Check this out.
This is great - the initiative but also the animation!
Like in all good projects, Pew are behind this.
More info and resources here.
Kudos!
Like in all good projects, Pew are behind this.
More info and resources here.
Kudos!
Friday, June 01, 2012
Thursday, May 31, 2012
It's that Time of the Year again!
Fantastic pic - bravo Lill!This is from today's dive - click for detail.
Need I say more.
In answer to the comment by the Saffron Pimpernel: stacked bulls, tight lens - click for detail!Chumphon Pinnacle - the Video!
Juvenile Bull Shark at Chumphon Pinnacle. Source.This is as unequivocal as it gets!
Forget the debate: the Sharks at 02:08 ff are most certainly not Grey Reefs!
I've also perused the paper by Juerg that states
The Chumphon Pinnacle sharks are most similar in external morphology to the bull shark and the pigeye shark (Carcharhinus amboinensis). From the latter, the bull shark differs in its lower, less erect first dorsal fin and higher, more erect second dorsal fin. Furthermore, the ratio of first:second dorsal height is 3:1 or less in Carcharhinus leucas, but over 3:1 in C. amboinensis.
Case closed.
Anyway, enjoy the video - very nice!
H/T: Robin!
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Is Sean Van Sommeran a Liar and a Cheat?
Marine debris - this is apparently SVS' tagWho knows!
You may want to read this brilliant post by Patric.
It concerns this alarming report by Dr. Michael Domeier on the Marine CSI Facebook page.
I must say, I have a grudging admiration for SVS.
They guy is clearly passionate about Sharks and Shark conservation, and contrary to the petitioning Facebook warriors, he's actually out there doing stuff for which I totally respect him! But on the other hand, I totally dislike most of his opinions and especially, the way he has chosen to present them - and no I'm not gonna engage in some debate, Socratic or otherwise!
And Domeier?
I've certainly not been kind to him in the past, something I now regret. No not really in terms of the issues I have raised - but because even during the Junior controversy, the man has always come across as a true gent and because his research is just simply stellar.
Incidentally, if you ever want to talk with any authority about GWs, you simply must read the book he has edited! It contains all of the relevant peer reviewed science, and Domeier's revision of the life history of the Eastern Pacific GWs will simply blow your socks off, promise!
But this is not about those two people.
They are who they are, there is obviously a long and complicated history and they certainly appear not to like each other - so forget the stories, from the dipshit page no less, about stolen tags, Junior and Architheutis etc, they are just a symptom of that wonderful Californian GW research community and got zero incidence here.
This is about this story, and I cite.
After the massive shark was brought ashore, someone spotted the algae-covered white tag near the base of the female shark's dorsal fin. She saw Van Sommeran's contact information on the tag, then called and emailed him...
The wife of one of the fishermen - Paulina Leon - asked him about a possible reward. In the past, anglers in the area have returned transmitter tags to researchers for reward money....
After a few brief communications with the woman, Van Sommeran is still trying to get more pictures and information about the shark.
This is apparently that e-mail, posted here, c/p.
White Shark Landed off Mexico, a Rare Catch for Panga Fisherman; it may have carried ID tag from California according to reports:
2012/4/9 Paulina L.
Hi
This is Paulina, I just called you because we found one of your shark
detector, haha how do you name it?
How can I send it to you?...
you can call me back at --- --- 17 02
Note the date of that e-mail.
But the Shark was only caught one week later???
As I said, who knows.
But my money is certainly on MD!
South Africa - Great White Research and other Stuff!
No this time I'm not going to rant.
But I could!
I could rant about some disgruntled GW cage operators.
I could state that they didn't quite have the guts to openly take on Mr. Fischer & Mr. Boyd and that they have instead enlisted the help of some local Kraut who has quickly morphed into a monster, true to the meaning of Fanaticism consists in redoubling your effort when you have forgotten your aim. I could also speculate that apart from having the usual inflated opinion of self, the guy may suffer from a medical condition called, obviously only in German, Querulantenwahn.
Be it as it may, several open letters and public warnings later, the genie is now out of the bag.
