Marine Life & Conservation
Great White Sharks Making A Comeback In US Waters
Great white sharks are making a comeback — along both the East and West coasts of the United States. Two recent studies published in PLOS ONE, from the Public Library of Science, found that great white shark populations are rebounding in both the Atlantic and the Pacific after years of decline.
“As apex predators, they have a special place in our eyes as poster children of the sea,” said George Burgess, the director of the Florida Program for Shark Research. “Having the biggest and baddest shark go down the tube is not good, and seeing it come back is a good thing.”
Burgess said shark populations have come back after over three decades of protections from the United States government.
Burgess says even though there are more sharks in the sea, there is no reason to think that shark attacks on humans will rise.
“We enter the see naked and dumb millions of times a year, and only about five times a year we don’t come out,” Burgess said. “When we enter the sea, we’ve been within 10 and 15 feet of a shark several times in our lifetimes.”
Burgess says that shark attacks occur when the shark mistakes a human for prey.
He offers the following tips for peaceful coexistence with sharks:
- Don’t swim after dark, as that is when sharks are most active
- Don’t swim near the mammals that are part of a shark’s diet — such as seals — and don’t swim near schools of fish
- Swim in a group, not by yourself
- Don’t wear jewelry or any other shiny items when swimming, as a shark might mistake the glint of your jewelry for the glint of a fish’s scales.
You can read more about this here and here.
Source: wbaa.org
The Shark Trust is excited to announce that, for two more days only, all donations, large or small, will be doubled in the Big Give Green Match Fund!
Donate to Basking in Nature: Sighting Giants
The Shark Trust is hoping to raise £10k which will be doubled to £20k. This will go towards Basking in Nature: Sighting Giants. And they need YOUR help to reach they’re goal.
The Shark Trust’s citizen science project is to monitor and assess basking sharks through sightings; encouraging data collection, community engagement, and promoting nature accessibility. This initiative aims to enhance health and wellbeing by fostering a deeper connection with British Sharks.
Campaign Aims
- Increase citizen science reporting of Basking Sharks and other shark sightings to help inform shark and ray conservation.
- Provide educational talks about the diverse range of sharks and rays in British waters and accessible identification guides!
- Create engaging and fun information panels on how to ID the amazing sharks and rays we have on our doorstep! These can be used on coastal paths around the Southwest. With activities and information on how you can make a difference for sharks and rays!
- Promote mental wellbeing through increasing time in nature and discovering the wonders beneath the waves!
Donate, and double your impact. Click Here
Marine Life & Conservation
Leading UK-based shark conservation charity, the Shark Trust, is delighted to announce tour operator Diverse Travel as a Corporate Patron
Corporate Patrons provide a valuable boost to the work of The Shark Trust. The Trust team works globally to safeguard the future of sharks, and their close cousins, the skates and rays, engaging with a global network of scientists, policymakers, conservation professionals, businesses and supporters to further shark conservation.
Specialist tour operator Diverse Travel has operated since 2014 and is committed to offering its guests high quality, sustainable scuba diving holidays worldwide. Working together with the Shark Trust will enable both organisations to widen engagement and encourage divers and snorkellers to actively get involved in shark conservation.
“Sharks are truly at the heart of every diver and at Diverse Travel, we absolutely share that passion. There is nothing like seeing a shark in the wild – it’s a moment that stays with you forever!” says Holly Bredin, Sales & Marketing Manager, Diverse Travel.
“We’re delighted to celebrate our 10th year of business by becoming a Corporate Patron of the Shark Trust. This is an exciting partnership for Diverse and our guests. We will be donating on behalf of every person who books a holiday with us to contribute towards their vital shark conservation initiatives around the world. We will also be working together with the Trust to inspire divers, snorkellers and other travellers to take an active role – at home and abroad – in citizen science projects and other activities.”
Paul Cox, CEO of The Shark Trust, said:
“It’s an exciting partnership and we’re thrilled to be working with Diverse Travel to enable more divers and travellers to get involved with sharks and shark conservation. Sharks face considerable conservation challenges but, through collaboration and collective action, we can secure a brighter future for sharks and their ocean home. This new partnership takes us one more valuable step towards that goal.”
For more information about the Shark Trust visit their website here.
For more about Diverse Travel click here.
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