Great News for Sharks

From Project AWARE:

Your Shark Protection Efforts are Making a Difference!

Two important steps for sharks have been taken in the past week as a result of all your hard work, spreading the word, shouting for sharks and petition signing!

On November 22nd, the European Commission announced the long awaited proposal for closing the loopholes in the European Union’s ban on shark finning. And the European Union has become a signatory to the United Nations Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for Sharks.

These are important steps forward in Project AWARE’s work to protect threatened and vulnerable shark species. To learn more you can check out the full stories at:

Big Day in European Shark Conservation
Sharks Given a Fighting Chance as EU Inches Toward Closing Loopholes

European fishing fleets play a major role in shark fishing worldwide with a number of loopholes in legislation which have long threatened sharks not just in European waters but globally too. Project AWARE have been battling this issue for the past few years and you’ve made your voice heard to help them get there. Thank you!

In 2012, they’ll be pushing EU Member States to agree to the proposal for a strong, loophole-free EU finning ban. And they’ll be pushing harder for their goal to protect vulnerable shark species from trade under the Convention in International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) at the next CITES meeting in Thailand in 2013. There’s much to be done between now and then.

For now, thank you for supporting shark protection alongside Project AWARE.

Marine News Roundup

Welcome to the fortnightly Marine News Roundup, gathering together the best of the marine news stories from the past two weeks!

Act Now to Save 'the Most Important Fish in the Sea'
Atlantic menhaden, often called “the most important fish in the sea,” have reached a turning point. These fish play a critical role in the marine food web as prey for striped bass, bluefish, tuna, whales, porpoises, seabirds, and other wildlife. But the essential role menhaden play in the marine ecosystem is now at risk. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) has taken a historic first step to restore the menhaden population by laying out a plan that could significantly increase the number left in the ocean, finally taking into account the needs of their predators.

Kraken lair? Paleontologist identifies giant sea monster's bone heap.
Scientists have uncovered the lair of an ancient sea monster similar to the legendary Kraken, which has appeared countless times in myths and stories, notably in the 2010 film, 'Clash of the Titans.' Evidence for the kraken and its gruesome attacks comes from markings on the bones of the remains of nine 45-foot (14 meter) ichthyosaurs of the species Shonisaurus popularis, which lived during the Triassic, a period that lasted from 248 million to 206 million years ago. The beasts were the Triassic version of today's predatory giant squid-eating sperm whales.

Florida's wildlife officials encouraged by sea turtle nest count
The populations of two of the three species of sea turtles that nest in Florida are growing and the number of nests of the third – the iconic loggerhead – seems to have stabilized after a substantial and steady decline since 1998. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission this week released the results of its annual nest count. The survey is not the total number of nests in the state, but only on targeted beaches where turtles are known to nest year after year. The good news for green turtles, which are on the federal endangered species list, is that the survey showed a record high annual nest count in Florida this year. It is the most ever counted since the survey began 22 years ago. Leatherback turtles' nests numbered high as well, with the count falling just shy of the previous high mark two years ago. Leatherbacks also are on the federal endangered list.

Target commits to 100% sustainable, traceable fish by 2015
The second largest discount retailer in the U.S. has announced that it will sell only sustainable, traceable fish by 2015. Minneapolis-based Target Corp. operates 1,762 stores, many of which are converting to incorporate PFresh markets that sell fresh and frozen foods, including fish. In 2010, Target stopped selling farmed salmon, Chilean sea bass and orange roughy due to various sustainability issues. It currently sells 50 different brands of fish certified by either the Marine Stewardship Council or the Global Aquaculture Alliance.

Mysterious outbreak killing Arctic Alaska ringed seals
A mysterious and potentially widespread disease is thought to have contributed to the deaths of dozens of ringed seals along Alaska's Arctic coast. Scores more are sickened, some so ill that skin lesions bleed when touched. The animals are an important subsistence food for Alaska Native hunters and their families, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has proposed listing them as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act.

