'Shark Week' is back on Discovery Channel beginning Sunday

It's time once again for "Shark Week" on Discovery Channel, and this year's lineup looks to have some teeth.

The series kicks off its 23rd season Sunday at 9 p.m. with "Ultimate Air Jaws" and a return to the coast of South Africa, where great white sharks are known to breach with almost no warning, pulling sneak attacks on the seals that congregate there.

10 years ago, Discovery Channel premiered "Air Jaws," which explored this phenomenon -- an episode that still remains the fifth most-watched of the series. This year, producer Jeff Kurr returns to the scene to investigate the aerial attacks, this time armed with state-of-the-art equipment, including an HD camera that shoots in super slow motion -- 2,000 frames per second, which is 20 to 30 times slower than "typical" slow-motion footage.

Kurr and shark expert Chris Fallows slow down the footage of a breaching shark from 1 second in real time to almost a minute. The amazing resolution provides so much detail that you can count every tooth in the shark’s mouth. Fallows and Kurr also employ a submarine and remotely operated helicopter to capture this incredible footage.

Other episodes this week are sure to inform and amaze, including getting up close for a shark bite, where viewers literally end up inside the jaws of sharks; shark attacks and how best to survive one (including interviews with six people who did); and a look at the 2008 shark attacks which took place along the coast of California and Mexico, when sharks mistook four people for prey.

Hopefully the series will shed some light on this often-feared and mysterious predator of the deep, informing viewers about threats currently facing plummeting shark populations and inspiring them to help with shark conservation efforts.

The "Shark Week" series schedule and episode descriptions are after the jump.

Huge shark caught off Oxnard could be largest fish ever landed off California coast

A mako shark caught by a Newbury Park man may be the largest fish ever caught off California's coast.

KTLA-TV reports that Sean Carlsen Gizatullin was taking part in a fishing tournament off the coast of Oxnard when he caught a shortfin mako shark weighing in at 1,098 pounds.

"It went under the boat a few times, came out twice with its jaws open towards the boat," Gizatullin said. "It didn't lunge out or anything crazy like 'Jaws,' but it was still intense."

Gizatullin said that it took him so long to reel in the shark that he was 45 minutes late for the tournament weigh-in and didn't win the event.

Pending verification, the shark is the largest fish of any kind ever caught off the coast of California.

-- Kelly Burgess
twitter.com/latimesoutposts

Photo: Angler Sean Carlsen Gizatullin, left, reeled in this 1,098-pound mako shark off the coast of Oxnard. Credit: KTLA-TV

Angler reels in 736-pound shark off Malibu

A Southern California angler fishing off Malibu on Sunday caught just what he was hoping for, and then some.

Eric Downs of Northridge was sportfishing about 30 miles off the coast with a singular target in mind -- a mako shark. He found what he was looking for shortly after 2 p.m., reported KABC-TV.

Downs wanted to claim his catch under the rules of the International Game Fishing Assn., which meant he could only use a rod and reel.

Using 100-pound test and tuna as bait, Downs hooked and battled the 11-foot shark for more than an hour. It finally came close enough to be gaffed and hauled on board.

When Downs brought the shark to Marina Del Rey harbor, it weighed in at a whopping 736 pounds. Though not a record, Downs got good practice as he prepares for an upcoming mako shark fishing tournament taking place in Oxnard.

-- Kelly Burgess
twitter.com/latimesoutposts

Video: KABC-TV

Aquarium of the Pacific opens exhibit tank to divers

For the first time, general certified divers are invited into the Aquarium of the Pacific’s largest exhibit tank, the 350,000-gallon Tropical Reef Habitat.  With the new pay-to-dive program, guests will have the opportunity to interact with more than 2,000 tropical fish and animals, including an olive ridley sea turtle, bonnethead and zebra sharks, cownose rays and a queensland grouper.

In this 2 1/2-hour experience, divers will also get a behind-the-scenes tour of the Aquarium’s dive program, including a look at what it takes to manage one of the largest aquariums in the United States. As part of their dive inside the Tropical Reef Habitat, participants will have full use of an underwater camera and will receive a certificate of completion, souvenir towel and a data stick with their photos. All equipment is provided (though divers are welcome to bring their own mask, booties and underwater camera).

Open to divers age 15 and older, the cost is $299 per person ($279 for members) and includes Aquarium admission. Dives take place from 3 to 5:30 p.m. daily, with a limit of four participants per session. A valid diver certification and driver's license or other form of I.D. is required. Divers who are 15 to 17 years old must be accompanied by an adult who also signs up to dive.

For more information and reservations, call (562) 590-3100, ext. 0, or visit the Aquarium of the Pacific website.

