Sydney - Sharks whose babies eat each other in the womb may not be everybody's idea of a species worth worrying about, but Australian scientists are desperately trying to save them from themselves.

Government researchers are working to develop an artificial uterus in which grey nurse shark embryos can grow without being cannibalised by their siblings, shark scientist Nick Otway told AFP Thursday.

Attacks on Humans Grab Headlines, but Humans Are Killing More Than 100 Million Sharks Every Year!

By DAN BECKMANN

Aug. 24, 2006 — With the dog days of summer approaching, the winner in the battle of man vs. shark this year will most certainly be the 'humans' — by a tidal wave.

"All in all, it's been a relatively quiet year [for shark attacks] from both the standpoint of the summer in the United States, but also a worldwide," said George Burgess, director of the Shark Research Center at the University of Florida, who keeps the world's most accurate list of shark attacks.

Worried mom Britney Spears has ordered husband Kevin Federline to get rid of his pet sharks, fearing one of his kids could be maimed by the flesh-eating fish. The pregnant pop star has never been a fan of her husband's six Australian grey nurse sharks, and now she wants them out of her house.

A source tells publication Life & Style, "Kevin loves those sharks; he even named them. But Brit said there's no way he'd be keeping them."

Grey Nurse Sharks can grow up to 3.2 m long and are not dangerous, according to the Australian Museum.

Source - Starpulse.com

The city of Cape Town will take new safety precautions after a shark attack on a 24-year-old lifeguard, a city councillor said on Tuesday.

Councillor Marian Niewoudt, mayoral committee member for planning and environment, said the city had been working with Marine and Coastal Management and other specialists since May on measures to curb shark attacks.

August 16, 2006

By Melanie Gosling

Calls for Great White sharks to be killed "selectively" in False Bay to avert attacks on people are "nonsensical", according to Cape Town shark scientist Len Compagno.

While scientists do not know what makes a shark bite a person, Compagno says, it is clear that they do not regard humans as food because people are rarely eaten after being bitten.

Also, he says, sharks do not target humans in "serial attacks".

A group of five people have become the first to observe sharks from underwater cages off the coast of the UK.

They were the first of dozens who applied to join a scheme allowing them to go down in the protective cage off the Cornish coast.

The group made their trip on Saturday morning and left the safety of the cage to swim with four basking sharks.

Western Australian Fisheries Minister Jon Ford has indicated shark fishing in the state's northern waters is likely to be banned.

A Commonwealth review into the industry's sustainability has been completed and a formal announcement on its future will be made next week.

Mr Ford says illegal poaching has led to an environmental disaster.

"For shark fishing of our northern coast, especially for the long-lived species, no, I don't see a future for it at the moment," he said.

"It's gone so far that it's probably damaged for at least the next 15 to 20 years and we will probably have to remove our domestic fleets, that's my view."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200608/s1705864.htm