Browsing: Sharks

Environmental News
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Private-member bill seeks to stop shark-fin importation to Canada

A private member’s bill that would ban the importation of shark fins to Canada is being presented again by Coquitlam British Columbia MP Fin Donnelly. Private member’s bills are rarely adopted but advocates for the legislation are encouraged by the fact that an attempt in 2013 failed passing second reading by just five votes. Donnelly is an advocate for oceans.

Scuba Features
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Interview with Paul von Blerk, Project Specialist, Kwazulu-Natal Sharks Board

Paul von Blerk specializes in electronic shark repellents with the Kwazulu-Natal Sharks Board Maritime Centre of Excellence. He’s worked with the Shark’s Board for 34 years, and for the last couple of decades, he’s dedicated his life to creating and testing an alternative, eco-friendly system that keeps both bathers and sharks safe. Throughout April, Oceans Research assisted Paul in testing an electronic device on our Mossel Bay white sharks, with incredible results.

Scuba Features
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Interview with Dr Ryan Kempster, University of Western Australia

Dr Ryan Kempster is a shark biologist and founder of the non-profit organisation Support Our Sharks (SOS). He obtained his B.Sc. (2005) and M.Sc. (2007) in marine biology in the UK, and went on to complete a Ph.D. at the University of Western Australia (UWA) in the sensory biology of sharks. Dr Kempster recently spent a month with Oceans Research working on his shark deterrent project.

Environmental News
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Running for Sharks

A conservation virtual running event has captured the public’s attention and turned from a solo event into a global one, with runners around the world signing up to participate.

Scuba Features
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Five Facts about Great White Sharks in Canada

Earlier this summer a great white shark sighting was reported off the Atlantic coast of Canada. Although these sightings are rare, white sharks do visit Canadian waters, in fact their range extends from sub-arctic to tropical waters. To help boost your shark smarts, we’re counting down five facts about white sharks.

Scuba Features
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The Gentle Giant – Ungentled

They travel the seas in search of feeding grounds, adding more than 25km under their belt every single day. Whalesharks are filtering the water for small nutritional organisms (plankton, krill, jellyfish, small fish, squid, etc.). In order to survive, a juvenile needs to process at least 21kg (46 pounds) of food on a daily basis. They have been called many names: Lord Fish (Cá Ông) in Vietnam, Butanding and Balilan in the Philippines, they even made it to the back of the 100 peso bill. But I prefer “Gentle Giants” for their calm nature and slowly moving huge bodies. Time is passing with a different speed for them. Their hippy nature backed by a school bus size of a body makes the perfect tool to show us the peace that is the main rule in the underwater world.

Scuba Features
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Shark Diving for Novices

There are many types of dive at the top of peoples’ bucket lists and diving with sharks is surely one of them. There is something incredibly life-affirming about spending time in the water with these apex predators and many divers long to experience shark diving at least once in their lifetime.