Please somebody pinch one of my claspers, I think I'm dreaming. For the second time in a week, a U.S. government organization moved to protect Sharks. First they make Shark finning operations harder to operate. Now this:

On July 24, new Shark fishing regulations go into effect. Two species in particular are being protected. The annual quota for Sandbar Sharks--a species prized by scumbags for their large fins--is lowered 85 percent. The annual quota for Porbeagle Sharks--a species prized by the French for their flesh--will be tightened even further, from 92 metric tons to 1.7.

Both these species of Sharks have suffered greatly in recent years from the insatiable Asian appetite for Shark fin soup. Now if the NOAA would only tighten quotas on Thresher, Mako, and Blue Sharks--the species most prized by decadent Shark fishing tournaments--us Sharks might have a fighting chance.

But just so this post isn't all environmental and educational, look a new picture of Bruce Grime's thumb. It was nearly bitten off by a Bull Shark in May. He was the one that actually survived Mexican Shark scare 2008 in Zihuatanejo.

Yuck! Clean your fingernails, Bruce!
[source]

Mmmmm....tight regulations,

--Sharky

technorati tags: Sharks, Sandbar Sharks, Porbeagle Sharks, Bull Sharks, Thresher Sharks, Mako Sharks, Blue Sharks, NOAA, Zihuatanejo, Mexico, Atlantic Ocean, Chinese Food, Shark Fin Soup

After a five year review, NOAA’s Fisheries Service has determined that the Caribbean Monk Seal is officially extinct. This is an especially proud moment for humanity because it marks the first Seal species to go extinct from human causes. Monk Seals were easy targets for hunters and assorted jackasses because they spent a lot of time on the beach, resting, giving birth, or nursing their pups. The Seals were hunted primarily for their blubber which was rendered down to use as lubricant. To be fair, the last confirmed sighting of the Caribbean Monk Seal was in 1952, so it is not like they were hunted to death on our own watch. There are still two other species of Monk Seals left--the Hawaiian Monk Seal and the Mediterranean Monk Seal. However, both species are critically endangered and are not expected to survive for very much longer without strict protections and a recovery plan. There are less than 1,200 Hawaiian and 500 Mediterranean Monk Seals left.

Read.

This is the last known picture of a live Caribbean Monk Seal: taken in 1913 at the New York Aquarium.

--Ms Sharky

technorati tags: Seals, Caribbean Monk Seal, Hawaiian Monk Seal, Mediterranean Monk Seal, endangered species, NOAA, extinct species