather than just a summer, resident inContinue Reading