Wind shifts devastate ocean life

By Jonathan Fildes, Science and technology reporter, BBC News, San Francisco

The delicate interplay between the oceans and atmosphere is changing with catastrophic consequences.

That is the conclusion of researchers investigating 'dead zones' off the coast of the US, where populations of marine life were suddenly wiped out.

These vast graveyards occur where there are disturbances to currents driven by coastal winds, they say.

Dead zones have been recorded off the coast of California and Oregon every year for the last five years.

The most intense event, which left the ocean floor littered with the carcasses of crabs, happened in 2006.

'It was unlike anything that we've measured along the Oregon coast in the past five decades,' said Dr Francis Chan of Oregon State University (OSU).

Dead zones have also been seen in the waters off Chile, Namibia and South Africa."

Read more at BBC News...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/6370905.stm

Global Warming Fast Facts

Global Warming Fast Facts

Global warming is a hot topic that shows little sign of cooling down. Earth's climate is changing, but just how it's happening, and our own role in the process, is less certain.

Check out these fast facts and pictures for a snapshot of Earth's evolving climate.

• There is little doubt that the planet is warming. Over the last century the average temperature has climbed about 1 degree Fahrenheit (0.6 of a degree Celsius) around the world."

More at National Geographic... Global Warming Fast Facts

United Nations Environment Programme

The United Nations Environment Programme has prepared five communication tools that can be used to educate tourists about the importance of protecting coral reefs during their holidays.

The tools are available free of charge on CD ROM and can be used to print attractive and informative materials. They are intended primarily for tourists but can also be used for tourism industry employees and local residents. more information.

http://www.uneptie.org/pc/tourism/sensitive/coral/english/home.htm

( available in English, Spanish, Italian, German, and French)

Beer Crisis!

Bula All,

I have grave news. As some of you may know, there was a coup d'etat in Fiji in early December last year. Originally scheduled for December 3rd it was postponed to December 6th when coup leaders realised that there might be ramifications for the Police v. Army annual rugby match due to be played on Dec 4th.

The coup duly went ahead on the Monday, and the local regional powers (I'm not sure its terribly exact to describe Australia and New Zealand in such glowing terms, but I can't think of a less emphatic word for "powers") promptly spat the dummy about the horrendous affront to global democracy. Having of course completely ignored the coup in Thailand, and having sweet fa to say about such joyous democracies as Zimbabwe or Uzbekistan, they slapped a travel advisory on Fiji one level below that on Iraq and Afghanistan and threatened to stop poaching Fijian rugby players for their national team. This has had the pincer effect of strangling Fiji's major import (tourists) and major export (rugby players).

Now the double pronged attack is starting to bite, and has indeed causes a major humanitarian crisis. Yesterday, it was announced that the brewery is to stop making beer for one week and the distillery to stop producing spirits for one month. This statement was immediately followed with the important notice that we weren't to worry as there was enough beer and spirits in the bonded warehouses to last out this period. However this failed to stop frenzied crowds panic buying crisis supplies at local supermarkets* and a subsequent drunken rampage through the night**.

Perhaps this horrendous event will persuade world leaders of the magnitude of the problems here in paradise and we can all start working together to return Fiji to being the way the world should be.

Meanwhile, I'm sure that some of you have experience in humanitarian crises, disaster relief and the airlifting of vital supplies. Please send beer.

Sincerely,

Alex

*Well, me anyway.
** Me again. Sorry.

It is about a soup

Although it is about a seemingly innocent dish, a soup many Asians consider a delicacy, the ongoing controversy (to eat the soup or not to eat it) really boils down to the global threat shark populations are facing, even in marine sanctuaries such as the Galapagos Islands.

Sharks are being killed at an ever increasing rate, mainly to satisfy the rising demand for shark fin soup. While many Chinese allege that shark fin soup is part of their 'culture', we say: The health of this blue planet is part of ours! Now, if that should amount to yet another 'clash of cultures', so be it.

Alibaba.com is one of the largest online traders of seafood and other products, especially shark fin - without regards to source or sustainability.

The practice of shark finning, where a shark is captured, the fins removed, often while the shark is still living and the body discarded, is a brutal practice that is decimating shark populations worldwide.

This lucrative market for shark fin is creating huge incentives for poor nations- as represented by scores of businesses on Alibaba.com- to remove the ocean's shark populations. Without any control, it is likely that endangered and threatened shark species are traded in great volume at great profit. As a web based business gateway, Alibaba.com is collusive and partner to this criminal and wasteful practice.

