If you catch a shark or skate while fishing or see one washed up on a beach, we want to hear from you! Here are some steps you can take quickly and with little equipment. Note if a beached shark is alive or shows any responsiveness - do NOT touch it. If you happen to catch the shark while fishing please take a photo and release the animal alive.
Essential information to record
- Record date, time and location including GPS coordinates (if possible)
- Length from tip of nose to tip of tail (use your foot length if no equipment is available)
- Behaviour - if alive what was it doing
- Sex – males have claspers
- Any marks, injuries or fishing gear that suggests how the animal may have died
Photograph details to take
- Whole animal, preferably the SIDE view (include hand or foot for scale)
- Underside of the head and under the pectoral fins
- Underside of the pelvic fins (verifies shark’s sex)
- Teeth, close-up (verifies species identification)
I came across this on Yahoo News and couldn't resist posting it b/c I think it's inspiring that she uses this technique to do good things for sharks. The other story that it links to is sadder.
A diver in the Caribbean balanced a vertical 10-foot shark thanks to her unusual ability to put it into a trance. To create the state, the Italian diver rubs the ampullae of Lorenzini, the name give to hundreds of jelly-filled pores around the animal’s nose and mouth. She has used the technique to remove parasites and fishing hooks caught in shark mouths. It has been a big week in shark moments, after this photo of a Cyclops shark also made the rounds. (Photo: Caters News)
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