Conservation

A new task force has been created in the Bahamas to ban all single use plastics and styrofoam by 2020. This includes things like plastic bags, straws, food utensils, and the ubiquitous styrofoam takeout containers. The task force is made up of The Ministry of Tourism, The Ministry of Health, The Ministry of Finance, The...Read More

In 2009, Palau became the first nation in the world to establish a national shark sanctuary. There are now 17 shark sanctuaries around the globe where sharks are seen for their value in the ocean environment. In general, shark sanctuaries prevent: commercial fishing of any sharksretention of sharks caught as bycatchpossession, trade, and sale of...Read More

Shark-diving tourism as a financing mechanism for shark conservation strategies in Malaysia As seen in many other instances, this new publication serves to identify the monetary value of sharks to a local community through tourism.  Studies like these were instrumental in many locations, including the Bahamas, being declared as shark sanctuaries.  Here’s the information on...Read More

The Bahamas shark sanctuary was created in July of 2011 by adding an amendment to the Fisheries Resources (Jurisdiction and Conservation) Act (Chapter 244). The amendment created shark protections throughout all the territorial waters of the Bahamas, over 650,000 square kilometers of ocean. It was a major win for sharks, who already benefit from the...Read More

Now transmitting for more that 1,240 days, “Andy” is the longest reporting tiger shark ever tagged.  Back in 2014, researchers from Nova Southeastern University’s Guy Harvey Research Institute (GHRI) tagged the male tiger shark off the island of Bermuda.  Over the past three years, the shark has logged more than 37,500 miles with the last...Read More

[message_box title=”Summary” color=”red”] NMFS has completed a comprehensive status review under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) for the oceanic whitetip shark (Carcharhinus longimanus) in response to a petition from Defenders of Wildlife to list the species. Based on the best scientific and commercial information available, including the status review report (Young et al., 2016), and after taking...Read More

[space][space] Read the full story here: Shark Fight: Scientists Complain about Rival Great White Tagging Take a look at an article discussing previous attempts to keep Great White Sharks in captivity. Read about the longest tagged Tiger Shark.Read More

[message_box title=”Press Release” color=”blue”] Johannesburg, October 3, 2016 – In a highly anticipated Committee session today, proposals to list devil rays, thresher sharks, and the silky shark under CITES* were supported by more than the two-thirds of voting Parties required for adoption.  Conservationists are delighted yet mindful that Committee decisions must still be confirmed in...Read More

Here’s a rather interesting and unexpected take on the proposed shark fin elimination act of 2016, currently co-sponsored by 7 US senators.  There are a number of shark scientists and conservationist that believe this bill, in it’s current form, is the wrong approach. In a letter to Senator Bill Nelson, Bob Hueter, director of the...Read More

President Barack Obama recently created the first marine national monument in the Atlantic, which will prohibit commercial fishing in a series of deep canyons and extinct undersea volcanoes that lie more than 150 miles off southern New England, along and beyond the continental shelf. The marine park totals 4,900 square miles and will now constitute...Read More