Sign the petition to stop this slaughter here.

======================================================
Full petition:

Stop Distribution of Shark Fins

Dear Sirs.

On behalf of those undersigned concerned about our oceans and oceanic predators we are protesting Alibaba.com as the promotor of sellers, importers and exporters of SHARK FINS.

This action is taken in view of the fact that ALIBABA is one of the world's foremost web suppliers of dried SHARK FINS.

• The practice of shark finning is causing huge incentive for the unsustainable and often illegal removal of shark populations world wide.
• Removing sharks from the oceans will result in an ecological imbalance and is causing irreversible damage to the marine ecosytem.
• Finning sharks and discarding the body is a brutal practice and is taking food from the mouths of poor nations who fish for sharks. The profiteering driven by the demand for shark fin soup is unconscionable, and any consumer of shark fin soup, without knowledge of the source of the shark fin is criminal by association.

It is for this reason that this Organization and its members will be taking the following actions:-

1) Global Boycott of the ALIBABA Company.

2) Global Boycott to any Importer or Exporter that deals with Alibaba.

3) Global Boycott to any shop, outlet or restaurant that offer shark fins.

4) Global Boycott of all known Shark Fin Suppliers.


We will also be spreading the word to all our contacts via the media and the Internet.

More information about Shark Finning can be seen at www.sharkmans-world.org/sos.htm and www.sharkstewards.com, or see the film Sharks:Stewards of the Reef.

Yours respectfully

• Click here for more information
• To the Top/Sign Petition
• Email this petition to your friends

Tags follow 'Nemo' fish to home

Scuba Diving Fiji

About 60% of the young orange clownfish found their way home

The remarkable homing instincts of some coral reef fish have been revealed.

A team tagged two species of reef fish larvae to see where the juveniles were going after spending weeks and even months maturing in open sea.

It found most of the orange clownfish - made famous by the Finding Nemo movie - and vagabond butterflyfish returned to the reef where they had first hatched.

Writing in the journal Science, the team said the discovery could have implications for marine protection.

"Marine fish lay very small eggs, and when they do, they are released into the water column," explained co-author Professor Geoff Jones from James Cook University in Queensland, Australia.

"They develop into a really tiny little larvae that we think drift around in the water currents, sometimes for months.

"The missing link in our understanding of coral reef fish has always been: where do the larvae go?"

Help from Mum

But until now, finding this out has been extremely tricky - attaching tags to miniscule larvae is not an easy task.

So the international team of researchers tackled the problem by getting the mother to help.

The study took place on a small reef in Kimbe Bay

They did this by collecting female coral reef fish from a small 0.3 sq km reef in Kimbe Bay, Papua New Guinea, and injecting them with a rare, stable barium isotope.

The females pass this isotope to their developing offspring where it accumulates in their bones, giving the baby fish unique chemical signatures.

A few weeks later, the team returned to the reef and collected young fish to test them to see if they carried the "tag".

"We found that 60% - well over half - were coming back to the small island reserve, which was an unexpected result," Professor Jones told the BBC.

Navigational feat

The scientists are uncertain how the vividly coloured orange clownfish and vagabond butterflyfish perform this feat but hope to find out with further research.

"Perhaps they are somehow remaining in sensory contact with their home island and are able to maintain their position and not end up drifting too far away," said Professor Jones.

"Or maybe they are getting carried away, but they have a homing mechanism to swim back to their home reef."

Although the study was carried out on two species, Professor Jones believes the finding may apply to other coral reef fish too, and if this is the case, it could have consequences for marine conservation.

It shows that small no-take marine reserves are a good way to protect over-fished species, he said, because there should be enough juveniles returning to the area to sustain numbers over time.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/science/nature/6623981.stm

Published: 2007/05/04 15:14:23 GMT

© BBC MMVII

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Wind shifts devastate ocean life

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Wind shifts devastate ocean life: "Wind shifts devastate ocean life
By Jonathan Fildes
Science and technology reporter, BBC News, San Francisco


The Oregon researchers watched crab populations crash

Enlarge Image
The delicate interplay between the oceans and atmosphere is changing with catastrophic consequences.

That is the conclusion of researchers investigating 'dead zones' off the coast of the US, where populations of marine life were suddenly wiped out.

These vast graveyards occur where there are disturbances to currents driven by coastal winds, they say.

