The Dorsal Fin

A great white shark was shot with a spear gun by a diver in False Bay on Tuesday.
(photo taken at Isla de Guadalupe)

A great white shark was shot with a speargun yesterday in False Bay (South Africa), according to the Independent Online. A spokesman for the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) said that the white shark had not been acting aggressively and had turned to swim away after getting close to a group of divers. One of the divers “shot at the shark” to scare it away and “accidentally” shot the shark in the gill area. The diver estimated the shark to be between 3-4m in length. Researchers and scientists are concerned for the well-being of the shark due to the potentially life-threatening injuries that could be sustained in the gill area. The spokesman for the NSRI encourages any sightings of the injured shark to be reported.

Great white sharks are a protected species in South Africa. The story somewhat reminds me of stories that I’ve heard about hunters firing “warning shots” at deer when they are out of season only to “accidentally” hit the deer. The difference here is that it seems as though the diver reported the incident to the NSRI, which makes it seem as though the diver simply panicked and shot the shark out of fear, despite the fact that the shark had turned to swim away.

Apparently, great white sharks at Isla de Guadalupe are becoming like amusement park rides. Apparently, the activities seen in this video were part of a “documentary,” which seems to be the catch-all excuse for “getting the shot” these days.

This video is part of rettigundersea’s Guadalupe photo set, which is worth checking out for some cool rare shots of the island that aren’t related to white sharks, including some cool shore diving shots.

Yes, there actually are videos on YouTube that are even worse than Discovery’s Shark Week clips. Fishing is one thing. Swinging a live, injured animal around by its tail is just plain abusive.

According to KITV state legislature voted to approve Hawaii’s “Shark Fin Ban” (Senate Bill 2169), and the bill is now heading to a final vote.

If passed, the bill would ban catching sharks within three miles of the shoreline and would prohibit possession and distribution of sharks and shark fins in Hawaii.

Hawaii's Shark Fin Ban would put an end to the legal shark fin market in the state.

According to KITV, the final vote could come as early as Friday (04/23). If the bill passes and is signed into law, it would take effect on July 1, 2010. However, there would be a one year grace period for restaurants and vendors who sell shark products to sell off existing inventories.

While supporters of the ban view shark finning as animal cruelty, opponents of a ban have argued that the consumption of shark fins (mainly in shark fin soup) is a “cultural custom.” In some cultures shark fin soup is viewed as status symbol. It has also been purported to possesses health benefits (none of which have any scientific backing).

WCNT is reporting that a Hawaiian surfer was unharmed after what is believed to be a tiger shark took a bite out of his surfboard. Jim Rawlinson was surfing in Hanalei Bay when he was knocked off his board by the shark. According to Rawlinson, he fell off the board and landed on the shark’s back. After sliding off the back of the shark, he undid his surfboard leash to swim away. Apparently, the shark had the same idea, as Rawlinson said the next thing he knew the shark was gone.

The fact that the tiger shark left Rawlinson unharmed only further dispels the myth that tiger sharks do not necessarily “eat everything in sight.” According to the WCNT report, a marine biologist speculated that the tiger shark might have mistaken the surfboard for a sea turtle.

The WCNT anchor’s “lucky to be alive” statement might be going a bit overboard. At the very least, it’s probably safe to say that Rawlinson was lucky that neither one of his feet nor any other body part was situated on the part of the surfboard that was bitten.