A new report released this week confirms that sharks numbers and sizes are in decline, a result of the world's taste for shark fin soup. The soup is a delicacy in Asia.Jill Hepp, the manager of the Global Shark Conservation campaign at the Pew Environment Group, says a meeting next month of the Western and Central Fisheries Commission, which manages tuna, will discuss measures to protect sharks in the Pacific.But she told Alexandra Wake two Pacific island nations, Palau and Marshall Islands, are already leading the way in protecting these valuable ocean creatures.Presenter: Alexandra WakeSpeaker: Jill Hep, the manager of the Global Shark Conservation campaign at the Pew Environment Group ...

Updated at 1:16 pm on 8 November 2012 National says a pledge against shark finning, signed by other political parties, is a political stunt. It is already illegal to fin live sharks but the pledge would require the entire animal to be brought ashore, rather than be dumped at sea. Green MP Gareth Hughes says finning is being banned in many other countries because it is wasteful and damages shark populations. But Primary Industry Minister David Carter, says there is already a process underway to increase the regulation of finning and the pledge is a political stunt. Copyright © 2012, Radio New Zealand ...

Most people wouldn't consider the ominous sign of a fin emerging from the water a reason to jump in after it, but on this occasion Jane Morgan's eye for a good photograph convinced her otherwise. The Penzance photographer took this snap of a Blue Shark after heading out to sea 15 miles off the town last month armed with just a stinking chum bucket and a pole camera. ​ Nudibranch feeding on the sea mat (an encrusting bryozoan) on some kelp, taken by Jane Morgan. ​ Diver exploring a cave in Stac Lee, St Kilda, taken by Jane Morgan. ​ Blue Shark caught on camera by Jane Morgan off Penzance. ​ Penzance photographer Jane Morgan took these amazing photos. Below, a blue shark off the coast of Cornwall and above, a diver exploring a cave And as well as being rewarded…