Coral carvers spark outrage
White shark zoning
Paul Cox addresses one of the perennial questions that has the Shark Trust hotline buzzing every summer
Coral carvers spark outrage
A row has broken out in the Philippines over the carving of people ’ s names onto otherwise healthy coral heads . A Korean tourist posted a video on social media showing dive guides vandalising coral off the island of Bohol , which is popular with visiting divers . Such deliberate damage is illegal in the Philippines , and the authorities believe that divers and other tour guides have been accepting payments to carve the names into the coral . The regional governor has offered a reward for information , though it is not clear if the locals will be prosecuted .
White shark zoning
A new genomic study indicates that great white sharks are distributed as three different populations which rarely interbreed . Collaborating with a global network , researchers at Nord University have now mined the genes of the great white shark in unprecedented detail . The findings were published recently in the journal Current Biology . Using genetic markers , they identified the three distinct groups as being : the North Atlantic / Mediterranean population ; a population in the southern Pacific Ocean and a third population in the northern Pacific . “ Knowledge of genetic diversity is important when it comes to protecting vulnerable and endangered species ,” said Professor Galice Hoarau at Nord University .
PHOTO : DANILO MENORIAS
Are there white sharks off Ireland ?
Paul Cox addresses one of the perennial questions that has the Shark Trust hotline buzzing every summer
After a nine-day search , a US-Irish team have failed in their efforts to confirm the presence of white sharks in Irish waters . The team from Ocearch flooded media channels this summer with updates on their Expedition Save the Med – a part of which included an attempt to resolve the decades long debate about white sharks around the UK .
Students of Shark Trust behaviour observe the annual migration of staff away from the office phone when it rings during July and August . It ’ s not that we don ’ t want to talk about great whites – I ’ m doing it now – it ’ s just that there ’ s only so many times you can say the same thing . Despite speculation , theorising , anecdotal claims and now fake videos , we still have no confirmed sightings in UK or Irish waters .
Theoretically , the argument goes , they should be here ; the temperature is right , there ’ s plentiful prey and they commonly travel the distances it would take to travel from the nearest known population . And , it ’ s argued , the ‘ boom ’ in tuna and seal populations in our waters just adds to the likelihood of a few adventurous individuals from the Mediterranean making their way north .
But just because something SHOULD be true , it doesn ’ t always make it so . Theoretically , someone on a boat way out at sea who spots a shark should be able to take a quick photo to confirm its existence . But strangely , none of the reports that we get asked about ( when someone eventually answers the phone ) seem to come from people equipped with smart phones . Meanwhile , we have pesky seals posing for photos , their heads held in perfect position to resemble dorsal fins . And basking sharks disguising themselves as whites as they move into coastal waters .
So , what do the scientists say ? Is it likely to happen ? Will we get our longawaited resident whites ? It ’ s a mixed bag with arguments on both sides . Some feel that the fact that we ’ ve gone all this time without them suggests that it just isn ’ t to be . Others believe that climate induced changes will inevitably lead to changes in our resident shark populations . Only time will tell .
Keep watching , keep your minds open . And , for goodness sake , keep a phone to hand ! The Ocearch team are convinced that they were simply unlucky this time , but they ’ ve vowed to return and to try again . The wait continues , the enigma persists . One day we ’ ll have the answer . For now , we breathe a sigh of relief that we can answer the office phone knowing that it ’ s more than likely just someone trying to sell us insurance . www . sharktrust . org
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