Prompted by the dire warnings of the Querulant and by a totally unrelated Shark strike, the surfers and water recreationists have latched on to the issue of chumming (debunked here) and I wish the cage operators the best of luck. Were I so inclined, I could state that they they will now reap what they have sown, that justifying baited Shark dives smack in front of a major town was always a stretch and that the delicate balance has now been irrevocably upset. Talk about having shot themselves in the foot!
But fear not, I shall not do that!
I could also rant about the couch farting fireman.
I could tell you he has been described to me as somebody who has done a Shark dive and now thinks he knows something about something, that his two brain dead petitions have achieved precisely zero as anticipated, and that he has gone as far as to accuse Fischer of having caused the death of several Sharks 1,500 miles away. Wow!
And I could mention the proud rolling out of his ludicrous Hartzell tag, to be placed with a pole into the center of the dorsal fin that will be inevitably shredded as soon as the gizmo will start collecting flotsam like any other trolling lure.
And it got a GPS antenna no less - I mean, seriously!
But I shall not - tho I'm still holding my sides!
And what about that Facebook group.
I could tell you how several of us blue bloggers were initially intrigued, only to be quickly dismayed by the rubbish posted there, and have stopped bothering. I could also elaborate why I believe that it represents the very worst of social media and that I consider it to be nothing more than the appalling circular echo chamber of, to cite a friend, a bunch of dipshits with an opinion and a keyboard, among which even a barlafüs da Milan who vocally demonstrates his utter scientific ignorance and lack of decorum by publicly rubbishing his peers. Soci, ma indova ta l'é truvad al tó dottor: alla Pavesi?
Notable exception: Michelle Wcisel who has taken it onto herself to gleefully, and charmingly deconstruct the deluge of stupidities posted there. Were I so inclined, I would tell her not to waste her time by engaging with morons and instead devote her energy to further researching and protecting Sharks, that Einstein was correct and that stupidity cannot be cured. PS: it sure looks like she has come to the same conclusions - kudos! :)
But as I said, I shall not do that.
Fischer?
I really got nothing to add there - maybe apart from the fact that I could wonder about the exact relationship between the non-for-profit OCEARCH and the for-profit Fischer Productions, and about possible US tax implications of that synergy. And I could state that I don't believe for a minute that OCEARCH will fund the next five years of GW research in SA.
But again, I shall not - and we shall see!
Leaves the local research community, and the authorities.
I could talk about the utter fiasco in terms of outreach, this by the authorities but especially, by Alison Kock and Shark Spotters. They had obviously known about the project for months and were ideally suited for engaging and informing the public about the unequivocal advantages of researching the philopatry of the South African GWs, for conservation but especially in terms of improving public safety. I could add that enlightened opinion pieces are great - but that it is more important to walk one's talk!
But I shall do none of that.
All I shall do is to invite you to read this interview with the concerned researchers. Without in any way wanting to approve of the way this has been handled, it addresses and convincingly rebuts many of the raised arguments and it finally sheds a light on the research aims.
Still, for my liking, this remains too vague.
Scientific research does not consist in slapping on some tags in order to then "see what happens". Especially in this specific case where the protocols, albeit substantially improved, are still highly invasive, it behooves the researchers to be much more specific and to explain which previously formulated hypotheses are being tested, and why the chosen invasive methods are best for achieving those specific aims.
Concerning the posting of the tracks.
There is clearly a downside to publicizing that information without simultaneously enacting supporting conservation measures. This is part of a larger ethical debate I shall be posting about soon.
Doch doch Dirk, auch ein blindes Huhn... :)
And here endeth the non-rant!
Comments policy.
This is not a chatroom.
But everybody is welcome to post a comment - this once and within the length limits dictated by Blogger, after which I shall feel free to delete whatever I wish.
But I could!
I could rant about some disgruntled GW cage operators.
I could state that they didn't quite have the guts to openly take on Mr. Fischer & Mr. Boyd and that they have instead enlisted the help of some local Kraut who has quickly morphed into a monster, true to the meaning of Fanaticism consists in redoubling your effort when you have forgotten your aim. I could also speculate that apart from having the usual inflated opinion of self, the guy may suffer from a medical condition called, obviously only in German, Querulantenwahn.
Be it as it may, several open letters and public warnings later, the genie is now out of the bag.
