While the public fascination with sharks is sure to pull huge interest and rating numbers during the annual Shark Week 2013 that began Monday, marine scientists such as Dr. Guy Harvey are reminding the public that shark conservation is a 52-week obligation.
From seeding money to support a tag-and-release structure for shark tournaments such as the Shark’s Eye tourney held in Montauk, N.Y., at the end of July (click here for a report by CBS News), launching expeditions to study these apex predators in their environment and funding ongoing scientific research, Harvey and fellow conservationists are working hard to give sharks a fighting chance.
Shark populations around the world are continuing to spiral downward, the result of devastating commercial fishing techniques and an exotic taste for shark-fin soup—an expensive delicacy for which tens of millions of sharks are killed annually.
“We were extremely excited to bring this catch-tag-and-release format to Montauk, NY; the home of recreational shark fishing and shark kill tournaments,” Harvey said.
Click here for a Sharks Eye tournament overview.
In related news, Nova Southeastern University’s Guy Harvey Research Institute are offering an interactive website that tracks four shark species (mako, tiger, oceanic white tip and sand tiger) around the world. Users can interface with the technology to see where and how far the sharks travel over time.
The NSU Guy Harvey Research Institute shark-tracking website can be accessed at www.nova.edu/ocean/ghri/tracking/.
