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Vast shark sanctuary created in Pacific
The BBC has reported that the Marshall Islands government has created the world’s largest shark sanctuary, covering nearly two million sq. km (750,000 sq miles) of ocean. Under the bill, commercial shark fishing and any trade in shark products will be banned, and any sharks accidentally caught must be released alive.
“In passing this [shark protection] bill, there is no greater statement we can make about the importance of sharks to our culture, environment and economy,” said Senator Tony deBrum, who co-sponsored the bill through the Marshallese parliament. “Ours may be a small island nation, but our waters are now the biggest place sharks are protected.”
US-based Pew Environment group has also been involved in the drafting of the new legislation and has details of the new sanctuary on its website.
Nauticam releases details of NEX-5N housing
Nauticam has released pictures and a press release of their new housing for the Sony NEX-5N. The new housing will feature the same port locking system as the current housing and ports are offered for Sony 18-55mm, 16m pancake, 16mm pancake + FE adapter, 16mm pancake + WA adapter and the Sony 30mm macro lens when it becomes available. The NA-NEX5N offers fiber optic flash control which is enhanced as the NEX-5N can perform TTL in manual exposure mode.
Nauticam will also offer an upgrade path for existing NA-NEX5 housing owners via an upgrade kit. These will be available from 10 October. The new housing will ship on 15 October at a retail price of $1650.
Issue 19 of African Diver available
The October/November issue of African Diver is now available to download. This issue marks the magazine’s third anniversary. This issue includes detailed feedback on the Seychelles shark attack that took place in August, the science behind protecting the coral reefs in South Africa and an article about dolphins in Mozambique. In addition, other features include lens choice for the Red Sea, how to avoid products made from shark and Rainer Schimpf’s marine conservation images. Seahorses and their kin are this issue’s creature feature and Amanda Jackson is profiled in the women in diving section.
African Diver magazine is a free download in pdf format.
Another PR gaff from Nikon
Nikon PR department has scored another possible home goal by posting the statement on its Facebook page “A photographer is only as good as the equipment he uses…” in connection with whether people use Nikkor lenses. At the time of writing, this has drawn 3,505 comments. Nikon has subsequently published an apology which, again at the time of writing, has only drawn 544 comments.
Nikon also recently published a press release saying that it has nothing to say, so it would seem that their PR department is in some disarray. However, cynically the Facebook post has probably drawn more people onto the Nikon Facebook page than they would otherwise achieve so perhaps far from being a PR gaff, this could be touted as a success.
Study confirms that shark populations are in serious decline
A study published in the Public Library of Science (PLoS) ONE journal confirms that there is statistical and scientific evidence that shark populations are experiencing “widespread, substantial, and ongoing declines”. The authors of the report have developed several alternative models to quantify shark populations, which combine birth and growth rates for sharks with a variety of different methods for estimating mortality. They then used state-of-the art statistical methods to combine the uncertainty associated with each of these methods and arrive at a robust long-term population prediction for two Great Barrier Reef shark species, the grey reef shark and the whitetip reef shark.
The researchers used their population projections to see how well their models could explain differences in shark abundances between fished and unfished reefs, based on how long the unfished reefs had been protected. The results showed that shark populations are declining rapidly due to fishing.
Aquatica acquires Amphibico
In a move that will make Amphibico housing owners very happy, Canadian housing manufacturer, Aquatica has announced that it has acquired the Amphibico brand. Amphibico has ceased trading earlier this year, due to a decline in sales, and a lack of capital for reinvestment in new designs and manufacturing technology. Blake Stoughton, co-owner of Aquatica says:
“The Amphibico name is known around the world for excellence in underwater videography,” and, “while we are combining the operations of the two companies, we will maintain the Amphibico brand and the commitment to quality and excellence that it has inspired for many years.”
Issue 4 of Anima Mundi magazine available
The October issue of Anima Mundi is now available for downloading. Subtitled “Adventures in Wildlife Photography”, it features Brazilian biologist Edelcio Muscat and Canadian bird photographer David Hemmings (with an extensive trip report on breeding birds from the freezing expanses of Churchill, Manitoba). Contents also include Part 2 of trip report from Selva Verde Nature Reserve in Costa Rica, a personal photographic portfolio by biologist Alejandro Arteaga and an illustrated essay on tropical Mantis Shrimps.
Anima Mundi is a free publication, available to download in two resolutions four times per year.
Sony announces fix for NEX-5N
Users of the Sony NEX-5N EVIL camera have “reported” a clicking sound whilst recording video. Sony has announced that they have developed a fix for the problem, and that any cameras purchased so far can be returned for modification.
Full details can be found on the Sony US support site.