Latest Shark Stories
An international team of scientists have used DNA to determine that groups of dusky sharks and copper sharks living in different coastal regions across the globe are in fact separate populations of each species. Both groups are heavily exploited for the shark fin trade, which claims tens of millions of animals every year to produce the Asian delicacy: shark fin soup. Many of these fish are declining rapidly as a result of pressures of fishing for their fins. The dusky shark is classified by...
WASHINGTON, April 20, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Matt Rand, director of global shark conservation for the Pew Environment Group, issued the following statement today in response to the Chilean Senate passage of Chile's first-ever ban on shark finning, requiring that ships catching sharks have to land them with their fins naturally attached (meaning that the shark's whole body must be taken to port). The Chamber of Deputies is expected to begin consideration of the bill in a few weeks....
Recently discovered worm with bone-eating lifestyle not exclusive to whale carcassesA new study led by a scientist at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego is painting a more complete picture of an extraordinary sea worm that makes its living in the depths of the ocean on the bones of dead animals.Discovered fewer than 10 years ago off Monterey, Calif., but since identified in other oceans, the flower-like marine "boneworms," or Osedax, have been documented mainly...
VALPARAISO, Chile, April 6, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Officials from the Pew Environment Group were in Valparaiso this week to present to the Senate fisheries commission and meet with the presidents of the Senate and Chamber of Deputies as well as other government officials in support of a Senate bill that would end the practice of shark finning in Chilean waters. (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110406/DC78443) The Pew delegation discussed pending legislation mandating...
Joe Moore, CEO of the First Defense Nasal Screen Corp, turned down the largest sum of money ever offered ($4 Million Dollars) on national television in ABC's Shark Tank season premiere for his world changing Invention First Defense Nasal Screens. Mark Cuban, Kevin O'Leary and Daymond John countered with a $750,000 offer of their own for just 30%.New Port Richey, FL (PRWEB) April 1, 2011 In ABC's Season Premiere of the hit reality show "Shark Tank" Joe Moore, President & CEO of the First...
By Danielle Torrent, University of FloridaA new study led by a University of Florida researcher uses tracking data of three shark species to provide the first evidence some of the fish swim directly to targeted locations.Researchers found tiger and thresher sharks showed the ability to orient at large distances, with tiger sharks swimming in direct paths at least 4 miles away and reaching specific resource areas about 30 miles away, said lead author Yannis Papastamatiou, a marine biologist in...
HAGATNA, Guam, March 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- With passage of Bill 44, the US Territory of Guam has now become the third place in the Pacific that has taken a definite stand against shark finning, the trade of fins and shark fin soup. (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110309/SF62412-a) (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110309/SF62412-b) June 2010 marked the legislative breakthrough effort of the Hawaii shark fin bill. In January 2011 the Commonwealth of the Mariana...
Researchers, writing in the Journal of Animal Ecology suggest that some shark species have "mental maps" of their ranges and can pinpoint locations in the ocean up to 30 miles away. Tagged with acoustic transmitters, scientists analyzed data from tiger sharks, and found that they took directed paths from place to place, AFP is reporting.Using nine Blacktip reef sharks and 15 Threshers which had been tagged with trackers and released off Hawaii, Palmyra atoll in the Pacific or southern...
Pew applauds Pacific Islands for leading world on shark conservation WASHINGTON, Feb. 24, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Senate of Guam, a U.S. territory in the Pacific Ocean, passed a bill today banning the sale, possession and distribution of shark fins. With this legislation, sponsored by the Guam Senate's Vice Speaker B.J. Cruz, the Pacific islands continue to lead the world in the fight for shark conservation. It now moves to Governor Eddie Baza Calvo for his signature. "More and...
SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- California Assembly Members Paul Fong and Jared Huffman today introduced a bill to prohibit the sale of shark fins in California to the State Assembly. California is one of the largest sources of demand for shark fin outside Asia and this bill would represent a major step towards reducing pressure on shark populations. Furthermore the bill complements the ban introduced in both Hawaii and the Commonwealth of North Mariana Islands (CNMI) as well...
Latest Shark Reference Libraries
The slender bamboo shark is a bottom dweller found in shallow coastal waters where the ocean floor is sandy or muddy--around bays, inlets, and coral reefs. Found mainly in the Indo-West Pacific waters from the Arabian Sea to India; also in Thailand, Indonesia, Taiwan, Philippines, and Solomon Islands. It is occasionally found in freshwater of the Perak River of Malaysia. The body of this species is brownish in color covered with dark splotches above and cream colored underneath. The mouth...
This harmless shark is native to the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Indonesia, it is also found in coastal waters from Japan to India. It lives on the ocean floor in shallow areas around coral reefs, hiding during the day and feeding at night. In Taiwan and Madagascar the whitespotted bamboo shark is used for food. Occasionally this species is kept in home aquariums as pets. The young whitespotted bamboo shark will have a black body covered with white and light blue spots and dark vertical...
The Barbeled houndshark (Leptocharias smithii) is a species of bottom dwelling shark and sole member of the Leptochariidae family. It is a fish found in the Atlantic Ocean, inhabiting coastal waters of Africa from Mauritania to Angola and found at depths up to 246 feet. It is occasionally found as far north as the Mediterranean Sea. Its habitat is typically muddy water around river mouths. This fish can grow up to 32 inches in length, and is characterized by its long, slender body,...
The Leopard Shark (Triakis semifasciata) is a species of hound shark found in the coastal waters of the eastern Pacific Ocean, along the coast of North America from Oregon to Baja California. Its habitat is rocky areas, rocky reefs, kelp beds, sandy areas and under piers. Tagging has revealed that stock is mostly resident in San Francisco Bay. However, about 10 percent of the population migrate further out into the ocean seasonally. They swim mainly at depths of 10 to 250 feet. They prefer...
The Horn Shark (Heterodontus francisci) is a species of bullhead shark that ranges from central California to the Gulf of California, Mexico, and possibly Ecuador and Peru. Its habitat includes rocky reefs, kelp beds, sand flats, crevices, and caverns at depths from 7 to 490 feet. It is mostly nocturnal and is rather sluggish in the daytime. The adult can reach a length of 4 feet and weigh about 22 pounds. It is brown with black spots. If harassed it may bite. It has poisonous spines on...