Man 'surfs' great white shark
Doug Niblack was trying to catch another wave before going to work when his longboard hit something hard as rock off the Oregon coast and he found himself standing on a thrashing great white shark. Looking down, he could see a dorsal fin in front of his feet as he stood on what he described as 10 feet (three metres) of back as wide as his surfboard and as black as his wetsuit. A tail thrashed back and forth and the water churned around him. Niblack estimated that he was standing on the shark for no more than three or four seconds. The dorsal fin caught his board and dragged him for about a metre by his ankle tether. In six years of surfing, Niblack said he had seen sharks in the water, but never so close. He said he had been dreaming about sharks, but was planning to go back out to surf. When he does he will take a waterproof video camera his roommate gave him. He has also put a sticker on the bottom of his board to ward off sharks – a shark with a red circle and a slash over it.

'Whale war' kicks off as Japan sends strengthened fleet to Antarctica
As the Steve Irwin approached the equator last week, word that Japan would be sending a strengthened whaling fleet to Antarctica next month reached the bridge of the old Aberdeen-built customs vessel. The crew of activists on board cheered, as their veteran leader, Captain Paul Watson, resigned himself to his eighth "whale war" among the icebergs and 100mph winds of the Southern ocean. Watson, on what is nearly his 350th voyage in nearly 40 years defending whales and other marine wildlife at the helm of Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, is sending three ships to intercept, chase and harass the Japanese. He promises "aggressive non-violence", while the Japanese, still smarting from last year's humiliation when their fleet took only a fifth of its planned whale catch, say they will heighten security and take an armed government fisheries patrol vessel.

Mississauga bans shark fin products
Mississauga councillors unanimously adopted a bylaw Wednesday that bans the possession and sale of shark fin products in the city. The decision makes Mississauga the largest city in Canada to ban the controversial products, the consumption of which has pushed many of the world’ shark species to the brink of extinction. The move came a day before a Toronto council committee was to address the issue, and following introduction of a ban in Oakville in July. At the municipal level, much of the debate revolves around whether cities have the jurisdiction and the ability to enforce such a ban. Mississauga Councillor Pat Mullin says cities certainly have the jurisdiction but adds there are issues to be worked out regarding enforcement.

Endangered Sea Turtles Drowning In Shrimp Nets, Groups Sue For More Protection
Several wildlife protection groups are suing the federal agency that regulates fishing in U.S. waters, claiming the government isn't doing enough to protect endangered sea turtles from drowning in shrimp nets. The lawsuit filed in Washington claims the National Marine Fisheries Service violates the Endangered Species Act by letting some shrimpers operate without required turtle excluder devices on their nets and exempting some shrimping from the requirement. The gear is required on many shrimp trawls in federal and state waters, but some kinds of trawls and other nets are exempt under certain conditions. A Louisiana law passed in 1987 makes it illegal for state wildlife agents to enforce turtle excluder device regulations in state waters.

Rare dwarf sperm whale sighted off Cornwall coast
A dwarf sperm whale was spotted in Mounts Bay off Penzance, where it was caught on camera swimming just off the shore. It's the first ever recorded sighting of the species off the coast of the UK . A video, posted on YouTube, shows the 3 metre mammal circling the bay in shallow water. There are no official figures for dwarf sperm whale population because they usually stay in deeper waters, feeding off fish and crustaceans on the sea floor.

Amazing animal-inspired inventions!
A BBC Earth blog looking at some of the amazing things animals can do and how we've learnt from nature...

Humpback Whale-inspired Hydroelectric Turbines:

In the search for more renewable sources of energy, scientists have turned to one of nature’s most wonderful creatures for ideas. The Humpback Whale’s amazing agility is down to its slightly odd flippers. The unusual bumps on the leading edge of the whale’s flippers give it incredible manoeuvrability for an animal so big. Scientists over at WhalePower realised the potential of this oddity in a number of different technologies and have applied bumps to hydroelectric turbines, ventilation fans, irrigation pumps and wind turbines. The gains in efficiency are massive. Compared to smooth fins, the bumpy humpback’s fins have 32 per cent less drag and an 8 per cent increased lift in their movement through air and water. The efficiency gains are huge enough, potentially 20 per cent, to make the likes of wind power a source of energy fully competitive with alternatives.

