What is Sharktober?

Sharktober is the period when the large adult sharks reappear on our coastline after six months or more of absence. After migrating thousands of miles from the Central Pacific ocean between North America and Hawaii called the “White Shark Cafe”, the mature white sharks return in late summer to their feeding grounds off the Central California coast.  

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Science Communication and Public Ocean Education

Science communication is the ability to engage a wide array of audiences regarding environmental concerns, utilizing a framework set forth to hook participants into educating more on pertinent topics, and strategically designing a solution for next steps. Science is meant to be engaging and fun for all ages of learners and educators, and this means presentations should be designed for all levels of thinkers.

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Hawaii’s Spiritual Connection to the Shark

Sharks play an important role in art, legends, and even spiritual beliefs. Throughout Hawaiian folklore, stories, legends and myths feature sharks as deities and their interactions with humans. Sharks as individuals, and as symbols, are even revered by many native Hawaiians. Some species of sharks, like the Tiger shark, have a special status as ‘aumakua, or family guardians.

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Pacific Tuna Fisheries Managers to Consider Bycatch Reduction for Oceanic Sharks

At the IATTC Shark Stewards Director David McGuire addressed the forum on the plight of oceanic whitetip sharks and posed the solution offered by the Hawai’i Longline Association and Western and Central Pacific Fishing Commission’s move to swap out wire leaders for monofilament so that captured sharks can bite free, while the target species of swordfish and tuna are still retained. 

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More Sharks Killed Despite Finning Laws

A new study reports that 76 to 80 million sharks  were killed between 2012 and 2019, with about 25 million of them threatened species. The study published by Worm et al in the journal Science shows that overfishing continues to present a dire threat to shark populations over much of the world, despite the widespread adoption of anti-shark finning legislation and related regulations over the same period.

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