High Performance Surfing

Drug Aware Pro Presented by Rusty ASP 6-Star Prime WQS Mens Event ASP 6-Star WQS Womens Event Surfers Point- Margaret River West Oz 15 - 21 March 2010  Live Coverage   |  Results/Photos/Videos etc World Champion Mick Fanning heads up the 2010 Drug Aware Pro An outstanding field of the world’s best men and women surfers are set to line–up at Margaret River for this year’s Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Six Star Prime rated Men’s and Women’s Drug Aware Pro presented by Rusty. Mick Fanning, a past winner at Margaret River in 2001, headlines this year’s event as the number one seed and the current ASP World Champion is looking forward to great waves at one of his favourite destinations. Speaking from Abu Dhabi today where Mick is attending the prestigious Laureus Sporting Awards and has been nominated for the  World Action Sportsperson of the year Mick said, “Margaret River is special to me, the year I won at Margaret River it was a huge catalyst to what was an incredible year – shortly after that win I went to Bells and won my first ASP World Tour event and went onto to fast tracking my way onto the ASP World Tour for the following season so the event really kick started my season that year and my career!” “It’s a venue that generally delivers great surf – we go there expecting excellent surf and knowing there’s a real chance we’ll get some seriously big surf as well – I love the whole region and I’m looking forward to returning and surfing in what should be one of the best fields ever assembled there.” A new ASP one world rating system has seen a dramatic increase in the over-all quality of this years field. This year’s event field is stacked  with seven of the world’s top 10 surfers competing including Fanning and current world number one and local favourite Taj Burrow along with 12 of the world’s top 16 women surfers headed by Sofia Mulanovich from Peru. ASP Australasia Tour Manager Dane Jordan highlighted the significance of the new rating system saying, “The field is a direct result of the one rating system as winning a Six  Star Prime is roughly the same as finishing 3rd in a World Tour event - The tireless work of Surfing West Australia in stepping the event up to a brand new level in 2010 has also played a large part in this exciting line-up.” Like Fanning’ s result back in 2001, whoever wins at Margaret River really sets themselves up for an incredible year in pro surfing and with a 170 Men’s  and 60 Women’s strong  international field the competition to grab the ratings points and prize-money will be fierce with competitors also relishing the opportunity of competing in serious surf at a venue that demands power performances. The event will be Webcast live each day via drugwarepro.com  or via aspworldtour.com. Live televised for the Men’s and Women’s finals via Fuel TV on Foxtel from quarter-finals onwards.   www.rusty.com www.moshtix.com.au www.aspworldtour.com www.drugawarepro.com Surfersvillage   SURFSPOTS-GPS International News Magazine

Layne Beachley : photo Surfing Australia Surfing Australia Wayne Rabbit Bartholomew Announced as the first Patron of Surfing Australia Surfing Australia is proud to announce that Layne Beachley has accepted a position on the Board of Surfing Australia concurrently with Wayne ‘Rabbit’ Bartholomew also accepting the position as the first ever Patron of Surfing Australia. Both former World Champion surfers, Layne a seven-time world champion, their influence on the sport has been enormous during and post their competitive careers. Surfing Australia Chairman Norm Innis commented on both appointments by saying, “Rabbit was a hero of mine when I was a teenage surfer in the mid seventies, and I count myself extremely fortunate that I was able to work with him directly over the years in a number of different capacities – particularly with ASP International when he first came on board as CEO in 1999 and 2000.   Rabbit has done so much in surfing I wouldn’t know where to begin describing his achievements.  Rabbit is “Mr Surf” in Australia!  As such, he was the obvious choice as Patron of Surfing Australia – the first ever person appointed to this position.  I know Rabbit will continue to work for the betterment of the sport of surfing as long as he is able – and to have him allied to Surfing Australia as Patron shows the high regard in which he is held, not just by surfers, but by the whole community in Australia.”   Wayne ‘Rabbit’ Bartholomew : photo Surfing Australia    “I first met Layne almost 20 years ago when she was just starting out on her career.  Even then she was super focused, and that determination not only eventually resulted in 7 World Surfing Titles, but also in Layne becoming a talented businesswoman, a philanthropist, and a role model for female surfers everywhere.    Layne obviously brings a much needed female perspective to the Board of Surfing Australia, but in addition she brings her professional surfing experience, her immense range of contacts, and her personal vision for surfing in Australia.   I take great pleasure in welcoming her to the Board.” Their appointments are effective immediately and both are set to tackle their roles enthusiastically. Layne has just returned from the Winter Olympics in Canada and commented on her position saying, “I’m honoured to be given the opportunity to share my knowledge and experience on the Board of Surfing Australia. This role will allow me to maintain a position of influence and assist the board to continue supporting the growth of Women’s Surfing.” For Wayne Bartholomew the position of Patron adds to his incredible history in the sport which encompasses competitor across all levels through to Administrator of the highest level. “I’m pleased to take on this honorary role as Patron, it’s like a cycle of involvement as I began surfing for Queensland and then representing Australia through Surfing Australia and was once the Surfing Australia National Coaching Director  - I’ll always have views on the sport and the direction it can go and this maintains a healthy involvement for me.” Andrew Stark Surfing Australia CEO said “We are very pleased to have Layne and Rabbit join Surfing Australia in their respective roles. We are working hard towards becoming a main stream Australian sport and their combined involvement will be crucial towards the achievement of this vision” www.surfingaustralia.com

