Issue 71 - April 2021

Mako and Whale Sharks Are “Racing” to Help Save Their Fellow Sharks

Sharks Can Be Tracked Via Online Site Anywhere in the World

FORT LAUDERDALE/DAVIE, Fla. – Do you have COVID-19 burnout? Are you suffering from quarantine fatigue? Need a break from watching story after story on the vaccine rollout?

Well, fear not – Nova Southeastern University (NSU) has just the cure to take your mind off of all things COVID! The Great Shark Race 2021 is here!

It’s a race unlike any other, and it includes some of the fastest competitors as well as some of the, well, slowest. And it’s all to help further key scientific research aimed at saving endangered sharks.

The Great Shark Race 2021, which is being overseen by NSU’s Guy Harvey Research Institute (GHRI), is actually two separate races – one involving shortfin mako sharks, which are some of the fastest marine creatures on the planet, and the other with gigantic whale sharks, which, you guessed it, are kind of slow.

The Great Shark Race began on January 1 and continues through July 14, 2021.

Many shark species, including mako and whale sharks, are severely threatened or even endangered by extinction due to human activities. GHRI research has shown that up to 73 million sharks a year end up in the global shark fin trade, and some estimates say that annually approximately 100 million sharks are removed from the world’s oceans. Clearly that is not a sustainable number.

“For more than 20 years I have been working with researchers at NSU to learn about sharks that are so critical for maintaining a healthy balance in our ocean ecosystems,” said Dr. Guy Harvey, Chairman of the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation. “We have learned much, but there is so much more to discover. Sharks are vital to not only our oceans, but the overall health of our planet. We must all work together – scientists, governments, the business community – to protect these magnificent marine animals.”

Along with being a world-renowned marine artist, Harvey earned a doctorate in fisheries and is dedicated to worldwide marine conservation and awareness.

a man is swimming with a whale shark in the ocean

The way The Great Shark Race 2021 works is simple: fin-mounted SPOT satellite tags utilize the latest in ocean wildlife tracking technology to allow researchers and the public to follow the sharks online in near real-time via the GHRI Race Tracking Website. These SPOT tags relay a wealth of data back to researchers, including the distance each shark swims as it makes its way around the Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico or Caribbean Sea. Then, on July 14, 2021, which is International Shark Awareness Day, the mako and whale shark that logs the most miles/km will be named winners in The Great Shark Race 2021.

Mako and whale sharks are known to migrate thousands of miles, but little is known about the timing, orientation, differences between sexes and sizes and what factors drive these migrations – all essential data for developing effective conservation measures based on science for these endangered species.

“This shark race event is a way to raise public awareness of the plight of sharks and get community support for this needed research,” said Mahmood Shivji, Ph.D., the director of NSU’s GHRI and Save Our Seas Foundation Shark Research Center.

It’s not just the researchers who are concerned about the health of the world’s shark populations and our oceans.

“I’m really pleased to say that leaders in our business community have stepped up in a very big way to sponsor this needed conservation science research,” said Shivji. “The owners of these businesses are highly successful entrepreneurs, passionate about ocean conservation, and truly ‘walk the walk’ when it comes to helping restore the health of our oceans. The research team at NSU’s GHRI is enormously grateful for their continued support for ocean science and conservation.”

Two businesses have come on board as Presenting Sponsors for each shark race – FishAngler App for the mako shark division and The Moss Foundation for the whale shark division. Word of their involvement has spread and they’ve been joined by several other businesses that are sponsoring individual racing sharks:

“The FishAngler app is a community of anglers dedicated to sharing fishing knowledge, education and stories across generation,” said Tom Wye, CEO of FishAngler app. “We are excited to be part of this research effort, and we recognize the need of much better management and conservation to ensure the preservation of these species for future generations to enjoy.”

Chad Moss, President of the Moss Foundation and Executive Vice President of Moss & Associates, added: “The Moss Foundation is focused on education. This entertaining research exercise will help bring awareness to our waters and its inhabitants. My family and I are avid boaters and love the ocean, and we’re delighted to be part of the business community helping support the important marine conservation research conducted by NSU’s GHRI.”

Shivji said the race may sound easy enough, but it is important to remember that while participating in the race, these tagged sharks are still subject to the same dangers as their fellow sharks that are not tagged.

“We’ve lost upwards of 30% of the mako sharks we’ve tagged since we started,” Shivji said. “It illustrates just what these animals face in the wild. In fact, our tracking studies have demonstrated that mako sharks in the western North Atlantic are being over-fished.”

And that is sort of the point, to highlight the perils sharks are facing and that we must do more to protect them.

So, let the best sharks win!

Be sure to sign up for NSU’s RSS feed so you don’t miss any of our news releases, guest editorials and other announcements. Please sign up HERE. You can also follow us on Twitter @NSUNews

[xyz-ihs snippet=”Prepared-by-PK”]

Related Topics:COVID-19 racing shark whale sharks

Up Next

Five Reasons to go Whale Watching in Riviera Nayarit

Don't Miss

Green Berets Earn Blue Stars After Debris Removal Off Key West

Book Suggestion

An Almost Zero Waste Life: Learning How to Embrace Less to Live More By Megean Weldon

Author Megean Weldon, aka The Zero Waste Nerd, gently guides you on an attainable, inspirational, mindful, and completely realistic journey to a sustainable living lifestyle. Find tips, strategies, recipes, and DIY projects for reducing waste in this approachable, beautifully designed and illustrated guide.

