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<ul class="summary-list"><li>Customs officials in <keyword id="24349" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Hong-Kong">Hong Kong</keyword> seized over 28 tons of <keyword id="963647" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="shark-fin">shark fin</keyword> this week, sliced off some 38,500 endangered <keyword id="6785521" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Sharks">sharks</keyword>. </li><li>The haul is the largest the city has ever seen, and more than twice the amount seized in 2019.</li><li>Officials were suspicious because the containers were labeled in Spanish. Labels are typically only in Chinese or English.</li><li>The shark fin trade is responsible for killing more than 70 million sharks each year and driving over a quarter of shark species into extinction.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul><p>Hong Kong customs seized 28 tons of shark fins severed from roughly 38,500 endangered sharks, representing the largest fin <keyword id="6373326" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="smuggling">smuggling</keyword> operation in the city.</p><p>On Wednesday, Hong Kong customs officials announced they had uncovered two containers filled with 26 metric tons, or more than 57,000 lbs, of the controversial delicacy, worth about $1.1 million, the <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3083184/biggest-shark-fin-seizure-hong-kong-history-recovers">South China Morning Post</a> reported. </p><p>Some 90% of the fins were from thresher and silk sharks, which are both considered protected species, according to the Morning Post. Their value would have been much higher, though, if they had been of better quality. </p><p>The containers arrived separately from Equador in January, but their contents were discovered on April 28 and May 4. Customs officers grew suspicious since both had labels in Spanish indicating they were carrying dried fish.</p><p>Typically such shipments are only labeled in English or Chinese.</p><h2>A record capture</h2><p>The haul is more than double the 13.2 tons of shark fin seized in Hong Kong in 2019, <a href="https://time.com/5833378/hong-kong-smuggled-shark-fin-record/">Time magazine reported</a>. </p><p>Danny Cheung Kowk-yin, assistant superintendent of the Customs and Excise Department's marine enforcement group, told the Morning Post that both crates were sent by the same firm to a Hong Kong logistics company.</p><p>The 57-year-old owner of that company has been arrested and is free on bail during the investigation. </p><p>Under the Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance, he could face up of 10 years in prison and a fine of nearly $1.3 million. Cheung told the Morning Post the investigation was ongoing and more people could be arrested. </p><p><div type="image" title="Merchants cut shark fins at a fish market in Dubai in 2012." height="1332" width="2000" msid="75609427" hostid="261"></div></p><p>Shark fin is typically eaten as a soup and some believe <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/shark-fin-soup-isnt-healthy-2016-6">it has health benefits</a>.  Viewed as a status symbol, the dish is often served at weddings. </p><p>"The bigger the fin and the thicker the veining, the more expensive it is," clerks at Hong Kong's Dried Seaford Market in Sheung Wan told <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2019/02/04/health/shark-fin-chinese-new-year-hong-kong-intl/index.html">CNN.</a></p><h2>The devastating toll on the world's shark population</h2><p><a href="https://www.traffic.org/site/assets/files/9513/shark-product-trade-in-hong-kong-and-mainland-china.pdf">Half of the world's supply of shark fins</a> once passed through Hong Kong, though the government has cracked down on illicit trading. <br /><br />It's still legal to buy and consume fins but endangered sharks are protected and need to come with a permit. According to <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-hongkong-sharkfin/massive-shark-fin-haul-into-hong-kong-dodges-global-shipping-bans-idUSKCN1U50Q0">Reuters</a>, false labeling on shipments is common.</p><p>The shark fin trade is responsible for the deaths of more than 70 million sharks each year, Reuters reported, and has lead to the extinction of more than a quarter of shark species.</p><p>Yvonne Sadovy, a marine biologist at the University of Hong Kong, told <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2019/02/04/health/shark-fin-chinese-new-year-hong-kong-intl/index.html">CNN</a> that slicing a fin off a shark is ultimately fatal, since they need them for balancing, steering, and, in some cases, breathing.</p><p>"It cannot move, feed or swim, so it just starves to death on the sea bottom," she said. "Maybe it is like cutting the wings off a flying plane: The plane will be destroyed."</p>Read the original article on <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hong-kong-seized-28-tons-shark-fin-largest-capture-ever-2020-5">Business Insider</a>

