Think Tank has announced the release of three new travel-specific camera backpacks. All three have integrated pockets for laptops and iPads, a top boarding pass pocket and handles to ensure easy placement and removal from overhead lockers on aircraft. The new Airport series consists of the Accelerator, Commuter and Essentials models each offering different capacities and physical sizes. All three meet carry-on size specifications, with the smaller two also being designed to fit under-seat in regional commuter planes.

The new bags will retail at $279.95 for the Accelerator, $199.75 for the Commuter and $175.75 for the Essentials model. They will all be available from June.

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Wetpixel does not normally offer reviews of diving equipment, but occasionally a new product comes along that demands our attention. The Atomic Aquatics Venom mask is such a product. It features a one-piece lens made of Schott UltraClear optical glass, that claims to transmit 96% of available light and removes tints that are present in cheaper glass lenses. For imaging purposes, this potentially enhances the viewing of viewfinders or LCD screens, and should give a more faithful rendering of the colors that are present in the underwater scenes we are attempting to capture.

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Important announcement: Mr. Inoke Wainiqolo, Permanent Secretary for Fisheries & Forests, issued a notice that there will be a stakeholder consultation to discuss the protection of sharks in Fiji waters tomorrow, 2 May at 10 AM at the Suva Holiday Inn, Suva, Fiji. The agenda is not yet determined, but Shark Defenders are calling for as much support for the proposal as possible, in person or via letter. The contact person is Kelly Thomas Brown who will be attending the meeting. In addition, if you can’t attend in person please:

1. Write a short letter to the Fiji Times explaining why you support shark protections. If you don’t live here, say that you can’t wait to come visit our sharks. Email your letter to the editor.
2. Post our public service announcements to your Facebook wall. PSA #1 and PSA #2 talk about the importance of sharks, while PSA #3 (starring shark champion Senator Tony DeBrum from the Marshall Islands) talks about the importance of banning bycatch and transshipment.
3. Update your Facebook and Twitter status to “I love Fiji Sharks #FijiMe.” Then Like, Share, and ReTweet the message everytime you see it!

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Author, photographer and marine life behavior specialist, Ned DeLoach will present a “Fishinar” entitled “Speed Dating Fishy Style: How Fish Spawn and When You’re Likely to Catch Them in the Act” on 9 May at 8pm EDT. The presentation will be held in conjunction with the Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF) and will feature many of Ned’s unique images.

In order to view and participate in the “Fishinar”, you will need to register for a free membership of REEF and then enroll. Once this process is complete, participants will receive details about how to log on.

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In a new study published in the journal Conservation Biology, NOAA’s Pacific Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program has compiled shark sighting data from more than 1,607 dives at 46 reefs in the central-western Pacific, which included reefs near the Hawaiian islands and American Samoa as well as extremely isolated reefs nearly devoid of human influence. Though eight species of shark were seen on the dives, the researchers excluded sharks, such as hammerheads, that aren’t dependent on reefs. This left them with five shark species to tally: gray reef sharks, blacktip reef sharks, whitetip reef sharks, Galapagos sharks and tawny nurse sharks.

Study leader Marc Nadon commented on the survey’s results:

“Around each of the heavily populated areas we surveyed — in the main Hawaiian Islands, the Mariana Archipelago, and American Samoa — reef shark numbers were greatly depressed compared to reefs in the same regions that were simply [farther] away from humans,” and went on to say. “We estimate that less than 10 percent of the baseline numbers remain in these areas.”

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