Saving Seafood

Global Threat to Sharks Highlighted in Nature Paper Co-Authorized by Mote Scientists

July 31, 2019 — The following was released by Mote:

A new study in the prestigious, peer-reviewed, scientific journal Nature reveals that major high seas fishing activities overlap significantly with important shark hotspots worldwide.

Study partners point out that North Atlantic blue sharks and shortfin mako – the fastest shark in the sea – have on average 76% and 62% of their space use, respectively, occupied by longline fishing  vessels each month, and even internationally protected species such as great white and porbeagle sharks are at risk of bycatch in such fisheries. The study calls attention to the danger of accelerating shark population declines and disappearance of their hotspots, along with opportunities for more sustainable management of fisheries and shark populations internationally.

The study included 150 scientists from 26 countries who combined their knowledge and data from nearly 2,000 satellite-tagged sharks. Co-authors from Mote Marine Laboratory’s Center for Shark Research have tracked white, bull, hammerhead, whale and multiple other shark species with satellite tags over decades of conservation-focused science, some in collaboration with research partner OCEARCH.

  • Read the full news release from Nature below and view the journal article here: https://rdcu.be/bLze0

Below is a statement from Dr. Robert Hueter, Director of Mote’s Center for Shark Research, who served as a study co-author along with Mote Senior Biologists Jack Morris and John Tyminski.

Read the full release here

NEW JERSEY: New sharks could be visiting the Jersey Shore thanks to climate change

July 31, 2019 — While sharks off the Jersey Shore are nothing new, experts who study the ocean predators say New Jersey’s waters are becoming an increasingly popular destination for unlikely species of sharks.

Ocean-warming climate change is already bringing sharks typically found in southern waters, like bull sharks and blacktip sharks, to New Jersey on a more frequent basis said Thomas Grothues, an associate research professor at Rutgers who studies sharks (he just happens to be a past Shark Week star.)

As the planet continues to warm, this trend is likely to continue, Grothues said.

Read the full story at NJ.com

5 shark attack survivors explain how they made it out alive

July 31, 2019 — A 19-year-old surfer who suffered a vicious shark bite last month was determined to face his fears as soon as his wounds healed.

Not only did Austin Reed return to the ocean just over a month after the attack, he went back to the exact site of the harrowing encounter, North Carolina’s Ocean Isle Beach.

“I went back to the spot where I got bit,” Reed told Willie Geist and Savannah Guthrie on TODAY Wednesday. “I thought that was the best way to get closure.”

Reed was one of five shark attack survivors who shared their stories on TODAY Wednesday.

He was joined by Keane Webre-Hayes, who needed 1,000 stitches after being attacked in California while lobster diving; Tiffany Johnson, a mother of three whose right arm was amputated after she was bitten while snorkeling in the Bahamas; Lola Pollina, who was bitten at New York’s Fire Island last year; and Jonathan Hernandez, who was attacked last month while spearfishing in the Bahamas.

Read the full story at Today

Shark Week: Celebrating U.S. Science and Sustainability

July 29, 2019 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

If you love sharks like we do, join us in celebrating Shark Week 2019! Did you know that sharks are one of the top ocean predators? They play an important role in the food web, helping to ensure balance in the ocean’s ecosystem.

We manage commercial and recreational shark fisheries in the Atlantic Ocean and we work with three regional fishery management councils to conserve and sustainably manage sharks in the Pacific Ocean. By conducting research, assessing stocks, working with U.S. fishermen, and implementing restrictions on shark harvests, we have made significant progress toward ending overfishing and rebuilding overfished stocks for long-term sustainability.

Explore the sharktastic features below to glean something new about these amazing creatures. And while you’re at it, get a closer look at how we study sharks and manage their populations.

Read the full release here

Sharks Have Few Places To Hide From Fishing, Study Shows

July 24, 2019 — Ocean-dwelling sharks often like to hang out in areas that also get frequented by industrial fishing ships, which puts them at grave risk of being caught either for food or as bycatch.

That’s according to a new study in the journal Nature that mapped the activity of 23 shark species and fishing vessels around the globe.

Researchers tracked more than 1,500 sharks with satellite tags and combined that data with information on ship movements taken from safety technology that vessels use to avoid collisions at sea.

“Tens of millions of these pelagic sharks are being caught by industrialized fisheries in areas where there’s little or no management, and some populations have declined as a result,” says David Sims, a U.K.-based marine ecologist at the Marine Biological Association in Plymouth and the University of Southampton.

Fishing vessels can catch sharks accidentally, because their long lines can extend for miles and have more than 1,000 hooks.

