The Mexican legislation NOM-029-PESCA-2006 took effect on May 16, 2007. Originally advertised as a way to ”reduce the overfishing of sharks and rays in Mexican waters,” and specifically, in the Sea of Cortez, the bill became strongly supported by commercial fishing interests.

Under NOM-029, there is a reduction in protected no-take zones for marlin, dorado, sailfish, and other species, no reduction in currently issued permits and no restriction on ‘incidental’ by-catch (resulting from longline and gillnet fishing), which some studies have reported ”runs 60% to 80% of the total catch.”

Environmental organization Sea Watch has issued a call to action to contact Mexican government and civic officials in an attempt to stop the implementation of NOM-029. Take the time to send a message to preserve these marine habitats, or suggest alternatives in the ongoing discussion…

The Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science (RSMAS) has posted the winners of its 2007 Underwater Photography Contest.

Congratulations to Wetpixel members Patrick Weir (whose photo took ‘Best Overall’), Neil Hammerschlag, Matthew Potenski, Alvin Rosenfeld, and Phillip Gillette (and others?) for placing. Discuss the winning images in the competition thread…

For the past 10 years, Taiwan has been actively fishing whale sharks for their meat, often served in restaurants as “Tofu Shark.” ”In 1995, according to records, Taiwan caught 270 whale sharks. In 2001...about 100,” said Zhuang Shouzheng, an associate professor at National Taiwan Ocean University. The numbers of whale sharks have significantly dwindled in recent years, causing the Taiwanese Fisheries Ministry to impose quotas, which were set at 60 and 30 in 2006 and 2007, respectively.

Beginning in 2008, Taiwan will enact a total ban on the trade of whale sharks and whale shark meat. A number of conservation groups have been working in the area for years to stop the killing of whale sharks, and this decision by the Taiwanese government is hailed as a major step towards achieving this objective.

Do you shoot underwater with models? Do you want your name and quote in an issue of Sport Diver Magazine? Eric Cheng and Jason Heller, of Wetpixel & DivePhotoGuide, have entered into a special partnership with Sport Diver to write the “Images” column moving forward.

We are currently working on a column about “Shooting with Models.” Send us your top tips and any great or horrible experiences that you’ve had shooting with models, and your quote and name may appear in an upcoming “Images” column of Sport Diver Magazine. Only catch is that we need this info by tomorrow (ASAP!). Anything you send will be considered and much appreciated!

If you are interested, please email a few sentences directly to .

Wetpixel would like to announce ReefNet Incorporated as the winner of the Embedded Photo of the Week website contest!  Although all of the entries used the embedded POTW in creative ways, ReefNet’s implementation included Wetpixel’s Photo of the Week as if it had been designed into the site from the beginning.  ReefNet wins a 20th Anniversary Citizen Aqualand Eco-Drive dive watch donated by Marine Visions.

We’d also like to acknowledge DamienSiviero.com‘s excellent incorporation of the Wetpixel POTW into his site. Damien went a bit further, writing custom code to pull larger images from Wetpixel in a page that highlights the last POTW winner as well as his most recent entry. 

Photographs by Marine Mammal Conservation through the Arts founder, Bryant Austin, are currently featured at the Mill Gallery in Santa Cruz, California through June 30, 2007. Through the Santa Cruz Institute of Contemporary Arts, Austin is supporting his international campaign, “Whales in Public Spaces,” with the display of life-size images of humpback whales as large as twelve feet high by ninety feet long.

A special reception is scheduled for June 1, 2007 - continue reading for the full press release and information on Austin’s future plans, which include a housed Hasselblad H3D 39 megapixel digital camera…

DiveFilm Podcast Video has released the first of a two part video, Episode 43 “The Sharks of Clipperton Island”, now available for free at iTunes. The video by Mary Lynn Price includes archive footage and images from Conrad Limbaugh’s expeditions to Clipperton in the 1950s when he encountered numerous and aggressive sharks. At Clipperton today, sharks are few and old fishing longline crisscrosses most of the island’s abundant coral reefs.

Part two of the video will examine the issues facing the sharks of Clipperton Island and current ideas for their protection. DiveFilm Podcast Video is produced in association with Wetpixel.com and are “Featured TV & Film Podcasts” at iTunes.

Olympus has announced new accessories and housings for underwater photography. New to the range is the PT-E03 (waterproof up to a depth of 40m) for the E-400 and the E-410 with Live View, which will be available from June. Live View technology lets underwater photographers use the LCD for framing.

The already waterproof (to 10m) compact 770 SW also gains a housing (waterproof to 40m). More information in the Olympus underwater website.

With Canon’s recent release of a redesigned 16-35mm lens that promised sharper corners, a lot of discussion has focused on comparisons between the new and old versions of the lens, and the combinations of ports and extensions for the best results. Professional underwater photographer and Wetpixel member Stephen Frink obtained a copy of the 16-35mm II to test underwater using a Seacam housing and ports.

Based on his results, compared to Canon’s 16-35mm I, 17-40mm, and 15mm fisheye, the 16-35mm II has much better color and contrast...[and] is very sharp in the center. To view images from each lens, continue to Frink’s Canon 16-35mm II results, or add your own impressions in the ongoing thread…

This year’s ADEX was held at a new venue called BITEC which is 22km away from Bangkok city center. Braving the infamously terrible traffic in Bangkok, Wetpixel moderator ‘Khun’ Drew Wong was there to report for Wetpixel what was formerly Asia’s largest dive expositions.

By far the biggest exhibitor was PADI...ADEX is also the place where many new dive resorts and liveaboards market their products. The most surprising one that I found was the booth for Christmas Island, an Australian destination known for the great red crab migration...

Continue reading for the full report, and photos from both ADEX and the official Wetpixel and DivePhotoGuide gathering at the AD Maker bar…