The winning images from the Under the Blue 2007 International Photo and Video Competition were announced at the SCUBA Show in Long Beach, California, and have been posted at UnderwaterCompetition.com.

Congratulations to Wetpixel member Yeang Chng for taking Best in Show with an excellent photograph of a sunburst-lit cuttlefish, and also to all those individuals who placed. The winners shared more than $20,000 in prizes ranging from photo and video equipment to dive travel opportunities.

A special thanks to the generous sponsors, without which these competitions would not be possible. Good luck next year!

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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...

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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.

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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.

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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.

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