YouTube user Rob Pompilio recently posted a video featuring a white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) off of the coast of New Jersey. According to the video description, the footage was shot on January 9, 2013 about 30 miles from shore. Atlantic white sharks are known to travel north along the east coast of the U.S. during the summer months seeking cooler waters, as temperatures rise during the summer months.

Over 20,000 photographs of great white sharks, taken between 2007 and 2012, were used in the study. Dorsal fin recognition was used to identify 532 individual white sharks off of Gansbaai, South Africa. Using this data, researchers extrapolated that Gansbaai’s total estimated white shark population is between 808 and 1008.

Research conducted by Marine Dynamics a Shark Cage Diving Operator in Gansbaai South Africa

Fin recognition software was used to identify individual white sharks.
(Photo courtesy of Dyer Island Shark Trust)

Pioneering study in South Africa shows population could be 50% lower than previously thought.

Gansbaai, Western Cape, South Africa - The global population of great white sharks  – generally estimated at 3000-5000 – may have been significantly overestimated.  As a result the great white shark – already listed as a species “vulnerable to extinction in the wild” by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) – may be in greater danger than has been previously recognised.

This is the implication of a pioneering study conducted by marine biologists from the Dyer Island Conservation Trust (DICT) working with the shark cage diving company Marine Dynamics shark tours, in the world’s densest population of great white sharks at Gansbaai, near the southern tip of Africa.  The study is published in PLOS ONE today.

The Trust’s marine biologists conducted a non-invasive study by collecting more than 20,000 photographs of great white shark dorsal fins between 2007-2012 from Marine Dynamics shark tours vessel, Slashfin.  As each dorsal fin is unique to each shark, the researchers adapted a computerised fin recognition programme previously used on dolphins to accurately identify individual sharks.  This analysis took more than three years to complete.

Only 532 individual sharks were identified over the five year collection period.  As individual great white sharks are not resident in Gansbaai, DICT marine biologists used open population statistics to extrapolate their findings to estimate the number of great white sharks in this densely populated area is most likely less than 1000 individuals.

“These results came as a surprise to everyone as previously unpublished but widely accepted estimates based on non-computerised photographic studies predicted the population was twice this number,” a member of the team, Alison Towner, commented.

As global population estimates of the great white shark have been calculated without accurate data provided by such a dorsal fin recognition programme, the DICT’s results are very worrying as they suggest that current estimates of great white sharks numbers may be significantly exaggerated.

Implications for conservation and protection of Great White shark

The species is already classified as “vulnerable” in the Red List issued by the IUCN, but now the Trust believes that South Africa could – and should – take the lead in urgent, scientific re-evaluation of the threat to the great white shark.

The founder and chair of the Trustees of the DICT, Wilfred Chivell said:  “Since 1991 when South Africa became the first country to protect Great White sharks, South Africa has been at the forefront of the study and conservation of the species.  Now, for the first time, we have scientific evidence that the threat is greater than was previously perceived.   At the Trust, we are contributing to the research urgently needed to allow effective, evidence-based conservation policies and interventions.  This requires the active support of government at home – who are mandated to protect this species – and form them to urgently develop their leadership in international conservation forums.  It is time for South Africa to take the initiative, because time is clearly not on the side of the great white shark.”

The Trust is continuing to collect data which is being contributed to the national white shark dorsal fin database being analyzed by NMMU Ph.D. student, Rabi’a Ryklief.  This project will be the first national estimate of white sharks based on dorsal fin identification.  Additionally, the Trust is sending their results to international conservation organizations such as the World Wildlife Fund through WWF SA and the IUCN and CITES in order to inform their efforts to protect white sharks globally.

A new IMAX 3D film titled “Great White Shark” premiered over the weekend in select cities. The film aims to “unravel the mystery” of the great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) and tell the true story of its role as an apex predator in the ocean environment. The mission of the film is to change the public’s perspective and attitude toward the great white shark.

You can visit the film’s official website for a list of upcoming locations and release dates of “Great White Shark.”

eNCA reports that researchers from Stellenbosch University are performing a test trial of a new “eco-friendly” shark barrier near Dyer Island off the coast of Gansbaai, SA.

The Sharksafe Barrier System consists of connected rigid pipes that span from the ocean floor to the surface. The system is designed to resemble kelp and emits a “magnetic barrier,” which will deter sharks from attempting to swim through the artificial barrier, according to the team who developed the system.