Prompted by the dire warnings of the Querulant and by a totally unrelated Shark strike, the surfers and water recreationists have latched on to the issue of chumming (debunked here) and I wish the cage operators the best of luck. Were I so inclined, I could state that they they will now reap what they have sown, that justifying baited Shark dives smack in front of a major town was always a stretch and that the delicate balance has now been irrevocably upset. Talk about having shot themselves in the foot!
But fear not, I shall not do that!
I could also rant about the couch farting fireman.
I could tell you he has been described to me as somebody who has done a Shark dive and now thinks he knows something about something, that his two brain dead petitions have achieved precisely zero as anticipated, and that he has gone as far as to accuse Fischer of having caused the death of several Sharks 1,500 miles away. Wow!
And I could mention the proud rolling out of his ludicrous Hartzell tag, to be placed with a pole into the center of the dorsal fin that will be inevitably shredded as soon as the gizmo will start collecting flotsam like any other trolling lure.
And it got a GPS antenna no less - I mean, seriously!
But I shall not - tho I'm still holding my sides!
And what about that Facebook group.
I could tell you how several of us blue bloggers were initially intrigued, only to be quickly dismayed by the rubbish posted there, and have stopped bothering. I could also elaborate why I believe that it represents the very worst of social media and that I consider it to be nothing more than the appalling circular echo chamber of, to cite a friend, a bunch of dipshits with an opinion and a keyboard, among which even a barlafüs da Milan who vocally demonstrates his utter scientific ignorance and lack of decorum by publicly rubbishing his peers. Soci, ma indova ta l'é truvad al tó dottor: alla Pavesi?
Notable exception: Michelle Wcisel who has taken it onto herself to gleefully, and charmingly deconstruct the deluge of stupidities posted there. Were I so inclined, I would tell her not to waste her time by engaging with morons and instead devote her energy to further researching and protecting Sharks, that Einstein was correct and that stupidity cannot be cured. PS: it sure looks like she has come to the same conclusions - kudos! :)
But as I said, I shall not do that.
Fischer?
I really got nothing to add there - maybe apart from the fact that I could wonder about the exact relationship between the non-for-profit OCEARCH and the for-profit Fischer Productions, and about possible US tax implications of that synergy. And I could state that I don't believe for a minute that OCEARCH will fund the next five years of GW research in SA.
But again, I shall not - and we shall see!
Leaves the local research community, and the authorities.
I could talk about the utter fiasco in terms of outreach, this by the authorities but especially, by Alison Kock and Shark Spotters. They had obviously known about the project for months and were ideally suited for engaging and informing the public about the unequivocal advantages of researching the philopatry of the South African GWs, for conservation but especially in terms of improving public safety. I could add that enlightened opinion pieces are great - but that it is more important to walk one's talk!
But I shall do none of that.
All I shall do is to invite you to read this interview with the concerned researchers. Without in any way wanting to approve of the way this has been handled, it addresses and convincingly rebuts many of the raised arguments and it finally sheds a light on the research aims.
Still, for my liking, this remains too vague.
Scientific research does not consist in slapping on some tags in order to then "see what happens". Especially in this specific case where the protocols, albeit substantially improved, are still highly invasive, it behooves the researchers to be much more specific and to explain which previously formulated hypotheses are being tested, and why the chosen invasive methods are best for achieving those specific aims.
Concerning the posting of the tracks.
There is clearly a downside to publicizing that information without simultaneously enacting supporting conservation measures. This is part of a larger ethical debate I shall be posting about soon.
Doch doch Dirk, auch ein blindes Huhn... :)
And here endeth the non-rant!
Comments policy.
This is not a chatroom.
But everybody is welcome to post a comment - this once and within the length limits dictated by Blogger, after which I shall feel free to delete whatever I wish.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Religions and Babies: simply epic!
Wow wow wow!
This really is as good as it gets: totally lucid, unbiased and unequivocal!
I had not heard of him before - but from now on, Hans Rosling will forever be one of my heroes.
Required watching - seriously!
And what about Fiji?
I was concerned to see the comparable PNG mentioned among the very much lesser developed countries, went digging and found the graphs: this one for PNG and this one for Fiji - and here are the predictions about absolute numbers.
So it looks that there's still quite a bit to be done.
The good news?
Religion per se is not an obstacle.
That is, provided that it adapts!
I had not heard of him before - but from now on, Hans Rosling will forever be one of my heroes.