-- Kelly Burgess

Photo: A child waves to a diver inside the Tropical Reef Habitat. Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific

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'Expedition Great White' premieres Sunday on National Geographic Channel

The great white shark has been on the planet for more than 10 million years, and yet still remains one of the world's most mysterious predators.

Now, a crew has set out in an attempt to document more information on white sharks, hoping to better understand their migratory patterns -- where they actually travel, and why.

"Expedition Great White" premieres Sunday at 9 p.m. on National Geographic Channel, with two hourlong episodes. Three additional episodes will follow, airing at 10 p.m. on Sunday nights through June 27.

Using a specially designed, 126-foot long mothership that includes a 37-ton hydraulic platform for hoisting a living shark out of the ocean, marine biologist Michael Domeier takes a crew to Mexico's Guadalupe Island, 160 miles west of Baja California, in the hopes of landing, tagging and releasing seven sharks alive.

Domeier has been studying white sharks at Guadalupe Island, one of the world's largest seasonal gathering places for adult great white sharks, for at least a decade. He has compiled a database which includes more than 100 sharks -- identified by gill slits, pectoral fins, tails and color patterns -- and can identify many by the names they've been given.

Fish and Game Q&A: Will controlling Sacramento pikeminnow help salmonids?

In support of the California Department of Fish and Game and its effort to keep hunters and anglers informed, Outposts, on Thursday or Friday, posts marine biologist Carrie Wilson's weekly Q&A column:

Question: On a local fishing message board, there has been discussion specifically on the killing and discarding of incidental catch Sacramento pikeminnow caught while fishing for steelhead in the American River. One point of view is they are a native fish and part of the ecosystem of the Sacramento River and tributaries, and if you catch them, you should be able to keep them for food or release them unharmed into the water. Another point of view is that on the American River, dams have altered the natural ecosystem. As a result, salmon and steelhead had their spawning range greatly reduced and put the fry and smelt in greater peril with predators such as the pikeminnow.

In the past, a bounty has been placed on pikeminnows at organized fishing derbies on the Sacramento River. This was aimed at reducing their population. The Columbia River has a similar annual event to try to control the pikeminnow numbers. What is DFG’s position on this matter? (George N., El Dorado Hills)

Answer: There may be some confusion among local anglers about Sacramento pikeminnow (formerly known as Sacramento squawfish) management in their native Sacramento River system. According to DFG senior fisheries biologists Terry Jackson and Scott Downie, there have been efforts over the years to remove them as a non-native predator because they were illegally introduced to the Eel River system in approximately 1979. Following that Eel River introduction, DFG conducted various experimental capture and removal efforts in the Eel, and a few private groups sponsored derbies and sometimes offered bounties, but these efforts proved to be biologically futile. DFG has not conducted any such efforts on Sacramento pikeminnow in waters where they are native.

U.S. registers sharp drop in shark attacks last year

Surfers and other ocean-sport enthusiasts might find solace in the news that shark attacks in the United States declined in 2009, according to a University of Florida report released Monday.

"The big story is that the number of attacks in the United States dropped dramatically from 41 in 2008 to 28 in 2009," said George Burgess, director of the International Shark Attack File at the university. "Considering there were 50 attacks in 2007, we may have a bit of a trend, but only time will tell."

One possibility for the decline of attacks in U.S. coastal waters may be that fewer people visited the shore due to the recession.

"Florida's population hasn't gone down, so I suppose the economy could have had an effect on how many times people can afford to put gas in their cars and go to the beach," added Burgess.

Worldwide is a different story, however, with attacks edging up ever so slightly, from 60 in 2008 to 61 in 2009.

"More than half the attacks -- 33 out of 61 -- were surfers and this continues a trend that we've been seeing for quite awhile," said Burgess.

South Africa lifeguard killed by shark as horrified beachgoers look on

Beachgoers at Port St. Johns Second Beach in South Africa could do but nothing but watch in terror as a lifeguard was pulled from his paddle board by a shark and killed.

The 22-year-old was paddling ahead of fellow lifeguard Abongile Maza when the attack occurred, reports the Daily Dispatch.

"I could not believe what I saw with my own eyes because it did not seem real," said Maza. "It was a surprise attack that has left the surfing and lifeguard community shocked."

This is the fourth fatal shark attack in two years at the beach and the second this year.

National Sea Rescue Institute station commander John Costello said water conditions at the time were murky and flat with a slight swell -- ideal for a shark to attack.

"Witnesses I spoke to said they saw his hands in the air for a short while before his whole body disappeared under the water and a red pool of blood was seen on the surface," Costello said. "Only his knee board washed ashore."

Costello added that the shark species cannot be identified because an analysis is impossible without seeing the bite marks. The victim's body has yet to be found.

-- Kelly Burgess

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.

