While not quite on par with 2001’s infamous “Summer of the Shark” (the media’s term, not mine), the summer of 2009 has seen its share of numerous and varied shark stories in the media – from inspiring to bizarre to downright tragic.

As some of these stories illustrate, the message of shark conservation is still not reaching the masses. Too many people still do not understand the delicate balance of the marine ecosystem and the integral role of sharks in maintaining that balance. Here’s hoping that some of these stories help to raise awareness, spur people to action and lead to more protection of threatened sharks:

The senseless killing of tiger sharks -

http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2009/aug/11/outdoor-notebook-two-tiger-sharks-flw-sues/

Study: big sharks disappearing from the Gulf of Mexico -

http://blog.al.com/live/2009/07/study_big_sharks_disappearing.html

A nurse shark left to die in the streets of Miami -

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami-dade/story/1153606.html?asset_id=Dead%20shark%20dumped%20on%20Overtown%20street&asset_type=html_module

A rare sighting of a bull shark – in the Alabama River – 80 miles from the coast! -

http://blog.al.com/live/2009/07/bull_shark_spotted_on_alabama.html

An even more rare sighting – a white shark in the northern Gulf of Mexico -

http://blog.al.com/live/2009/08/great_white_shark_sighting_rep.html

And a once rare – but now commonplace – sighting: healthy populations of whale sharks in the Gulf of Mexico -

http://www.al.com/news/press-register/metro.ssf?/base/news/125041412399710.xml&coll=3

And, last but not least, a bull shark leaps out of the water and into a boat. Really? Perhaps he realized sharks are no longer safe in the water…  -

http://www.postchronicle.com/blog/shark-jumps-into-boat-in-florida-video/

Cheers!