The Dorsal Fin

According to a press release at Trade Only Today, all 13 locations of Loggerhead Club & Marina have registered with the Shark-Free Marinas Initiative.

SFMI is a voluntary program that works with fishermen and businesses to establish protocols to protect threatened shark species. By registering with SFMI, a marina pledges that sharks may not be landed for any purpose, and the display and/or slaughter of caught sharks at registered marinas is strictly prohibited.

Loggerhead Club & Marina is Florida’s largest owner of public marinas. Ray Graziotto, president and COO, hopes to set an example for others in the industry “to promote a practical solution to shark overfishing and reduce shark mortality,” according to the press release.

Kudos to Loggerhead Club & Marina for doing their part to help protect threatened shark species!

Shark attack survivors visited the United Nations yesterday to speak out on behalf of sharks in hopes of convincing the U.N. to adopt curbs on shark finning, according to The New York Daily News. The Pew Environment Group organized the group of shark attack victims who are also calling to an end to fishing for threatened and near-threatened shark species.

Debbie Salamone, Michael Coots, and Paul de Gelder were featured on CBS’s The Early Show and talked about their encounters and their participation in the Pew Environment Group’s rally at the U.N.

Last year, the Pew Environment Group organized a similar effort in which shark attack victims spoke with the U.S. congress about shark conservation.

WARNING: Article links feature images of a whale shark being butchered.

The butchering of a whale shark in Johor, Malaysia (first reported in Whale shark caught and hacked into pieces in Johor) is now being investigated Sea Shepherd Conservation Society who are working with Reefcheck Malaysia and other Malaysian groups who would like the incident to be officially reported, according to the article, Conservation group: Killing whale shark is illegal. According to the article, an unidentified member of Sea Shepherd stated that the incident depicted in the original article is "actually a criminal offense by Malaysian law." The statement was made in an email reportedly sent by the member of Sea Shepherd.

Whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) are listed as "Vulnerable" on the IUCN Red List.