Marine Life & Conservation
Tagged Great White Shark Heading For The UK
A great white shark called Lydia has become the first of its species to be observed crossing from one side of the Atlantic into the other.
The satellite-tagged fish crossed the mid-Atlantic ridge, which marks a rough boundary line between east and west.
She has now turned towards the UK, but it’s unclear where she’ll go next.
But the expedition leader for the project tracking Lydia said he thought she was pregnant and headed for birthing grounds in the Mediterranean.
Chris Fischer, who is also founding chairman of the Ocearch shark tagging venture, said that if Lydia continued on to Europe or Africa, she would likely become “more coastal”.
“I certainly think that it’s possible for Lydia to make it to the UK,” he said, but added that he couldn’t know if that was where she was headed.
“There have been sightings in the past [in the UK], but I think these were anecdotal versus a documented presence. So hopefully we’ll be able to help with that.”
It’s often been argued that the waters of these isles are too cold for the sharks, but the Ocearch founder cast doubt on this.
“One thing we have learnt just in the last year with sharks in the Atlantic is what we used to think was too cold simply is not,” he said.
“Lydia has come over from Nova Scotia in Newfoundland [Canada]. These sharks have the capacity to deal with very cold water temperatures for long periods of time.”
But, he said: “If I had to guess, I would guess that Lydia is pregnant, and that she has been out in the open ocean gestating her babies and that this spring she will lead us to where those baby white sharks are born – the nursery,” he said.
Mr Fischer, who has led numerous ocean expeditions, added: “If you forced me to guess where that was, I’d say it was over in the Mediterranean, near Turkey… but that’s longball I’m playing. She could turn around right now head back to Florida.”
He said that small white sharks had been observed in the Aegean Sea before, but he said scientists working on the team did not share his view. This was because preliminary analysis of blood samples from Lydia suggested she was not pregnant at the time of her tagging.
But Mr Fischer defended his theory, saying there were still uncertainties over the way that white sharks became pregnant, adding: “The sperm from the male comes in a packet with a shell on it. They can carry it around for a while until a special organ inside them breaks down the shell and they get pregnant,” he explained.
“We know it’s 18 months from when we discover the breeding aggregation to when they lead us to the nursery… what we don’t know is how long do they carry that sperm packet and how long is it until their body breaks down the shell.”
Lydia is now roughly 1,600km (1,000 miles) from the western coasts of Ireland and Britain, and nearly 4,800km (3,000 miles) from Jacksonville, Florida where the tracking device was attached to her in March 2013.
In total, the young female shark has travelled more than 30,500km (19,000 miles) since last year.
The Ocearch project was initiated to gather data on the movements, biology and health of sharks for conservation purposes as well as for public safety and education.
The scientists have been using a custom-built 34,000kg (75,000lb) capacity hydraulic platform, operated from their research vessel the M/V Ocearch, to safely lift mature sharks so that researchers can tag and study them.
Lydia was on the platform for 15 minutes, during which researchers extracted blood for analysis and performed an ultrasound examination, in addition to attaching the tag.
Mr Fischer described Lydia as “super-healthy” at the time of her tagging. “I would say she’s just been sexually mature for a short period of time, which would put her in her 20s,” he said.
“She looked like she had a bright future ahead of her – never would have dreamed she would lead us over to your neighbourhood.
“It just shows that if we’re going to look after some of these magnificent apex predators – the lions of the oceans – we’re all going to have to work together. No one country can do it.”
you can read more on this story here.
Source: www.bbc.co.uk/news
Marine Life & Conservation
Shark Trust launches Oceanic 31 Shark Art Auction
After a two-year tour of UK art galleries, community spaces and aquariums, the Shark Trust’s acclaimed Oceanic31 exhibition takes its final bow at the Royal Geographical Society later this month. And the unique collection of artwork, depicting 31 species of oceanic sharks and rays, donated by 31 artists, is now open for bids from art lovers and shark enthusiasts. The online auction, launched today, will close on the 7th December at 8pm (BST). The money raised will support the Shark Trust Oceanics Programme.
