Shark Research Sites
Bull Shark Tagging Program Canadian Shark Research Lab CICIMAR Isla Guadalupe ECOCEAN Fox Shark Research Foundation GEERG CA Global Shark Assesment Gulf of Mexico Whale Sharks Maldives Whale Shark Research Programme Mauricio Hoyos Guadalupe Island Monterey Bay White Sharks Mote Marine Lab Pacific Shark Research Center PRBO Shark Research Scottish Shark Tagging Program Shark Observation Network Thresher Shark Project Thresher Shark Project … Read entire article »
Filed under: Convention, Featured, Manta Rays, Report, Sharks
10,000 Free Round-Trip Tickets to Japan
If you’ve ever wanted to visit Japan, this may be your chance. video platformvideo managementvideo solutionsvideo player In a desperate attempt to lure tourists back to a country plagued by radiation fears and constant earthquakes, the Japan Tourism Agency‘s proposed an unprecedented campaign – 10,000 free roundtrip tickets. The catch is, you need to publicize your trip on blogs and social media sites. The number of foreign visitors to Japan has dropped drastically, since a catastrophic earthquake and tsunami triggered a nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Dai-ichi Power plant in March. Nearly 20,000 people have been confirmed dead, while more than 80,000 remain displaced because of radiation concerns. In the first three months following the triple disasters, the number of foreign visitors to Japan was cut in half, compared with the same time in 2010. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Events, Featured, Promotions, Reference, Report
$18 Million Of Silver Found On SS Mantola Shipwreck In North Atlantic, Off Coast Of Ireland
Sunken treasure doesn’t only surface in movies. Explorers recently found about $18 million worth of silver onboard a shipwreck in the North Atlantic, and on Monday they announced their plans to retrieve the booty sometime this spring, The New York Times reports. The SS Mantola was found about 8,000 feet underwater near the coast of Ireland, where it sank in 1917 after an attack by Germany on its way from London to Calcutta, NPR details. The ship was carrying about 19 tons of silver bars. Odyssey Marine Exploration made the discovery last month, according to FOX News. And it’s not the Florida treasure hunting company’s first time striking gold on the ocean floor. In September, the hunters discovered the SS Gairsoppa, a cargo ship carrying more than $200 million worth of silver. Both ships … Read entire article »
Japan confirms whaling fleet to sail
Japan has confirmed it will go ahead with its annual whale hunt and will increase security to protect its fleet. Fisheries Minister Michihiko Kano said extra ships would escort the fleet to the Antarctic to guard against harassment from anti-whaling activists. Last year Japan cut short its whaling season because of the harassment. Australia – which is challenging Japan’s whaling in the international court – has condemned the announcement. “There is widespread concern in the international community at Japan’s whaling programme and widespread calls for it to cease,” Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd said. Australia remained “”resolute in its opposition to all commercial whaling, including Japan’s so-called scientific whaling”. ‘Strengthening measures’ There has been a ban on commercial whaling for 25 years, but Japan catches about 1,000 whales each year in what it says is a scientific research … Read entire article »
Filed under: Report
Up to 3,000 sharks illegally netted on Texas coast
Game wardens have discovered as many as 3,000 dead adult and juvenile sharks tangled in a long stretch of illegal fishing netting off the Texas coast, the state’s Parks and Wildlife Department said. Department spokesman Steve Lightfoot said the wardens found the net off Texas’ southern South Padre Island near the border with Mexico. “About 3 miles of gill net was removed just past the third sandbar near the mouth of the Rio Grande,” the department said in a statement. “The nets were running north to south, catching anything that attempted to get into shallow water.” No arrests have been made, Lightfoot said, according to The Associated Press. “This is by far the most sharks I have ever gotten in one load,” Texas Parks and Wildlife Sgt. James Dunks told local KGBT-TV after making … Read entire article »
Palm Beach Florida Bring in over 1000 lionfish to help control population
Filed under: Events, Fish, Lionfish, Reefs, Reference, Report
Orange goo washing ashore in Alaska is egg mass, scientists say
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) – A mysterious orange goo that washed ashore in an Alaska village last week and sparked pollution concerns turns out to be a mass of crustacean eggs or embryos, government scientists said on Monday. Tests of a sample sent by the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation produced the results, officials at a laboratory belonging to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Alaska Fisheries Service Center said. [singlepic id=313 w=640 h=280 float=] “We now think these are some sort of small crustacean egg or embryo, with the lipid oil droplet in the middle causing the orange color,” Jeep Rice, a lead scientist at the Juneau laboratory, said in a news release. “So this is natural. It is not chemical pollution; it is not a man-made substance,” Rice said. Last week’s … Read entire article »
Filed under: Report
7 Days Left in Summer Matching Campaign
Reef Environmental Education Foundation There are only 7 days left in our Summer Fundraising Campaign, and we have an additional $10,000 to raise in order to reach our goal! REEF Board of Trustees and Staff send out a big thank you to all of those who have already donated. If you haven’t yet had a chance, please donate today – either through our online secure donate form (https://www.REEF.org/contribute), or by calling REEF HQ at 305-852-0030. Don’t forget that every contribution gets matched dollar for dollar by the Curtis and Edith Munson Foundation! So double your donation today and help us meet our goal of raising $60,000 in 60 days. Support from members like you have made it possible for REEF to fill data gaps … Read entire article »
Filed under: Artificial Reefs, Fish, Lionfish, Promotions, Reefs, Reference, Report, Volunteer
Volga disaster: 110 bodies trapped in sunken boat
I thought this needed to be posted. As fellow divers, family members and citizens of the world, our empathy and sympathies go out to all involved, to the families we share our blessing and prayers. This is especially heart felt when children are involved. Here is a post from the MSNBC News just 45 minutes ago: Video KAZAN, Russia — Divers searching the wreck of a Russian Volga river boat reportedly saw more than one hundred corpses trapped inside the pleasure craft when they recovered dozens of bodies Monday. A few dozen divers working with underwater lights searched the Bulgaria, a double-decked boat built in 1955 that survivors said listed to its side and sank in minutes Sunday during stormy weather with more than 200 people on … Read entire article »