shark population

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Amid 'Grim Global Outlook,' This Shark Species Thrives

Juvenile bull shark population off Alabama grew fivefold in past 20 years as water temps warmed

(Newser) - The frog hasn't noticed it's slowly boiling to death, and neither do bull sharks off the coast of Alabama, apparently. Or, if they do, they're going out with a bang, multiplying at a rate that has brought the juvenile population's numbers up fivefold over the past...

Shark Populations Have Plunged 71% Since 1970
Shark Populations Have
Collapsed Since 1970
NEW STUDY

Shark Populations Have Collapsed Since 1970

They're down by 71% globally, researchers say

(Newser) - Scientists have known for decades that individual shark species are declining, but a new study drawing on 57 global datasets underscores just how dramatically worldwide populations have collapsed in the past half century. Globally, the abundance of oceanic sharks and rays dropped more than 70% between 1970 and 2018, according...

Sharks Live Longer Than We Thought

73-year-old great white identified

(Newser) - Great white sharks that manage to stay out of the soup pot can live to much greater ages than earlier realized, according to new research. Using tests that measure radiation from atmospheric nuclear tests, scientists identified a male great white that lived to be around 73 years old and a...

Fishermen Kill 100M Sharks Every Year: Study

That leaves some species unable to recover

(Newser) - Illegal shark killings have disturbed eco groups for years, but a new statistical report says sharks are far more endangered than anyone knew. The report estimates that about 100 million sharks—or 6.4% to 7.9% of all species—are killed every year around the world, National Geographic reports....

Brazilian Business Accused of Mutilating Sharks for Fins
 Brazilian Business Accused 
 of Mutilating Sharks for Fins
Shark Week Bummer

Brazilian Business Accused of Mutilating Sharks for Fins

Shark fin soup is the hot ticket in Asia

(Newser) - Here’s a story sure to rain on your Shark Week parade: A Brazilian environmental advocacy group is suing a Brazilian seafood exporter, alleging that it has been capturing sharks, cutting off their fins, and throwing the severely wounded creatures back into the water. Removing a shark’s fin is...

10 Places to Swim With Sharks
 10 Places to Swim With Sharks 
SHARK WEEK BEGINS!

10 Places to Swim With Sharks

The world's top spots to get up close and personal with Jaws

(Newser) - If you've been jonesing for Shark Week, kicking off tonight, Discovery's in-house shark expert Andy DeHart recommends 10 places where you can go to swim with the big fishes, courtesy of ABC:
  • Cocos Island, Costa Rica: "Hundreds of scalloped hammerheads school above the scenic sea mounts" of this jungle
...

Great Whites Now Rarer Than Tigers

New study finds sharks much closer to extinction

(Newser) - Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water...it probably is. Great White sharks are now even more endangered than tigers, according to a new study. Researchers who tagged and tracked the sharks determined that their numbers have fallen below those of the 3,500...

Discovery's Shark Week Back With a Bite

(Newser) - Just when you thought it was safe to go back to the Discovery Channel, Shark Week is back. The channel's wildly popular annual look at the predators returns next week with six new documentaries, including a look at the deadly 1916 shark attacks off New Jersey that inspired Jaws. Channel...

Attack Survivors Snap Up Chance to Save Sharks

(Newser) - Victims of shark attacks have gathered in Washington to lend a hand to their one-time foes, reports the Washington Post. The survivors plan to lobby senators to pass a bill setting new restrictions on shark fishing in US waters. A third of the world's shark species are now classified as...

Fewer Sharks, But More Attacks
Fewer Sharks, But More Attacks

Fewer Sharks, But More Attacks

Growing human presence in water will keep encounters rising, scientists say

(Newser) - Shark populations are way down, but attacks on humans are up, LiveScience reports. There were 71 shark attacks worldwide in 2007, continuing a four-year upswing, says shark expert George Burgess, although populations of the fish have shrunk 50% during the past 20 years. Even so, as human populations expand rapidly,...

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