People can now bid on 27 of the artworks by visiting this website:
https://superstars-auctions.com/sharktrustauction
It is a chance to own a beautiful piece of original art and to support the Shark Trust. The timing of the auction also means that these would make a very special Christmas gift for any shark-lover.
The diversity of pieces mirrors that of the sharks and rays they represent. You can bid on paintings, digital creations, sculptures, mixed media and more. You can pick your favourite artist or species of shark. Or you can select the perfect artwork to make a statement in your home or office. Whichever you choose, you will be supporting the work to protect these amazing animals.
One of the pieces of art has been selected to be auctioned live by Steve Backshall at the For the Love of Sharks event at the Royal Geographical Society in London on the 29th November. In addition to this, two further pieces will be raffled at this event, giving people a chance to win an incredible piece of shark art. For the Love of Sharks is the Shark Trust’s flagship evening. A night to celebrate sharks. Steve Backshall is the headline speaker at this event that will see other prominent shark advocates join him on stage.
Tickets for the event can be snapped up here:
https://thesharktrust.org.uk/Event/flos24
Those that would like to see the Oceanic 31 exhibition have one final chance. It is being displayed at the Pavilion at the Royal Geographic Society from 26th November until the 7th December. Entry is free.
Find out more here:
https://www.rgs.org/events/upcoming-events/oceanic-31
Paul Cox, Shark Trust CEO, Said “This exhibition has given us the opportunity to reach out to a new audience. And inspire more people with the wonderful sharks and rays on which our Big Shark Pledge campaign is based. We are immensely grateful to the 31 artists who have worked so hard to create these works.”
Bid for your favourite Oceanic 31 artwork here:
https://superstars-auctions.com/sharktrustauction
Banner Image: Smooth Hammerhead by Alicia Hayden
Marine Life & Conservation
Meet Steve Backshall in the Bite-Back Prize Draw
Until 28 November, prizes worth a massive £10,000 – including experiences, products and tuition – feature in a line-up of items that can be won for £5 in an online prize draw to celebrate Bite-Back Shark & Marine Conservation’s 20th anniversary and help generate crucial funds for the future.
Top of the list of prizes is the chance to spend time with adventurer and wildlife expert Steve Backshall, a workout session with Nat Geo star Aldo Kane, a kayaking trip alongside white-water expert and diver Sal Montgomery and a Zoom call with ‘shark whisperer’ Cristina Zenato.
On top of that, some of the most admired companies in the diving and scuba industry have been quick to support the charity with fabulous prizes that make the £5 ticket price worth more than just a flutter.
Master Liveaboards, BSAC, Midlands Diving Chamber, Go Freediving and Blue Shark Snorkel have all generously donated experience prizes, while celebrated photographer Alex Mustard has donated a print and artists Scott Gleed and Olivier Leger have donated a sculpture and illustration to help boost the fundraising pot.
Fourth Element has donated Ocean Positive gear and LA watch company Nodus has gifted the charity a stunning dive watch. For land lovers, the charity has included a five star London hotel stay at Bankside Hotel plus a family visit to Longleat Safari Park in the roster of prizes.
Campaign director for Bite-Back, Graham Buckingham, said: “We’ve been overwhelmed with support from companies and individuals that we truly admire and who have supported us on our 20 year journey and we’re truly grateful to them all. While we feel incredibly proud of our achievements over the past two decades – and we are super excited about the next chapter – this prize draw isn’t a vanity project. It represents a real lifeline to our work and important advancements in the global protection of sharks. So we hope divers, dive clubs and even bargain hunters grab some tickets to make this a massive success.”
The charity hopes that the prize draw will generate crucial funds to launch a brand new, ground-breaking, campaign to enrol the public and increase support for the protection of sharks around the world.
To enter the competition visit www.bite-back.com/prizedraw. The prize winners will be announced on 1 December 2024.
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