Queensland drumlines killing endangered sharks
CAIRNS (AUSTRALIA)-Lethal drumlines off the coast of Queensland, northern Australia catch and kill hundreds of non-target marine animals in the Great Barrier Reef. Humane Society International and the Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS) have released imagery of drumlines set off the coast of Magnetic Island showing the death of endangeredContinue Reading
5 Places to meet bull sharks
Of all sharks, the bull shark has always been one of the most intriguing to me. It is found thousands of miles upstream in rivers and lakes and is one of the fiercest species around. But mainly because I’ve never seen one. I have been out on dive sites expectingContinue Reading
New species of shark discovered in Belize
SARASOTA (USA)- Researchers from the Florida Institute of Technology, Oceana and Florida State University have discovered a new species of shark: Squalus clarkae or Genie’s Dogfish. They named the new species of dogfish after the famous shark researcher Eugenie Clark. She was a pioneer in shark biology, known around the world for her illuminatingContinue Reading
India: Ban on export of shark fins stays
Since 2015 the export of shark fins has been banned in India, thanks to the good work of Humane Society International/India and People for Animals. Petitioners sought to have the ban lifted and appealed to the Kerala High Court, claiming the ban affected “their fundamental right to trade. Last weekContinue Reading
Great whites and basking sharks New Zealand near threatened
AUCKLAND (New Zealand)- The New Zealand government has listed two species of shark in its waters as ‘near threatened’: great whites and basking sharks. This is a negative shift from their previous “at risk” status in the last conservation report published in 2005. The report, called The New Zealand ThreatContinue Reading
Great white spotted off Spanish coast
MALLORCA (SPAIN)- Exciting news from the Mediterranean. Marine biologists have photographed a great white shark in Spanish waters off Cabrera, an uninhabited island and nature reserve 11 miles south of Mallorca. The team of scientists spotted the great white (Carcharodon carcharias), a very rare species in the Mediterranean, for what they say to beContinue Reading
Mexico creates official Caribbean refuge for whale sharks
CANCUN (MEXICO)- Every year between may and September whale sharks gather off the Caribbean coast of the peninsula of Yucatan. The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources has decided to protect these gentle giants by creating an official refuge area of 633,000 hectares. The Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources, through theContinue Reading