Pete Thomas Outdoors

Tiger sharks devour large whale carcass off Australia (video)

Part of a shark's role in the marine environment is that of scavenger, and in the accompanying video several large tiger sharks can be seen devouring the carcass of what's believed to be a humpback whale on Wednesday in Queensland, Australia.

 

Because of the bleached color of the whale's flesh, some thought it might be the Migaloo, a famous white humpback commonly seen off North Queensland. But it turns out the bleaching was caused by the sun. The whale, perhaps a sub-adult measuring about 30 feet, is believed to have washed ashore on Palm Island inside Onion Bay about a week ago.

The Townsville Bulletin reports that there have been as many as 10 tiger sharks feeding on the whale at a given time. The last known sighting of Migaloo was July 26 near Cape Flattery, northwest of Cairns.

-- Video is courtesy of the Townsville Bulletin

Yao Ming stands tall in campaign against shark finning

Yao Ming once again is standing tall in the campaign to halt the brutal and environmentally damaging practice of shark finning.

The Shanghai-born NBA star was in San Francisco last week to film another public service announcement on behalf of sharks; this time in support of Assembly Bill 376, which would ban the sale, possession and distribution of shark fins in California.

 

Though most people in the state favor the proposed ban, according to a recent poll, some in the Chinese American community believe it represents an attack on the Chinese culture. (Shark fins are used as the main ingredient in shark-fin soup, which has long been considered a delicacy in China and Chinese and Asian communities. California is a major point of U.S. entry for fins.)

"That sort of thing is one of the dozens of little things people use to erode someone's cultural identity," Charlie Chin, a spokesman for the Chinese Historical Society, told ABC News in San Francisco.

Such reasoning might seem absurd to those who consider that up to 70 million sharks are killed globally each year for their fins, and that fins are gathered by slicing them from live captive sharks, which are tossed overboard to sink and perish on the ocean floor.

Said Paul Fong, who co-authored AB 376: "A culture giving up soup is minor compared to the major disaster that could happen to our environment if sharks leave the ocean."

As top-level predators, sharks play a crucial role in maintaining a healthy and balanced marine ecosystem. Many scientists believe the present rate of slaughter is unsustainable.

The will be Yao's second PSA in support of the group Wild Aid's efforts to raise awareness about the pitfalls of shark finning.

Kelly Slater shows world title No. 11 is his for the taking

Kelly Slater made it clear by winning the season-opening Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast that an 11th ASP World Tour title is his if he wants to compete in all of the next 10 events (see video of Slater versus Taj Burrow in the final).

 

People can say what they want about this being the year Burrow, who is looking sharp and lost to Slater in the final of the Australian event, gets his first title.

They can point out that Jordy Smith, who last year finished ranked second behind Slater and made the semifinals of the Quiksilver Pro, is poised for another title run and could overtake Slater.

All of that could happen, but Slater made it clear, by posting his 46th World Tour victory, that being 39 is no handicap and that being No. 1 just comes more easily to him than it does to others on the World Tour roster.

However, after winning a 10th world title last year, and with absolutely nothing left to prove, the big question is whether Slater will stay motivated or even stay on the tour throughout the remainder of the year. He hasn't answered that question yet, but the answer should become apparent over the next few months.

-- Pete Thomas

Twitter: @Pete_Thomas

Whalers criticized in Japan for quitting season early

Japanese whalers headed home from the Southern Ocean after quitting early this season because of harassment from activists, might not like their homecoming reception.

ABC News in Australia quotes Masayuki Komatsu, a former delegate to the International Whaling Commission, as calling the whalers' position "cowardly."

The whalers' so-called scientific whaling missions, conducted annually in Antarctic waters, are run by the Institute of Cetacean Research through the Fisheries Agency.

The decision to quite early, after killing only 174 minke whales and two fin whales (the annual quota is 900-plus), was made because of relentless harassment from members of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.

The ABC story also quotes restaurateur Michio Kono, whose specialties are whale steaks, stew and sashimi, as saying, "I think the government is full of cowards. Whale meat is delicious and healthy. It's part of our culture. This decision is pitiful."

Kono's statement is not accurate. Whale meat contains high levels of mercury and fewer people in Japan are buying it, judging from growing stockpiles in freezers around the country.

It's unclear whether Japan will carry out another Southern Ocean whale hunt next season.

