The Dorsal Fin

WARNING: Article links feature images of a whale shark being butchered.

The butchering of a whale shark in Johor, Malaysia (first reported in Whale shark caught and hacked into pieces in Johor) is now being investigated Sea Shepherd Conservation Society who are working with Reefcheck Malaysia and other Malaysian groups who would like the incident to be officially reported, according to the article, Conservation group: Killing whale shark is illegal. According to the article, an unidentified member of Sea Shepherd stated that the incident depicted in the original article is "actually a criminal offense by Malaysian law." The statement was made in an email reportedly sent by the member of Sea Shepherd.

Whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) are listed as "Vulnerable" on the IUCN Red List.

According to The Miami Herald, Chef Phillipe Chow will no longer be offering shark fin soup on the menu at Phillipe Restaurant. In addition to pulling the dish from his upscale Chinese cuisine restaurants, Chow is encouraging other Asian restaurants to stop the use of shark fins. According to Herald, Chow had previously focused on purchasing Mako shark fins from “environmentally friendly sources” but has since decided it’s better to end the use of shark fins at his restaurants altogether.

Kudos to Chef Chow for his change of heart on the issue and for encouraging other restaurants to follow suit. As I’ve seen so often on another shark blog, “It starts with one.”

In related news, The Times-Picayune is reporting that Chef Scott Boswell has removed shark fin soup from the menu at Stella! in New Orleans. The decision to remove shark fin soup from the menu comes on the heels of a review in The Times-Picayune that made mention of shark fin soup, which elicited some negative response from readers (see Readers respond to "Stella!" rave with enthusiasm, outrage. Boswell is quoted as saying that he does not know whether the shark fin he had been using was “humanely harvested” or not, and he currently does not feel right about serving it. Boswell also went on to say that he decided to remove shark fin from his soup recipe until he can get a better grasp on whether or not he should be using it.

On August 15, two men kayaking off the coast of Chatham, Massachusetts witnessed a shark attack on a seal. Bruce Bean and Rod MacKinnon, witnessed a bloody seal at the surface near their kayaks and a “a large black fin” nearby, according to a report at the The Boston Globe. White sharks are not unheard of in New England waters this time of year, and there is a large population of seals in the area where the men spotted the shark, so it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to believe that a great white shark could be in the area. Greg Skomal of the Division of Marine Fisheries was quoted as saying, "We think it’s a great white shark. There’s not many species of sharks in New England that would attack a seal. It’s certainly not a new phenomenon. It’s a natural event that’s been going on for a few years." Despite it being a “natural event” that’s not a “new phenomenon,” several news agencies picked up the story and added the typical "Jaws" references and sensational reporting. It should also be noted that while white sharks are known to migrate through New England waters, the last recorded fatal shark attack in New England occurred in 1936, according to The Boston Globe report.

The story at The Boston Globe was actually fairly objective and reported the basic facts of the sighting. The Boston Herald’s version of the story, on the other hand, steps the “fear factor” up a bit, starting their report off with, "Shark experts fear a great white is lurking off Chatham’s seal-rife seas." I find it hard to believe that “shark experts” would “fear” a great white’s presence in an area where white sharks are known to be present this time of year, especially in a spot where there is an abundant source of the white shark’s natural food source. And while the Herald’s story makes the statement about the shark expert’s “fear,” it is not backed up with any information from any “shark experts” expressing fear over the situation. In fact, Skomal is also quoted in the Herald’s report as simply stating that he believed the account of Bean and MacKinnon to be credible and that the carcass of the seal would help identify the shark involved. And, yes, this is the same Greg Skomal quoted in The Boston Globe story who expressed that a white shark attacking a seal was a natural event and nothing new.

WHDH 7 Boston’s video report (Note: I could only view this video properly using Internet Explorer) really hams up the "Jaws" angle in their version of the story. My favorite part of this one is the quote from one of the women interviewed, in which she says, "It’s like out of the Syfy Channel. You know, they have Shark Week and show all the horror pictures." The fact that people out there no longer make the distinction between Discovery Channel and science fiction is a tell-tale sign of what Shark Week has become, as of late. Also worth noting is the very familiar white shark image used in the background behind the anchors in the news studio during the lead-in to the story.

Last but not least, WBZTV CBS 38 features the photo of a mako shark to go along with their report on the possible white shark sighting. WBZTV also has a video report on the story, which amazingly manages to avoid any references to "Jaws".

According to the article, Sharkfin ‘kingpin’ sentenced for violating protection laws, from the The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Mark L. Harrison, the so-called "Shark Fin Kingpin", was sentenced to 5 years probation and a $5,000 fine for violating federal wildlife protection laws in a federal court in Atlanta, Ga. In addition to the fine and probation, Harrison has been ordered to place an advertisement in a large-circulation format publication in the fish industry regarding compliance with regulations for reporting shark fins. Updated 08/22/2009 – In addition to the above sentencing, Harrison has been ordered to perform 150 hours of community service. Harrison International was sentenced to pay a fine of $5,000 and placed on probation for five years, according to the News Herald.

According to authorities, Harrison was responsible for buying and selling millions of shark fins over his 20-year career. Harrison was caught trying to ship shark fins from three protected shark species from Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in August of 2007. Authorities noted that Harrison dried the fins in potentially unsanitary conditions.

Special Agent, James Gale, of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, was quoted as saying, "Hopefully, this sentence will raise public awareness of how unlawful commercialization impacts certain species of wildlife." Personally, I think the sentence seems a bit lenient, given the length of Harrison’s career and the potential value of illegal shark fins. However, based on the article, it seems as though Harrison was only being charged for the incident at the Hartfield-Jackson Airport, so for that single event, perhaps, this sentence is considered appropriate.

Whale sharks: Swimming alongside one of the giants of the oceanic world, from the Press Register at Al.com, reports on the unprecedented numbers of whale sharks being spotted in the northern gulf only a few miles off the coast of Alabama. Ben Raines gives a detailed account of his time in the water with one of the whale sharks in the gulf. The experience lasted about 2 hours. Raines was accompanied by researcher Eric Hoffmayer, who tagged the whale shark during the encounter with a satellite tag to track the shark.

According to the article, Hoffmayer urges people to avoid touching the whale sharks, since it can trigger erratic movement from the whale sharks, which can put anyone around the shark in danger. While whale sharks are plankton feeders, and considered "gentle giants," the sheer size of them can result in injuries even by accidental contact. Hoffmayer encourages divers to keep a safe distance of 5 feet (1.5 meters) when swimming with the sharks. Raines also notes that it's probably a good idea to avoid swimming directly above whale sharks, as well, to avoid being in the wrong place at the wrong time, in the event of a whale shark surfacing.