Dead zones have been recorded off the coast of California and Oregon every year for the last five years.

The most intense event, which left the ocean floor littered with the carcasses of crabs, happened in 2006.

'It was unlike anything that we've measured along the Oregon coast in the past five decades,' said Dr Francis Chan of Oregon State University (OSU).

Dead zones have also been seen in the waters off Chile, Namibia and South Africa."

Scarborough Today News - Lake fish killed by amorous toads

Scarborough Today News - Lake fish killed by amorous toads

By Ian Duncan

AMOROUS toads have caused the deaths of scores of fish at a lake near Scarborough.
In one incident around 70 carp, worth about £3,000, were lost after male toads tried to mate with them on the Wykeham Estate.

Manager Mike Heelis said the situation became so bad last weekend he had to cancel two club competitions.

The toads clamp themselves on to the carp’s face and push its eyes into the sockets – and, if several reptiles are involved, the carp drowns due to its gills being closed.

Mr Heelis said the fish had encountered the toads after swimming into the lake’s warmer, shallow waters during the recent mild weather."

Scarborough Evening News... read more there if you want! Only in Scarborough!

IYOR 08 Logo contest

International Year of the Reef 2008: Logo contest

The International Year of the Reef 2008 (IYOR 08) is looking for a logo and is calling on the creative - coral reef - community to come up with our new design.

Put your originality to the test and send us a logo design (info@iyor.org) that we can use on all IYOR materials (including our website, promotional material, conference banners, and anywhere else our name might appear).

Go here for full Guidelines...

JOHNSON OUTDOORS ACQUIRES SEEMANN SUB

Leading German Brand to Join Forces with SCUBAPRO® and UWATEC®

JOHNSON OUTDOORS INC today announced it is adding the popular German brand, Seemann Sub™, to its portfolio of winning outdoor recreational brands. The family-owned and managed German company was acquired from Robert and Ella Stoss. The transaction, which closed on April 2, 2007, continues Johnson Outdoors’ strategic focus on acquisitions that complement its businesses, have market-leading potential and strengthen long-term profitability.

Seemann Sub™, founded in 1979, is one of Germany’s largest dive equipment providers, offering a complete line of dive gear for the price driven consumer. The acquisition enables Johnson Outdoors for the first time to go to market with a full range of innovative, quality dive equipment and gear representing the best value at every price point for the retail and rental channels. Over the next six months, the Company plans to relocate its existing SCUBAPRO® and UWATEC® business in Germany into Seemann Sub™ operations located in Wendelstein, Germany. The acquisition is expected to become accretive to JOUT earnings in fiscal 2008.

“Continuous innovation and strategic, targeted acquisitions are key to achieving our future growth vision,” said Helen Johnson-Leipold, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Johnson Outdoors. “Germany is the #1 dive market in Europe, and establishing a strong presence there is essential to returning our diving business to historic levels of profitability. As a result of this acquisition, overnight Johnson Outdoors has become one of the top three competitors in this important regional marketplace. The opportunity beyond Europe is even more exciting as we look to leverage the SCUBAPRO® global dealer network to expand distribution of Seemann Sub™ around the world.”

Seemann Sub™ was purchased by Robert Stoss in 1997 following a successful 10 year career with SCUBAPRO® during which he directed diving operations first in Germany and then in the United States. Stoss has been active in the diving industry for nearly three decades, and is currently the licensee of the new Scuba Schools International (SSI®) European Distribution Centre. Under his guidance, Seemann Sub™ has earned a reputation as an innovation leader in the price/value dive gear segment with products such as the SL400™ second stage regulator, and the new Extender™ dry suit which was recently featured among the top 2007 product recommendations by Unterwasser, a premier German dive publication. Stoss has entered into a special agreement to work with Johnson Outdoors in the future on a variety of diving product design, marketing and sales efforts apart from his current ventures.

Johnson Outdoors is a pioneer in the scuba diving industry known for innovative product firsts, such as: underwater breathing regulators; user-friendly, nitrox dive computers; and, patented split-fin hydrofoil technology. The Company commands the #2 position worldwide in an estimated $1 billion global retail marketplace and, with the addition of Seemann Sub™, is now a leading competitor in every major segment of the estimated $63 million dive market in Germany.

ABOUT JOHNSON OUTDOORS INC.