People have always campaigned to save the whales and now they could save us energy!

Friction reducing Sharkskin:

American hero Michael Phelps may just owe a debt of gratitude to sharks. Phelps swam to his record eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics wearing a revolutionary new swimsuit based on a study of sharkskin. The suit increases a swimmer’s speed by reducing drag through water by up to 4 per cent more than the next swimsuit. Sharkskin is covered in tiny ‘teeth’, varying in shape and positioning, that regulate the flow of water around the body. Researchers are now developing ‘sharkskin’ coatings for ship's hulls, submarines, aircraft fuselage, and even swimwear for humans.

With only spines attached, shark fins come ashore
Despite recent measures to crack down on the practice of shark finning, Costa Rican fishermen and environmentalists believe that foreign fleets are once again using methods to evade Costa Rican fishing laws and regulations.  In recent months, three Taiwanese ships landed shark fins attached only to the shark’s spine at the public dock in Puntarenas. The sharks’ flesh was shaved away from the sharks’ spines, leaving only skeletons attached to full fins. Last year, the Costa Rican Agriculture Ministry (MAG) and the Costa Rican Fisheries Institute (Incopesca) barred foreign fleets from unloading at private docks. Instead they must land at public docks, where inspectors can enforce the law. A public backlash begun nearly a decade ago helped ban the practice of shark finning in Costa Rica. However, shark fishing remains legal in the country. Today Costa Rican regulations stipulate that only three authorized cuts can be made when shark fishing: the head, the entrails and a partial cut to allow the bending of the fin. Yet recent cases in Puntarenas have shown that the law has left grey areas that fishermen exploit. The Taiwanese boat Wang Jia Men was the first ship discovered using the new practice of landing only skeletons. According to Incopesca Executive Director Luis Gerardo Dobles, it was the first time that the fisheries institute had seen the new tactic. An Incopesca inspector let the ship unload and reported that 36 sharks had landed without full carcasses. When members of the Pacific Coast Fishermen’s Union found out, the ship had already been allowed to sell the fins. The union, made up of Costa Rican fishermen, strongly opposes the practice.

Global warming: A tipping point for phytoplankton?

An elaborate lab experiment done by a San Francisco State University research team shows that warmer increasingly acidic oceans may fundamentally change the role some phytoplankton have in capturing carbon from the atmosphere. The study published this week in the journal Global Change Biology suggests that at least one species of ubiquitous phytoplankton - Emiliania huxleyi- forms incomplete or hollow coccoliths in high carbon and high ammonium conditions, resulting in less carbon sinking to the ocean floor. The results suggest in the future there will be overall lower amounts of calcification and overall lower amount of transport of carbon to the deep ocean. To measure the impacts of warmer temperatures and increasing acidification, the scientists raised more than 200 generations of Emiliania huxleyi in the lab, adjusting carbon dioxide levels and the type of nitrogen in the phytoplankton’s seawater bath. Changes to this massive carbon sink could have a critical effect on the planet’s future climate, especially as atmospheric carbon dioxide levels continue to rise sharply as a result of fossil fuel burning and other human activities. The shell-building capacity of the phytoplankton could also be inhibited by thickening layers of warm water that prevent upwelling of nitrate-rich water. Emiliania huxleyi typically use nitrates to make proteins, but this form of nitrogen may be in shorter supply as ocean temperatures change. At the same time, the warmer temperatures favor bacteria that turn recycled nitrogen from surface waters and the atmosphere into ammonium, and acidification inhibits the bacteria that turn ammonium into nitrate. The study is the first to look at the intertwined effects of ocean acidification and changes in nitrogen on phytoplankton like Emiliania huxleyi. It’s also one of the first studies to observe these effects continuously over a long time scale, “so the responses of the phytoplankton are likely what we’ll see in the ocean itself”.

