Gawker: Sharks

The Sharks Are Not Going Away!

ian spiegelman — Sun, 25 May 2008 12:33:57 EDT

I keep trying to tell you people: The sharks are everywhere and they crave human meat! But does anyone listen? "A shark injured a 49-year-old American surfer Saturday off the Pacific coast of Mexico, in the third attack in a month. The Mexican Navy deployed personnel to warn people about sharks at beaches in Zihuatanejo, a resort northwest of Acapulco, according to a Navy official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information. He said authorities have not closed beaches in Zihuatanejo, but people were being advised against swimming." No big deal, you say? Well guess what happened on Friday?

"A day earlier, a 21-year-old Mexican surfer was killed by a shark off a nearby beach. The two attacks came a month after a shark killed a San Francisco man surfing in the same area. The Guerrero state Public Safety Department identified the man as Bruce Greems but did not give his hometown in the U.S. Vazquez Sobreira said he lived in Zihuatanejo. The U.S. Embassy confirmed an American had been bitten by a shark but did not have additional information.

"Mexican authorities used baited hooks to catch sharks last month after the attack that killed 24-year-old Adrian Ruiz of San Francisco. Local conservationists protested the hunt, and it was not immediately clear if authorities would do it again." [AP]

Shark Surfer

ian spiegelman — Sun, 04 May 2008 14:45:52 EDT

You see, they're not all bad. Once we all learn to be friends with our aquatic cousins we can harvest their colossal strength for the greater good of humanity.

Shark Hysteria 2008!

ian spiegelman — Sun, 04 May 2008 13:27:13 EDT

So there was that guy killed by a shark last week. But that was only the beginning! Because it's almost summer. And there are sharks with lots of teeth everywhere—and they're gonna eat ya! "Two deaths in the waters off California and Mexico last week and a spate of shark-inflicted injuries to surfers off Florida's Atlantic coast have left beachgoers seeking an explanation for a sudden surge in the number of strikes. In the first four months of this year, there were four fatal shark attacks worldwide, compared with one in the whole of 2007, according to the International Shark Attack File at the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville."

"'The one thing that's affecting shark attacks more than anything else is human activity,' said Dr George Burgess of Florida University, a shark expert who maintains the database. 'As the population continues to rise, so does the number of people in the water for recreation. And as long as we have an increase in human hours in the water, we will have an increase in shark bites.'

"Some experts suggest that an abundance of seals has attracted high numbers of sharks, while others believe that overfishing has hit their food chain. 'I'm not saying it doesn't happen, but it's a convenient excuse,' Burgess said. Another contributory factor to the location of shark attacks could be global warming and rising sea temperatures. 'You'll find that some species will begin to appear in places they didn't in the past with some regularity,' he said." [Guardian via Drudge]

Hi, Chum!

Choire — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 11:30:53 EDT

That dude they based the guy in "Jaws" on is still boating around Montauk—leaving a "mile-long slick of meat, blood and oil" in his path to attract sharks. Sure, the water's 75 degrees—but are you still sure you want to hit the beach?

Shark Hunter of 'Jaws' Fame Is Back as an Old Man of the Sea [NYT]