This Makes Me Want to Vomit

[NYCNaiad]

I saw a disturbing video today of a rare shark captured & placed into a netted area for divers to swim with. The video clearly shows divers pawing it & it then dying...perhaps from shock.

Here's the video from Facebook.

I don't cry easily. In fact, I don't remember the last time I cried, but this was horrible & brought tears to my eyes. If you go to the dive club's link, a buddy told me that it looks as if they also captured a Mola Mola. I can't bring myself to check.

I don't understand how divers could think this is ok.

 

[The Chairman]

People can be so cruel and stupid.

 

[drrich2]

A number of questions come up about that situation.

1.) What was this deep water shark doing shallow enough to get caught? (For that matter, at what depth & how was it caught?). Was it already ill?

2.) How was it caught is a big issue; I think I saw a pic of it on a boat. Is that before it died?

3.) Given that it's quite a large shark, and rare so I doubt we know much about their behavior (anyone know different?), the way people are swimming around touching it, and a guy hanging out near the head/mouth, seems risky. In another thread someone posted a video of an elephant seal that seemed friendly with 2 divers, then started mauling them. This is a big shark I'm guessing we don't know much about.

4.) Wonder what keeping it for a prolonged period shallow does? If it's usually deep water, was it being held in much warmer water than it's used to?

5.) Who keeps a pen handy that can hold a shark of this size, much less has the means to capture & transport one to it?

This is not something done by 'just a group of divers.' This took some man power, equipment, and effort to pull off.

Richard.

 

[Bubblesong]

The novel "Of Mice and Men" shows a brain damaged man who couldn't stop petting softness until he had killed, both an animal and a human. All we can do is keep trying to educate.

 

[NYCNaiad]

A number of questions come up about that situation.

1.) What was this deep water shark doing shallow enough to get caught? (For that matter, at what depth & how was it caught?). Was it already ill?

2.) How was it caught is a big issue; I think I saw a pic of it on a boat. Is that before it died?

3.) Given that it's quite a large shark, and rare so I doubt we know much about their behavior (anyone know different?), the way people are swimming around touching it, and a guy hanging out near the head/mouth, seems risky. In another thread someone posted a video of an elephant seal that seemed friendly with 2 divers, then started mauling them. This is a big shark I'm guessing we don't know much about.

4.) Wonder what keeping it for a prolonged period shallow does? If it's usually deep water, was it being held in much warmer water than it's used to?

5.) Who keeps a pen handy that can hold a shark of this size, much less has the means to capture & transport one to it?

This is not something done by 'just a group of divers.' This took some man power, equipment, and effort to pull off.

Richard.

It certainly could have been ill or hurt when it was caught...& keeping it shallow was unlikely to have helped the situation. However, the whole thing just is crazy to me.

It seems as if the dive club may actually keep a pen or two handy since they supposedly also have a Mola Mola captured as well for the divers to swim with. Ugh!

 

[MaxBottomtime]

There was one caught by a fisherman in Southern California a couple of decades ago. They allowed a couple of divers to photograph it before it was tagged and released. For the next few weeks the transmitter placed on the shark showed it coming shallow to feed before returning to the depths, much like squid and plankton. Placing this one in a pen may have stressed it even more than being touched by unknowing and uncaring divers.
Rare Shark Is Filmed, Released : Marine study: The 15-foot megamouth caught off Dana Point early Sunday was also tagged so that scientists can track its movements.

 

[NYCNaiad]

There was one caught by a fisherman in Southern California a couple of decades ago. They allowed a couple of divers to photograph it before it was tagged and released. For the next few weeks the transmitter placed on the shark showed it coming shallow to feed before returning to the depths, much like squid and plankton. Placing this one in a pen may have stressed it even more than being touched by unknowing and uncaring divers.

Thanks for that additional info re: the other one tagged.