NBC’s Today show has been fairly prolific with shark-related features over the past few weeks. The show recently interviewed C.J. Wickersham, a 21-year-old spearfisherman who was bitten by a 9′ bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas) off Florida’s Anna Maria Island last month.

Wickersham’s friend Connor Bystrum witnessed the bite and immediately jumped in to assist him back to the boat. Once Wickersham was aboard the boat his friends used a rope as a tourniquet. Wickersham was rushed to shore where paramedics were waiting thanks to 911 call from another of his friends on the boat.

Wickersham’s injuries required multiple surgical procedures at St. Petersburg’s Bayfront Medical Center, according to the Anna Maria Islander. He was released from the trauma center after 6 days and is expected to fully recover.

UPDATE Looks like NBC pulled the video. NBC affiliate WLTZ still has print version of the story up. Check out the comments for some reader opinion on the story.

NBC’s Today ran a feature on Noel Tood, a Georgia teen who recently caught a bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas) measuring over 8′ in length and weighing 368 lbs. While bull sharks are often targeted by shark fishermen, the reason this story seems to be making headlines is due to the fact that the shark was caught in shallow freshwater. (Bull sharks are well-known for their ability to tolerate freshwater, and there are multiple documented cases of the species traveling great distances up rivers.)

Todd told NBC that he spotted two bull sharks in a shallow pool, and quickly grabbed his gear and hooked one of the sharks and dragged it to shore. Todd said that the shark that “got away” was much larger than the one he caught.

The NBC report mentions a theory that bull sharks are following shrimp boats back into the area, which might explain the presence of the species in what might be considered an abnormal location for them.

The Today Show really pulled out all the stops on this report when it comes to shark clichés. The clip has ominous music, multiple scenes from “Jaws,” and plenty of “man-eater” references. A fair amount of footage of a relatively harmless sand tiger shark (Carcharias taurus) also finds its way into the report.

Australia’s Ten News recently ran a feature on shark research being performed in Australian waters. The report focuses on tracking data of a female white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) named “Rachel,” who was tagged off Gold Coast, Queensland last June.

Since being tagged she has traveled south along the coast through New South Wales water and down toward Victoria waters before turning around heading north. According to researcher Jonathan Werry, the tagged white shark has traveled between 1,500-2,000 kilometers.

According to the report, the research team has tagged a total of 49 “dangerous” sharks, including multiple bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas). The team is studying the movement patterns of the sharks with the aim of protecting bathers.

The boy’s father, Cecil Vossler, told KSDK that a bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas) bit his son’s left. A friend (identified as Mark Constien by the Star Telegram) pulled the boy from the water and he was taken by boat to a helicopter, which flew him to Houston’s Memorial Hermann – Texas Medical Center. Nicholas has undergone “several surgeries” according to the report, and has at least three more to be performed.

Austin’s KXAN reports that a 22-year-old woman who was bitten by a shark in Christmas Bay was treated and released from a Galveston hospital and does not expect to have any permanent physical damage.

The shark bite occurred on Monday at at a beach on Follet’s Island, Texas. Kori Robertson was in waist-deep water when she felt a “jerk” on her leg. Upon exiting the water, the woman discovered bite marks on her upper right leg.

According to the KXAN report, doctors believe the woman was bitten by a bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas).

XOOC, a non-profit marine conservation group based in Mexico, produced the video above, which focuses on the bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas) of Mexico’s Playa del Carmen.

Last fall, dozens of Playa’s bull sharks were killed by a local fisherman, who was paid 118,000 pesos (roughly $10,000 USD) for the sharks, according the video. The video also goes on to note that living sharks can bring in up to $300,000 USD dollars in tourism revenue per season. However, the fisherman who caught the sharks, argued that it was more profitable for him to catch and sell the sharks, since it was less dangerous and only required 4 hours of work.

Playa del Carmen had become a popular dive site in recent years and was known as one of the hot spots for diving with bull sharks.

(Note: This video showed up on YouTube yesterday, but was originally posted on Vimeo several months ago.)

Florida’s ABC-7 reports that Fort Myers Beach shrimpers saying they’re seeing more sharks than usual this season. Roger Schmall says that he’s never seen anything like what he’s experiencing this season throughout his 30 year career in the shrimp business. Schmall says that blacktip sharks (Carcharhinus limbatus) and bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas) are feeding on his catches and causing damage to his shrimp nets.

Dr. Darren Rumbold says that no research is being conducted to determine whether the shark populations in the area are changing. Rumbold went on to say that it would be worthwhile to study due to the impacts of apex predators on the marine ecosystems.

West Palm Beach’s News Channel 5 is reporting that a spear-fisherman was on the calf by a shark off of Riviera Beach. Anthony Segrich had speared a fish and was in the process of bringing it to the surface when the shark bit him. According to his friends, they believe the shark bit Segrich while trying to grab the speared fish. Sengrich friends helped get him out of the water and applied a tourniquet to his leg before he was taken via ambulance to a nearby hospital.

At the time of the News Channel 5 report, Segrich was listed and stable condition. Doctors expect him to retain full-use of his leg after he recovers.

The Miami Herald is reporting that the shark involved was a 12′ bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas).

Grant Johnson recently uploaded this video, documenting the tagging of a large female bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas), to his YouTube channel. The shark, which was tagged off of Bimini, was measured at 2.65m in length and was safely released unharmed after being measured and tagged, according to the video description.

It should go without saying that Johnson and the team involved in this tagging effort have a great deal of experience in field research involving sharks, so kids, don’t try this at home (or on your boat).

In addition to chronicling Moore’s recovery process, the blog also has a page that gives Moore’s first-hand account of her shark encounter. Various accounts of Moore’s attack appeared in the news media, which Moore describes on her blog as having “made a debacle of the entire incident.”

Best wishes to Mrs. Moore as she continues her journey down the road to recovery.