-- Pete Thomas

Photo: Australian Customs Service file photo

Twitter: @Pete_Thomas

Surfing champion Kelly Slater vague about plans for 2011

Kelly Slater, who last year won a remarkable 10th world surfing title, will compete in the season-opening Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast, which begins as early as this weekend in Australia.

Beyond that, however, your guess might be as good as his as to whether he'll strive for an 11th title or retire from competitive surfing after the first of 11 competitions in 2011, or whether he'll retire somewhere in the middle of the schedule. (No other ASP World Tour surfer has won more than four titles.)

"Either a great way to go out or to start another campaign -- I can't honestly answer that right now," Slater said. "I've thought about doing a farewell aloha tour and saying bye to the tour, and I've thought about retiring after this event for real."

Slater, who recently turned 39, has had nothing to prove for so long that his heart has not always been into competing on the highest level. But when his motivation has been evident, he has been dominant.

There seems to be plenty to motivate the Floridian superstar for  the season-opener, most likely to be held at fabled Snapper Rocks. Slater, who is sponsored by Quiksilver, has not won the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast since 2008, and he'll compete after being honored Thursday night for his dominant performance in 2010.

Plus, if this is going to be his last World Tour contest, he'll undoubtedly want to go out with a victory, finally leaving the top tier of the tour to longtime Australian rivals and up-and-comers such as South Africa's Jordy Smith (a fourth-year pro who was second to Slater in the standings last season) and Dane Reynolds, also a fourth-year campaigner, who tied for fourth last season.

Reynolds, unfortunately, will miss the season-opener after recently undergoing knee surgery. The Quiksilver Pro could begin as early as Saturday and will be completed before March 10.

-- Pete Thomas

Photo of Kelly Slater courtesy of © ASP / CESTARI
 

Kelly Slater set to begin quest for world surfing title No. 11

The world's top surfers will kick off a new season beginning as early as Saturday with the Quiksilver Pro and Roxy Pro men's and women's events on Australia's Gold Coast. And yes, Kelly Slater is in the men's lineup and apparently will launch a quest to win an eleventh ASP World Tour championship.

Beforehand, on Thursday night, Slater and Stephanie Gilmore will be honored during the ASP World Surfing Awards for their dominant performances in 2010.

Slater, as just about everyone knows, clinched his 10th world title last season, a feat that probably will never be matched on the men's tour. At 39, Slater is the second-oldest competitor on the tour (Taylor Knox is four months older) and time will tell how devoted he is to claiming yet another title. It probably will depend on how well he surfs during the first few contests.

Gilmore last season won her fourth title in as many years on the Women's World Tour. She's only 23 and stands a good chance to win 10 or more titles in her career. There are 11 men's events and seven women's events on the 2011 schedule.

-- Pete Thomas

Image of Stephanie Gilmore and Kelly Slater is courtesy of the ASP

Has Japan's whaling program really gone belly-up?

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is understandably proud to have forced an early end to Japan's whaling effort this season in the Antarctic, and to have played a role, perhaps, in bringing an end to whaling in the region.

It's also understandable that the many critics of Sea Shepherd and Paul Watson, the group's controversial leader, have fallen silent during the past week.

That's because Sea Shepherd's relentless harassment  -- all those stink bombs, prop-fouling ropes and near other disruptive measures -- has, in fact, made a difference.

Though it's naive to believe Japanese whalers have harpooned their last leviathan, it seems that the nation's so-called "research" whaling program is either near death or seriously diminished.

That's probably due more to economic realities and increasing international opposition than fears of facing Sea Shepherd activists at sea. However, the Sea Shepherd presence -- this was the group's seventh consecutive harassment campaign -- has reduced the number of whales being killed, especially during the past two campaigns, providing for Japan's Fisheries Agency a smaller return on its investment.

Watson, in an interview Sunday night on "Fish Talk Radio" in Southern California, said Sea Shepherd's objective all along has been to "bankrupt" the Japanese whaling program, and that "it looks like we've finally succeeded."

Japan has used a "lethal research" loophole in the wording of a longstanding International Whaling Commission ban on commercial whaling to justify its hunts. The program, which is funded by government subsidies and the sale of whale meat, is deeply in debt.

Japanese whalers annually target about 900 minke whales and 50 fin whales, despite a shrinking demand for whale meat domestically. They succeeded in killing only 174 minke whales and two fin whales this season. They killed 506 whales last season.

