The Dorsal Fin

Great white shark attacks on California sea otters are on the rise, according to the USGS.

California sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis) appear to be experiencing an increase in mortality rates as a result of bites from white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias), according to a USGS press release. Tooth fragments and bite wound characteristics were used to identify white sharks as the species primarily responsible for the attacks on the otters.

USGS and DFG biologists and veterinarians have been documenting sea otter deaths since 1968. The data recorded indicates that shark bites accounted for about 8% in the 80s and early ’90s. However, that number rose to about 15% by the late 90s. Current estimates place the percentage of sea otter deaths caused by shark bites at approximately 30%.

Other natural causes of otter deaths recorded include mating trauma, starvation, infection, and heart disease. Additionally, boat strikes and gun-shot wounds were also among the reported causes of death for the federally listed threatened species.

For more information, check out the full report at USGS.gov.

San Diego’s CBS 8 recently interviewed Buck Elsmore, a stand-up paddle-boarder who was featured in a photo with the dorsal fin of white shark (Carcharodon carcharias). The photo was taken last fall off Encinitas’ Moonlight Beach.

Elsemore told Channel 8 that the shark swam near him at the surface for around a minute before descending back to deeper water.

The trailer for Halle Berry’s new shark horror flick, “Dark Tide,” showed up online today. The trailer features the typical shark attack movie fare, but it also features some of Guadalupe’s great white sharks, most notably Cal Ripfin (aka Shredder) who can be seen at 38 seconds in.

“Dark Tide” follows the story of a “shark expert” played by Berry who is involved in a shark attack but later returns to the water after a lucrative proposition from a wealthy thrill-seeker who wants to dive with white sharks outside of the cage. While some of the shark footage was shot at Guadalupe, it appears that the story mainly takes place in South Africa.

If you’re looking for a documentary about white sharks, this isn’t it. Rather it looks to be another horror/thriller with white sharks as the main antagonists (although the storm in the preview looked pretty threatening, too). So, don’t be surprised if your favorite Guadaupe white shark ends up being playing one of the villains in “Dark Tide.”

“Dark Tide” opens March 30, 2012, and is rated PG-13 for “bloody shark attacks and disturbing images” among other things.

WARNING: Video features language that some may find offensive.

YouTube user kairokk posted a video featuring footage shot off Hawaii’s Kaena Point on January 12, 2012. The video shows a large shark circling a fishing boat and features some colorful commentary by the videographer. The shark in question is identified in the video title and throughout the video by the men on the boat as a great white shark, but a quick glance at the YouTube comments shows that there are others who are identifying it as a mako.

From the 2:08 mark until about the 2:15 mark gives about the best close-up view of the shark. So, to all the shark experts out there, is this a mako or a white shark? (My non-expert self is voting mako.)

The video above is the second in a series of footage of the shark, if you didn’t get enough from the clip above, check out the other clip.

Australia’s The Telegraph is reporting that onlookers claim a juvenile great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) was “bludgeoned to death in front of crying children.” The incident reportedly took place at Sussex Inlet in New South Wales. The 2m shark had been hooked by a fisherman and then landed on the boat dock where eyewitnesses claim the shark was beaten to death with a metal pole.

The killing of a white shark in Australia is punishable by a fine of up to $11,000 and a two-year jail sentence, according to The Telegraph.

It was reported that some of the people on the scene claimed that the shark (seen in this photo) was a mako (Isurus oxyrinchus), which is not protected in Australia. A spokesperson for the Department of Primary Industries, who are investigating the incident, said that thinking the shark was a mako was “not an excuse.”

To read the full article head over The Telegraph.