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Marine Park Operator Faces a Big Dilemma

Surfspots-GPS extend our heartfelt condolences to Dawn Brancheau’s family and to all who loved her.

SeaWorld Is Open but Treading Carefully Two Weeks After Killer Whale Drowned Its Trainer in Front of Spectators

Nearly two weeks after the largest killer whale in captivity killed one of its trainers, SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment is still wrestling with the dilemma of what to do with its most prized asset.The U.S. marine-park operator said it is continuing to review safety procedures for all of its orcas and hasn’t decided yet whether Tilikum will perform in shows again after it dragged Dawn Brancheau into a Florida pool and drowned her in front of spectators.

Sipa Press

Tilikum the killer whale in 2009 at SeaWorld Shamu stadium in Orlando, Fla.

 

In the meantime, Tilikum has been taking swimming turns at SeaWorld’s public viewing gallery in Orlando, even though this isn’t the first time the 22-foot, 12,000-pound orca has been tied to a death.

Attendance at SeaWorld has been “normal” since the Feb. 24 killing, a company official added Monday. SeaWorld suspended orca shows for two days after Ms. Brancheau was killed, before resuming more scaled-down versions with its smaller killer whales.

Trainers have been instructed not to get in the water with any orcas during the continuing safety review. Eventually, trainers “will get back in the pool, but it’s a matter of how we do it,” said Chuck Tompkins, SeaWorld’s head trainer.

Orcas are big business for their owners and represent a huge investment.

Blackstone Group LP agreed to pay as much as $2.7 billion last year to buy 10 entertainment parks, including three SeaWorld parks, from Anheuser-Busch InBev NV in one of the largest private-equity deals of 2009.

The death has heightened public scrutiny of captive orcas, which don’t have any natural predators in the wild.

Tilikum’s owners say euthanasia is out of the question.

“We’re not in the business of punishing our animals,” said Jim Atchison, SeaWorld’s chief executive. The company is still “trying to get our arms around the incident,” he added.

SeaWorld is more heavily invested in orcas than anyone else, owning 26 killer whales. That is more than half the 42 held in captivity around the world, according to the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society.

Orcas are the headline acts at SeaWorld parks in Orlando, San Diego and San Antonio, drawing a combined 12.2 million visitors annually.

Associated Press

Dawn Brancheau, who was killed by the orca.

 

  

“They are the identifiable icon of SeaWorld and responsible for generating hundreds of millions of dollars to that organization,” said Dennis Speigel, an industry consultant at International Theme Park Services.

Even before the latest incident, SeaWorld had prohibited trainers from entering the pool with Tilikum.

In 1991, a year before SeaWorld acquired the 30-year-old killer whale, Tilikum and two other orcas killed a trainer at a now-defunct Sealand marine park near Victoria in British Columbia, Canada.

In 1999, a man was found dead in Tilikum’s SeaWorld pool in Orlando after apparently climbing in.

Other types of animals also have attacked their handlers in recent years, although such incidents appear to be rare. In 2008, a trainer in California was killed by a grizzly bear during a promotional video.