Johnson Outdoors is a leading global outdoor recreation company that turns ideas into adventure with innovative, top-quality products. The company designs, manufactures and markets a portfolio of winning, consumer-preferred brands across four categories: Watercraft, Marine Electronics, Diving and Outdoor Equipment. Johnson Outdoors' familiar brands include, among others: Old Town® canoes and kayaks; Ocean Kayak™ and Necky® kayaks; Lendal™ paddles; Escape® electric boats; Minn Kota® motors; Cannon® downriggers; Humminbird® and Fishin’ Buddy® fishfinders; SCUBAPRO® and UWATEC® dive equipment; Silva® compasses and digital instruments; and Eureka!® tents. The Company has 23 locations around the world, employs 1,300 people and reported annual revenues of $395.8 million in fiscal 2006.

Coalition Aims To Build Nation's First Successful Artificial Surf Reef

April 23, 2007 — By Noaki Schwartz, Associated Press

VENTURA, Calif. -- Californians have created plenty of surf spots by accident with harbor jetties, power plant outflows and even drainage pipes. Creating one on purpose is proving more difficult.

In Ventura County, engineers want to build the nation's first successful artificial "surf reef" at a site known as Oil Piers, an accidentally created surfing hot spot that disappeared when a pier was demolished in 1998.

Surfers hope the project will revive the waves at what had been one of the most reliable surf spots on a strikingly picturesque stretch of the Southern California coast.

Environmentalists say the reef is needed to stop massive erosion eating away at the beach.

"It was the only place that when the wind really, really blew, you could still surf," recalled Gary Ross, who heads Stanley's Reef Foundation, a nonprofit group pushing for the project.

"Besides that, it was kind of a cool spot -- a little bit of a bohemian spot with a young group of surfers," he said.

The $4 million project is being proposed by BEACON, or Beach Erosion and Clean Ocean Nourishment, a coalition comprising Santa Barbara and Ventura city and county officials.

Under the plan, the Army Corps of Engineers would use 700,000 pounds of synthetic tubes filled with water and sand to build a submerged reef at just the right angle to create waves. It would be 50 feet wide and 140 feet long.

Organizers hope Congress will pave the way for the project next year by passing the Water Resources Development Act, which would allow the corps to undertake work on the nation's coastlines, rivers and harbors.

The coalition is seeking funding through a federal appropriations bill for innovative beach protection projects.

Erosion has become a key issue along the California coast as rising sea levels threaten low-lying neighborhoods. The reef would protect the beach along Oil Piers by forcing the waves to break farther offshore, dissipating the energy of the water before it hits land.

But creating waves is a tricky business.

In 2000, the Surfrider Foundation, a group representing the nation's surfing community, spent $300,000 to build Pratte's Reef with bags of sand in El Segundo, near Los Angeles.

The reef never created a single wave. Surfers quipped that no one would even know it was there unless they had a mask and snorkel and dove down to see it. Many surfers continued to ride the quirky waves created by a nearby drainage pipe.

Several reefs have been built in Australia and New Zealand that successfully eased erosion and helped produce waves, said Shaw Mead, an environmental scientist and director at New Zealand-based ASR Ltd.

The company specializes in surf reefs and pools and has been contracted to design the proposed Ventura County project and another one in New Jersey.

"There is no generic reef shape. Each must be designed for the specific environment," Mead said.

The stretch of coastline near Oil Piers features a flat terrace that engineers believe can serve as a stable base for the heavy reef.

The waves disappeared nine years ago when oil production stopped and Mobil Exploration and Producing U.S. Inc. removed the pier that had been built in the 1930s.

Surfers said then that the waves were caused by a sand bar against the pier, even though studies showed otherwise.

Judging from the exposed boulders that separate the beach from coastal Highway 101, up to 8 feet of sand have slipped away since the pier was removed.

The concept of an artificial reef remains controversial in some surfing circles.

Chad Nelson with the Surfrider Foundation worries that successful reef projects could create a sense of complacency about coastal erosion and lead to more development along the shoreline.

But like any surfer, he also feels the lure of a good wave.

"It's every surfer's dream to build the perfect wave in their backyard," he said.

Source: Associated Press

Sharks - fact or fiction

The more you know about sharks hopefully the more you will understand and respect them. For most of us what we know about sharks is based on myth and superstition. Here are a few interesting facts for you to chew on.

