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.

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.”

Update:Patti Banner, the radio personality seen reluctantly eating the shark meat in the video, has posted a response in the comments section of this post. Please, visit the comments for her take on the event.

Apparently, Discovery Networks’ attempted shark conservation message was lost on KOLA 99.9′s Wake Up Bunch, as radio personality Patti Banner ate shark meat on the air “in honor of Shark Week,” according to the YouTube video information posted by the radio station.

Fox Providence’s The Rhode Show talk about recent unconfirmed shark sightings which close Westport’s Horseneck Beach. There are plenty of opinions going around on both sides of the argument The Rhode Show’s The Buzz ranging from the “Jaws scarred me for life” mentality to the “sharks are always in the ocean” mentality.

Horseneck Beach has been closed twice this week after shark sightings were reported. On Monday a shark was spotted by a fisherman. On Wednesday lifeguards spotted what “appeared to be a shark” less than 100m from shore. A decision will be made this morning on whether to re-open the beach after police and “shark experts” inspect the waters around the beach via helicopter.

The U.S. Coast Guard has issued a shark advisory for boaters in northeast waters.

The Associate Press is reporting that the Coast Guard has issued an advisory for boaters off northeast coast of the U.S. The article features several quotes from Al Johnson, the 1st Coast Guard District’s recreational boating specialist. There is no mention of Johnson’s expertise on white shark behavior, although the article does quote him on the subject. While Johnson does say that predation is generally not a concern for boaters and paddlers, he goes on to state…

“But I have no doubt that a great white shark that swims into your comfort zone would surely find a splashing paddle or dangling hand inviting. I also expect that same passing shark would spend little time differentiating between boater, paddler and prey.”

While it’s certainly prudent (for multiple reasons) to make boaters aware of the presence of white sharks in the area, the statements from Johnson seem to be a bit off-base. There are multiple first-hand accounts of people kayaking around large white sharks without the “splashing of a paddle” causing aggressive behavior from the sharks. The most well-known white shark encounters involving kayaks was documented by Michael Scholl and Thomas Peschak for Africa Geographic.

That being said, just because other people have kayaked with white sharks without incident does not necessarily mean that it’s something that is recommended for everybody to do. In fact, just last year there was a case of a kayak being bumped by a white shark in Australia that resulted in the kayaker being tossed into the water. The kayaker was unharmed and swam to a nearby boat.

However, to say there is “no doubt” that a shark would consider a dangling paddle “inviting” or spend little time differentiating between prey and a boater/paddler is a fairly bold statement. Research and observed behavior of white sharks has shown that white sharks can often be very discriminating about targeting prey during a predation event.

So, while Johnson does offer some sound advice to boaters on some levels, his rationale behind the advice is somewhat questionable, in my opinion. Should the public be aware that white sharks are in the area? Of course, but the information regarding the presence of these animals should not be accompanied by conjecture that seems to be in stark contrast to available research and observed behavior of white sharks.

At the end of the day, white sharks are large predatory animals, and from that respect a level of caution should always be taken in their presence, as there is certainly a level of danger associated with them. However, research has shown that they are also not the mindless attacking machines of horror movies and folklore who attack anything in sight. It is important for those who might encounter these animals to understand that, in order to avoid a panicked response, so that encounters can be addressed with common sense and level-headed thinking.

Here’s to a safe holiday weekend for all of those celebrating Independence Day this weekend, whether you be in the water or on the land.

The presence of white sharks in the Cape Cod area is expected again this summer.

Boston Globe columnist Brian McGrory’s “State’s little white lie” addresses what the author appears to believe is an attempt by Massachusetts state officials to downplay concern over the presence of great white sharks in the Cape Cod area. McGrory likens an announcement from Ian Bowles, state secretary of environmental affairs, and Dr. Gregory Skomal of Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries to the attempted cover-up of a shark attack by the fictional character, Mayor Vaughn, from the movie “Jaws.” The announcement from Bowles and Skomal informed the people of Massachusetts that there was nothing to fear from great white sharks in the area, when it comes to visiting Massachusetts beaches over the upcoming holiday weekend.

