Managua, Apr 17 (EFE).- An environmental group is calling for a greater government presence in Nicaragua's Caribbean waters following the discovery of a boat with dozens of dead sharks aboard in Little Corn Island. Complaints have been filed with the Environment and Natural Resources Ministry, or Marena, and the Nicaraguan Aquaculture and Fishing Institute about the shark slaughter, the Nicaraguan Foundation for Sustainable Development, or Fundenic-SOS, said.

Los Angeles, Mar 28 (EFE).- Ocean Ramsey is a 27-year-old model and scuba instructor with a figure that would let her pass for a Hollywood actress, but her name has become known for a very different reason: she risks her life diving along with white sharks, the largest marine predators, in an effort to preserve this species. "I want to contribute to dissipating the irrational fear people have of sharks and get across what their real behavior and their crucial role in the marine ecosystem is," said Ramsey in an interview with Efe.

South African authorities put up a shark exclusion net Friday at a popular beach in Cape Town, a first in the city as they try to avert further deadly attacks. The net was installed at Fish Hoek beach, where Great White sharks are common and three attacks have taken place since 2004 -- two of them fatal. The small meshed net will act like an "underwater fence", said Gregg Oelofse, Cape Town's head of environmental policy and strategy. It has been designed to avoid trapping sea life, unlike larger, more traditional meshed shark nets, he said.

A conservation victory restricting global trade in more shark species will take a fresh bite at Hong Kong's market in fins, which has already been hit hard by persistent attacks from anti-fin campaigners. Defiant fin merchants insisted the impact of the restrictions would be minimal as they would continue to import other species not covered by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) agreement.