Where do whale sharks spend the Australian summer?
BRISBANE (AUSTRALIA)- Swimming with whale sharks winter and autumn is one of the tourist attractions of the Ningaloo reef in Western Australia. But where do the world’s largest fish spend their summers? In a world-first, researchers from The University of Queensland (UQ) and the non-profit ECOCEAN have tracked and recorded a fullContinue Reading
Mako sharks killed at far higher rate than earlier estimated
KINGSTON (USA) Over 25 procent of all the tagged mako sharks in a University of Rhode Island shark research have been caught and killed by commercial fishermen. The conclusion of the research: Mako sharks killed at far higher rate than earlier estimates. Brad Wetherbee and his research team have been capturingContinue Reading
Gibraltar offers more protection for sharks and rays
GIBRALTAR (UK)- Since this summer, the British territory Gibraltar on the Spanish Mediterranean coast is one of the first countries in the World to offer near complete protection to all species of Sharks, Rays and Skates found within their Territorial Waters. Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Climate Change, Dr. John Cortes,Continue Reading
Improved protection for hammerhead sharks in Queensland
BRISBANE (AUSTRALIA)- The Queensland Cabinet and Ministerial Directory has announced steps for better protection of Scalopped and Great Hammerhead Sharks. Fishery management controls around hammerhead sharks have been strengthened to help prevent them being listed as an endangered species. According to the government of the Australian State listing them asContinue Reading
Australia tests shark-friendly drumlines
COFFS HARBOR (AUSTRALIA)- The New South Wales Department of Primary Industries is starting with the trial of shark management alerts and real time shark drumlines off the Coffs Coast. At the weekend the Department will host information sessions on the shark detection equipment. Supposedly these smart drumlines will help release sharks that getContinue Reading
Shortfin mako shark threatened by overfishing
FORT LAUDERDALE (USA)- The ocean’s fastest shark is being threatened by overfishing. A new study using satellite tracking by researchers from Nova Southeastern University’s Guy Harvey Research Institute (GHRI), the University of Rhode Island and other colleagues shows that the fishing mortality rate of the shortfin mako in the western North AtlanticContinue Reading
Responsible Shark and Ray Tourism
LONDON (UK)- The Manta Trust, Project AWARE®, and WWF have released the Responsible Shark and Ray Tourism: A Guide to Best Practice, the world’s first-ever guidelines for shark and ray tourism operators. The Guide aims to provide practical, science-based guidance to help tourism operators, NGOs and local communities develop and maintainContinue Reading