The Dorsal Fin

YouTube member Austin Buzzett posted a video yesterday with some footage of whale shark encounters off Grayton Beach and Seagrove Beach. The video does feature a few scenes with divers/snorkelers touching and hanging on to the dorsal fin of one of the whale sharks, which I strongly discourage, I think the overall theme of the video and the nature in which it depicts the whale sharks is definitely worth sharing.

This feature from 60 Minutes, , which originally aired in December of 2005 was updated on August 6, 2009. It covers the whole gamut of shark tourism and conservation. The segment does feature some footage that will clearly be seen by some as being detrimental to attitudes towards sharks and the shark tourism industry. Most notably a cage breach in which Simon implies that the divers would have “been toast” if the shark had not lost his bearing.

The lead-in to the segment also seems to state in a somewhat “matter of fact” manner that many people believe shark diving has resulted in an increase on shark attacks on beach-goers. It does seem to be somewhat balanced in featuring opinions of those both for and against shark diving, although I think it would have been more informative to see some references to research to support or contradict either point of view. I know there is at least one study on the effects of shark tourism on white shark behavior that was conducted in South Africa, which could have been relevant to the argument.

The segment started out with what I felt like was a somewhat negative attitude towards sharks from Bob Simon, in that he seems to be focused on fears toward sharks early on. However, Simon definitely seems in awe of the white sharks that he dives with in South Africa and even comments that the experience is less about fear than it was marveling at seeing white sharks up close. In the latter half of the segment, the focus shifts from shark tourism to the finning industry and the threat to global shark populations. By the end of the segment, Simon seems to be conservation-minded and even calls for people to give sharks a break.

The Seacliff and New Brighton state beaches are set to re-open today, August 15. The beaches have been closed since Tuesday, August 11, after a shark was sighted feeding on a porpoise carcass off Seacliff beach, according to MercuryNews.com.

The decision was made to re-open the beaches, since no sharks have been sighted in the area since the initial sighting on Tuesday. Local veterinarian, Dave Casper, of the Long Marine Laboratory in Santa Cruz, said that the bites on the porpoise were about 10 inches (25 cm) across. Casper believes that the bites were likely made by a 10-12 foot (3-3.5 m) great white shark, and that the event was a “natural occurrence.” Casper said that white sharks often feed on the carcasses of marine animals as they shift from a diet of fish at a young age to a diet of sea lions and other larger prey items as adults.

Portland’s Koin Local 6 News is reporting that the fisherman who towed a great white shark to shore, near Depoe Bay (Oregon), after finding it snagged in his crab pot lines has been cited for possessing the shark. However, they also report that a source close to the fisherman has said that not only is this not true, but that the fisherman was instructed by authorities to bring the dead shark in. The report also chronicles reports of other possible shark sightings, one of which “scientists confirmed MAY be a great white shark,” which is a nice way of saying, “We can’t confirm that it was a great white shark, but it’s possible.”

The Depoe Bay great white shark story has seen its share of variations. KATU.com originally reported that "the shark sprung to life in the parking lot pictured, thrashing around and almost biting someone," after it had been dragged into a parking lot. This particular aspect of the story seems to have faded from further reports.

While the internet can be a great source of information, it seems that it’s also capable of being a great source of misinformation, as well. If anybody has a definitive (and accurate) account of this story, please feel free to share it, thanks.

In the past few days, Patrick McDonnell’s “Mutts” comic strip has been following the perils of “Tony the Shark.” In the comic strip, Tony has been expressing his fears to his crab buddy, “Crabby,” about finning and “shark killing tournaments.” The recent entries in the comic strip are a clever play on the role-reversal of sharks having more to fear from humans than humans having to fear from sharks.

Legally, I can’t re-post the comic strip here on the blog without paying for reprint rights, so I’ve included some links to the comic from the Seattle P.I. below…

Mutts – August 10, 2009
Mutts – August 11, 2009
Mutts – August 12, 2009
Mutts – August 13, 2009
Mutts – August 14, 2009

Mutts is currently featured in over 700 newspapers and in 20 countries. It’s always good to see the issues of finning, overfishing, and declining shark populations being addressed in a form of media across such a wide audience. Kudos to Patrick McDonnell for addressing shark conservation in Mutts. For more information about Mutts, visit the Offiicial Mutts Website.