Clearly, McGrory does not agree with this statement, but he offers little in the way of any kind of scientific evidence as to why this announcement should be viewed with skepticism by the public, save for references to a Google search, regarding white shark births and information from Answers.com (which is a user-submitted wiki, often lacking any references) regarding the maternal nature of white sharks. The references to white shark births were included as a result of McGrory expressing concern over the young white shark that was tagged last week in Stellwagen Bank last week.

McGrory’s logic seems to be that if a young white shark is present in Massachusetts’ water, then there is potential for other white sharks, including the shark’s mother and possible siblings, to be in the same general area. While this line of thinking isn’t necessarily flawed, the idea that swimmers are at risk due to the sighting of a young white shark 20 miles off the coast could certainly be considered questionable.

McGrory’s piece is undoubtedly tongue-in-cheek at times, but the overall message is that he believes beach-goers in Massachusetts are in danger if they go swimming. McGrory seems fairly convinced of this danger to the point that he calls into question the sincerity of Dr. Greg Skomal and his stance on the safety of swimmers. McGrory goes so far as to pick apart the semantics of Skomal’s voicemail message which states his is “in the field,” to which McGrory remarks that he prefers his shark expert to be “in the water.”

While there are always going to be risks involved with going to the beach (and doing just about anything else in life), the scientific evidence suggests that the risk of an attack by a great white shark is relatively negligible. Obviously, the presence of a relatively large number of white sharks which are known to be feeding in a particular area will increase the odds of an attack if people are swimming in that area. In that respect, McGrory’s concerns over the dangers of white sharks are not completely unfounded. However, last year when a large number of sightings of white sharks were reported near Chatham beaches, the government did, in fact, recognize the increased risk and closed the affected beaches.

McGrory’s story seems to promote the idea that officials such as Bowles and Skomal are being irresponsible by informing the public that the beaches are safe, but the same argument could be made toward McGrory for suggesting (albeit sarcastically) that the officials are being disingenuous toward the public. McGrory doesn’t offer much evidence to support the implied dangers that he is trying to alert the reader to. The article implies McGrory’s knowledge of white sharks is limited to what he has seen in the movie “Jaws” and to what he has Googled. On the other hand, Dr. Skomal has a background studying marine life, including great white sharks and was on-hand and “in the field” (aka on the water) last year during the tagging process of some of these white sharks. To McGrory’s credit, he does state toward the end of his column that he can only speak for himself. However, he then goes on to urge everyone to stick to the miniature golf course over the holiday weekend.

At the end of the day, we all have to make our own decisions about the risks we take. I’ll be heading to a North Carolina beach next week not far from where a bull shark attack occurred last week. I’m more worried about being on the road with drunk drivers over the holiday weekend than I am about swimming with sharks. As Mr. McGrory said, I can only speak for myself.

Isla de Guadalupe is considered by many to be the best great white sharking diving site on the planet.

Pete Thomas has put together an interesting article, “Danger level on the rise for great white shark divers at Guadalupe Island” over at GrindTV.com. The article touches on what some view as less than shining moments that have gone on at Guadalupe over the past few dive seasons, including Amos Nachoum’s cageless diving offering, and the incident involving a "shark wrangler" accidentally sticking his hand in a white shark’s mouth that was caught on film by Don Carpenter. The article also features some comments from several dive operators addressing some of these issues.

I’m not sure I completely agree with the wording of the headline of the article, in the sense that the danger level itself has increased for divers at Guadalupe, rather it seems as though some divers are simply participating in more dangerous behavior. Thomas certainly brings up some valid concerns. It’s hard to argue that some of the behavior that has gone on at Guadalupe doesn’t increase the level danger associated with diving with these animals, especially when established guidelines are ignored. (Admittedly, the bit in the article about divers being instructed to keep limbs inside the cage is news to me.)