There is a research project underway off the Farallon Islands to tag and track Great White Sharks. Cool, right? Nope. The project, which is being conducted by Dr. Michael Domeier and the San Diego Marine Conservation Science Institute is using controversially invasive techniques on the Sharks. They hang hunks of blubber off the side of a boat (where does this blubber come from?) on giant hooks. They then catch the Shark and haul them completely out of the water and onto the boat for over 10 minutes while they drill a hole in the dorsal fin in order to bolt on their tracking transmitters. The first Shark they tagged on Thursday, October 29. It was a complete botch job. The Shark swallowed the whole hook which got lodged into its throat. When the Shark was pulled from the water witnesses reported seeing blood trailing out of its cloaca. A cloaca is a Shark asshole. Nice right? It took researchers 40-minutes to yank the Shark on board, so a bleeding asshole is probably to be expected. It then took researchers nearly 10 minutes with a pair of bold cutters jammed through the Shark's gills in order for them to cut the hook loose. They then took nearly another ten minutes taking their measurements and attaching their transmitter before the Shark was returned to the water...supposedly unharmed.

Aren't there easier ways to tag and track Sharks? Of course there is. Can you imagine if they tagged other endangered species like this? Giant Pandas and Siberian Tigers and the like. It wouldn't happen would it? Read.

Now, because that story probably angered the hell out of you, cleanse your mental rage palate with this:

--Sharky