Required watching - seriously!
And what about Fiji?
I was concerned to see the comparable PNG mentioned among the very much lesser developed countries, went digging and found the graphs: this one for PNG and this one for Fiji - and here are the predictions about absolute numbers.
So it looks that there's still quite a bit to be done.
The good news?
Religion per se is not an obstacle.
That is, provided that it adapts!
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Fearless!
Click for detail!Gotta hand it to recently certified Mrinalini Sharma.
She is here to shoot 3G, a Bollywood psychological thriller where I understand that she plays a ghost, and has taken some time off to experience the Shark Dive - and she's not even afraid of posing with the infamous BAD boyz!
Well done!
Which begs the question, now that Mrinalini has paved the way, will Neil Nitin Mukesh do us the honors as announced?
She is here to shoot 3G, a Bollywood psychological thriller where I understand that she plays a ghost, and has taken some time off to experience the Shark Dive - and she's not even afraid of posing with the infamous BAD boyz!
Well done!
Which begs the question, now that Mrinalini has paved the way, will Neil Nitin Mukesh do us the honors as announced?
Bad News from Chumphon Pinnacle!
That was then - likely a juvenile Bull Shark on Chumphon PinnacleRemember the pink website of Robin and Richard?
Alas, this may well be a thing of the past.
I just stumbled across this depressing blog post informing us that the Sharks have basically disappeared. I've never dived there but learn that Chumphon Pinnacle was one of the Gulf of Thailand's best dive sites, with the regular sighting of those Sharks being the big drawing card. Now the apparently still ongoing debate about the species will never be resolved - although I assert that the animals depicted are certainly not (!) Grey Reefs but very likely juvenile Bulls or alternatively, the very similar Pigeye Sharks that feature equally broad and slightly falcate first dorsal fins.
All very sad and alas, so very typical. :(
Or may it be as trivial as the Sharks having gone somewhere else due to the increased popularity and thus, the increased disturbance by divers?
Alas, this may well be a thing of the past.
I just stumbled across this depressing blog post informing us that the Sharks have basically disappeared. I've never dived there but learn that Chumphon Pinnacle was one of the Gulf of Thailand's best dive sites, with the regular sighting of those Sharks being the big drawing card. Now the apparently still ongoing debate about the species will never be resolved - although I assert that the animals depicted are certainly not (!) Grey Reefs but very likely juvenile Bulls or alternatively, the very similar Pigeye Sharks that feature equally broad and slightly falcate first dorsal fins.
All very sad and alas, so very typical. :(
Or may it be as trivial as the Sharks having gone somewhere else due to the increased popularity and thus, the increased disturbance by divers?
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Blue Whales in Sri Lanka!
Awesome image by Amos - click for detail!This is believed to be the largest animal to have ever existed.
The Sri Lankan Whales are likely to be a sub-species, the Pygmy Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus brevicauda). The Blue Whale is classified as endangered, the Pygmy is data deficient.
Enjoy!
Friday, May 25, 2012
GoPro and Sharks!
Poor Tiger Shark!
How I hate those images - the riding and the bikini bimbette!
I was wondering what Stuart Cove may be ending up doing at TB and now I know: the usual shenanigans!
And the shooter? Take a wild guess!
But, at least there's none of the usual BS.
Nobody is claiming to be saving Sharks or to be changing perceptions, or whatever. And I must say, the images, the editing and the sound track are just simply stellar. Plus, one gets to see the brand new dive housing for the GoPro, and although I'm very happy with my toy from Backscatter, I am rather impressed! Plus, Backscatter have already unveiled their latest filter which'll turn it into a rather awesome gizmo!
Anyway, enjoy!
How I hate those images - the riding and the bikini bimbette!
I was wondering what Stuart Cove may be ending up doing at TB and now I know: the usual shenanigans!
And the shooter? Take a wild guess!
But, at least there's none of the usual BS.
Nobody is claiming to be saving Sharks or to be changing perceptions, or whatever. And I must say, the images, the editing and the sound track are just simply stellar. Plus, one gets to see the brand new dive housing for the GoPro, and although I'm very happy with my toy from Backscatter, I am rather impressed! Plus, Backscatter have already unveiled their latest filter which'll turn it into a rather awesome gizmo!
Anyway, enjoy!
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