The Dorsal Fin

The Courier-Mail recently posted a story titled, Monster shark spreads fear off Queensland coast, focusing on a supposed "monster" white shark, which is so large that it was able to nearly bite a 3m (approximately 10′) white shark "in half" (with two bites on alternating sides, that is). The 3m shark was bitten after it was "snared on a baited drumline." The Courier-Mail posted this picture of the 3m white shark with the bite marks from the larger shark. The article goes on to estimate the size of this "monster" to be 5m (approximately 16.5′) or more. The article also refers to the shark as a "giant" great white, when not repeatedly referring to it as a "monster shark."

Let’s take a step back into reality, shall we? 5m is not outside of the range of what would generally be considered a normal length for an adult white shark. It is hardly a "giant," relatively speaking, when it comes to white sharks. So, who is spreading the fear about a monster off the coast of Queensland? Is it the actual shark or the over-the-top sensationalized reporting about the shark?

The article goes on to discuss the controversial topic of shark nets. Aside from the unnecessary sensationalism, one thing about the article that did strike me as interesting was that it mentioned that Vic Hislop (great white shark "hunter") does not support the use of shark nets due to the overall damage they cause to the marine environment, and that he supports methods to "scare away sharks rather than capture and kill them." This comes as a bit of surprise considering some of Hislop’s statements about sharks, which were featured in a recent Edit International article.

YouTube user walkofwolf0 has posted a video documenting the dissection of multiple juvenile great white sharks. According to the video information, there were a total of 4 juvenile white sharks dissected on October 11, 2009. It is not clear from the video what the purpose of these dissections was, nor how and from where the white sharks were acquired. If anybody has any more information regarding the events in this video, please feel free to contribute.

Due to the graphic nature of the dissection, I have chosen not to embed the video here. To view the video follow the link below.

Oceanfootage.com has posted a "highlight reel" which features a compilation of clips from some of their available stock footage. The video showcases some wonderful footage of a wide variety of shark species (including the great white shark, scalloped hammerhead shark, bull shark, basking shark, and sand tiger shark to name a few).

Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Ocean Future Society posted the video below on YouTube yesterday featuring footage of aggregations of Galapagos sharks filmed at Maro Reef (located near the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands). The video segment was taken from the PBS series Voyage to Kure, which premiered in 2006. According to the PBS website the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands were declared "a national monument and the world’s largest protected marine area was inspired in part by the PBS documentary series Jean-Michel Cousteau: Ocean Adventures Voyage to Kure"

Earth-Touch.com posted a new video footage today featuring encounters with common bottlenose dolphins, a manta ray, and a 5-6m whale shark. The video footage was shot at Sodwana Bay, off the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa on October 14th.