Angler's capture of 4,600-pound great white shark part of research effort off Baja

"Expedition Great White" airs tonight at 9 p.m. on the National Geographic Channel, and if the accompanying photo is an indication, the footage ought to be spectacular.

The location is Guadalupe Island, 160 miles west of Baja California, a truly spectacular destination and one of the world's largest seasonal gathering places for adult great white sharks. That's where researcher Michael Domeier has been studying the apex predators, and using satellite tags to determine their migration patterns and other habits.

And it's where TV fishing personality Chris Fischer got to play the role of angler -- and literally come face to face with a 4,600-pound white shark -- during a monumental capture aboard his 126-foot mothership, named Ocean.

"Like in the movie 'Jaws,' the first  time we saw a shark come in and eat the bait and then take off and drag the buoys under and across the water it was a life-changing moment as an angler," Fischer said. "The experience of capturing and releasing giant great white sharks is nothing similar to an angling experience of capturing large pelagic fish. There's a sense of  history, a sense of awe, humility and humbleness."

Domeier is a legitimate researcher, but some might question the methods: hooking and hoisting incredibly large sharks from the water -- even if for only brief periods and if great care is utilized -- for tagging, measuring and DNA sampling.

Domeier, however, assures that great care is utilized and that "this is a show about real science ... not science created for TV, which is so often the case."

Tonight's episode is part of a longer series that will air next summer and undoubtedly will shed significant light on the lifestyle of one of the world's most notorious and mysterious predators.

-- Pete Thomas

Photo: Crew member Jody Whitworth lifts the snout of a great white shark as Capt. Brett McBride removes hydration hose that keeps the predator alive while it's on deck. Credit: National Geographic Channel / Chris Ross

Monterey Bay Aquarium tags, releases its great white shark

A female great white shark that had lived in the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Outer Bay exhibit since August was tagged and released today.

The young predator, which was captured off Malibu, was set free offshore beyond the southern edge of Monterey Bay. She measured 5 feet, 5 inches, and weighed 100 pounds.

It's the fifth white shark successfully released after a stay at the facility, where the sharks are intended to provide visitors with a better understanding of the apex predators and inspire support for shark conservation.

She was released because she had begun to exhibit aggressive behavior toward other sharks in the 1-million-gallon tank.

"I’ve always said that these animals will tell us when it’s time to put them back to the ocean. Now was clearly the time,” said Randy Hamilton, vice president of husbandry for the aquarium. “Her health is excellent, and we learned a lot while she was with us. Based on past experience, we have every expectation that she’ll do well after release.”

Tracking tags will enable scientists to monitor the shark's movements and habits. Previously, two of the released sharks traveled beyond Baja California's tip. The other two ventured to the Santa Barbara area.

The aquarium, with its research partners, also is part of a Juvenile White Shark Program, which involves tagging and tracking of sharks that utilize California and Mexico waters as nurseries. Real-time data and published research can be found on the Tagging of Pacific Predators website.

-- Pete Thomas

Photo: Great white shark is released after two months of captivity in Monterey Bay Aquarium. Credit: © Monterey Bay Aquarium/Randy Wilder

Capture of 748-pound mako shark off Florida stirring up controversy

Florida anglers are being sharply criticized after apparently free-gaffing a 748-pound mako shark while fishing this week off South Florida.

The accompanying video, which is making the rounds on the Internet, shows the fishermen trying to gaff the free-swimming shark, which had become interested in a swordfish they had alongside their vessel. They succeeded in catching the predator and the footage ended up on a Florida TV station website.

A comment on YouTube from someone called Zencaster read: "I have been big-game fishing for 25 years and this is the most amateur kill I have ever seen. No wonder they have never seen anything like this before. They gaffed a green mako feeding on roadkill and were lucky they weren’t pulled in or worse, get their boat torn up after pulling him aboard.... What a disgrace, the fish deserved better."

Making note that no rods or reels appear to have been used in the capture of the mako, at least one shark conservation website claimed the anglers were in violation of state and federal law and implied it would follow through with authorities.

Luke Tipple, a marine biologist and director of the Shark-Free Marina Initiative, posted regulations that appear to have been violated.

"I’d hazard that I’m not the first to pick up on these fine points of the law but if the video does indeed tell the full tale then these laws need to be enforced," Tipple wrote. "If however the fishermen can provide video evidence of them using PRIMARY tackle (i.e. hook and line) to initialize the capture then they would be within their rights to have landed the shark.

"If this turns out to be the case then I will instead turn this report into a cautionary tale of how the media should be more responsible in reporting on shark harvests, particularly when dealing with species considered by some to be globally threatened."

The mako is listed as a "threatened" species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

-- Pete Thomas

Video: YouTube

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