The Dorsal Fin

The Californian is reporting that a California shark attack survivor was released from the hospital yesterday. Eric Tarantino was surfing off California’s Marina State Beach on Saturday when he was bitten by what is believed to be a white shark (Carcharodon carcharias). Tarantino suffered injuries to his arm and neck.

While Tarantino is expected to make a full recovery, a spokesperson for San Jose Regional Medical Center said that Tartino suffered a “potentially life-threatening injury” due to the close proximity of bite marks to the carotid artery.

The shark left bite marks on Tarantino’s surfboard that measured 19″ in width. Based on the bite marks, the shark’s estimated length was approximately 14′, according The Californian report

Wildlife artist Frank Newmyer recently shared the video above on YouTube which features his sculpture of a breaching white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) in pursuit of what appear to be sea lions. The video doesn’t really show off the level detail that went into this work, but you can check out some photos of the piece on the “Splashes” section of Newmyer’s website.

Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Sea Notes reported yesterday that they released a juvenile male white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) back to the wild yesterday. The shark was the sixth of the species to be displayed at the aquarium and had been at the aquarium since August 31st. The shark was released to ocean waters south of Point Conception on October 25.

Two electronic tags were attached to the shark prior to its release. A pop-up tag which is expected remain attached to the shark for 180 days will record movement data, while a second acoustic tag with a 5-year battery life will report data any time the shark is within transmitting proximity to a coastal monitoring buoy. The monitoring buoys are part of a growing network of devices deployed throughout the southern California and Baja waters.

For the full story check out Sea Notes.

The following report and accompanying photos were provided by Cassie Heil of Oceans Research. The report involves a fisherman catching a protected great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) at Beacon Point in South Africa’s Mossel Bay. The shark was eventually returned to the water by Ryan Johnson, an Oceans Research scientist. Thanks to Ms. Heil and Oceans Research for sharing this story, and kudos to Johnson for his efforts to return the protected shark back into the water.

A fisherman poses with a legally protected great white shark at South Africa's Mossel Bay.
(photo courtesy of Oceans Research)

Man Illegally Catches a great white shark in Mossel Bay
Press release – 16th October, 2011: Mossel Bay

On Friday 14th October 2011, Oceans Research received a phone call from local members of the community regarding an incident that was taking place at Beacon Point in Mossel Bay. A fisherman was in the process of catching a great white shark and was hauling it onto the rocks. In South Africa, the white shark is a protected species, and if one is inadvertently hooked then it must be immediately released.

Ryan Johnson, a scientist from Oceans Research rushed down to the location to discover the fisherman still had the shark out of the water; was making no effort to return it to the water and was instead posing for photographs being taken by his two companions. Simultaneously, Oceans Research scientist, Enrico Gennari, telephoned the local fisheries inspector from the Department of Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF), who assured Gennari that he was going to make his way to the location to investigate (the DAFF offices are situated less than 1 kilometer from the fishing location).
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Surgeons are crediting the quick response of bystanders with saving the life of British shark attack victim Michael Cohen. Cohen’s right leg was severed by a bite from a white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) while swimming of Fish Hoek beach in Capetown, South Africa.

The Daily Mail reports that Hugh Till and Douglas Drysdale, who were in the area trying to spot whales, witnessed the attack and entered the water to assist Cohen back to shore. Bystanders applied a tourniquet to Cohen’s leg using a wetsuit and belt quickly after he was brought to beach following the attack. Surgeon Andrew Nicol told reporters that the quick action and proper first aid applied by those on the scene helped saved Cohen’s life.

The UK’s Channel 4 News reports that lifeguards told Cohen not to enter the water, due to three white sharks being spotted over a 90 minute period. According to the report, Cohen told the lifeguards that he was going in and that they should blame him and not the sharks, in the event of an attack. As of yesterday, Cohen remains hospitalized, recovering from his injuries, according to The Daily Mail.