Scientists Seek A Break In Aquaculture's Fish-Eat-Fish Chain

Aquaculture, one of the fastest growing sectors of agriculture in the US, combats the global dilemma of depleting wild fish populations. But a new report from the group Food & Water Watch says factory fish farms risk the health of other, stable species swimming in the sea. One of the biggest problems? The fish food. It takes about three pounds of feeder fish to produce one pound of farmed salmon. And we need more fish to keep up with a hungry, growing, human population. But feeding more salmon depletes the ocean's smaller fish. Wild-caught, carnivorous fish like salmon chow down on smaller fish and crustaceans because those delectable treats are high in protein and fat - essential nutrients to a fish. Farmed fish need the same nutrients but get it as a blend of various nutritional ingredients - all targeted to increase the efficiency of a fish's growth and its health. Researchers are looking into new fish feed using renewable sources, such as biofuel co-products, poultry by-products, soybeans and so on. Finding alternative sources of fat and protein to supply aquaculture could help provide fish with the necessary nutrients without depleting the ocean.

On ocean's floor, death is not the end
On the dark, cold floor of the ocean, death is not the end. Dead organic material settles to the bottom, where, like compost in a garden, it is converted into nutrients, including nitrate and phosphate. Coastal winds help complete the circle of life, lifting clear, cold, nutrient-rich water into the sunlit shallows. The upwelling promotes a population explosion of phytoplankton, the microscopic plants that form the base of the marine food web.

Dolphins 'decompress like humans'

Scientists have found tiny bubbles beneath the blubber of dolphins that have beached themselves. The bubbles were discovered by taking ultrasound scans of the animals within minutes of stranding off Cape Cod, US. The team's findings help confirm what many researchers have long suspected: dolphins avoid the bends by taking long, shallow decompression dives after feeding at depth. If human divers ascend too quickly, dissolved nitrogen forms bubbles in the body, causing decompression sickness. But marine mammals such as whales, dolphins, and seals are highly adept at dealing with the pressures of the deep. They slow their hearts, collapse the tiny air-filled chambers in their lungs, and channel blood to essential organs - like the brain - to conserve oxygen, and limit the build-up of nitrogen bubbles in the blood that happens at depth. However, even marine mammals ascending from the deep must rid themselves of the gas that has built up in their tissues, or risk developing the bends. If dolphins come up too quickly, there is evidence that they "grab another gulp of air and go back down again," in much the same way a human diver would "re-tank and re-ascend" to try to prevent the bends. But there's one place they can't do that - "sitting on the beach".

'Criminal' penguin caught on film

A "criminal" stone-stealing Adelie penguin has been captured on camera by a BBC film crew. The team, filming for the documentary Frozen Planet, spent four months with the penguin colony on Ross Island, Antarctica. The footage they captured shows a male penguin stealing stones from its neighbour's nest. The birds build their stone nests to elevate and protect their eggs from run-off when the Antarctic ice melts. Males with the best nests are more likely to attract a mate, so, in a colony of half a million penguins, the best stones are highly prized. Each male adelie penguin builds its nest just out of "pecking distance" of its neighbours. The film crew managed to capture a remarkable sequence, with one penguin repeatedly returning to its nest to add stones, apparently unaware of the fact that his neighbour would steal a stone every time his nest was unattended.