In the most famous case, illusionist Roy Horn of Siegfried and Roy was almost killed after being mauled by a tiger during a show in Las Vegas in 2003. Mr. Horn performed with the tiger again last year.

Tilikum is about twice as big as SeaWorld’s other performing orcas and has sired 13 calves, more than half the number of killer whales born at its parks. Such breeding has become increasingly critical in recent decades as the number of orcas taken from the wild dwindles amid public opposition.

Industry watchers estimate a killer whale could fetch as much as $10 million on the open market—if there were any for sale. They say it also takes several years to prepare an orca for live performances, which in some cases include trainers riding atop the mammals.

It also costs a lot of money to maintain killer whales, after the initial investment of building a pool that typically holds seven million gallons of water and features complex filtration systems. Keeping pool temperatures slightly above 50 degrees Fahrenheit and ensuring proper salinity levels alone cost millions of dollars a year.

Tilikum consumes about 250 pounds a day of “restaurant quality” salmon, mackerel and squid on his own, according to SeaWorld.

There have been few incidents in which killer whales harmed their trainers. The Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums said last month’s death is “without precedent” among the association’s 43 members over its 25-year history.

Blackstone said financial considerations haven’t entered the picture as SeaWorld’s has weighed what is best for Tilikum. “We fully support their handling of this matter,” said Peter Wallace, a Blackstone senior managing director on SeaWorld’s board.

Killer whales can roam for hundreds of miles in the wild.

“Everything about their well-being is compromised in captivity,” said Naomi Rose, a marine-mammal scientist at the Humane Society of the United States.

Ms. Rose said the best outcome for Tilikum would be retirement in a “sea pen” in a large cove, with a net across it.

SeaWorld said its orcas receive excellent care and thrive through interaction with their trainers. It said the shows also heighten public interest in killer whales, aiding conservation efforts. Thad Lacinak, a former head trainer at SeaWorld who retired from the company in 2008, said he thinks the marine park operator might put Tilikum back in its shows, but this time participation by the whale “might be more limited.” SeaWorld also points to its rescue and rehabilitation efforts of marine animals. It said that it and partner parks have contributed more than $20 million to wildlife conservation since 1970.

The Wall Street Journal

 

 

Should SeaWorld keep working with Tilikum, the killer whale involved in 3 deaths? Tell us your thoughts.

 

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Growing low-oxygen zones in oceans worry scientists

WASHINGTON — Lower levels of oxygen in the Earth’s oceans, particularly off the United States’ Pacific Northwest coast, could be another sign of fundamental changes linked to global climate change, scientists say.

Reuters – A wild dolphin swims in the ocean near Mikura island, 200km south of Tokyo, August 3, 2008 file photo. …

They warn that the oceans’ complex undersea ecosystems and fragile food chains could be disrupted.

In some spots off Washington state and Oregon , the almost complete absence of oxygen has left piles of Dungeness crab carcasses littering the ocean floor, killed off 25-year-old sea stars, crippled colonies of sea anemones and produced mats of potentially noxious bacteria that thrive in such conditions.

Areas of hypoxia, or low oxygen, have long existed in the deep ocean. These areas — in the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans — appear to be spreading, however, covering more square miles, creeping toward the surface and in some places, such as the Pacific Northwest , encroaching on the continental shelf within sight of the coastline.

“The depletion of oxygen levels in all three oceans is striking,” said Gregory Johnson , an oceanographer with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Seattle .

In some spots, such as off the Southern California coast, oxygen levels have dropped roughly 20 percent over the past 25 years. Elsewhere, scientists say, oxygen levels might have declined by one-third over 50 years.

“The real surprise is how this has become the new norm,” said Jack Barth , an oceanography professor at Oregon State University . “We are seeing it year after year.”

Barth and others say the changes are consistent with current climate-change models. Previous studies have found that the oceans are becoming more acidic as they absorb more carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.

“If the Earth continues to warm, the expectation is we will have lower and lower oxygen levels,” said Francis Chan , a marine researcher at Oregon State .

As ocean temperatures rise, the warmer water on the surface acts as a cap, which interferes with the natural circulation that normally allows deeper waters that are already oxygen-depleted to reach the surface. It’s on the surface where ocean waters are recharged with oxygen from the air.