• Sharks have been around for over 400 million years
• Sharks live in every ocean of the world from the Arctic to the Antarctic.
• The average life span of a shark is around 25 years, but some have been known to live to 100
• The biggest shark is the Whale Shark, it can be up to 50 feet (15 m) in length. It is what is called a filter feeder, it sieves plankton in huge amounts to eat through its gills as it swims along
• The dwarf lantern shark is the smallest shark at a size of around 15cm

Read more at this cool UK T-shirt company ZooZoo2...

Winter Jetaway to Fiji with Rainbow High Vacations

These guys dived with us last year and here's their review....

"For diving afficionados, Diveaway Fiji, the Resort’s on-site PADI dive center, offers a range of diving to suit everyone from experienced divers to complete beginners. All the dive sites are very close (the furthest a mere 10 minutes boat ride away), so you can choose to do one or two dives and be back for lunch. The great tropical diving includes walls, passages, swimthroughs, soft and hard corals, fans and caves.

Marine life is abundant and varied – Fiji has one of the largest ranges of tropical fish anywhere in the world, and sightings of turtles, rays and reef sharks are regular occurrences. For beginners, there is a free scuba lesson in the pool daily, where you are given enough training and skills to be able to go on a sea dive under the direct supervision of a PADI dive instructor. This 'Discover Scuba Dive' also counts towards your certification course."

See the full article at Rainbow High Vacations website

Humpback whales boast the longest mammal migration

NewScientist.com news service

It’s a long way to go for a warm bath. Each winter, humpback whales travel from the Antarctic to the northern tropics to find warm water in which to raise their young, researchers have discovered. The migration is the longest for any mammal ever recorded.

Kristin Rasmussen at Cascadia Research Collective in Olympia, Washington, US, and colleagues photographed the tails of humpbacks wintering off the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. From their individual tail patterns they identified seven of the same animals after they had returned to the Antarctic. One mother and calf made the 8300-kilometre (5160-mile) trip in 161 days.

Using satellite data, the team also recorded sea-surface temperatures for the sites where humpbacks spent the winter. “Wintering areas occur where waters with temperatures between 21°C and 28°C are found,” says Rasmussen. This supports the idea that the long migration saves the whales energy in the end.

Some researchers claim that the grey whale holds the record for longest mammalian migration – from Mexico to the Arctic, estimated at about 7600 km (4700 miles). “However, no individual grey whale has been documented travelling the full extent of their migratory range, and it's possible that no grey whales actually make the entire migration,” says Rasmussen. Only humpbacks have been documented making the full trip.

Rasmussen says that proposals to hunt humpbacks – such as Japan’s decision to catch 50 humpbacks each year as part of its “scientific” programme – makes it important to understand whale migration. “Whales don’t respect political boundaries,” she says. “Killing whales in one area could potentially impact their population half way around the world.”

Journal reference: Biology Letters (DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2007.0067)

Vitamins benefit divers' health

Vitamin doses can reduce ill-effects of scuba diving on divers' circulation, a study suggests.

The scientists from Croatia and Norway gave vitamins C and E, which work as antioxidants, to divers, the Journal of Physiology reported.

The vitamins stopped ill-effects of the dive on the cells lining blood vessels, which can lead to high blood pressure and other associated diving problems.

But diving experts said the vitamins would have a limited impact.

"The intervention showed a positive effect" said Ante Obad, lead researcher

The researchers, from the University of Split School of Medicine in Croatia and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology carried out the study on seven professional divers before a 30-minute, 30-metre dive.

They performed two dives 24 hours apart, with doses of vitamins C and E administered two hours before the second one.

Six of the divers took part in a second trial eight months later, in which some were given antioxidants while others received a dummy pill.

The team found that antioxidant treatment prevented endothelial dysfunction, which stops the cells lining blood vessels working properly, causing high blood pressure.

High blood pressure is relatively common in divers and can lead "

More at BBC...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6314901.stm

Ocean "Conveyor Belt" Sustains Sea Life, Study Says

Ocean "Conveyor Belt" Sustains Sea Life, Study Says:

An estimated three-quarters of all marine life is maintained by a single ocean-circulation pattern in the Southern Hemisphere that pulls nutrient-rich waters from the deep ocean, brings them to the surface, and distributes them around the world.

'This is really something,' said Jorge Sarmiento, a professor of atmospheric and ocean sciences at Princeton University in New Jersey. Sarmiento made the discovery using sophisticated computer models."

SHARKS NEED YOUR HELP!

