The Dorsal Fin

DiscoveryNetworks has shared the video above which focuses on sand tiger sharks (Carcharias taurus). The feature is shot at the Florida Aquarium after it had recently added 6 sand tigers to the aquarium. Allan Marshall (VP of Operations for Florida Aquarium) says that the species is ideal to help educate people about sharks. The sand tiger’s “menacing” appearance really grabs the attention of aquarium visitors, once the sharks have the aquarium visitors’ attention, the aquarium staff can then educate them about the true nature of the sharks.

Sand tiger sharks, aka grey nurse sharks (AUS) and ragged tooth sharks (RSA), are generally viewed as docile and harmless to humans. According to Marshall, the species, was wrongfully blamed in the past for attacks on humans, simply due to its appearance, which led to hunting of the species. The species is now protected in Australian, South African, and U.S. waters.

DiscoveryNetworks also added a second video focusing on the journey that the six sand tiger sharks made to get to the Florida Aquarium.

Sand tiger sharks are one of the species affected by new Delaware fishing rules.

Delaware Online is reporting that an angler who caught and released a sand tiger shark (Carcharias taurus) was cited and fined for “failing to release the fish in the water as quickly as possible.” The new rules require that protected species not be removed from the water.

Kevin Schultze ended up paying $269 in fines and court fees after landing the shark on the beach at Cape Henlopen, according to the report. Schultze took photos of the shark on the beach and then released. Despite the fact that the shark was released, under the new rules Schultze was fined for bring the shark up on the shore instead of releasing it in the water. He said he was unaware of the new rules but will “live and learn” from the fine.

Mike Gerken recently added the above video to his EvolutionUnderwater, which features footage of what the video description identifies as multiple Caribbean reef sharks (Carcharhinus perezi) at the wreck of the “Papoose” about 30 miles off the coast of Morehead City, NC. While the wrecks in this area are well-known for their sand tiger shark (Carcharias taurus) populations, it is considered rare for Caribbean reef sharks to be as far north as the waters off of North Carolina.

Kudos to Mike for capturing this encounter on video. For more information check out Mike’s Evolution Underwater website and Evolution Underwater blog

A sand tiger shark's fins are critical for its mobility and ability to catch prey.

DelwareOnline.com is reporting that a team of graduate students found two sand tiger sharks with their fins removed in Delaware Bay. The students, from Delaware State University, had set out a multi-line hook as part of a shark research trip this past summer. On two separate occasions, sand tiger sharks (Carcharias taurus) were found with their fins removed.

In both cases, the sharks were still alive, despite having their fins removed. However, the article noted that their ability to survive would have been highly compromised after having their fins removed. Typically, sharks that are finned sink to the sea floor and drown. It is theorized that the sand tiger sharks might have survived the initial finning due to a unique ability to maintain neutral buoyancy by storing air.

Australia’s ABC network’s Triple J TV: HACK recently featured a story about the conservation of grey nurse sharks (Carcharias taurus) on the east coast of Australia. Grey nurse sharks (also known as Sand Tiger Sharks, and Spotted Ragged-Tooth Sharks) are reaching critically endangered levels on Australia’s east coast, according to the report. Despite being a protected species, conservationists believe that many of the sharks are still being accidentally hooked by fisherman.

Conflicting views are presented on how to protect and preserve grey nurse shark populations particularly along the coast of New South Wales. Options that are addressed are stricter fishing bans and artificial breeding of the species.

While I don’t know what the ideal solution to the problem is, Nicky Hammond’s assessment of the artificial breeding option makes sense to me. If the cause of the dwindling numbers of this species is not directly addressed, then breeding more sharks is just going to result in more of them being accidentally hooked. Artificially breeding grey nurse sharks would simply be a case of treating the symptoms without delivering a cure.