Is scientist taking great white shark research too far?

Were you able to watch the National Geographic special, "White Shark Expedition," on Monday night -- and if so, what do you think of the methods utilized by researcher Michael Domeier at remote Guadalupe Island off Baja California?

If you live in the Bay Area, you might also have viewed an ABC News program that was spawned by an incident involving Domeier's team using the same methods at the Farallon Islands off San Francisco. The program featured experts who were critical of the methods, which involve using a team of anglers and a large baited hook attached to a line with buoys.

(There's also a film crew, hence the National Geographic special and related episodes to air next summer.)

The hooked shark struggles until it's completely worn out. It's then lifted onto a platform, where a sophisticated tracking tag is bolted into its dorsal fin. A large hose is used to flush water through the shark's gills, so it can breathe throughout a process that can take 20 minutes.

The sharks usually are hooked in the corner of the mouth -- because of the 24-inch circle hook's design --but in at least one case at the Farallon Islands a shark had to be set free with part of the hook lodged deep in its throat.

The specialized tags have a life span of up to six years, providing real-time data and pinpointing precise locations of migrating sharks. They're important, Domeier says, for researchers seeking a clearer picture of these mysterious predators' life history.

Tiger shark leaves Aquarium of the Pacific; white shark doing well at Monterey Bay Aquarium

If you're planning to visit the new tiger shark at the Aquarium of the Pacific, you'll be interested to learn that the juvenile apex predator was transported from the Long Beach facility's Shark Lagoon to a different facility.

According to an Aquarium of the Pacific spokeswoman, the 5-foot-long female tiger shark -- the only captive tiger shark on the U.S. mainland -- had outgrown her exhibit area. The new facility apparently wishes to remain anonymous.

Meanwhile, the young great white shark on display at the Monterey Bay Aquarium is feeding heartily on mackerel and salmon while serving its role of getting visitors to the Outer Bay exhibit interested in sharks and shark conservation.

"The only downside is that she prefers staying in the bottom portion of the exhibit and often near the back wall -- not making big, impressive passes by the main Outer Bay window upstairs (though she occasionally swims past)," aquarium spokesman Ken Peterson said via e-mail. "We're hoping she'll be with us for several months." 

The seaside facility has tagged and released its three previous captive sharks after stays that varied in length -- the record was 200 days. The predators are then tracked, and data are collected from tags as part of a collaborative program designed to learn more about white shark movements and habits.

The aquarium's SeaNotes blog has lots of information about the resident white shark and sharks in general, including a link that everyone interested in conserving sharks should visit, as it enables citizens to take action in support of legislation that would help bring an end to the cruel practice of shark-finning.

Millions of sharks are killed each year merely for their fins, to satisfy a powerful demand for shark-fin soup. It's said to be a delicacy, but there's undeniably something fishy about the process.

-- Pete Thomas

Photo: A young white shark swims past a young visitor to Monterey Bay Aquarium's Outer Bay exhibit. Credit: Randy Wilder / Monterey Bay Aquarium

Shark Week conjures memories of Guadalupe Island and its great whites

Shark Week got me thinking about Guadalupe Island and my memorable visit there in October of 2007 aboard the Nautilus Explorer, and my not so memorable trip there a few years prior, when we arrived way too early in the season and saw only one white shark, and it was but a fleeting glimpse.

The sharks ought to be arriving at the remote island west of Baja California right about now, though, from a mysterious mid-Pacific area some scientists refer to as the White Shark Cafe. But please bear in mind, if you're considering a $3,000 five-day cage-diving trip that late summer and especially fall are the most productive periods.

Patric Douglas, CEO of Shark Diver, recently returned from Guadalupe and blogged about a trip that was a lot like my first trip: too few sharks and too many carefree seals lounging atop the water.

The Guadalupe season is really just beginning and a chumming ban remains in place, making things tough on operators, who are trying to persuade Mexican officials to revoke the ban. Some operators are now submerging their cages to place them closer to the sharks, eliminating the need to chum.

That seems a little sketchy but presumably the operators know what they're doing. Regardless, you don't need scuba gear or certification for these trips. You breath air supplied topside, through hoses.

If you're interested in one of these trips navigate the Shark Diver, Nautilus Explorer and Shark Diving International websites, and check out the video. If you go it'll be a Shark Week you'll never forget.

