The Dorsal Fin

Good Morning America Weekend ran the above feature yesterday (March 13, 2010) on great white shark diving at Isla de Guadalupe. The feature manages to cover white sharks objectively without heaping on the sensationalism that seems so common in the mainstream media. Guadalupe veterans will probably notice a couple of familiar faces (or fins) in the video footage, most notably my all-time favorite white shark, Cal Ripfin (aka Shredder).

The footage appears to have been shot last fall on the same trip where Andy Brandy Casagrande‘s most recent Great White Shark Song video was shot, which involved some controversial cage-less diving.

Kudos to Good Morning America for keeping the report objective and presenting some positive exposure for white sharks in the media.

Sport Fishing with Dan Hernandez posted the video seen below on YouTube. This is what happens when you try to reel in a tuna at Isla de Guadalupe when there are white sharks around. They don’t call it the “Island of the Great White Shark” for nothing.

Yesterday, Underwater Thrills: Swimming with Sharks a commentary on the need for standardizing protocols for SPOT (Smart Position and Temperature) tagging of breeding-age great white sharks at Isla de Guadalupe. Accompanying the commentary was the video seen below.

It’s hard to argue with the points made over at the Underwater Thrills blog, after watching the video. The seawater hose that is needed for the shark to continue to breathe is all over the place in the video, instead of in the sharks mouth passing water through its gills. Another apparent major fault seen in this video is the lack of proper support for the shark, listed as weighing over 1,000 kg (2,205 lbs) in the video’s information. The coup de grâce for the video occurs when one of the researchers loses balances and ends up flipping off the stern of the research vessel, bouncing off the head of the shark and landing in the water. Fortunately, the individual did not seem to be seriously injured by the fall. The events in this video illustrate the risks to both the humans and the sharks involved in this technique.

While there is little doubt that those involved with SPOT tagging have the intention of helping great white sharks by gaining more knowledge about the species, the risks involved in operations like the one seen in the video seem like they create a potential “more harm than good” scenario. Here’s to hoping that future endeavors involving SPOT tagging can follow a methodology that is safer for both researchers and sharks alike.

SpeedWorks R&D and Chip Scarlett's Save the Shark race car.

According to Mustang Challenge, SpeedWorks’ Mustang Challenge Race Team unveiled its “Save the Shark” race car on January 12, 2010. The car features an image of a young female great white shark on each side of the car. The shark image was photographed by the car’s driver and well-known underwater photographer, John “Chip” Scarlett. Scarlett shot the photo at Isla de Guadalupe in 2005. Scarlett’s “Save the Shark” car will make its first official track appearance in March during tests at the Virginia International Raceway, in Alton, VA.

The “Save the Shark” car will help to promote awareness about shark conservation efforts and will be adorned with the Shark Savers logo, in addition the great white shark image.

Scarlett’s photo essay, “Loving Sharks” earned him Ocean Geographic’s Underwater Photography Journalist award for 2009. Scarlett’s “Save the Shark” race car is another great and innovative example of responsible way to promote shark awareness. Kudos to Mr. Scarlett. If you’d like to learn more about John “Chip” Scarlett, check out JohnScarlett.com.

Dr. Michael Domeier’s “catch and release” technique for tagging sharks, which was employed last year at Guadalupe Island and featured on a new National Geographic series, has come under some criticism from other shark researchers, as of late, after the technique was used on two sharks off the Farallones Marine Sanctuary. San Francisco’s ABC-7 ran the following report yesterday on the topic.

The incident involved with the shark at the Farallones, in which a portion of the hook was left in the white shark’s throat, is sure to draw criticism from those who believe this technique is too invasive and harmful to the sharks involved. The incident also lends support Peter Klimley’s remarks that the costs might outweigh the benefits of this technique.

What jumped out at me the most, while watching this feature, was the fact that when the technique was first covered by Outdoor Magazine in the article Great White!, the article stated, “While it’s fishing in every sense of the word, it’s imperative that the sharks are released into the sea unharmed and unstressed.” Domeier’s comments in the ABC-7 report indicate that stressing the shark is an important aspect of the technique. However, the statement in the Outdoor Magazine article is not directly attributed to anybody involved in the research, so it might have been an error on the part of the author, John Burgman.

I have little doubt that Domeier has good intentions with this tagging program, and that the goal of the program is to gain more knowledge of the species, by doing multi-year tracking (which Domeier says is not possible with the harpooning method), in order to help protect white sharks. Domeier has a long-standing track record of white shark research, which can’t be ignored. However, I have a feeling that those who are critical of the technique will be put off by Domeier’s demeanor and perceived attitude displayed in the interview clips featured in the ABC-7 report (which may have been a result of clever editing, for all I know). In addition, the photo of the team apparently in a gung ho cheer after landing one of the white sharks at Guadalupe island probably won’t sit well with critics, either.

For more commentary on the subject, check out Shark Diver’s Underwater Thrills post and Pete Thomas’ post at the LA Times Blog, which features a response from Dr. Domeier in the comments section.