The Dorsal Fin

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.