--Pete Thomas

Top photo by Juanmi Alemany

Video courtesy of RTSea Productions

Shark Week appears to be overly sensational this year -- good or bad?

It's "Shark Week" and Discovery Channel has put together a lineup of shows sure to inform and, it might seem to some, inspire fear at a time when conservationists are trying to dispel the myth that sharks are out for blood.

The program opened Sunday with the 1916 story that inspired the making of "Jaws," involving the first multiple shark attack in American history, off New Jersey beaches.

Here's the remaining lineup (all shows begin at 9 p.m. PDT):

Tonight: "Deadly Waters," with attack survivor Lee Stroud on a mission to find the world's deadliest shark waters; and a 10 p.m. encore called "Day of the Shark," involving a great white that plows through a diving cage, trapping the divers inside.

Tuesday: "Sharkbite Summer," focusing on a spate of attacks in 2001 and revisiting the sites where the attacks occurred, featuring interviews with victims, doctors and shark experts.

Wednesday: "Great White Appetite," which will explore the predator's eating habits at various white shark haunts around the world.

Thursday: "Shark After Dark," which explores the nocturnal habits of sharks using various equipment and a team of divers that travels to various hunting grounds of white sharks, tiger sharks and six-gill sharks.

An intriguing schedule, but judging from the show descriptions they appear to be light on research and heavy on sensational events. Better for ratings, I guess.

-- Pete Thomas

Photo: A great white shark. Credit: David Fleetham / Discovery Channel

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New great white shark haunt to be revealed with conservation in mind

Check out the white shark video to try to determine the location: (a) Guadalupe Island; (b) South Africa; (c) South Australia; (d) Farallon Islands; or (e) none of the above?

The answer is "e."

It's a newly discovered white shark aggregation site and news of its existence is sure to pique the interest of scientists and documentary teams.

An announcement regarding the site will be made this weekend by Shark Divers, a company that used to be in the commercial cage-diving business but now specializes in working with film and television crews.

For now, its code name is Oceana and Shark Divers CEO Patric Douglas, who labels it the most exciting white shark site discovery since Mexico's Guadalupe Island in 2001, would only confirm that it's a very remote island in the Southern Ocean.

Douglas said a limited number of crews will begin visiting the location early next year and that it remains unclear whether a commercial cage-diving operation will be established.

Cage-diving operations are beneficial in that they allow the general public to develop a better understanding and appreciation of the embattled apex predators. But they can also be harmful to sharks--especially those that accidentally get caught between cage bars--and some charge that chumming habituates the sharks.

Because aggregation sites are so few, they do need to be protected and diving operations need to be regulated. "These sites need to be protected with everything we've got," Douglas said. "Now that the site is known, we've  got to get the public behind it so the local government can say 'Yes, we need to turn this into a special place.' "

--Pete Thomas

Video courtesy of Shark Divers

Sharks swim into spotlight at Aquarium of the Pacific

At a time when days are getting warmer and more people are venturing into the ocean, sharks are swimming silently into the spotlight.

The remarkable predators, which are so notorious yet so misunderstood -- and sadly embattled because of overfishing --will be featured at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach during what is billed as "Shark Summer."

The waterfront facility has added new species of sharks and rays and will offer an array of programs, including a lecture series that begins Thursday night with Chris Lowe, who runs the Shark Lab at Cal State Long Beach, dispelling myths and misconceptions. That talk, from one of Outposts' favorite shark sources, is from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. The cost is $8 or $4 for members, and free for students with valid ID. To RSVP, call (562) 590-3100.

Shark Summer officially begins Friday and runs through Sept. 7. On Sunday nights, the aquarium will remain open until 10 p.m. On Sundays in July, it will feature free Discovery Channel "Shark Week" screenings on the front lawn. On July 17, a "Feed a  Shark" program begins. It will enable members of the public an opportunity to feed sharks from a platform above the Tropical Reef Habitat exhibit.

There's much more, and it's hoped that people will come away with an appreciation of all sharks, large and small. Among my favorite aquarium residents is the sand tiger shark pictured below. Despite their fearsome appearance, these sharks pose little or no threat to humans and feed mostly on small fish, rays, other sharks and crustaceans.

