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Articles
Venezuela bans shark finning
Pew Environment Group reports that Venezuela has enacted a series of measures to conserve shark populations within its waters. Amongst these is an outright ban on the practice of shark finning, with all sharks to be landed whole. In addition, a shark sanctuary has been established in the Los Roques and Las Aves archipelagos, a total area of 3,730 square kilometers (1,440 square miles) of the Caribbean Sea which are an important breeding ground and nursery for populations of several species of sharks, including the lemon shark and the Caribbean reef shark. Commercial shark fishing has been banned within the shark sanctuary.
The Art of Swimming
Most underwater photographers will be familiar with the work of pro underwater photographer Stephen Frink. What many people may not be aware of is that underwater photography is his second water-borne passion, having started out as a competitive swimmer. The 2012 Olympics, and previously the 2008 Games, have rekindled this passion in a different form, as Stephen documents America’s Olympic swimming athletes in training. Wetpixel tracked him down to ask a few questions about his swimming career and his latest project.
Last call: Spaces available for Wetpixel Whale Sharks
Due to late cancellations, there are now three spaces available for the Wetpixel Ultimate Whale Sharks Expedition (31 July to 4 August). This trip has been sold-out practically from dates they were announced, so this represents an amazing opportunity. The trip will dive and photograph the world’s largest aggregation of whale sharks off Isla Mujeres, Cancun, Mexico and previous trips have produced amazing reports and images with “wall to wall” sharks. This year, the trips are being led by Wetpixel Associate Editor, Alex Mustard.
If you are interested, please contact Dan Baldocchi for more information or to book.
Sex, Drugs and Scuba Diving released
Wetpixel member Dr. Klaus Stiefel has published a humorous guide to the secret life of marine creatures entitled “Sex, Drugs and Scuba Diving”. In his book, he answers questions as diverse as: “Has a manta ray a bigger brain than a chimpanzee? Is the disproof of god’s existence found in the butt of a sea cucumber? Are sharks merciless killers of men, or is it the other way around? Isn’t diving what we as a species really always wanted to do? How did the Vietnamese capture an island held by the Filipinos with the help of pretty girls? What is the right mindset to take photographs under water?”
The book is available now at $29.90 from Amazon and other retailers.
Canon EOS 5D Mark III gets firmware upgrade
Canon USA has released a firmware update for the EOS 5D Mark III SLR. Firmware version 1.1.3 addresses several existing issue, but does not add any new features. It is understood that future updates may add additional or new capabilities to the camera. This update fixes issue with the auto lighting optimizer’s exposure control, an issue wherein the LCD does not switch off and various lens and teleconverter compatibility issues.
It is available to download from the Canon USA support site.
Issue 7 of Anima Mundi available
The July 2012 issue of Anima Mundi is now available to download. Issue 7 features articles about Ecuador’s Yasuni National Park, the Colorado plateau, Mediterranean marvels, European bison and the a killer wasp from the Amazon. The magazine is illustrated throughout with great images.
Anima Mundi is published quarterly and is available as a free download in low res and high res versions.
Global acidification monitoring body to launch at Rio summit
The Washington Post reports on the establishment of the International Coordinating Office for Ocean Acidification, which will be housed within the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Environment Laboratories in Monaco. This will be the first global attempt to monitor how increasing carbon emissions are making the world’s oceans more acidic. The US has pledged $1 million in funding to the new body, which will need an estimated $50 million for a “robust” effort. The new body will be officially launched on 24 June at the Rio+20 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro.
Registrations open for Wildscreen 2012
Registrations for attendance are now open for the Wildscreen Festival 2012. The event will be held in Bristol, UK from 14 to 19 October 2012. The festival plays host to over 100 events including a film programme, public screenings, workshops, masterclasses and culminates in the Wildscreen Panda Awards.
Full information about registrations is available from the Wildscreen website.