This is a series of diaries highlighting animal rescues around the country and noting and celebrating the work they do to help animals who have no voices but ours to speak for them. I have decided to make this a daily series because there are so many wonderful rescues out there who need human help and weekly just doesn't seem to be enough. I have long wanted to start a rescue but lack the resources or time available to do so right now so this is my attempt to do my part. I hope that these rescues will benefit from the kindness and benevolence of the community here at Daily Kos. They are amazing organizations and worthy of Kossack attention and care. A lot of folks think sharks should be feared not saved. I complete disagree. They are majestic forces of nature and bring much beauty and grace to our world. I wrote this poem for the Climate Change blogathon and I think it applies here. I have an AA meeting I have to make this afternoon. So if my PWB buddies could keep an on this for me till about 5 PM I'd greatly appreciate it!
I am here, alive and all around you
I have no voice
In your trees, your air, your fields, your oceans, your world
I have no voice
I am a mother, a father, a protector, a soul
I have no voice
I can walk, crawl, sing, fear
I have no voice
You must be my voice
Shark Rescue
Join us on our mission to rescue sharks from extinction.
Mission
To protect sharks by curbing or ending the shark trade and replacing it with truly sustainable fisheries, as described in our Roadmap to a Sustainable Fishery.
Company Overview
Shark Rescue is about saving sharks around the world and protecting our oceans.
By sparking debate and action, we'll curb demand and send decision makers the signal to end the trade of shark products, replacing this unsustainable trade with sustainable alternatives.
By joining us, you identify yourself as part of the united effort calling for marine conservation.
The website is here
You can donate here
Follow them on Facebook here
It's a Fact
Shark eyes designed to catch photons in twilight zone
The unique eye structure of deep-sea bioluminescent sharks helps them survive in the twilight zone, a study has found.
Detailed mapping of the eye structure of five species of bioluminescent sharks reveals they have a higher rod densities than other sharks, report a team of international researchers in the journal PLOS ONE.
The twilight -- or mesopelagic -- zone covers ocean depths from 200 to 1000 metres down. Only the shorter wavelengths of light at the blue end of the spectrum reach this far down.
Mesopelagic sharks make up 12 per cent of all sharks and use bioluminescent light to communicate, find prey, and provide camouflage from predators.
Some species of lantern sharks are only 50 centimetres long.
"These amazing little animals aren't well understood, so by studying their eyes we can gain useful insights into how these sharks make a living," says study co-author, Professor Julian Partridge of the University of Western Australia.
Partridge and colleagues examined the eye shape, structure, and retinal cell pattern of four lantern shark species -- Etmopterus lucifer, E. splendidus, E. spinax and Trigonognathus kabeyai -- and one dalatiid or kitefin shark species -- Squaliolus aliae.
The authors found the eyes of bioluminescent sharks are designed to capture as much light as possible.
"We found things which hadn't been seen before in sharks, such as a layer of tissue behind the retina to reflect and increase the light available to photoreceptors," says Partridge.
The authors also found gaps between the lens and iris of these sharks, allowing extra light to reach the retina.
The sharks also had long thin photoreceptors, the rods in the back of their eyes which absorb light.
Previous studies have shown that long rods are very sensitive to light, while thin rods detect fast movement.
Read the rest of the article from ABC Science here
To curb shark attacks, why not just move the sharks?
Rather than killing or trying to repel sharks, simply catching them and moving them away from popular beaches led to a 97 percent decrease in shark attacks over an 8-year period, a new study reports.
Shark attacks are not as big of a problem as many people think. Despite our fear of sharks, they kill fewer than 10 people in an average year. Humans, meanwhile, kill roughly 100 million sharks annually. That means we slaughter about 10 million sharks for every person who dies in a shark attack.
Any fatal shark attack is tragic, though, and it makes sense to try to prevent them. A few tactics are already used around the world, from shark netting and culling to less brutal — and possibly less effective — deterrents. Not only do these offer unreliable protection, but they can also add to existing woes for ocean ecosystems. Shark nets often snare turtles, dolphins and other animals as bycatch, and even when sharks are killed, their overall habitat may suffer from fewer keystone predators.
There is a simpler, more humane and more ecologically responsible way to thwart shark attacks, however: Just move the sharks somewhere else. It may sound too simple to work, but new research from Brazil's Shark Monitoring Program of Recife (SMPR) suggests it's at least worth a try.
Read the rest of the article from Mother Nature Network here