-- Pete Thomas

 Upper photo: Bonnethead shark. Credit: Andrew Reitsma

Lower photo: Sand tiger shark. Credit: Robin Riggs

Great white shark documentary free screening reminder

A reminder that a free screening of the documentary "Island of the Great White Shark," by RTSea Productions, will be shown at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the MLK auditorium of the Santa Monica Public Library. Filmmaker Richard Theiss, executive producer and cinematographer for the project, will be in attendance and will conduct a question-and-answer session after the film, as well as discuss his experiences filming great whites and other sharks.  The screening of this 45-minute film is part of an ongoing lecture series sponsored by Heal the Bay's Santa Monica Pier Aquarium.

Theiss, who four years ago joined an eco-tourism charter to Mexico's Guadalupe Island and the surrounding waters to observe the great whites, became passionate about this subject and began documenting the work of shark researcher Mauricio Hoyos Padilla.  The resulting film from this trip details the important role great white sharks play in a balanced ecosystem and also focuses on the marine scientists dedicated to studying and protecting these sharks.

"These are absolutely magnificent creatures living on a razor's edge of possible extinction. And there are some very dedicated people working tirelessly to prevent that," Theiss said. "This is a story that needed to be told."

Millions of sharks, including great whites, are killed each year for their fins, as accidental catches on commercial fishing vessels and for souvenir jaws and teeth.

Admission to the screening is free on a first-come, first-served basis. The main library is at 601 Santa Monica Blvd., with a pay parking structure available on 7th Street, north of Santa Monica Boulevard.  For directions to the library, visit www.smpl.org/depts/branches/index.htm. For other information, visit www.healthebay.org/smpa or call the aquarium at (310) 393-6149.

-- Kelly Burgess

Photo: Great white shark off the coast of Guadalupe Island. Credit: Sharkdiver.com

Great whites are developing taste for humans, Australian shark hunter claims

Should the protection of great white sharks be lifted?

Of course not, but some might make such a claim after the next fatal attack off California. And if there is a spate of attacks, or sightings, watch out.

In Australia, where increased sightings off Queensland and the fatal chomping two weeks ago of a Perth snorkeler have generated "Jaws"-like hysteria, one man is claiming that overfishing and protection of sharks has become "a recipe for disaster."

Shark hunter Vic Hislop told the The Mercury, an Australian newspaper, that he was certain the great white that killed the snorkeler off Rockingham Beach was the same shark that killed another snorkeler just north of Perth in 2005.

Hislop, author of the book "Sharkman," said: "Everything I wrote in my book 12 years ago is coming true 100% of the time."

Claiming sharks have run low on natural food because of overfishing, Hislop says the predators are developing a taste for humans, and he is calling for lifting the protections of great whites.

That's unlikely to happen, but Hislop is entitled to his opinion.

Interestingly, what's happening in Australia brings to mind a fairly recent phenomenon in Hawaii, where state wildlife experts, responding to a spate of attacks, killed dozens of tiger sharks and turned a blind eye while citizens hunted dozens more from various islands.

-- Pete Thomas

Photo: The late legendary shark hunter Frank Mundus, right, in 1986 with fellow charter boat skipper Donnie Braddick and a great white. Mundus was thought by many to have been the model for Captain Quint in the movie "Jaws." Credit: Newsday

Shark fins removed from 'front window' of China-based website, but apparently still available to buyers

As suspected by conservation groups and subtly alluded to Thursday on Outposts, sharks around the world probably are no safer than they were before Alibaba.com, on Jan. 1, stopped allowing the open sale of shark fins on its global marketplace website.

That's because some wholesalers, while they can no longer list shark fins on the site, apparently are still selling them on request to interested buyers.

Shark fins, you may recall, are the key ingredient for shark-fin soup. Fins are obtained by fishermen who net and haul sharks aboard, slice off their fins, and discard the writhing sharks, which sink and slowly die.

It is perhaps the most disgusting form of fishing on the planet -- yet, demand for shark-fin soup remains high in many parts of the world.

Outposts salutes Shark Diver for exposing the loophole in Alibaba's new guidelines.

Shark Diver, during the first week of January, claims to have posed as three different buyers asking for 11,000 pounds of shark fins from 11 sellers. Nine reportedly responded positively, and the other two did not respond. Shark Diver, a commercial shark-diving company, sourced 88,000 pounds of shark fins.