Hong Kong custom officials seized a record 28 tons of shark fin worth over $1 million

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Shark attacks are more common in the US than in any other place in the world.</li><li>Nearly 60% of all shark bite incidents recorded since 1837 in the US have happened in Florida.</li></ul><p>In May, a shark <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/shark-bites-leg-connecticut-woman-turks-caicos-2023-5">bit the leg off</a> a woman while she was swimming in the Turks and Caicos islands. Earlier that same month, a great white shark <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/australia-diver-killed-by-a-great-white-shark-provoked-incident-2023-4">killed a man</a> at Buchan Point in Australia.</p><p>But if you think <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/teen-killed-shark-attack-river-bull-sharks-often-swim-freshwater-2023-2">shark attacks</a> are only limited to remote and isolated islands, you'd be surprised to know that the US has seen more <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/shark-bites-leg-connecticut-woman-turks-caicos-2023-5">unprovoked shark attacks</a> than any other country, by far, and many of these attacks happen near crowded beaches.</p><h2>Where the most shark attacks occur in the US</h2><p>Since the 16th century, 1,604 unprovoked shark attacks have been reported in the US, according to <a href="https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/shark-attacks/maps/world/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the International Shark Attack File</a>.</p><p>That's more than double the number of shark attacks in Australia, which holds the second-highest number of attacks at 691.</p><div type="image" title="A dark grey sicklefin lemon shark swimming over the reef." height="683" width="1024" msid="100775774" hostid="261"></div><p>And the majority of these US attacks took place in Florida, which is also known as the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/feb/07/florida-shark-bite-attacks-stats-global" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shark bite capital</a> of the world. </p><p>However, Florida isn't the only coastal state in America where shark attacks happen. Here's a list of the US states with the <a href="https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/shark-attacks/maps/na/usa/usa-all/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">most unprovoked shark attacks</a> since 1837:</p><table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; height: 220px;" border="1"><tbody><tr><td style="width: 49.9363%;">Florida</td><td style="width: 49.9363%;">912</td></tr><tr><td style="width: 49.9363%;">Hawaii</td><td style="width: 49.9363%;">187</td></tr><tr><td style="width: 49.9363%;">California</td><td style="width: 49.9363%;">136</td></tr><tr><td style="width: 49.9363%;">South Carolina</td><td style="width: 49.9363%;">115</td></tr><tr><td style="width: 49.9363%;">North Carolina</td><td style="width: 49.9363%;">78</td></tr><tr><td style="width: 49.9363%;">Texas</td><td style="width: 49.9363%;">45</td></tr><tr><td style="width: 49.9363%;">Oregon</td><td style="width: 49.9363%;">29</td></tr><tr><td style="width: 49.9363%;">New York</td><td style="width: 49.9363%;">20</td></tr><tr><td style="width: 49.9363%;">Georgia</td><td style="width: 49.9363%;">17</td></tr><tr><td style="width: 49.9363%;">New Jersey</td><td style="width: 49.9363%;">15</td></tr><tr><td style="width: 49.9363%;">Alabama</td><td style="width: 49.9363%;">10</td></tr><tr><td style="width: 49.9363%;">Massachusetts</td><td style="width: 49.9363%;">6</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Other states, including Virginia, Louisiana, Delaware, and half a dozen more recorded between one and five attacks in the same time period.</p><h2>Why does Florida have the most shark attacks?</h2><p>"Shark attacks occur most frequently in areas where there are both a lot of people and sharks," <a href="https://fwcb.cfans.umn.edu/people/peter-sorensen" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Peter Sorensen</a>, a professor in the Department of Fisheries at the University of Minnesota, told Insider.</p><p>And Florida pretty much fits this description perfectly. Its <a href="https://sgp.fas.org/crs/misc/RS21729.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">1,350 miles</a> long coastline houses <a href="https://a-z-animals.com/blog/15-sharks-in-florida/#:~:text=A%20study%20of%203%2C000%20different,species%20of%20sharks%20in%20Florida." target="_blank" rel="noopener">15 different</a> shark species and <a href="https://sciencetrends.com/map-of-every-florida-beach/#:~:text=The%20state%20of%20Florida%20has,tourism%20and%20making%20people%20happy." target="_blank" rel="noopener">over 180</a> attractive beaches.