Commonly, ocean “dead zones” have been linked to agricultural runoff and other pollution coming down major rivers such as the Mississippi or the Columbia . One of the largest of the 400 or so ocean dead zones is in the Gulf of Mexico , near the mouth of the Mississippi .

However, scientists now say that some of these areas, including those off the Northwest, apparently are linked to broader changes in ocean oxygen levels.

The Pacific waters off Washington and Oregon face a double whammy as a result of ocean circulation.

Scientists have long known of a natural low-oxygen zone perched in the deeper water off the Northwest’s continental shelf.

During the summer, northerly winds aided by the Earth’s rotation drive surface water away from the shore. This action sucks oxygen-poor water to the surface in a process called upwelling.

Though the water that’s pulled up from the depths is poor in oxygen, it’s rich in nutrients, which fertilize phytoplankton. These microscopic organisms form the bottom of one of the richest ocean food chains in the world. As they die, however, they sink and start to decay. The decaying process uses oxygen, which depletes the oxygen levels even more.

Southerly winds reverse the process in what’s known as down-welling.

Changes in the wind and ocean circulation since 2002 have disrupted what had been a delicate balance between upwelling and down-welling. Scientists now are discovering expanding low-oxygen zones near shore.

“It is consistent with models of global warming, but the time frame is too short to know whether it is a trend or a weather phenomenon,” Johnson said.

Others were slightly more definitive, quicker to link the lower oxygen levels to global warming rather than to such weather phenomena as El Nino or the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, a shift in the weather that occurs every 20 to 30 years in the northern oceans.

“It’s a large disturbance in the ecosystem that could have huge biological changes,” said Steve Bograd , an oceanographer at NOAA’s Southwest Fisheries Science Center in Southern California .

Bograd has been studying oxygen levels in the California Current, which runs along the West Coast from the Canadian border to Baja California and, some scientists think, eventually could be affected by climate change.

So far, the worst hypoxic zone off the Northwest coast was found in 2006. It covered nearly 1,200 square miles off Newport, Ore. , and according to Barth it was so close to shore you could hit it with a baseball. The zone covered 80 percent of the water column and lasted for an abnormally long four months.

Because of upwelling, some of the most fertile ocean areas in the world are found off Washington and Oregon . Similar upwelling occurs in only three other places, off the coast of Peru and Chile , in an area stretching from northern Africa to Portugal and along the Atlantic coast of South Africa and Namibia .

Scientists are unsure how low oxygen levels will affect the ocean ecosystem. Bottom-dwelling species could be at the greatest risk because they move slowly and might not be able to escape the lower oxygen levels. Most fish can swim out of danger. Some species, however, such as chinook salmon, may have to start swimming at shallower depths than they’re used to. Whether the low oxygen zones will change salmon migration routes is unclear.

Some species, such as jellyfish, will like the lower-oxygen water. Jumbo squid, usually found off Mexico and Central America , can survive as oxygen levels decrease and now are found as far north as Alaska .

“It’s like an experiment,” Chan said. “We are pulling some things out of the food web and we will have to see what happens. But if you pull enough things out, it could have a real impact.”

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Film shaping up for fierce debate

Northern Star

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The Killer Whale Who Kills

The death of an animal trainer in an attack by a killer whale, or orca, named Tillicum (or Shamu) at SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida, has raised inevitable questions. Are these shows necessary? Did animal cruelty trigger the attack? Should trainers work with orcas in this way?

Animal-rights activists followed with pronouncements: “The attack proves that this animal led a tortured life in captivity!” “Free Tillicum!” “Close the zoos! They’re just in it for the money!” Animal exhibitors countered, “It was a freak accident.”

The questions are legitimate and SeaWorld Orlando must answer them. The pronouncements by activists and exhibitors, however, are self-serving and damage the cause of conservation.

Calls to free Tillicum infer that exhibiting killer whales is illegitimate because a trainer died. No. This tragedy had nothing to do with the ethics of putting orcas on public display for conservation education. It is an animal-handling issue.

I agreed to train Keiko, the orca, for the 1993 movie “Free Willy” because the emotional story of a whale’s journey to freedom motivated kids to care about whales, despite the fact that the film oversimplified the issue.

