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Petition | Kmart: Why did a shark die for your commercial? | Change.org

Shark killed for K-mart commercial? Tell them to stop here!

wnycradiolab: freakyfauna: Shark silhouettes. From Shadows in the sea, Chilton Books (1963), Philadelphia. Found here. Yeah, we are really, really small.
Found on Shark Attack Survivors for Shark Conservation’s facebook page. Love this.
The Salmon Shark (Lamna ditropis) is often mistaken for juvenile great whites due to their similar body structure and tendency to breach out of the water in pursuit of prey. They’re one of my personal favorite sharks, closely related to the porbeagle shark.  Reaching up to 10 feet in length, they’re able to travel through a wide range of depths and temperatures from Japan to Oregon and California, and even Alaska! Of course, being migratory sharks they cross much more water than just those areas. Since they’re homeothermic,  they are able to chase high energy prey including squid, sea otters, sea birds, and possibly even pinnipeds. Alaskan salmon sharks consume anywhere from 12-25% of the annual Pacific Salmon run in Prince William Sound! Unlike many shark species, including the soon-to-be endangered great white, salmon sharks have a stable population as a Least Concern species. Despite this, they still have no more than four to five pups every TWO years, and it can take up to 13 years for them to sexually mature.  Although there are no known attacks on humans, this shark can still pose a risk to us! Don’t forget your shark safety when entering the waters.
Although shark pups are born with all the equipment they’ll ever need to defend themselves and hunt down food, developing embryos still stuck in their egg cases are vulnerable to predators. But a new study finds that even these baby sharks can detect a potential predator, and play possum to avoid being eaten. Read how they do it here.
Media Coverage on Sharks Focuses More on Attacks Than Conservation The treatment of sharks in the media and popular culture has been historically rather harsh. A new study from Michigan State University reveals that this negative image is affecting their survival. The findings of this study, published in the current issue of Conservation Biology, reviewed worldwide media coverage of sharks and found that the majority isn’t good. Read the sad truth here.
Australia’s controversial plans to reduce the population of sharks in surrounding seas entails of very little thought and fear-mongering tactics. The proposed cull is an attempt to protect beach-goers from potential attack, but is this a largely Jaws-inspired fear campaign that hasn’t been properly thought through? Do sharks actually pose a threat to Australians? Read the entire article here.
Sharks aren’t that dangerous in comparison to things like.. Mosquitoes. Think about it. See the full poster here.
Commonly confused with the shortfin mako, the porbeagle shark (Lamna nasus) are fast sharks, with an ability to thermoregulate through their rete mirable. This means that they can retain their speed through heat, even in some of the coldest waters! It’s understandable, since they’re found in some pretty chilly places like Newfoundland.  The fast swimmers take advantage of their speed and consume pelagic schooling fish, other sharks, squid, and even ground fish! But whenever you go after fish like that, there are consequences.. Fishermen often catch these unlucky sharks as bycatch. Not just bycatch, but the second most common bycatch in Norway! They’re also fished commercially for their meat, fins, oil and fishmeal.. Oh, and recreationally on occasion, as if there wasn’t enough trouble for them.  Thankfully they’re a hardy species; Leaving them only vulnerable according to the IUCN.. Although three subspecies are considered endangered, two of which are critical.
Docile to us and predators to invertebrates, the leopard shark (Triakis semifasciata) are relatively small and timid sharks. Divers are lucky to glimpse these sharks, as they tend to steer clear of us. A few albino leopard sharks have actually been spotted and photographed before! Growing up to a maximum of 1.8 meters (nearly 6 feet) in their 30 year lifespan, they can have anywhere from 4-33 pups every 12 months. It takes 10 years after birth for them to sexually mature! They’ll grow up living anywhere in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Often, they stay near the bottom of shallow, sandy/muddy bays because food is abundant there. Being active, strong swimmers, they are able to school and move around frequently. What’s awesome about that is other sharks have joined in, including but not limited to: brown smooth-hounds, gray smooth-hounds, and piked dogfish. 
Just how dangerous is the world’s ‘most dangerous’ shark? The bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas) has been unlucky enough to win this title for a couple different reasons. For one, they are able to attack in waist deep water. They’re also a double threat, lurking in salt and fresh water.. And with the highest testosterone levels in any animal, you can bet they have those grumpy days!  So it must be safe to assume these sharks are fearsome killers! Haha, wrong. From 1580-2011 there have only been 139 attacks on humans, 74 being fatal.. In 431 years, ONLY 74 fatal attacks on humans have been recorded from the supposedly MOST dangerous shark in our oceans? Meanwhile the ILSF claims 1.2 million people die from drowning each year! Documented injuries from lightning are at approximately 300 each year.. Compared to 139 documented attacks from the so called ‘most dangerous’ shark in over 400 years. Now let’s choose something cute and harmless looking to just top this statistical train wreck. The deer is often considered a harmless beauty, but they’re actually the most deadly animal in the United States, with an average of 130 people loosing their lives to accidents involving them. It’s a scary thought, isn’t it? That a predator with over 400 million years of adaptation, thought to be thirsty for human blood by most of society, causes less damage than a multitude of things, including tiny mosquitoes which take over a million lives annually.  So why does this matter? Well, a variety of places have been debating whether to cull their sharks or not, even though they’re highly in danger of going extinct. Right now, France is paying off fishermen to ‘take care’ of their nuisances due to a little spike in attacks.. Even though it’s to be expected, with the number of people in the waters having doubled over the years. So how can you make a change? Email them! Petition! Show your disgust! These animals have received such a bad reputation for doing what they were born to do; hunt! Don’t you think it’s unfair to take away their home for our selfish needs? UPDATE: Feedback from conservationists and shark lovers alike has  caused Reunion Island to back down. 
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