The young shark, a 4-foot, 9-inch male weighing 67½ pounds, was brought overland in a 3,000-gallon tank after being caught three miles off Ventura by a sea bass fisherman. Through its White Shark Research Project, the aquarium has worked since 2002 to learn more about white sharks in the wild. The first shark on exhibit, a female brought to the aquarium in September 2004, was “the most powerful emissary for ocean conservation in our history,” said aquarium Executive Director Julie Packard. The shark was part of the aquarium’s Outer Bay exhibit for six and a half months and was seen by over a million people.More than 600,000 people saw the second white shark before he was returned to the wild. The aquarium’s 1.2-million-gallon Outer Bay exhibit was designed for open ocean animals such as white sharks. It also houses galapagos and scalloped hammerhead sharks. 

China

Extinct baiji river dolphin spotted alive in China 

A supposedly extinct baiji river dolphin has been spotted alive in the Yangtze River, reports Chinese state media. The freshwater dolphin, declared extinct just days ago by a leading Chinese scientist, was seen from Xuba ferry in Tongling (Anhui Province). "We are very glad to see baiji still exist in the world," Wang was quoted as saying. The news comes shortly after China's leading expert on the baiji, Wang Ding, pronounced the species extinct following a fruitless 38-day search of the Yangtze by an international team of scientists.  

Malta

Virus threatens dolphins

Dozens of dead dolphins washing up along the Mediterranean coast have alerted environmentalists to a virus they fear will become an epidemic.The region's striped dolphins, a protected species, are being infected with a virus which has not been identified and has so far killed several dozen animals along the coast and may spread."We are at the start of an epidemic," Javier Pantoja, a marine conservation official at the Environment Ministry, was quoted as saying.The virus is the latest in a series of difficulties facing the Mediterranean environment. This summer, beaches have been hit by a plague of jellyfish believed by climate experts to be due to warmer sea temperatures as well as overfishing of predators such as tuna. 

Spain

Shark caught on Spanish beach dies

A shark that was captured in shallow waters where it had become a daily attraction for tourists on a beach has died at the Barcelona Aquarium. Biologists did not expect the 6.5-foot shark to survive because it stopped swimming after being brought to the aquarium and needed help from divers to keep moving and thus breathing. An autopsy will be carried out to determine the cause of death, the aquarium said in a statement. Aquarium staff captured the shark in knee-high water at a beach called Miracle in northeast Tarragona province, grabbing it with their bare hands and dragging it ashore. After the shark was taken to the aquarium, biologists found that its dorsal fin had been punctured by a harpoon and it had an internal problem.  

Palau

Taiwanese vessel with illegal shark fins caught in Palau waters

A joint Australian-funded operation between Palau, Federated States of Micronesia and the US Navy has intercepted a tuna longliner within waters of Palau’s economic zone that was full of illegal shark fins.The Taiwanese-flagged tuna boat is the F/V Sheng Yi Hsing No. 16, which is licensed and based in Palau.Its captain, a Taiwanese national, was arrested for attempting to bribe an officer from the Palau Bureau of Marine Resources, Marine Law Enforcement .On landing in Palau, a search of its fish holding areas uncovered over 90 shark carcases, 10 shark heads and 650 shark fins.Shark fishing is illegal in Palau.Searchers’ also found, mahi-mahi, wahoo, and barracuda that were not entered on the vessel’s catch log. 

Italy

Giant squid landed off the Italian coast

For the first time the body of a giant squid has been found intact rather than being decomposed in Italian waters.The squid, which was caught in a deep sea net by fisherman off the island of Elba, is four and a half foot long and weighs almost 40 pounds. "Squids travel close to the surface, so it is quite unusual that it was brought up in a deep sea net," explained Dr. Paolo Sartor of Livorno's Marine Biology Laboratory, which now has custody of the mollusc. 

Researchers find largest known gathering of whale sharks off Mexico

Researchers at the world's largest aquarium have found what is believed to be the world's largest gathering of whale sharks along the Mexican coast.A study by the Georgia Aquarium and Mote Marine Laboratory, shows anywhere from 500 to 1,500 whale sharks feeding on plankton between Mexico's Isla Holbox and Isla Contoy during the summer months. They have been working with Mexico's National Commission on Protected Natural Areas since 2003 to tag the whale sharks and record their mating, eating and movement habits. One whale shark travelled 550 miles in 31 days, and another dove 4,514 feet into the ocean.The Georgia Aquarium is the only facility outside of Asia to display whale sharks, two of which, Ralph and Norton - died unexpectedly this year.Ralph died of peritonitis, an infection in his abdomen. Norton was euthanized in June after he settled to the bottom of the tank with signs of weakness.Norton displayed the same symptoms as Ralph: swimming erratically and loss of appetite. However, aquarium officials are still not sure what caused his illness though researchers suspect a chemical used in 2006 to clean the sharks' aquarium. 

The Chinese freshwater dolphin is now likely to be extinct

A team of scientists in China has failed to find any Yangtze river dolphins, also known as Baijis, during a six-week survey of the mammals' habitat. The World Conservation Union's Red List of Threaten Species currently classifies the creature as critically endangered. Dr. Sam Turvey of the Zoological Society of London, one of the paper's co-authors, described the findings as a "shocking tragedy". The Yangtze river dolphin (Lipotes vexillifer) was the only remaining member of the Lipotidae, an ancient mammal family that is thought to have separated from other marine mammals over 20 million years ago. The white, freshwater dolphin had a long, narrow beak, low dorsal fin, lived in groups of three or four and ate fish.  

Raggedtooth Shark captured off Spanish beach

Specialist divers have captured a six and a half foot raggedtooth (grey nurse) shark that had been frightening bathers by swimming close to Miracle beach in Tarragona, northeast Spain.The shark was transported to Barcelona Aquarium, one of the largest in Europe, with 35 tanks, 11,000 animals and 450 different species, as well as an underwater tunnel 80 metres long.