Ethically speaking, the use of Tillicum at SeaWorld is the same as the use of any wild animal, be it a chimp, a bat or a hippo, at any zoo.

In “Ethics on the Ark (Zoo & Aquarium Biology & Conservation),” some of the world’s foremost animal experts, including ethicists, field biologists, zoo professionals and animal rights philosophers, sought to find a consensus on the use of wild animals by man.

They reached consensus on three issues and failed on three others. One question on which they did reach consensus was that taking an animal from the wild for conservation education at zoos and aquariums is ethical.

Yet if you fail to properly care for an animal, you should not keep it.

Was Tillicum well cared for? The activists claim that the attack proved a tortured existence doesn’t hold up. Successful reproduction is a recognized measure of animal wellbeing. Tillicum sired some 13 calves, and has lived with females rearing healthy offspring for decades.

Activists also claim that animals can’t be “normal” unless they live in nature. But natural habitats constantly change. Even bees change their behavior to deal with short-term environmental change — or they die.

The craft of maintaining animals on display is based on creating “adaptive” rather than “natural” environments. Zoo professionals don’t mimic nature per se. Rather, they provide comparable opportunities for exercise, mental stimulation and social interaction.

To provide adequate care for sentient animals, like orcas, caretakers must interact with them. Studies show that training animals is enriching for them. They have to work for their food just as they do in the wild. The problem is keeping humans safe while meeting the animals’ needs.

The working assumption must be that the SeaWorld trainer’s death was no accident. Killer whales know their trainers’ tolerances. While Tillicum may not have intended to kill Dawn Brancheau, he knew he was hurting her. He did it for a reason. Why? I’ll leave that to the investigators.

But I can comment on some underlying factors. Orcas are trained using positive reinforcement (giving the animal something it wants for doing something you want). However, orcas will manipulate training in many ways. They will refuse to cooperate. They will keep other orcas from performing. They will deliberately misbehave, trying literally to train their trainers.

All this is actually healthy because it gives orcas control, something fundamental to animal well-being. It’s fun for skilled trainers, too. But sometimes, in particular with breeding male orcas, it can be dangerous.

I worked with a male orca, Orky, in the 1970s and 80s at Marineland of the Pacific in California. Orky became more dominant and aggressive as he matured sexually. While Orky never killed anyone, he came very close. We handled him safely for years afterwards in much the same way SeaWorld handled Tillicum prior to the tragedy.

The quandary is how do you let a male orca like Tillicum be a dominant, breeding bull and safely provide for his needs?

Activist groups reportedly raised $40 million to “save” Keiko, the star of “Free Willy.” In doing so, they housed him alone for years. Keiko finally died in an environment he could not adapt to. What happened to Keiko stands as a lesson of what not to do about Tillicum.

On the other hand, the continued use by zoos and circuses of elephant training methods involving physical punishment, when options for more humane handling are well established, are difficult to defend.

Zoo organizations still using these archaic techniques need to review their ethical obligations to their animals. Ethical animal display (or activism) hinges on the use of the animal and its care.

My heart goes out to a fallen comrade, Dawn Brancheau, and those who loved her. But nothing in this situation challenges the value of SeaWorld’s public exhibition of wild animals for conservation awareness. Tillicum should stay put, and SeaWorld should be given the time to adjust how they handle him.

Taj Burrow surges to victory at Snapper Rocks

Victory … Taj Burrow. Source: The Daily Telegraph

WITH the biggest names in world surfing confined to the shore, Australian Taj Burrow has extended his tournament winning run to three and secured the No.1 ranking in the world with his victory in the Quiksilver Pro opener of the ASP World Tour.

The 31-year-old Western Australian defeated rising star Jordy Smith from South Africa in 1m waves at Snapper Rocks to claim the world tour ratings lead.

“I am just so happy to be standing here,” said Borrow from the victory dais.

“I’m blown away.”

Burrow went into the World Tour event with fine form having won the Pipeline Masters in Hawaii in December and lead-up event on the Gold Coast late last month and managed to stay in the race while the likes of nine-time world champion Kelly Slater and reigning world titleholder Mick Fanning failed to shine.

Burrow, a two-time runner-up in the world title race who beat Slater in the fourth round of the Quiksilver Pro, started the 40 minute final slowly, coming good in the second half as Smith broke his second board of the event.