</p><div type="image" title="A surfer riding a white-cresting wave." height="683" width="1024" msid="100775776" hostid="261"></div><p>According to the Florida Department of Environment Protection, about <a href="https://floridadep.gov/rcp/beaches" target="_blank" rel="noopener">19 million</a> tourists visit the state every year just to spend time at its beaches and enjoy water sports.</p><p>Hawaii and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/southern-california-coast-hotspot-great-white-sharks-beaches-shore-2023-2">California</a>, which rank second and third on the list of most shark attacks in the US, respectively, also have a large shark population and are famous for their beaches and water sports.</p><p>Beachside activities like surfing, rafting, and diving take beachgoers farther out from the shoreline into deeper water, which may also significantly <a href="https://www.animalsaroundtheglobe.com/shark-attacks-florida/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">contribute</a> to shark attacks. One study found that <a href="http://www.sharkresearchcommittee.com/statistics.htm#:~:text=Along%20the%20Pacific%20Coast%20of,February%20and%20five%20for%20April." target="_blank" rel="noopener">about 46%</a> (50 out of 108) of shark attack victims on the Pacific coast were divers and 38% (41 out of 108) were surfers.</p><p>Though it's worth noting that your chances of dying by shark attack are very low — lower than death from a lightning strike.</p><p>James Sulikowski, director of the Coastal Oregon Marine Experiment Station, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/shark-bites-summer-beach-safety-98a80236f0eccefc2072b009b4932485" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> AP News: "We are intruders in their environment. What we can do is be logical and safe about that and avoid areas where sharks are going to be feeding. When an interaction occurs, it's mistaken identity — we are in an area where a shark is looking to eat."</p><h2>Months when sharks attack the most</h2><div type="image" title="Dozens of hammerhead sharks swimming from above." height="1414" width="2121" msid="100775777" hostid="261"></div><p>The frequency of shark attacks "in the US is high in the summer months. Why? Primarily because people go to the beaches more in the summer than in the winter," <a href="https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/sharks/blog/meet-the-researchers-gavin-naylor/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gavin Naylor</a>, director at the Florida Program for Shark Research, told Insider.</p><p>Shark experts from the University of Florida also confirm that attacks are on the rise between <a href="https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/science/the-why-where-and-when-of-leading-shark-attack-site/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">May and October</a>, and reach their peak in August. This is also the typical time when <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/great-white-sharks-memorial-day-weekend-ocearch-summer-migration-attack-2023-5">sharks migrate</a> and people in the US are enjoying their summer holidays.</p><h2>Humans kill millions of sharks each year</h2><p>Between 2012 and 2021, <a href="https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/shark-attacks/trends/location/usa/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sharks bit 471</a> people in the US, killing eight in total, per ISAF. <a href="https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/shark-attacks/trends/location/world/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Globally</a>, sharks attacked 761 people, which led to 60 fatalities in the same time period.</p><p>That's minuscule compared to how many sharks humans kill each year.</p><div type="image" title="Dozens of dead sharks left on a beach to rot after their fins are removed for shark fin soup." height="683" width="1024" msid="100775779" hostid="261"></div><p>It's estimated that every year <a href="https://www.insider.com/shark-attacks-what-are-odds-of-getting-bitten-2018-7">100 million sharks</a> are killed for numerous <a href="https://www.greenpeace.org/international/story/46967/100-million-dead-sharks-its-not-all-about-shark-fin-soup/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shark-derived products</a> like fin soup, meat, cosmetics, oil, and fertilizers. </p><p>Due to overfishing, their population has decreased by <a href="https://affiliate.insider.com?h=d43f3dc384c07a3a5453eb2f34012bafc10ac68495df0c2c0e204b3d5909e003&amp;postID=647e1aacf7c0831b24762b7b&amp;site=bi&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nature.com%2Farticles%2Fs41586-020-03173-9%23%3A~%3Atext%3DWe%2520find%2520that%252C%2520since%25201970%2Cincrease%2520in%2520relative%2520fishing%2520pressure." target="_blank" rel="noopener">more than 70%</a> in the last 50 years. Clearly, humans are more threatening to sharks than <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bears-sharks-orcas-how-to-avoid-an-attack-apex-predators-2023-5">shark bites</a> are to humans.</p><p>"Shark attacks are rare and it is extremely rare for people to be eaten when they occur," Sorensen said. "Most attacks are simply instances in which people startle sharks."</p>