[xyz-ihs snippet=”Prepared-by-PK”]

Book Suggestion

The Eco-Hero Handbook: Simple Solutions to Tackle Eco-Anxiety By Tessa Wardley

As we face a global environmental crisis, The Eco-Hero Handbook addresses all your eco-anxieties and dilemmas to empower you to become part of the solution. From recycling to eating sustainably, ethical fashion to being an eco-conscious tourist, this book is the essential guide to the little changes that will make a big difference.

About the Author

Tessa Wardley is a river-lover and mini-adventurer who has worked and played in waters worldwide from New Zealand to the Arctic Circle. She is a senior policy advisor with the Environment Department and before that, principal in a global environmental consultancy and policy advisor to the Environment Agency. She has written The River Book, The Woodland Book, and The Countryside Book, inspirational titles encouraging readers to have adventures outdoors.

She is also the author of The Ocean Hero Handbook and Mindful Thoughts for Runners.

[xyz-ihs snippet=”Prepared-by-PK”]

Issue 71 - April 2021

SEVENSEAS Travel Magazine – April 2021 – Issue 71

Do you want to light up your life? Find inspiration and peace of mind at Norwegian lighthouses?

Do you dream of falling asleep to the sound of ocean waves? Find peace of mind, new energy or adventures by calming waters? A night at a Norwegian lighthouse with views of the ocean, sunsets or might storms, could be what you are looking for. In Norway, the first lighthouse was lit in 1656, and ever since large ships and small fishing boats have navigated by the lights and sounds from more than 200 lighthouses along the Norwegian coastline. Read more…

⚓

ShoreRivers is the Voice for Clean Water on Maryland’s Eastern Shore

Restoration_Water Quality Monitoring_Runoff_ShoreRivers_Eastern Shore_Maryland

Situated between the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, the Eastern Shore of Maryland has remained a relatively rural region known for agriculture and its beautiful tributaries. Because of its coastal geography and low altitude above sea level, the region is extremely vulnerable to weather events and larger environmental issues such as climate change. Read more…

The Deep Ocean Reveals Surprising Discovery About Human Immunity

Scientists have discovered bacteria from the deep sea with components that are unrecognizable by the human immune system and may hold important properties in the development of cancer treatments and vaccines, according to a collaborative study published in Science Immunology. Read more…

⚓

Five Reasons to go Whale Watching in Riviera Nayarit

Every year, hundreds of whales migrate in search of the warmer Pacific Ocean waters of the Banderas Bay, on the shores of Riviera Nayarit, to feed, mate or give birth. This whale watching season (December 2020 – March 2021) promises to be one of the best and below outlines the five top reasons travellers should visit Riviera Nayarit before mid-spring to catch a glimpse of the gentle giants of the ocean. Read more…

⚓

How To Be a Responsible Underwater Photographer

Love taking photos of the fascinating critters you see on your diving or snorkelling trips? Follow these best practices to make sure you’re photographing responsibly and not harming marine life. Read more…

⚓

The Heron & The Gondola: A Sailor’s Story

I remember having noticed that gondola last summer during a nightly walk. The little dock was dimly lighted and the black line of the boat gently rocked on the surface of the sea. Gondolas always look sumptuous and sophisticated, but that one seemed to possess a magic of its own. It was in the shade but shining, swinging but still. Read more…

⚓

Raet could Become Norway’s First Marine National Park Meeting International Standards

Raet national park was established in 2016 at the South-Norwegian Skagerrak coast, right at the doorsteps of Linking Tourism & Conservation’s (LT&C’s) office in Arendal. With its 607 km2, it is Norway’s largest marine protected area (MPA). The planning time of this park has been with only four years the shortest of any national park in Norway. Read more…

⚓

Seaspiracy may be infuriating ocean conservationists but the silver lining is larger than we think.

The Netflix documentary inaccurately reassigns all ocean problems to fishing, attacks NGOs, while ignoring complex social, economic, and political factors at play. BUT people are talking. Read more…

⚓

Nudibranchs – Jack’s April Underwater Photograph

Nudibranchs are an order of marine gastropod consisting of more than 3,000 species. They are soft-bodied, slug-like animals many of which are adorned with bright colours and extravagant body forms. Most nudibranch species live on reefs in temperate and tropical seas and are a popular species to observe by SCUBA divers around the world. Read more…

⚓

Mako and Whale Sharks Are “Racing” to Help Save Their Fellow Sharks

Do you have COVID-19 burnout? Are you suffering from quarantine fatigue? Need a break from watching story after story on the vaccine rollout? Well, fear not – Nova Southeastern University (NSU) has just the cure to take your mind off of all things COVID! The Great Shark Race 2021 is here! It’s a race unlike any other, and it includes some of the fastest competitors as well as some of the, well, slowest. Read more…

