sharks

Why are Amanda Beard and Yao Ming worried about sharks? Shark populations are declining and that's bad news for fish, coral, clams...and everything else. Learn all about it at Mauka to Makai.

We admire sharks as a fearsome predator, and they have a special place in our culture as a creature that is both graceful and

Some shark populations in the Mediterranean Sea have completely collapsed, according to a new study, with numbers of five species declining by more than 96 percent over the past two centuries.

“This loss of top predators could hold serious implications for the entire marine ecosystem, greatly affecting food webs throughout this region,” said the lead author of the study, Francesco Ferretti, a doctoral student in marine biology at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia.

Last year, the Humane Society of the United States helped bring about the demise of the Destin Deep Water Shark Tournament. Now, the group that bills itself as the nation’s largest animal protection organization has set its sights on the shark division of the Destin Fishing Rodeo.

SHARKS are often demonised as the ultimate killing machine. But largely unnoticed by the public, they are being driven to the brink of extinction with quiet, ruthless efficiency.

They are prized for their meat, sold in the UK under pseudonyms like Rock Salmon; for their liver oil, which is used in Omega-3 supplements, lipstick and haemorrhoid cream; and for their fins to make shark-fin soup.

Rob Stewart’s real-life documentary "Sharkwater", winner of 19 international film awards, explores the decline of the world's shark population and its effects on the environment.

For filmmaker Rob Stewart, exploring sharks began as an underwater adventure. What it turned into was a beautiful and dangerous life journey into the balance of life on earth.

Rise Up Sweet Island is the complete account of an amazing story about a small Bahamian 7 mile island that is fighting tooth and nail against a California megadevelopment. The island believes the development will destroy their coral reef and mangrove habitat...the dispute is currently in appeals in the Bahamian court system...

Animal-rights groups plan to protest a charity shark-fishing tournament in Saco later this week, calling the fundraiser cruel and irresponsible.

The Humane Society of the United States and two Maine groups want local politicians to put a stop to the tournament.

Grandy, of the animal rights group, said his organization works with international officials to combat poachers. He said it's also important to oppose killing sharks for sport. "What it says is: sharks are worthless except as prizes," Grandy said.

A record porbeagle shark was caught off Massachusetts in a shark killing tournament over the weekend. Porbeagle sharks are on the National Marine Fisheries Service's “species of concern” list alongside great white sharks; it has recently proposed to prohibit any fisherman from catching them. The World Conservation Union also lists them as “globally endangered.”

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