"This is not in anyway an eco win," said Patric Douglas, CEO of Shark Diver. "They just took the shark fins out of the front window."

Guess it did seem too good to be true.

-- Pete Thomas

Photo of lemon shark courtesy of Christie Fisher via Shark Diver

Great white sharks in spotlight at Guadalupe Island

The great white shark in the photo is among dozens that reside seasonally at Guadalupe Island, a large volcanic land mass 250 miles southwest of San Diego and about 160 miles west of Baja California.

It was e-mailed to Outposts by Michael Domeier, president of the Marine Science Institute in Fallbrook, Calif. Domeier has just released results of an eight-year study, during which 56 white sharks were tagged at Guadalupe and their movements and behavior were monitored.

Based on the findings, Guadalupe's sharks migrate — beginning as early as Dec. 21 but spread over a 19-week period — to a vast pelagic habitat in the mid-Pacific, where they spend an average of 140 days, diving, at times, to 3,000 feet in an apparent search for food.

They then swim back to Guadalupe. The males arrive beginning about July 22, coinciding with the pupping of Guadalupe fur seals. The females arrive several weeks later.

More interesting is that white sharks from Northern California migrate to the same offshore area — some from both groups even travel as far west as Hawaii — but there is no known intermixing. No tagged shark from Northern California has ever visited Guadalupe, and vice versa.

Whereas the Northern California study, carried out by Stanford University's Hopkins Marine Station, referred to the area as the White Shark Cafe, Domeier and co-author Nicole Nasby-Lucas label it the Shared Offshore Foraging Area, or SOFA.

Tuna on menu for Guadalupe Island great whites

If you’re among those fortunate enough to have visited Guadalupe Island, then you know what Larry Brown means when he writes:

"The Agony and Ecstasy is the true life story about Michelangelo, the second-greatest sculpture in history. The dramatic scenery and landscape of the island carved by the number one sculptor of all time is a nonstop visual phenomenon."

In a story submitted to the fishing website, 976-TUNA, Brown continues,

"Guadalupe Island provides both agony and ecstasy for anglers fishing its waters. The weather can be flat calm or brutal. The fishing can be epic or dismally slow. The dolphins, fur seals, elephant seals, whales, great whites, sea birds and flying fish provide continual entertainment for the naturalist in all of us."

Ah, but those great whites. They’re what make the island truly magical. Divers in cages will agree. Fishermen may not.

Brown, who resides in Playa del Rey, writes about losing a large yellowfin to the "Tax man," and such has been the fate of many an angler before Brown.

Over the years, during their seasonal inhabitance in late summer and fall, white sharks at the remote land mass 160 miles west of Baja California may have learned to associate fishing boats with mealtime. They certainly can sense when a tuna is struggling on the hook, and generally consume only the plumpest specimens.

As Brown states, "These goliaths usually wait until you have tired out a big, fat tuna before they give you a front-row seat performance of their incredible brutality and insatiable appetite."

The wonderful photo atop this item was taken by Anna Diaz of Baja Fish Gear in Lomita.

-- Pete Thomas

Shannen Doherty high and dry after shark scare

Outposts is not big on the gossip scene but we hear, through a reliable source, that actress Shannen Doherty is deathly afraid of the ocean after a fright-filled run-in with sharks.

This is a shame because Doherty, who starred in "Charmed" and "Beverly Hills, 90210," still owns a home in Malibu and several surfboards.

Her fear stems from a cage-diving trip two years ago off Hawaii. Sharks began circling the submerged cage and Doherty’s heart leaped about.

She recalled the incident in a recent interview with Details magazine.

"I couldn’t breathe, I started having an anxiety attack, I couldn’t stay out of their reach," she said. "They were slamming into the cage — they looked so frickin’ mean! My leg slipped a little through the bars, and a shark swam up against me and rubbed off a layer of my skin."

Responded Details: "Doherty, who’s reprising the role of Brenda on the CW’s revival of `90210,' could look at her shark-cage experience as an apt metaphor for her twenties — not-so-tender years marked by catfights, nude photo spreads, a turn leading the Pledge of Allegiance at the 1992 Republican National Convention, and a slew of ill-chosen male companions.”

Doherty concluded: "Well, I’ll go to the beach and I’ll wade up to my knees. But I’m not going to start swimming again."

-- Pete Thomas

Photo by Evan Agostini/Getty Images