Shark attacks in the US occur most in these 12 states

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Jason Lee</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p>
<p>This is an important stat: There's been a <a href="http://shanghaiist.com/2014/04/09/fin-ished_hong_kong_to_mainland_sha.php">90% plunge</a> in exports of shark fins from Hong Kong to mainland China.</p>
<p>Shark fin soup has long been considered a Chinese delicacy, but in recent years there's been a <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/in-china-victory-for-wildlife-conservation-as-citizens-persuaded-to-give-up-shark-fin-soup/2013/10/19/e8181326-3646-11e3-89db-8002ba99b894_story.html?hpid=z1">pretty big campaign</a> to discourage its consumption on account of cruelty to animals.</p>
<p>But the moral argument against shark fin soup is only part of the story. One of the primary campaigns by Chinese President Xi Jinping is to crack down on ostentatious consumption by party leaders, as part of an anti-corruption drive.</p>
<p>Last year, <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/news/chinas-xi-jinping-bans-official-extravagance/">the government tried to ban official extravagance</a>, a move that hurt many luxury companies and banquet halls. And so the shark fin plunge is a story about that as well. Attempts to prevent Chinese officials from eating extravagantly and accepting expensive gifts is clearly working.</p>

Chinese Shark Fin Imports Collapse, And That Means One Government Is Working Very Well

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Westend61/Getty Images</span></p><p class="caption">Scuba divers in a shark cage observe a great white shark near Guadalupe, Mexico.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li>Scientists have successfully sequenced the entire <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/early/recent">genome of the great white shark</a>.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ap-researchers-come-face-to-face-with-huge-great-white-shark-2019-1">Sharks have swum</a> in the planet's oceans for the last 400 million years. Some experts believe their species-wide longevity stems from <a href="https://www.thisisinsider.com/shark-myths-untrue-2018-7#myth-sharks-can-cure-cancer-7">a resistance to diseases like cancer</a> and ability to heal quickly.</li><li>By decoding the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ap-scientists-look-to-map-the-genes-of-thousands-of-animals-2018-9">shark's genome</a>, scientists hope to glean new insight into the mechanisms behind these healing powers.</li><li>There's even a possibility that the findings could help humans tackle disease in new ways.</li></ul><p>Damage-resistant genes. Healing powers. Very low risk of cancer. No, scientists aren't describing Wolverine or Superman  - those are the powers of the great white shark. </p><p>The star of Steven Spielberg's blockbuster, whose scientific name is <em>Carcharodon carcharias</em>, has a reputation as a meat-eating monster of the sea. But in fact, great white sharks may offer clues about the genetic underpinnings of self-repairing DNA.</p><p>For the first time, scientists have successfully <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/early/recent">sequenced the entire genome of the great white shark</a>. A genome is<span> all of an organism's genetic material - its genes and DNA. These sharks have 4.63 billion rungs on their DNA ladder, and 41 pairs of chromosomes compared to humans' 23, <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2019/02/13/1819778116">a new study revealed</a>. </span></p><p><span>So this sequencing effort was years in the making. </span></p><p>But scientists think the work will be worth it, as <span>Mahmood Shivji, a biologist at Nova Southeastern University and a co-author of the new study about the shark genome, told Business Insider.</span></p><p><span>"Sharks are well known to be able to heal from wounds efficiently, but nobody knows why," he said. </span></p><p><span>This new genome could</span> reveal a plethora of genetic secrets that could explain why these animals are so good at healing and fending off disease.