As divers, if we have been privileged enough to see a shark we know how beautiful they can be. If we have actually dived with one, we have been changed for life. They are kings of the deep and they need our help.

Please sign the following petition to stop the SENSELESS killing of sharks and this distribution of shark fin products.

Shark specialists estimate that 100 million sharks are killed for their fins, annually.

90% of all shark species are already wiped out due to our total disregard for these majestic animals and the greed of a small number of countries that see no reason to stop a barbaric act where 99% of the animal is discarded back into the oceans as waste after their fins have been brutally hacked off.

YOU can help. Go to The Petition Site and sign up!

Go see SHARKWATER!

Humpbacks in Fiji

Great write up from Gavin at Dive The World Blog cos we're seeing humpbacks along the Coral Coast as well...

"Over the last few months, guests on the Tui Tai Adventure Cruises have been treated on several occasions to the sight of humpback whales around the boat. They have even been able to dive in and swim with the whales! In 2003, the government of Fiji declared a 360km "exclusive economic zone" around the Koro Sea a whale sanctuary ensuring free passage for whales through Fiji's waters. Humpbacks migrate every winter from Antarctica to the South Pacific to mate and give birth.

Back in the 19th century, thousands of whales were killed around Fiji, and indeed the town of Levuka was founded as a whaling station. It seems that thanks to whaling regulations and now the declaration of this special zone, visitors to Fiji have the chance to see whales again."

DAN Becomes NAUI’s Official Dive Accident Insurance Provider

DAN and NAUI are pleased to announce their alliance to work together for the greater good of diver safety. Effective immediately, DAN is the official dive accident insurance provider for NAUI Worldwide. NAUI has discontinued its Dive & Travel Insurance Program and is endorsing the Membership and Dive Accident Insurance programs offered by DAN.

Divers currently carrying NAUI’s Dive & Travel Insurance will be notified of the change as their policies come due for renewal, and they will be offered the opportunity to join DAN. In addition, NAUI dive centers and instructors will be provided materials on DAN and its programs, including the DAN Student Membership Program...

“DAN has always been dedicated solely to divers and diver safety,” says Dan Orr, President and CEO of Divers Alert Network, “and our record certainly speaks for itself. Yet no matter how much we’ve been able to contribute in the past, we are always looking for ways to provide more. When we first developed the idea of working directly with the training agencies, it was with the intent to increase the network of resources for divers, as well as the commitment of the dive industry to safety practices. We are delighted NAUI has made this public commitment with us, and we are proud to call them our ally in this continuing directive.”

Founded in 1959, NAUI Worldwide is the second-largest diver certifying organization in the world, whose members offer a full range of training programs from Skin Diver through Instructor Course Director, with dozens of specialty courses including Nitrox and Technical diving. Tens of thousands of NAUI member instructors, dive businesses, resorts, and service centers are located in countries throughout the world.

Divers Alert Network (DAN) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit medical and research organization dedicated to the safety and health of recreational scuba divers and is associated with Duke University Medical Center. Founded in 1980, DAN has served as a lifeline for the scuba industry by operating the only 24-hour diving emergency hotline, a lifesaving service for injured divers. Additionally, DAN operates a diving medical information hotline, conducts vital diving medical research, and develops and provides a number of first-aid and continuing education programs for everyone from beginning divers to medical professionals.

Source: http://www.naui.org

Week in Photos: Croc Bites Off Hand, Easter Fertility Ritual, Chinese Cherry Blossoms, More

Okay so I know this isn't about diving or Fiji, but how can you not link to this!

National Geographic, is more graphic than ever before!


Week in Photos: Croc Bites Off Hand, Easter Fertility Ritual, Chinese Cherry Blossoms, More

Kaohsiung, Taiwan, April 11, 2007

Armed and dangerous, a Nile crocodile prowls the Kaohsiung zoo (top). Veterinarian Chang Po-yu was reaching through iron bars to remove tranquilizer darts before treating the 440-pound (200-kilogram) reptile when the inadequately sedated animal bit the vet's forearm off."

But for the vet, it wasn't quite a farewell to arm.

After being shot at twice, but apparently unhit, the croc dropped the arm. After seven hours of surgery, doctors successfully reattached the appendage, shown at bottom on a smiling Chang on April 12.

The largest African crocodile species, the Nile croc may be threatened in some parts of its range, according to the World Conservation Union. The reptiles can reach 16 feet (5 meters) in length and are estimated to kill 200 people a year.