Read the full story at New England Public Radio

Highlighting the Cooperative Shark Tagging Program for Shark Week

July 23, 2019 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

The Northeast Fisheries Science Center’s Apex Predators Program studies the life history and ecology of sharks in the marine and coastal waters of New England and the Mid-Atlantic. In 1962, they began the Cooperative Shark Tagging Program with about 100 volunteer recreational and commercial fishermen, scientists, and fisheries observers. Today they have more than 7000 volunteers contributing data to the Tagging Program.

More than 295,000 sharks, comprising more than 50 species, have been tagged to date. The data from tagging and recapture events have been instrumental in shaping what we know about shark migration and distribution. It also helped to define the essential fish habitat for 38 federally managed shark species. It continues to be used for defining and updating areas designated as essential for shark survival.

Blue sharks (Prionace glauca) are a common pelagic species found in New England waters. More than 122,000 blue sharks have been tagged to date and they’re the most tagged species of shark in our Tagging Program’s database. In fact, they account for 42% of all the tagged sharks recorded in our database and of the more than 122,000 tagged blue sharks, 7% of them have been recaptured at least once.

Read the full release here

Shark population dramatically increasing along Texas Gulf Coast

July 19, 2019 — According to scientists, sharks are quickly increasing in numbers along the Texas coast.

“With the work that the government is putting in, we’re definitely seeing a lot more sharks,” said local fisherman Cris Southers. “A lot healthier sharks [too].”

Throughout the last few weeks, multiple fishermen have received media attention after catching large sharks along Texas beaches.

“If you’re in the water, you’re likely near a shark,” said Dr. Greg Stunz, a professor of marine biology.

According to Dr. Stunz, the shark population along the Texas coast is larger than it has been in years. The professor credits the increase in shark numbers to new U.S. government regulations, and education.

“They’ve really rebounded, due to stricter regulations,” said Dr. Stunz.

The professor works alongside the Harte Research Institute, an organization the tracks and studies the movement of sharks.

Read the full story at News 4 San Antonio

Meeting scheduled to discuss recent shark sightings off Massachusetts coast

July 18, 2019 — According to the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy’s “Sharktivity” app, dozens of shark sightings have been reported off Cape Cod in the last month.

Greg Skomal, a shark biologist with the Division of Marine Fisheries, tweeted Tuesday that the agency tagged four white sharks, bringing its total to a dozen this season.

‘We haven’t tagged this many this early, so it’s been a banner year,” he said.

While this means it’s potentially easier to track the sharks and know just how many are new to the area or not, it still has beachgoers on edge.

On Wednesday, ATI Systems of Boston and the Wellfleet Concerned Citizens Coalition are presenting to the Barnstable County Board of Regional Commissioners.

The groups have scheduled educational presentations on “Cape Cod seal and shark-related issues.”

Read the full story at WPRI

FLORIDA: Opposition rises against Venice pier shark fishing ban

July 5, 2019 — If the city of Venice goes forward with a plan to ban shark fishing from both the Venice Municipal Fishing Pier and the three miles of beach within city limits, it will likely face citizen backlash and a possible lawsuit.

Rob Merlino, the de facto leader of an ad hoc committee that was formed in 2017, when the Venice City Council considered new regulations at the pier — including a shark fishing ban — wrote in an email Tuesday that they were unhappy they were not consulted prior to the council’s June 25 vote to direct city attorney Kelly Fernandez and staff to draft an ordinance to ban shark fishing.

He said committee members are considering both a boycott of city businesses to prompt them to pressure the council and legal action.

Read the full story at The Herald-Tribune

Shark-infested waters: The ‘new normal’ on Cape Cod

July 3, 2019 — Lifeguards on Tuesday spotted a shark near the shore on Cape Cod and shut down a Wellfleet beach for an hour — the “new normal” for the popular tourist destination, less than a year after the first fatal shark attack there since 1936.

A great white shark lingered 40 yards off Marconi Beach in Wellfleet on Tuesday afternoon, according to the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy. Lifeguards closed the beach for one hour after the sighting — during one of the busiest Cape weeks of the year.

“It’s the new normal now,” said Tom King, a shark expert from Scituate. “For generations, everyone’s gone down to the beach and frolicked around in the salt water, going in and out of the water without any concerns. There were no sharks here.

“Now, we have company,” he added.

On Monday, at least 11 white sharks were spotted by the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy research team on Cape Cod Bay. Researcher Greg Skomal tagged two of the sharks — a 9-footer and a 10-footer — the first sharks tagged this year.

Then on Tuesday, the senior biologist at the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries tagged a 12 1/2-foot white shark about a mile off Nauset Beach in Orleans.

Read the full story at The Boston Herald