</p><p><span>"There's a tremendous amount to be learned from these highly successfully evolutionary marvels," Shivji said. "Their function and design is 400 million years of extremely fine-tuned evolution."</span></p><h2>Great white sharks are quick healers</h2><div title="Page 1"><div title="Page 1"><p><span>Great whites and other sharks <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4778477/#COV062C34">appear to be able to</a> recover from severe wounds - injuries that could come from risky courtship behaviors, fights with other sharks, or <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10641-009-9541-0">harpoon hunting</a> - in just weeks. </span></p><p><span>Shivji and his co-authors found that the great white has more genes devoted to blood clotting, along with various proteins that help kick-start new skin and tissue, than any other mammal, fish, or bird. </span></p><p><span>"They've devoted a significant proportion of their genome to wound healing," Michael Stanhope, an evolutionary biologist at Cornell University who co-led the study with Shivji, <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/dun-dun-duun-duuun-the-great-white-shark-genome-is-here/">told Wired</a>. </span></p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Discovery Channel: Great White Triangle</span></p><p class="caption">Sharks can heal wounds more quickly than other vertebrate species.</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p></div></div><p><span>In addition to this rapid healing, sharks don't get cancer more often than humans, despite their large size. Scientists generally think the chance of developing cancer should go up with an organism's body size and life span, since having more cells and a longer life leads to more opportunities for cancer-causing DNA damage to accumulate.</span></p><p><span>But "it is rare to find a 'sick' shark in the wild," scientists from the Mote Marine Laboratory wrote in <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2410-3888/3/4/47">a 2018 study</a>.</span></p><p><span>Great whites can be up to 20 feet long, weigh some 7,000 pounds, and <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0084006">live between 40 and 70 years</a>, so the fact that they don't have an increased risk of cancer suggests</span> that something in their genome confers additional protection<span>. (Sharks' typical causes of death involve interactions with humans or simply old age.)</span></p><p><span>One reason for that, according to the new study, may be that the great white's genetic code hides a balance of DNA opposites that make the overall genome stable.</span></p><p><span>On one hand, the genome has a large proportion of "jumping genes": genes that make copies of themselves then insert themselves into various parts of the genome. Shivji said scientists would expect these genes to make the genome more unstable because they break up DNA strands upon insertion, which raises the risk of errors and damage in the genetic code.</span></p><p>Such genomic instability is associated with <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780128033098000264">higher risk of cancers</a> in humans, as well as other age-related illnesses like Alzheimer's.</p><p>But it turns out that the shark genome balances these jumping genes with stabilizing genes involved in <span>DNA repair, damage response, and damage tolerance.</span></p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Larry Downing</span></p><p class="caption">Scientists are still figuring out the applications of genome sequencing, but it offers unprecedented insight into species' resistance to disease, for example.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>So it appears that great white sharks have developed a way to keep their genomes stable despite their large bodies and long lifespans, Shivji said.</p><h2><span>Sharks' genetic 'superpowers' could have applications for human health</span></h2><p>While the idea that <a href="https://www.thisisinsider.com/shark-myths-untrue-2018-7">sharks are cancer-proof</a> continues to circulate, the animals can get the disease. There have been 44 reported instances of cancerous lesions among 21 different types of chondrichthyes, a species <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/chondrichthian">class that contains sharks and sting rays</a>. Of those 44 reports, about a third were malignant, according to <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/301300604_First_histological_examination_of_a_neoplastic_lesion_from_a_free-swimming_white_shark_Carcharodon_carcharias_L">a 2016 study</a>.