Burrow, who was sick throughout the event with a flu-like virus, said he was delighted with his victory witnessed by his parents and other members of his family.

Daily Telegraph

Way to go Taj!

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International News Magazine

  Leviathans may battle in remote depths

New studies suggest that great white sharks may migrate so they can dine on giant squids.

“Expedition Great White” (Chris Ross / National Geographic Channel) Scenes from “Expedition Great White,” premiering this summer on the National Geographic Channel. Guadalupe Island, Mexico: A Great White Shark taking buoyed bait. The hooks get caught in the corner of the shark’s mouth, which causes them no harm.

In what could be the ultimate marine smack-down, great white sharks off the California coast may be migrating 1,600 miles west to do battle with creatures that rival their star power: giant squids.

“Expedition Great White” (Chris Ross / National Geographic Channel) Off Guadalupe Island, Mexico, a great white shark approaches a baited buoy.

A series of studies tracking this mysterious migration has scientists rethinking not just what the big shark does with its time but also what sort of creature it is.

Few sea denizens match great white sharks and giant squids in primitive mystique. Both are the subject of popular mania; both are inscrutable. That these two mythic sea monsters might convene for epic battles in the stark expanses of the Pacific is enough to make a documentarian salivate.

“Expedition Great White” (Chris Ross / National Geographic Channel / Chris Ross) A great white shark bites the inflatable boat used by the crew to pull the shark and buoys closer to the shark platform.

For more reserved scientists, the possible link between sharks and squid, suggested by marine ecologist Michael Domeier of the Marine Conservation Science Institute in Fallbrook, is just one part of emerging research that has altered their understanding of the great whites.

The shift began eight years ago with the surprising discovery that great white sharks migrate, somewhat as humpback whales do. That and subsequent studies have demolished the iconic image of great whites lurking in relative shallows, ready to snatch an errant swimmer, as popularized in the movie “Jaws.”

“Expedition Great White” (Chris Ross / National Geographic Channel) A great white shark approaches the underwater deck along with crew member Jody Whitworth before it is lifted onto the boat for tagging.

Domeier said he believes the animals “are not a coastal shark that comes out to the middle of the ocean. They are an ocean shark that comes to the coast. It is a complete flip-flop.”

Picture them not as a dorsal fin off the beach but rather as an unseen leviathan swimming through black depths where the oxygen thins and fish glow in the dark, and maybe pouncing on a 30-foot squid.

“Expedition Great White” (Chris Ross / National Geographic Channel) A shark is lifted onto the boat after it has taken a buoyed bait. The crew will take measurements and attach a tracking antenna to the dorsal fin before returning it to the water unharmed.

The squid part is controversial. But Domeier’s work and that of other scientists increasingly suggests that great white sharks are not randomly roving eating machines.

Instead, they obey set migration patterns, have distinct populations and return to the same locales. They are not desperadoes but dutiful migrants: Nomads but not outlaws, they yearn for home.

“Expedition Great White” (Chris Ross / National Geographic Channel / Chris Ross) Members of the crew attach a tracking tag to a great white shark’s dorsal fin, its least sensitive area.

But this new understanding raised a question: Why would an animal so large, that grows teeth as humans grow hair, bother to go so far when it can dine on just about anything in fin’s reach? The migration is especially puzzling because it means sharks miss out on coastal food supplies, said the University of Hawaii’s Kevin Weng, who also tracked sharks’ migration.

Determined to find the reason, Domeier and his team spent three years catching 22 great whites off Mexico’s Guadalupe Island, southwest of San Diego, and bolting high-tech tags to their fins. The area, like California’s Farallon Islands, is a hot spot for shark visits.

“Expedition Great White” (Chris Ross / National Geographic Channel) Crew members attach a tracking tag to a great white shark’s dorsal fin.

The team used hooks that could cradle a volleyball. They wrestled the sharks onto platforms, lifted them aboard their vessel and put towels over their eyes. The 4,000-pound predator is only a minor threat out of water, Domeier said. But after being thwacked off his feet, he learned to tie up their tails.

Funded by Newport Beach’s George T. Pfleger Foundation and others, Domeier arranged a voyage with a National Geographic Channel television crew to follow the sharks in a 126-foot boat. The crew used the tags to track the sharks to an area of the deep Pacific about 1,500 miles east of Kauai that scientists consider an ecological desert because it is so biologically unproductive.

