The Dorsal Fin

DiscoveryNetworks has posted the video above to their YouTube Channel. The video focuses on the repercussions of the extinction of sharks as top ocean predators. Researcher Andy DeHart of the National Aquarium points out the impact of the shark finning market on shark popluations but also notes that roughly half of the sharks killed each day as a result of accidental bycatch. DeHart goes on to say that of the roughly 400 species of sharks only 30 species are heavily fished. However, within those thirty species are some of the apex predators which help control stingray and fish populations. DeHart concludes the video discussing how the slow reproductive nature and small number of pups of some shark species also puts them at greater risk for extinction.

It would seem that even whales aren’t immune to “Jaws” references in the news. CNN‘s report on a breaching whale that landed on a sailboat near Cape Town harbor features clips from “Jaws.” Additionally, during an interview in the report, the interviewer even asks one of the occupants of the boat if she thought about “Jaws” when the incident happened.

The southern right whale was “definitely badly bruised, but probably did not break anything,” according to a marine scientist quoted in USA Today. The USA Today article also calls into question whether or not the whale was being harassed by the boaters. Legally, sailors are required to stay at least 1,000′ from whales, according to the report.

In other breaking news, CNN also aired a clip this morning of a someone being chased by a moose. There were no “Jaws” references in the moose report, though.

CNN ran a feature this morning on about the effects of the oil spill on sharks. The video feature itself focuses on Neil Hammerschlag‘s tagging of sharks touches on the potential effects that the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico could have on shark populations there. Hammerschlag also points out that a hammerhead shark he had been tracking via a satellite tag stopped transmitting data right around the time of the Deepwater Horizon explosion, although Hammerschlag went on to say that a number of factors could have contributing to the termination of the data being transmitted. Hammerschlag’s research teams hopes to gather information from the tagged sharks with regard to whether or not they will be swimming through water contaminated with oil from the spill. You can read the full article at CNN.com.

UPDATE: This video is actually over 3 years old and was shot in the Gulf of Mexico according to YouTube user sharkyjones who posted the video in May, 2007. The shark is indeed a Greenland shark (Somniosis microcephalus), according to the video information.

YouTube user mmoo490 recently posted this video which is listed as “A Transocean video of a shark passing in front of a BOP stack-up.” Unlike some of the ridiculous hoax photos of sharks supposedly spotted on ROV cameras as of late, this one looks like legitimate footage. The information about the video is sparse and does not indicate where the BOP (blowout preventer) stack is, at what depth the camera was at, etc. Based on the video the dorsal fin appears to be almost non-existent on this shark. Anybody have an idea on what species this is? Greenland shark, maybe?

This is another one that shouldn’t really need explaining. The photo seen in the video above was purportedly captured by Terry Lynch, while he was observing the live ROV feed of the BP oil spill, according to http://www.bpoilspill.byteland.org/, a site which is registered in Lynch’s name. The site suggests that the oil and disperant chemicals might have caused the shark to go “berserk or crazy.” Lynch’s site then goes on to suggest the possibility that “maybe a crazed shark, sickened by pollutants, chewing upon cables or equipment is what caused the explosion of Deepwater Horizon.”

The image appears to be the result of photo-manipulation. The sharpness of the white shark that has been added to the image is noticeably higher than that of the BP feed image, likely due to the source image of the white shark having a higher resolution than the source image of the BP live feed image. Additionally, refracted rays of sunlight are clearly visible on the shark indicating that the photo was taken near the surface.

The primary motivation behind this hoax image (and YouTube video) seems to be an attempt to draw visitors to Lynch’s BP Oil Spill Animal Rescue site, which offers merchandise featuring numerous anti-BP designs, including the photo-manipulated shark image. According to the site, when items are purchased, a donation is made to the Good Shepherd Dog Animal Rescue (GSDAR), which was founded by Terry Lynch “for the benefit and rescue of homeless animals.” The GSDAR website indicates that the organization is not a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization but describes GSDAR as a “private, grassroots, on-line nonprofit corporation.”

It should be noted that there is no mention of any proceeds from the sale of merchandise on Lynch’s BP Oil Spill Animal Rescue site being earmarked for donations directly to the BP spill clean-up efforts.