Calif. great white sharks get protections for now

Feb 07, 2013 by Tracie Cone

The most feared predator in the ocean received new protections today when a California commission decided the great white shark should be studied as a potential endangered species.

The Fish and Game Commission unanimously voted to advance the candidacy of the shark, which means during a one-year study review it will receive the same protections it would if it were listed as endangered.

Great white sharks are internationally protected and already can't be targeted for catch. During the review, the sharks will receive even more safeguards, and the immediate effect will be a ban on incidental takes by net fishermen, who opposed the review.

Scientists estimate the number of California subspecies at between 220 and 350.

Explore further: Taiwan uses DNA mapping to save endangered sharks

Related Stories

Taiwan uses DNA mapping to save endangered sharks

May 23, 2012

Taiwan has begun testing DNA from shark fins sold in local markets in a bid to protect endangered species such as great whites and whale sharks, an official from the Fisheries Agency said Wednesday.

American Samoa bans shark fishing to save species

Nov 15, 2012

(AP)—American Samoa is banning shark fishing in its waters in hopes of stopping the population's decline.

French move boosts shark sanctuaries

Dec 07, 2012

Green campaigners on Friday hailed a decision by France that they said would create the world's biggest shark sanctuary.

As sharks dwindle, new laws enacted

May 28, 2007

Shark fisheries in Mexico and throughout the world are dealing with proposed rules to curb shark hunting in the interest of preserving these predators.

Sharks get protection in Marshall Islands

Mar 04, 2011

The US territory of the Marshall Islands has placed a moratorium on the trade and export of shark fins, a report said Friday, the latest in a trend across the Pacific Ocean.

NOAA designates the eastern North Pacific basking shark a 'species of concern'

Sep 08, 2010

NOAA's Fisheries Service has designated the eastern North Pacific basking shark, a "species of concern" because it has suffered a dramatic decline in population despite decreasing fishing pressure. The label ...

Recommended for you

Study: Amphibians disappearing at alarming rate

1 hour ago

A new study has determined for the first time just how quickly frogs and other amphibians are disappearing around the United States.

Serengeti road divides biologists: Will a road across the northern tier of Serengeti National Park ruin it?

9 hours ago

Serengeti National Park in Tanzania may be the most iconic national park in the world. Here, lions, leopards, elephants, hippos and giraffes wander free. Rivers of wildebeests, zebra and Thompson's gazelles ...

Wildlife losses now stabilising

10 hours ago

Efforts to conserve biodiversity in the UK, Belgium and Netherlands may be working, despite the widespread perception that wildlife is in terminal decline, a new study suggests.

Research sheds new light on pollution and sex-change whelks

10 hours ago

Scientists have found an entirely new genetic route by which a now-banned chemical causes sexual and hormonal disruption in a marine mollusc.

GPS, camera traps and dung expose the secret life of endangered elephants (w/ Video)

10 hours ago

"We can only manage what we measure"—that is the key to a unique research project which is working towards scientifically proven, evidence-based, conservation of the Malaysian elephant. It is being done ...

Thinking 'big' may not be best approach to saving large-river fish

May 22, 2013

Large-river specialist fishes—from giant species like paddlefish and blue catfish, to tiny crystal darters and silver chub—are in danger, but researchers say there is greater hope to save them if major ...

User comments : 0

More news stories

Researcher admits mistakes in stem cell study

A blockbuster study in which US researchers reported that they had turned human skin cells into embryonic stem cells contained errors, its lead author has acknowledged. ...

Scientists offer first definitive proof of bacteria-feeding behavior in green algae

A team of researchers has captured images of green alga consuming bacteria, offering a glimpse at how early organisms dating back more than 1 billion years may have acquired free-living photosynthetic cells. ...

White tiger mystery solved

White tigers today are only seen in zoos, but they belong in nature, say researchers reporting new evidence about what makes those tigers white. Their spectacular white coats are produced by a single change ...

University of Illinois biophysicists measure mechanism that determines fate of living cells

(Phys.org) —New tension gauge tether (TGT) laboratory method developed at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has broad applications for research into stem cells, cancer, infectious disease, ...

Scientists discover how rapamycin slows cell growth

University of Montreal researchers have discovered a novel molecular mechanism that can potentially slow the progression of some cancers and other diseases of abnormal growth. In the May 23 edition of the prestigious journal ...

Controlling mood through the motions of mitochondria

(Medical Xpress)—Regulating the distribution of power in neurons is done by a system that makes the national electric grid look simple by comparison. Each neuron has several thousand mitochondria confined ...

Google Drive sports new view and scan enhancements

(Phys.org) —Google Drive has a new look and functions. The makeover in Google Drive features scanning and interface enhancements that put the user into "card" mode. The enhancements make it easy for the ...

Research identifies a way to make cancer cells more responsive to chemotherapy

Breast cancer characterized as "triple negative" carries a poor prognosis, with limited treatment options. In some cases, chemotherapy doesn't kill the cancer cells the way it's supposed to. New research from Western University ...

Mayo Clinic genomic analysis lends insight to prostate cancer

Mayo Clinic researchers have used next generation genomic analysis to determine that some of the more aggressive prostate cancer tumors have similar genetic origins, which may help in predicting cancer progression. The findings ...

Shortage of key drug hampering U.S. efforts to control TB, report says

(HealthDay)—A shortage of a critical tuberculosis drug has hampered the efforts of health departments across the United States to contain the spread of the highly infectious lung disease, federal officials ...