Shark Diving Unlimited | Sharks in the News

From time to time we come across newsworthy articles in the conservation and research fields. Our aim is to promote constructive and pro-active conservation news and organizations through this.

We hope that you will read along and spread the word or even give some feedback as to what you guys think we could do to help these animals from an unthinkable fate.

We have dedicated our lives around the protection of these animals and we wish to promote others who have done the same.

INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH COOPERATION

This year Shark Diving Unlimited sponsored the field work for PhD student Craig P. O’Connell from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, providing the materials and logistics for his project.

This project was authorized by the Department of Environmental Affairs of South Africa, cooperating with Prof. C.A. Matthee (Stellenbosch University), Sara Andreotti (PhD student, Stellenbosch University) and Michael Rutzen (Shark Diving Unlimited) as field work supervisor.

The aim of this project is to find an alternative non-killing solution to the anti-shark nets to protect both beach goers and sharks around our coastline.

It was great to have Craig in our team and we’re looking forward to see him back in South Africa.

Please look at this short video of video of Craig’ s field work

2012 TOURFILM LIFE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Mike Rutzen to receive prestigious 2012 TOURFILM LIFE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

The International Film Festival on Tourism Films will award world renowned South African Shark Specialist Michael Rutzen their highest honour on the occasion of the 45^th Jubilee year of the Festival in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic on 04 October 2024

Gansbaai, South Africa, 15 August 2012:

Last year more than seven hundred films were entered into the Festival from 135 coutries around the world. TOURFILM attracts professionals from the global tourism industry, politicians, international media and the general public. The people of Czech Republic have a passionate interest in expeditionary travel, a hallmark of this small and highly educated nation.

In October of this year, Michael Rutzen will join a long line of luminaries in accepting the 2012 Tourfilm Life Achievement Award for his "contribution to extending human boundaries with respect to the world's oceans, in particular for his pioneering work with sharks and reducing man's innate fear of the marine environment".

Tour Film Lifetime achievement award

Conservation Talks 2012

2012 got off with good start as Mike has been invited to do conservation talks and presentations from several universities and institutions.

First up we have the Atlantis, The Palm, in Dubai, where Mike and many others like Steve Kaiser, Rima Jabado and Robert Bennet discussed measures to conserve sharks in the UAE waters. They focused on the damage at the top end of the marine food chain.

Speakers at Atlantis the Palm Dubai

Image Credit: Francois Nel /Gulf News

Written by Queensland Times |

Bull sharks spotted at McDonald's

Two bull sharks have been spotted swimming past the McDonald's restaurant in suburban Ipswich, south-west of Brisbane, 30km from the coast.

Goodna butcher Steve Bateman saw one of the sharks swimming through the flooded waters of Williams Street near his butcher's shop in the St Ives shopping centre yesterday.

There were several reports of another shark spotted in Queen Street, the main street through Goodna.

Bull sharks have been spotted in the Goodna sections of the Bremer River previously, with fishermen regularly catching them from the Goodna boat ramp.

Ipswich councillor for the Goodna region Paul Tully said while it may sound almost too bizarre to be real, the shark sighting was valid.

"It would have swam several kilometres in from the river, across Evan Marginson Park and the motorway," Cr Tully said.

"It's definitely a first for Goodna, to have a shark in the main street.

Written by Helen Kennedy (www.nydailynews.com) |

Shark attack survivors plead case for attackers during rally at UN

BY Helen Kennedy
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Tuesday, September 14th 2010, 4:00 AM

Survivors of shark attacks discuss their experiences at UN on Monday.

Nine shark attack survivors - some missing arms, legs or feet - came to the United Nations on Monday to beg the world to save their attackers.

"If a group like us can see the value in saving sharks, can't everyone?" asked Debbie Salamone, 44, a Florida newspaper reporter whose Achilles tendon was severed in 2004 as she stood in waist-deep water.

The Pew Environment Group, which organized the rally, says a staggering 73 million sharks are killed each year to make shark fin soup, an Asian delicacy.

Fishermen slice off the fins - which can fetch up to $300 a pound - and dump the mutilated sharks back into the sea to bleed to death, according to the group.

Written by www.takepart.com |

Hawaii Bans Shark Fin Soup

Perhaps the most surprising thing to many (including me) about Hawaii’s newly adopted ban on shark fin soup, which takes effect on July 1, 2011, is that it is still legal in the U.S. at all.

The Hawaii ban, though more than a year away, includes heavy fines for anyone caught selling the soup in the state: $5,000 for a first offense, $50,000 for a second offense and up to a year in jail for a third.

You could be eating shark meat and not even know it.

South African fish shops are selling unlabelled or mislabelled shark products, which poses a threat to these endangered species and the unaware shoppers, according to the WWF's Southern Africa Sustainable Seafood Initiative (SASSI).