Toxic Seaweed Poisons Coral Reefs on Contact

“Attack of the killer seaweed” may sound like a cheesy horror flick, but for many coral species, murderous multicellular algae have become real-life villains. A new study of reefs in the South Pacific suggests that some algae can poison coral on contact. This chemical warfare may be increasing the pressure on struggling reef communities worldwide, researchers say. Along the reefs dotting Fiji, overfishing has pitted corals against algae in a battle royale. On swaths of coastline where fishing is restricted, corals such as the tall and branching Acropora millepora rule. But where Fijians spear lots of herbivores such as bird-beaked parrotfish, few fish remain to prune back the region’s seaweeds, a blanket term for many types of big algae. These algae then creep in, extending their tendrils over close to 60 percent of the ocean bottom and turning waters a sludgy green. Such “seaweed-covered parking lots” aren’t unique to Fiji either. Recent studies have hinted that this ocean greenery may be carrying out a subtle chemical war on sensitive reefs. To investigate this covert struggle, researchers strung eight different species of Fijian seaweed across growing corals, including A. millepora colonies. True to the researchers’ suspicions, many of these algal species seemed to wield a poison touch. In less than 2 weeks, the test coral often began to discolor and even die where it rubbed against the seaweeds. Faux seaweeds made of plastic had no such effect.

Hearing the Repertoire of a Very Fearsome Fish

Everyone knows that piranhas have razor-sharp teeth, but they have another distinguishing characteristic: They make noise. Until now, however, scientists have never understood why. Now, using a hydrophone to record underwater sounds, researchers from the University of Liège in Belgium say they have found an answer. These are sounds made during fighting, charging and frontal display,” said Eric Parmentier, a morphologist at the university and an author of a new study on the noises, published in The Journal of Experimental Biology. It was previously thought that piranhas produced a single barking call. But the researchers also recorded a drumlike sound, made when the fish fought for food, and a croak the fish’s jaws produced when it snapped at another piranha. Dr. Parmentier and his colleagues also discovered that piranhas make the barking and drumming sounds by rapidly contracting a muscle attached to the swim bladder. The contractions occur 100 to 200 times a second and cause the bladder to vibrate. The moment the contractions stop, the vibration stops, as the swim bladder itself is unable to vibrate on its own. Researchers are discovering that many types of fish produce sound because it is a good way to communicate underwater. At least 100 fish families are known to produce sound - "sound travels faster in the water than in the air".

And finally...

Farting Fish

Flatulence might be rude to us humans, but for herring, it's a survival strategy. Herring have a secret, and funny, way of communicating with each other - by farting. They just have to hope neighboring predators aren't listening in...

That's it for now - the Marine News Roundup will be back in two weeks.

Shark Finning

Thanks to films like 'Jaws' and sensationalist reporting by the media, many people have come to fear sharks. In truth, on average only 12 people are killed by sharks each year. More people are killed each year by falling coconuts, or by donkeys, or by being struck by lightening whilst playing golf, than by sharks. But did you know that humans are killing millions of sharks each year? Most sharks deaths are through 'finning', a topic which we will explore in this blog post. This post has also been featured on The Global Shark Conservation Initiative's website as a guest blog.

Shark finning is a process that involves the removal and retention of fins from a shark. Shark finning takes place at sea and, as shark meat is considered to be of low value (around US$650 per ton), most fishermen do not consider it worthwhile to transport the bodies. The sharks are hauled on board and the fins are removed, usually whilst the shark is still alive, with the finless body of the shark then being thrown back overboard into the sea. The shark, unable to swim, then sinks towards the bottom and dies through suffocation, blood loss, starvation, or through predation by other species.

This practice is widespread with more than 100 countries involved in the trade of shark fins, and is largely unmonitored and unmanaged. Most countries act as exporters, with the main consumer nations being mainland China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand. The United States and the European Union also import significant quantities for use in their local Chinese communities. Where figures exist, they suggest that shark fin trading by Hong Kong accounts for an estimated 50% of all shark fin trading.

Shark finning is a multi-billion dollar industry and chiefly takes place due to the high demand for shark fin soup and traditional cures. Shark fin soup is considered to be an Asian delicacy and can cost as much as US$100 per bowl, with one pound of dried shark fin retailing for US$300 or more. Due to their high value, shark fins are highly prized by fishermen. Consequently, much of the shark fin trade is illegal and often involves organised crime. The trading of shark fins has even been used as a way to launder drug money. The only thing in the world more lucrative than the shark fin industry is the illegal drugs trade.

