The Dorsal Fin

ABC News recently ran the above featured, inspired by recent shark attacks on children in North Carolina waters. While the feature covers several topics, I think the most worthwhile aspect of this report is the advice that parents should always accompany their children and be aware of risks of swimming in the ocean.

While the feature brings up the often used statistic that one is more likely to be struck by lightning than to be attacked by a shark, it fails to mention some of the other potential risks of swimming in the ocean. In particular, the ABC report does not even bring up the risk of drowning. In the past month alone, North Carolina beaches have unfortunately been the sites of multiple drownings.

Having visited North Carolina beaches on a fairly regular basis for many years of my life, I appreciate what NC beaches have to offer. However, there are inherent risks involved in swimming in the ocean, and when children are a part of the equation some of these risks become even greater. While it is important that beach goers are aware that sharks (as well as other predatory fish and potentially dangerous ocean life) are in the water, people should also be aware of the other potential dangers.

In the cases of the two recent North Carolina shark attacks, reports seem to indicate that there was proper parental supervision in both incidents. While even the most watchful parents can’t always prevent an unseen event such as a shark attack, proper supervision can certainly help to cut down some of the other risks involved with a day at the beach.

White sharks observed at the surface were identified by unique markings.

Earlier this year, reports of the results of study which estimated the number of white sharks off central California made headlines. Researchers formulated the estimate after surveying known and unknown white shark specimens, which were observed at the surface. Individual sharks were identified based on each shark’s unique markings.

Dr. Michael Domeier of Marine CSI has recently posted commentary on the methodology used in the above mentioned study. Domeier cites that the study assumed that the sampled white shark population was a closed population. Domeier goes on to say that the long term monitoring of white sharks at Isla de Guadalupe has shown that adult white sharks leave and join the population, which violates the assumption of a closed population.

Additionally, Domeier states that the assumption that individual sharks have an equally probability of being observed has been invalidated by previous research.

Domeier concludes that since estimate was based on “faulty assumptions” the estimate is invalid. He also states that the actual number of white sharks in the respective region is “likely dramatically higher” than the estimate reported in the published study.

Dr. Domeier’s full discussion of this study can be found at the Marine CSI website.

WARNING: The video below features a fictional account of a shark attack (based off the Alex Kintner scene in “Jaws”).

TVSpotsTV recently posted this 2003 Victoria, Australia public service announcement. While the imagery is very much over-the-top and mimics a horrific shark attack scene from the movie “Jaws,” the message is strong and well-intended. The announcement attempts to emphasize that while hundreds of people die in traffic accidents on Victoria’s roads, little attention is given to those deaths, as is illustrated by the beachgoers going about their usual routine, despite the fact that a boy is being attacked.

While the point of the announcement is clearly to draw attention to a need for increased traffic safety, the advertisement also illustrates (perhaps unwittingly) how shark attacks receive more attention than a vast majority of more common tragedies, such as traffic fatalities. The intent here is not to diminish the tragic nature of shark attacks but rather to point out that lives are lost at a far greater rate due to events that are almost ignored due to them being considered “commonplace.”

There is a certain psychology associated with shark attacks that somehow makes them more newsworthy. While the loss of life is tragic, despite the circumstances behind the loss, it does seem that the general public’s attention is often directed toward certain types of tragic events more than others.

We hear a lot about the shark fin soup market in the media, but how much of it is true?

GuyHarveyMagazine.com has an excellent article written by Chuck Thompson (with additional reporting from Virginia Lau) exposing the “4 lies” about shark fin soup. The article covers myths about the cultural history of the dish in China, flaws in international conservation efforts, cultural status and the cost of shark fin soup, as well as cultural views on sharks and animals, in general.

The report is long and certainly opinionated, but it is definitely worth reading in its entirety if you’ve followed any of the anti-finning movements or campaigns that have been in the media over the past few years. Check out the full article at GuyHarveyMagazine.com

Thanks to Shark Diver’s Underwater Thrills blog for the heads-up on this article.

MyFoxNY.com has reported that conflicting accounts of “small” or “baby” sharks seen around Rockaway Beach resulted in lifeguards clearing the water for about an hour on Saturday. Accounts of the shark sightings ranged from one to three sharks being spotted. One witness told NY1 that a shark was tugging on the leg strap of a female surfer and that two more sharks were “circling her.” The scare resulted in swimmers and surfers evacuating the water, but they were allowed to return after an hour. No other subsequent incidents were reported after beach goers were allowed to return to the water.

New York Aquarium‘s Jon Dohlin was quick to point out to the news anchor in the clip above that the sharks are always out there, and the ones that are being reportedly sighted do not pose a real threat to swimmers and surfers. Despite the fact that the sharks being reported are considered to be generally harmless, it hasn’t slowed other media outlets from over-hyping the animals. The New York Post referred to the sharks as “finned fiends” and “toothy terrors,” while the New York Daily News ran with a headline referring to the sharks as “deadly fish.”