Shark Conservation Center - SCC

REGISTER NOW OPEN!!! WE NEED SWIMMERS! April 20th, Saturday

Finathon is a global campaign for divers and non-divers to raise funds for sharks while having fun. A Finathon is a swimming challenge but it can be as simple as a few laps of your pool, an island relay or wacky races in shark suits! Join the race, help Project AWARE: - Fight to stop shark finning - Insist on full protections for critically endangered sharks - Negotiate stronger policies to ensure a brighter future for all sharks!

Please do bring a swimming suit, towel, a reusable bottle for water and do not forget to bring fund for the fundraising. Will have a special prize for outstanding swimmers!

Let's Swimming to End Finning!

The Finathon Event will be held on April 20th, 2019 from 10:00am-3: 00 pm a Fort DeSoto Pier- 3500 Pinellas Bayway S., Tierra Verde, FL 33715. Please come & join us for a good cause!

Register here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc2tWKB7KnaJetUKC07uFO44VfEzCFhlvoYYdUXL048aUlk3w/viewform

If you can't make it, that's okay; you can still donate! To donate, please visit this site: http://www.classy.org/team/218430

Project AWARE PADI PADI Pros - North America & Caribbean Thomas J Koch

Check out Aqua Hands - Finathon 2019's team fundraising page for Project AWARE Swimming to End Finning

Do you have your tickets for SharkCon? Make sure you go to www.sharkcon.com for tickets and stop by the SCC table July 8-9 in Tampa!

We just wanted to thank the people who came to our SCUBA meeting tonight. We are looking forward to our first Keys trip of the 2017-2018 academic year! If you missed it but still want to get certified, we have one more signup meeting tomorrow night in the Galbraith Auditorium in the Marine Science Building at 8:00PM. Look forward to seeing you there, let's get divin!

Want to go on a dive trip to the Florida Keys May 5th-7th?
Want to go on some Advanced Shipwreck dives on this trip?
Want to get SCUBA certified for the first time?

Come sign up and pay for the trip/certification this Friday April 14th in ES 100 (Sheen auditorium) at 6:30PM. This is the last call to sign up and pay for the trip. Please call/text me at 802-922-2172 if you have any questions or you can't make it to the Friday meeting.

Price List:
$200 for the certification (Need to pay for the trip separately)
$325 for a beachfront condo (3 days 2 nights) and four dives
$10 for Wreck dives (In addition to the $325 and must be Advanced certified)
$65 for optional night dive
$99 for Nitrox certification

Attention Beginners: If you are looking to get your beginner SCUBA certification, all SCUBA gear is included, however personal skin gear is not. This means you will need your own Mask, Snorkel, Booties and Fins. You can get them from any dive shop or even online, all I ask is that it must be of SCUBA quality. If you need there are packages available for purchase, and I will be available to discuss with you what SCUBA quality means.

See you divin,

Henry Sadler
SCC SCUBA Coordinator

Thank you, Marine Discovery Center, Saint Petersburg FL for inviting us to the Food Truck Rally! We hope to see you all again soon and know we are always here to lend a hand!

Thank you again, Clearwater Marine Aquarium for inviting us out to the marine science fest event! We had a blast!! Can't wait to do it again and help out where we can.

Fin Fact Friday!
Chimaeras, also called ghost sharks, are related to sharks and rays. They are considered cartilaginous fishes but have several anatomical features that differ from sharks and rays. In evolutionary terms, chimaeras branched off from elasmobranchs 400 million years ago and have remained isolated ever since. For example chimaeras have a single external gill opening compared to the 5-7 external gill openings of elasmobranchs. The upper jaw of chimaeras are fused to the skull while it is not fused to the skull in elasmobranchs. Chimaeras have grinding plates for teeth that are replaced very slowly. Very little is still known about these animals! The video in the article below is the first time the pointy-nosed blue chimaera was filmed alive in its natural habitat.

Deep-Sea Ghost Shark Filmed Alive In Ocean For First Time Relatives of sharks and rays, these deep-sea denizens split off from these other groups some 300 million years ago.

Here's a little fact to add some mystery to your Monday! How is it possible for a female shark to give birth to offspring without any male genetic contribution? This phenomenon known as parthenogenesis or "virgin birth" is common among invertebrates like insects but is rare among vertebrates. This form of asexual reproduction has been seen in several shark species in aquariums around the world and is said to happen by a doubling of the egg genome, generating an embryo with the proper number of chromosomes. With most shark species in dramatic decline around the globe, the ability of females to reproduce without a male may seem like a good alternative reproductive strategy, but it does have negative implications. Because the offspring are half clones of their mother, widespread parthenogenesis could reduce the genetic diversity in shark populations substantially.

One of the most recent documented cases of parthenogenesis was seen this past June at the Reef HQ Great Barrier Reef Aquarium in Australia. A zebra shark that had no contact with a male for years laid 41 eggs. Three of the 41 eggs hatched into healthy pups that were all female.

Check out the Nat Geo Article:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/06/leopard-shark-virgin-birth-aquarium-australia/

Shark Gives Rare 'Virgin Birth' to Three Pups A leopard shark in an aquarium in Australia surprises its keepers with the rare phenomenon.