The increasing demand for fins for shark fin soup, coupled with improved fishing methods and improved market economics, has led to an increase in the number of sharks killed each year. Studies of shark fin markets in Hong Kong have shown that the number of sharks represented is three to four times greater than shark catch figures reported to the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO). This suggests that much of the shark fin trade is “off the books” of the world’s legal fisheries. Upper estimates suggest that as many as 73 million sharks are caught and finned each year. That’s three sharks every second!

In addition to its rather barbaric nature, shark finning presents several problems. It is a hugely wasteful practice, with the wet fins accounting for less than 5% of the total of a shark’s body weight. The discarded carcasses could provide a valuable protein source, particularly in developing countries. Shark fishing is also an unsustainable fishery. Shark populations decline rapidly when targeted by fisheries as sharks grow slowly, mature late and give birth to few large pups after a long gestation period. Populations recover slowly, if at all, when fished. Shark finning is indiscriminate as any sharks are taken, regardless of species, size or age. Sharks are often caught on longlines, which are the most significant cause of loss to shark populations worldwide. As a result, sharks are now at threat from over-fishing and this is pushing many shark species to the brink of extinction. Since the 1970s, the populations of several species have been decimated by over 95%. Experts estimate that most species of shark will be lost within a decade because of longlining. Sharks are apex predators and scavengers and maintain balance within the marine ecosystem. They play an important role in eliminating diseased and genetically-defective animals and help to stabilise fish populations. The loss of sharks threatens the stability of the marine environment, and also threatens the socio-economically important recreational fisheries.

Shark finning is illegal in several countries and is contrary to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation’s International Plan for the Management of Sharks. Many areas try to regulate fishing fleets by a fin-to-carcass weight ratio, with several stipulating that fins must arrive in a 5% weight ratio of the shark carcasses on board. Only a few countries demand that sharks arrive in port with fins attached. However, weak legislation and ineffective enforcement often undermines these regulations and fishing fleets routinely ignore them. International seas are largely un-policed and the enforcement of shark finning regulations is sorely lacking worldwide. The high value of shark fins further encourages the exploitation of regulatory loopholes.

Some organisations have called for a complete ban on shark finning on the grounds that it is an inhumane practice, fins provide no flavour or nutrition to shark fin soup (which is commonly flavoured with pork or chicken) and have been shown to contain dangerously high levels of mercury poison, and shark fishing is decimating shark populations with unknown consequences for the marine environment. Government bodies are starting to listen, with California currently awaiting the result of the AB376 Shark Fin Ban Bill. This Bill would ban the possession, trade and sale of shark fins in the State of California. There has been opposition to a complete ban though, with some arguing that it would unfairly target certain cultures. A complete ban would also be difficult to regulate and enforce, with most shark fishing taking place on the high seas. Even if fishermen land the entire shark in compliance with shark finning laws (rather than removing the fins and discarding the bodies at sea), the shark meat is not always marketable and is often sold as fertiliser or for animal feed.

The core issue is that sharks are being fished at an unsustainable rate. Work is being done by many organisations to change public opinion towards shark fishing and therefore reduce demand for shark fins and meat. For example, Sea Shepherd Singapore is running a campaign aimed at decreasing the number of couples offering shark fin soup at their weddings. A successful petition has recently seen the Food Network stop promoting shark meat on its website and network. The AB376 Bill is still being discussed by the Senate Committee in California. Not enough is known about marine ecology to understand what impact the loss of so many sharks will bring about, but there will be consequences. It has become overwhelmingly clear that we must act, and act quickly, to prevent the loss of entire shark species from our oceans.

There are many campaigns worldwide that you can get involved with, if you too are concerned about the future of sharks. If you would like to know more about sharks, shark finning and what you can do to help, why not check out the links below for further information.

http://www.sharksavers.org/
http://www.sharktrust.org/
http://www.stopsharkfinning.net/
http://sharkalliancepetition.org/
Petition to ban the use, sale and import of shark fin products in the UK
Information on the successful petition to the Food Network
Update on the AB376 Bill