The Dorsal Fin

NBC Washington is reporting that an 8′ (2.4m) long bull shark was caught on August 31 in the Potomac River. According to the report, Willy Dean was fishing in Maryland’s St. Mary’s County in hopes of netting cownose rays for a biologist from Solomons Island, MD. Dean inadvertently netted the bull shark, which put up “quite a fight,” according to the fisherman. Dean says he will likely have the shark’s head “mounted” and is currently keeping the carcass in his freezer, according to the report.

Photos of the shark carcass are posted at NBC Washington.

According to a WPTV.com report a 9′ (2.75 m) female scalloped hammerhead was caught by fisherman off-shore and then left dead on the docks of the Sailfish Marina in Palm Beach, Florida. The abandoned catch has stirred up some controversy. A WPBF.com report on the event quotes Jim Abernathy as saying that the catch was illegal based on Florida law. According to Abernathy, any fish that is not intended to be eaten must be immediately released under the state law.

Despite being listed as an endangered species on the IUCN Redlist, the scalloped hammerhead (Sphyrna lewini) is not a protected species in Florida waters.

A great white shark predation event on a seal was captured on video by a Massachusetts’ family. According to WPRI, the event occurred 20 yards from shore, off the coast of Provincetown last week. Estimates put the white shark at approximately 15′ (4.5m) in length according to the report.

While the WPRI video report refers to the feeding event as “vicious” and “violent,” it is also noted that it is part of “the cycle of life.” Seals often serve as a natural food source for larger great white sharks.

According to NECN, a basking shark, which was first spotted swimming not far from shore on August 19, was later found washed ashore on White Horse Beach in Plymouth, MA.

The basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus), a filter-feeder, is generally considered harmless to humans.

The Associated Press recently released the above video feature about a campaign to curb shark fin soup consumption in Hong Kong. The grass-roots movement hopes to have the controversial delicacy removed from restaurant menus. Shark fin soup has come under fire due to the acquisition of shark fins through shark finning, in which live sharks have their fins cut off and are then thrown back in the water to drown.

Shark fin soup is believed by some to have multiple health benefits including increased energy, heart disease prevention, improved skin quality, and increased sexual potency. However, there is no evidence to support any of these purported benefits.

A video of a finned whale shark filmed in the Philippines by Chung Shan Shan, a Hong Kong biology professor, has helped to fuel the movement against shark fin soup. The campaign seems to be supported primarily by the younger generation, some of whom, have decided to go against tradition and serve alternatives to shark fin soup at their own wedding banquets.

For more information, check out the full AP report.