Unlike “traditional” shark nets that indiscriminately kill various forms of marine life, the Sharksafe Barrier System is designed to serve as a physical barrier to merely deter sharks from passing through. The system will span from shoreline to shoreline, as well as from the sea floor to the surface, to create an all-encompassing barrier, unlike traditional nets.

In addition to researchers from Stellenbosch University, PhD candidate Craig O’Connell (University of Massachusetts Dartmouth) and renown diver and white shark conservationist Mike Rutzen have collaborated on the project, which has been under development since 2011. The team plans to finish testing the barrier within the next month before submitting requests for permission to use the barriers at Cape Town’s Muizenberg and Fish Hoek beaches.

According to The Dallas Morning News, Senator Troy Fraser spoke against the bill arguing that fishermen who catch sharks should be able to sell whatever part of it they choose. The bill needed permission from 21 senators to reach the floor for a vote. Fraser’s speech managed to sway enough senators to prevent the bill from being voted on.

Shark finning is already illegal on a federal level. However, supporters of the bill argue that legislation on the state level is necessary, since the profits from shark finning outweigh the current federal fines.

The Atlantic White Shark Conservancy’s 60-day campaign for Massachusetts great white shark license plate pre-orders is about at the half-way mark. The minimum number of pre-orders required to make the license plate a reality is 1,500. Unfortunately, the current number of pre-orders sits at 245, according to the white shark license plate campaign site.

If you’re a Massachusetts resident who would be interested in adorning your vehicle with a snazzy-looking great white shark license plate, head on over to the campaign site and reserve your plate for $40 before time runs out. If you know a Massachusetts resident who might be interested in the plates, please spread the word.

For non-Massachusetts residents, would you be interested in a similar shark-themed license plate if your state/province offered it? Sound off in the comments below.

2013 Kids Ocean Day – Artwork designed by Adam Mendoza – Photo by Lou Dematteis

Press Release – Kids Ocean Day

More than 3,500 Los Angeles kids, teachers and volunteers form a giant kid, designed by 8th grader Adam Mendoza, holding a seashell to its ear as the ocean says "Listen" as part of the 20th Annual Kids Ocean Day Adopt-A-Beach Clean-Up organized by the Malibu Foundation, City of Los Angeles, Spectral Q, Keep LA Beautiful and the California Coastal Commission in Los Angeles on May 16, 2013. The kids are alerting the world about the need to listen to the ocean and protect it from the everyday trash and plastic litter that flow down the streets, killing marine life and polluting food resources.

Kudos to all those who participated in this year’s Kids Ocean Day at Dockweiler State Beach. Not only did the participants join together to make some very cool “aerial artwork,” they also contributed their time and hard work to help clean up the beach!

Grant Bond got a little more than he bargained for off of Perth, Western Australia earlier this year. Bond was fishing from his kayak when a shark decided to get up close and personal with him. He thought at the time of the encounter that it was a white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) giving his kayak a workout, but after reviewing the footage he was able to identify the species as a shortfin mako (Isurus oxyrinchus).

When Bond first encountered the mako, it was circling his kayak, and after about five minutes he thought the shark had left the area. It was at this point that the shark, estimated at 3m in length, starting bumping the kayak. Rather than playing a game of bumper-boats with the shark, Bond decided to call it a day and head back to shore. Bond believes that the shark was attracted to his kayak by some herring in the foot well. He threw the herring as far from the kayak as he could, cut his anchor line, and headed in under sail.

Bond went on to point out that even though the mako nudged and rubbed up against his kayak multiple times, it never bit the vessel. He said the old adage about the worst day of fishing being better than the best day of work turned out not to be true, after all. Thanks to Grant for sharing this video!

Note: There was a typo in the date on the video, which was shot on March 10.

WVSN-TV reports that photographer Guillaume Bauch captured some relatively rare underwater shots of a great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) off the Florida Keys. The WVSN-TV report does seem to go a bit overboard with terms like “monster shark” and “cold-blood killer,” but Bauch’s account of the encounter manages to steer clear of such cliches.

Bauch was planning on photographing hammerhead sharks, but the hammerheads never showed. Bauch was beginning to think the trip would end in disappointment. Fortunately, a dorsal fin eventually appeared, but it was not that of hammerhead or silky shark, which are typical for the area. Instead, it was the dorsal fin of a white shark.

Bauch initially opted to photograph the white shark from a cage, but soon left the cage and photographed the shark in open water. Based on Bauch’s photos and reaction in his interview with WVSN-TV, it seems like he had a pretty good trip, after all.