Sharks Truly Need Our Help
My friend Sean hosted a screening of the documentary film "Sharkwater" last night and I highly recommend this film to everyone. Humans are decimating the shark population in pursuit of fins to make shark-fin soup. This industry is quickly destroying the entire balance of the ecosystem across our world's oceans.

Here's some data from both Sean & the movie:

- 90% of the world's shark population has been decimated over the past 50 or so years. Keep in mind that these animals have survived four major extinctions and they pre-date the dinosaurs.

- 100 million sharks are killed annually to meet the demand of the shark-finning industry.

- The majority of sharks are killed by a horrific practice called "shark finning" in which live sharks are pulled aboard a boat to have their fins cut off and then thrown back in the water to sink and die a very slow, painful death. Since there is not much room on boats, there is more space if they discard the body.

- Sharks are often caught by the "long-line" fishing practice, where fishing lines with thousands of hooks are dropped into the ocean, catching and killing countless other species such as sea turtles, sailfish, sea lions, and many other species of fish in the process. This by-catch is almost always discarded.

- Shark fins are primarily used as an ingredient in shark-fin soup, a traditional meal in Asia that was at one time available only to royalty and is often served at weddings or other special occasions. If you ever encounter shark-fin soup, please do not order it or eat it! Doing so will only further the demand for this industry. [My own recommendation is to boycott any restaurant that is serving it and to help educate the management about the troubles of this industry.]

- Sharks reproduce very slowly, some species only have two offspring every two years. Sharks cannot reproduce fast enough to keep up with the current rate of human consumption.

- 110 species of sharks are currently listed by the IUCN as a species under serious threat.

- At the rate humans are killing sharks, experts estimate that within 10 years, most species of sharks will be lost.

The "Sharkwater" documentary is available for purchase at Amazon or at www.sharkwater.com and can also be rented on Netflix. Also check out some of Sean's cool underwater pictures at flickr.

Polar Bears Listed as Threatened Species
On May 15, 2008, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service organization pronounced the polar bear a "Threatened Species" under the Endangered Species Act. The loss of icy polar habitat that the polar bears face as a result of melting sea ice poses a severe problem for them. With less ice, polar bears face a much tougher time finding food and some polar bears even end up drowning because the distance between ice floes is too far for to swim. The categorization of "threatened" means that polar bears are at risk of becoming endangered in the foreseeable future. While it's very sad that things have reached the point of a "Threatened" classification, hopefully, this classification will also help focus needed resources on preserving the polar bears' pristine environment before it's truly too late for them. Here's a link to the U.S. Department of the Interior's press release on the topic and a link to polar bear information and videos from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

North Atlantic Right Whales Are Severely Endangered
If you've followed the story of the North Atlantic Right Whale, you know that the future of this marine mammal is in serious question. Right Whales are severely endangered; current estimates indicate that the population sits at around 350, a dangerously low population number for any species.

The Right Whale received its name because whalers in the previous three centuries believed they were the "right" whales to kill due to their one foot thick layer of blubber that makes them buoyant after they are killed. They could be strapped to the side of a boat and easily dragged back to shore. The whales are also very slow swimmers and mothers are extremely protective of their young, thus making them even easier targets for the whalers.

Today, the greatest threat to the Right Whale is shipping. The whales travel in the most heavily trafficked shipping lanes on the eastern coast of North America. Females migrate from the Bay of Fundy area to the southern waters off the coast of Georgia or Florida to bear their young and must again travel north (with calf in tow) to their feeding grounds. The journey is very dangerous--strikes by large ships as well as entanglements are the leading cause of death, according to the Ocean Conservancy. The death of one individual whale has severe consequences for the future of the species.

If you'd like to learn more about how you can help make the oceans a safer place for all marine life, visit the Ocean Conservancy's Ocean Action Network site. To learn more about the status of Right Whales, visit the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium site (OceanSpot has no affiliation with these organizations, but supports their efforts to improve the conditions of our oceans around the world. Photo in this post is courtesy of the New England Aquarium.)