Earth-Touch recently posted some video footage featuring primarily tiger sharks (Galeocerdo cuvier). There’s also a few shots of some blacktip sharks mixed in. If you’re in the mood to watch a couple of minutes of shark video footage, this one is worth checking out.

SBS World News Australia recently posted the interview above to YouTube, which features retired NBA star Yao Ming. While the interview covers many topics including Ming’s basketball career as a player and now a club owner, it also touches on environmental issues including pollution and shark conservation. Ming has been outspoken in recent years about shark conservation and has encouraged an end to the consumption of shark fin soup.

Swimmer Diana Nyad was forced to abandon her attempted swim from Havana, Cuba to Key West, Florida, according to an AP report. Nyad had made a point to address that no sharks would be harmed by her team during her swim. Nyad had hired a team of professional divers with many years of experience diving with sharks in order to protect both her and any sharks encountered during the long-distance swim.

CNN reports that Nyad was having trouble with shoulder pain, asthma, and nausea. Nyad faced strong winds and currents in addition to her problematic physical symptoms. Nyad was forced to abandon the swim 29 hours into the journey.

According to an MSNBC report, long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad will attempt to swim 103 miles through “shark-infested” waters from Cuba to Key West, Florida at the age of 61.

CNN is reporting that Nyad wants to make it “crystal clear” that no sharks will be harmed by her team during her upcoming swim. She told CNN that she will have a team of professional divers with many years of experience in using “cutting-edge” non-lethal shark deterrents. She went on to that the team will act to protect her, while respecting the animals she might encounter.

Nyad is expected to begin the swim sometime in the very near future when the weather and ocean conditions are most ideal for the 103 mile journey. It is expected that the swim will take around 60 hours to complete.

In case you were wondering why Andy Samberg is Shark Week’s Chief Shark Officer, DiscoveryNetworks has posted a brief interview with Samberg addressing the issue. Reasons for Samberg’s role include Samberg’s love of sharks, not being a good swimmer, and Justin Timberlake turning down the position.

“Shark Week” begins Sunday July 31 at 9pm on the Discovery Channel.

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.

DiscoveryTV’s YouTube channel recently added this “Shark Crossing” promo clip from Bear Gryll’s series “Born Survivor” (UK). The clip features Grylls crossing from one island to the next through “shark infested waters.”

The scene is played up with plenty of ominous music and shots of fins breaking the surface, which makes for some good television drama, if nothing else.

“Born Survivor” airs in the UK at 9pm on the Discovery Chanel.

The great white shark was one of 23 species tracked by the TOPP study.

The Washington Post reports that The Census of Marine Life’s Tagging of Pacific Predators (TOPP) project reveals that a region of the eastern Pacific Ocean just off the West Coast may be one the top "hotspot" for open ocean predators. The study, which involved researchers from five different countries, was recently published online at the journal of Nature.

The study tracked movement patterns of 23 species of ocean predators. Notable data included an elephant seal diving to a depth of 5,492 ft, and shearwater seabirds traveling over 39,790 miles over the course of 262 days. However, it was the nutrient rich waters of the California Current that garnered the most attention in the Post article, due to the fact that draws various marine animals from far and wide to a common meeting place. In the spring months, turtles, whales, sharks, tuna, and seabirds from throughout the Pacific converge off the West Coast to partake in the "nutrient upwelling."

For more information, check out the Washington Post article, and read the Nature journal article (PDF).

OnisonArchive has posted a “parody” of sorts about saving sharks. I’m not really sure what Onison is supposed to be, but it reminds me of Dieter from Sprockets. This spoof of shark conservation hits on just about every shark stereotype that one could come up with.

It’s been a while since a horror movie based around killer sharks has seen a major theatrical release in the U.S. (some would argue that’s a good thing). All that will change on September 2 when Relativity Media releases “Shark Night 3D” directed by David R. Elllis.

“Shark Night 3D” is a movie about sharks that will be presented in 3D and will likely have some scenes at night, which is what one should come to expect from a David R. Ellis movie. After all, Ellis brought us that Samuel L. Jackson movie where there were a bunch of snake on a plane (unfortunately, the title of that movie escapes me at the moment).

“Shark Night 3D” looks to feature computer generated sharks much like the ones we saw in “Deep Blue Sea” (which is the last big killer shark horror movie that I can remember catching on the big screen). I noticed at least two species in the trailer, which included the great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) and the sand tiger shark (Carcharias taurus). Based on the trailer, it seems that somebody is using the sharks as killing machines and has brought them to a salt-water lake for nefarious purposes (no word whether or not Dr. Evil is involved in this scheme).

While I’m sure that some conservationists will cringe at the idea of another horror movie portraying sharks as mindless killing machines, at the end of the day this flick doesn’t look much different to me than a “Friday the 13th” movie. Essentially, it follows the formula of a bunch of teens or 20-somethings heading to the lake for some mischief only to end up getting hacked up (or chewed up, in this case) by a mindless killer. The only difference is that instead of a deranged human in a hockey mask, “Shark Night 3D” is using deranged sharks.