Fisheries Agency officials have acknowledged that the whaling ships are not fast enough to outrun Sea Shepherd boats. According to the online newspaper, Yomiuri Daily, officials with Japan's  Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry recently discussed the possibility of ending research whaling in the Antarctic. But the same story quoted Minister Michihiko Kano as saying, "We can't say anything definite about that."

A high-ranking ministry official, who chose to remain anonymous, revealed that options under consideration include the continuation of research whaling, but with a Japan Coast Guard escort; building new vessels that are faster than Sea Shepherd's; replacing research whaling with commercial whaling; continuing with the current program; and ending the program.

The first two options are too costly and not practical. The third would involve coming to an accord with the IWC so that some level of commercial whaling could legally be carried out. The fourth is not practical given the Sea Shepherd factor. The fifth, of course, is what most people outside of Japan are hoping for. 

It'll be interesting to see how this plays out over the next year or so.

-- Pete Thomas

Photo: Sea Shepherd crew members gather at the bow of the Bob Barker during this season's Southern Ocean campaign against Japanese whaling. Credit: Sam Sielen / Sea Shepherd

Surfer Mick Fanning enjoys barrel ride for the ages at Kirra

Had Mick Fanning been competing in an ASP World Tour competition when he rode the wave shown in the accompanying video, judges would have awarded him perfect 10s across the board.

Fanning, a former world champion, was free-surfing Sunday at Kirra Point in Australia when he caught the six-foot wave and got deeply barreled not once but three times. In the third section he disappeared for a full seven seconds before emerging and diving for cover as the wave closed out.

"Good to enjoy a few bombs at my favourite wave of all time yesterday," the humble Aussie stated Monday on his website, above the video clip. Unfortunately, somebody was too lazy to add any sound to the video:

 

Tokyo restaurant tries to revive demand for whale meat

As Japanese whalers ply the Southern Ocean and as Sea Shepherd Conservation Society activists try to prevent harpoon crews from killing cetaceans, a Tokyo restaurateur is campaigning to make whale meat tasty in an age where demand is in steep decline.

"We serve slices of whale sashimi. We serve deep-fried whale meat as well as stewed whale and whale bacon," boasted Shintaro Sato, owner of Taru-ichi restaurant, to ABC News.

If that doesn't tantalize the taste buds, Sato has a three-foot-long dried whale penis hanging above the entrance, to further demonstrate to patrons the special nature of his establishment.

To his credit, whaling is rooted deeply in Japanese culture, and Sato is quick to defend that against critics from anti-whaling civilizations. "What if we asked Australians to stop eating kangaroo or if we ordered the English to stop eating fish and chips -- what would their reaction be?" Sato said.

While whaling is culturally important to some Japanese, demand for whale meat is dwindling, as younger generations seemingly no longer want to eat flesh carved from a giant oily mammal.

A 2008 Greenpeace survey determined that only about 5% of Japanese people eat whale meat. More recently stories have stated that stockpiles of frozen whale meat has reached historic highs, providing more evidence of a shrinking demand.

As for Sea Shepherd, whose harassment techniques have hampered the whalers' efforts, that's a sore subject as far as Sato is concerned.

"Sea Shepherd is engaged in terrorism," he said. "Their actions are violent and illegal. They are not logical so I cannot understand them."

Japan conducts its whaling missions under a "lethal research" loophole in the wording of a global ban on commercial whaling, with an annual quota of 900-plus minke whales. That any research effort would require the killing of so many whales might also seem illogical.

-- Pete Thomas

Minke whale photo courtesy of Discovery Channel

Bull shark sighted on flooded streets of Brisbane

Among the wild critters patrolling the murky floodwaters in Queensland, Australia, according to a man who has been camped on his rooftop, is a large shark known for its ability to survive in brackish water and for posing a danger to humans.

"It was a bull shark and it was spotted in a local suburban street," Rob Minshull told BBC News. "We do have sharks in the Brisbane River; they have obviously come over the flood barriers and come looking for food."

Flooding in portions of Queensland, especially in the Brisbane area, has caused widespread devastation and at least 13 fatalities. Minshull said rising water has reached "the bottom tier of my house," or about chest high.

"I've got brown waves going through the house [and] I've got snakes in the house," he said. "My cars are locked in the garage. I can't get them out -- they're floating around, and banging in the garage."

The natural disaster has affected up to 30,000 residents in the Brisbane area alone.

-- Bull shark image is generic

Twitter: @Pete_Thomas