There, the sharks abruptly ended their migration, and satellite tags showed them milling around and diving.

Despite hours of surveys and trolling during last spring’s monthlong voyage, members found barely any fish or other prey that the sharks might be eating.

But there was an exception: squids. Purple and neon flying squids were easy to find. There also were leaping sperm whales, a marine mammal known to feed in spawning areas for large squids. To Domeier, it was clear: The sharks had found a squid-based ecosystem with big enough prey to attract sperm whales.

“Expedition Great White” (Chris Ross / National Geographic Channel) A great white shark drags buoys after taking the bait.

Finally, the crew found a whitish carcass of a giant squid that had been chewed on, perhaps by various predators. Because of the lack of alternative food sources, and the pinging tags that traced deep and frequent dives, Domeier said, he formed a speculative conclusion: The sharks go to the area for the same reason as sperm whales: to feed on large squids, including the giant ones in the area, and on various predators the squids attract.

The weather turned bad, and the investigation ended early. The trip back was boring enough for the crew to form a band, then break up.

Domeier said he believes the sharks return to the coast to breed. His tags showed that some females stayed out at sea full-time.

“Expedition Great White” (Chris Ross / National Geographic Channel / Chris Ross) A great white shark is released by crew member David Olson.

The idea has set off robust debate. Some scientists argue it remains possible that the sharks mate offshore, and all agree that more research is needed to determine exactly what, and when, they eat. And it’s highly unlikely anyone will ever see a shark making an easy kill of giant squid.

But Oscar Sosa-Nishizaki, a fisheries biologist in Ensenada, said the tagging effort helps researchers count sharks and plan conseration efforts.

Shark scientists face a dilemma: There is intense popular interest in their work, but some fret that it may hinder conservation. Media interest in sharks tends to be “sparse on detail, high on testosterone,” said marine biologist Weng. “It’s as if aliens were to visit planet Earth, and the only thing they saw of human beings was ultimate fighting on TV.”

Though wary of pop biology, Domeier made the most of it. He used his time on camera to lobby against eating bluefin tuna and Chilean sea bass.

If mythic predator-mania gave him the chance, so be it, he said. “We are at a state of real disaster of our oceans,” he said. “Perhaps the scientific routine . . . doesn’t work.”

Los Angeles Times

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How Big Waves Go Rogue

Science - Significant height and mean wave direction

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Garrett rules out return to commercial whaling

Australia looks set to go head-to-head with some of its former allies at this year’s International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting in Morocco.

Australia’s primary objective is the total and permanent elimination of all whaling (Australian Customs Service, file photo)

A meeting of IWC nations in Florida has just concluded with a number of them pushing for a compromise deal.

The US and New Zealand are backing the deal, which would see a ban on commercial whaling overturned in return for Japan reducing its so-called scientific research.

Australia is standing firm and has rejected the plan, but it may be a lone voice.

Environment Minister Peter Garrett says Australia’s primary objective is the total and permanent elimination of all whaling.

“We will not agree to any compromise which sees us allow for commercial whaling under any guise, under any name,” Mr Garrett said.

“We have a proposal in front of nations in the IWC which has got a very strong reform component, a very strong conservation component and very clear steps to ensure that we don’t see commercial whaling under the name of science.

“We’ll continue to be part of the discussions but we’ll also clearly be pushing our strong position in those discussions.”

Mr Garrett will not say whether he is disappointed that the United States and New Zealand may be edging towards a compromise deal.

However, Australia’s proposal does allow for a five-year phasing out of whaling.

“That’s in the context of our overall call for the elimination of so-called commercial whaling and scientific whaling,” Mr Garrett said.

“We certainly say there can be a phase-down within a reasonable timeframe, but there must be a commitment to go on that journey.”

Mr Garrett says Australia will continue in negotiations while its proposal is given appropriate space, but will not be compromising its position.

“Australia has been the strongest pro-conservation voice in the IWC,” he said.

“Our strong view has always been that in order to break the deadlock there has to be meaningful and deliberate steps taken to achieve what we believe are the necessary conservation goals the IWC should be setting itself.”

ABC News

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