⚓

PADI, World’s Largest Dive Community, Joins Forces to Protect the Great Barrier Reef

Divers hold Great Reef Census banner during survey expedition on Spirit of Freedom (must credit_ Grumpy Turtle Creative)

PADI®, the world’s leading scuba diver organization, is teaming up with Citizens of the Great Barrier Reef on a first-of-its-kind citizen science project to help protect the earth’s largest reef system. The Great Reef Census provides the opportunity for divers everywhere to impact the long-term health of one of the most iconic dive destinations on the planet through online image analysis. Read more…

⚓

Purdue Study Finds Limited Economic Impacts from the U.S. Rejoining the Paris Climate Accord

President Biden has recommitted the U.S. to the Paris climate accord and also moved forward with a climate plan calling for carbon-free electricity by 2035 and net zero emissions by 2050 — policies compatible with and beyond the 2 degrees C mitigation effort called for in the original Paris agreement. Read more…

⚓

The Eco-Hero Handbook: Simple Solutions to Tackle Eco-Anxiety By Tessa Wardley

As we face a global environmental crisis, The Eco-Hero Handbook addresses all your eco-anxieties and dilemmas to empower you to become part of the solution. See more…

⚓

An Almost Zero Waste Life: Learning How to Embrace Less to Live More By Megean Weldon

Author Megean Weldon, aka The Zero Waste Nerd, gently guides you on an attainable, inspirational, mindful, and completely realistic journey to a sustainable living lifestyle. Read more…

Travel Norway: Are you a modern pilgrim?

It all started back in 1030 AD with King Olav the Holy who walked with his men to the battle of Stiklestad. King Olav fell in the battle and was buried in what is now the Nidaros Cathedral. Already in 1070 people from all over Europe started to do pilgrimages to Nidaros (now Trondheim). The walk has inspired nine pilgrimage routes, all leading to the Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim. Read more…

⚓

James Bowyer: Solitude & Survival in The South

Discover Interesting - Roped travel in wind (Large).jpg

Cue a moment of panic. After an hour-long interview only that morning, I have just signed up to work in Antarctica for eighteen months, providing medical cover for a research station of 27 people in the winter, 160 in summer. I would be the only doctor for at least half of that time, with only narrow windows for medical evacuation in case something goes wrong. Read more…

⚓

Green Berets Earn Blue Stars After Debris Removal Off Key West

The U.S. Army’s Green Berets are known as the most specialized experts in unconventional warfare. This week in waters off Key West, they took part in an unconventional assignment, removing more than 1,200 pounds of debris in waters where they train. Read more…

⚓

Camels Are Dying From Ingesting Plastic Bags

new scientific study showing that desert camels are dying from mistaking plastic bags for food has lead pioneering plastic pollution researchers and others to call for a radical shift in how we discuss the problem that’s harming life in all environments on Earth–on land, not just in the sea. Read more…

Advanced Recycling Strategies Needed to Clean Up Plastic Pollution Problem, Says Baker Institute, Expert

Sustainability across the entire value chain — rather than advances in technology alone — is required to solve the United States’ plastic waste problems, according to a new brief from Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy. Read more…

⚓

Release of Nutrients from Lake-Bottom Sediments Worsens Lake Erie’s Annual ‘Dead Zone,’ could Intensify as Climate Warms

Robotic laboratories on the bottom of Lake Erie have revealed that the muddy sediments there release nearly as much of the nutrient phosphorus into the surrounding waters as enters the lake’s central basin each year from rivers and their tributaries. Read more…

⚓

SAWFISH NEWS by Tonya Wiley: Havenworth Coastal Conservation ESA Listing Anniversary for Smalltooth Sawfish in the U.S.

The population of smalltooth sawfish in the United States experienced a significant decrease in numbers and distribution during the 20th century due to overfishing, habitat loss, and limited reproduction. Given the decline, NOAA Fisheries listed the U.S. population of smalltooth sawfish as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act eighteen years ago on April 1, 2003. Read more…

⚓

The FREE Weekly Conservation Post and Jobs List

Signing up for the free Weekly Newsletter & Jobs List will get you a round-up of upcoming events, webinars, meetings, reports, funding opportunities, photos of the week, and recent postings to the jobs list.

To sign up for our free subscription, please Click Here or email us Here.

Since 2004, SEVENSEAS Media has fostered an informal and non-partisan platform to promote understanding of key issues and challenges while building partnerships across an increasingly diverse group of marine conservation professionals and students.

Our mission is to promote communication and build partnerships across the global marine community and to identify and address gaps in the community’s work. SEVENSEAS Media achieves this through multimedia promotion and partnerships. The community consists of a diverse and growing group of participants, including non-governmental organizations, government agencies, foundations, bilateral and multilateral agencies, fellowship programs, independent consultants, and academia/students.

If you are interested in contributing or getting involved, email us Here.

[xyz-ihs snippet=”Prepared-by-PK”]Z