</p><p>That cancer myth is the basis for shark-cartilage pills, the sale of which <a href="https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/science-sushi/mythbusting-101-sharks-will-cure-cancer/#5">continues to decimate shark populations worldwide</a>. Great whites are now listed as "vulnerable to extinction" by the <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/3855/10133872">International Union for the Conservation of Nature</a>.</p><p>Shivji emphasized that eating <span>shark products - like taking the cartilage pills or consuming <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/shark-fin-soup-isnt-healthy-2016-6">shark fin soup</a> - won't improve your own genes' abilities to resist cancer.</span></p><p>"We want to avoid giving the impression to people that if you eat sharks, it'll cure diseases," Shivji said. "That's as silly as saying, 'if you eat sharks you'll be able to hold your breath better.'"<span></span></p><div title="Page 3"><p><span>But he added that the shark genome could give scientists "information that could be useful for human biomedical applications," including ways to "fight cancer and age-related diseases, and improve wound healing treatments."</span></p><div title="Page 5"><p><span>Any treatments developed based on these findings are still far off, though - Stanhope <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/dun-dun-duun-duuun-the-great-white-shark-genome-is-here/">told Wired</a> that "it will take years of work."</span></p><p>"Sharks have had over 400 million years to battle test their immune systems and develop this incredible capability," Shivji said. "We've only scratched the very surface of understanding how they do this."</p></div></div>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/one-biggest-misconceptions-about-sharks-coyote-peterson-youtube-animals-attack-2017-12">Coyote Peterson explains what most people get wrong about sharks</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

Scientists just mapped the great white shark's genome, revealing clues that may help us heal wounds and fight cancer

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Thomson Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">A surfer carries his board into the water next to a sign declaring a shark sighting on Sydney's Manly Beach, Australia</p></div><p></p></div></div>As the summer beach season opens in the United States, at least one expert is predicting an increase in shark attacks around the world this year that will surpass last year's record number.</p><p>"We should have more bites this year than last," George Burgess, director of the International Shark Attack File at the University of Florida, said in an interview shortly before the Memorial Day holiday weekend that signals the unofficial start of America's summer vacation = and beach - season.</p><p>In 2015, there were 98 shark attacks, including six fatalities, according to Burgess.</p><p>Why the increased bloodshed? Shark populations are slowly recovering from historic lows in the 1990s, the world's human population has grown and rising temperatures are leading more people to go swimming, Burgess said.</p><p>Still, the university notes that fatal shark attacks, while undeniably graphic, are so infrequent that beachgoers face a higher risk of being killed by sand collapsing as the result of overachieving sand castle builders.</p><p>With their fearsome teeth and dorsal fins the inspiration for hit movies, TV series and beach-town souvenirs, it is hard to believe that a century ago American scientists did not believe sharks would fatally attack humans in US temperate waters without provocation.</p><p>That changed in July 1916, when four people were killed in attacks near the New Jersey shore, a series of deaths blamed on a sea turtle until a great white shark with human remains in its stomach was captured nearby.</p><p>Since those attacks, public opinion of sharks has changed dramatically, with swimmers' fears fanned by fiction, from the 1975 Academy Award-winning film "Jaws," based on Peter Benchley's book about a giant man-eater, to the Discovery Channel's modern "Shark Week" summer television series.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Discovery Channel/Shark Week</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Years before the attacks near the northern Jersey Shore town of Keyport, millionaire businessman Hermann Oelrichs offered a $500 prize in 1891 (more than $13,000 in today's dollars) to anyone who could prove that a shark ever bit a human in nontropical waters. The reward was never claimed.</p><p>Well-regarded scientists at the American Museum of Natural History in New York pointed to Oelrichs' wager as proof that no shark would bite a human, according to Michael Capuzzo's 2001 book "Close to Shore."</p><p>Even the New York Times in a 1915 editorial titled "Let Us Do Justice to the Sharks" cited Oelrichs' offer and said, "That sharks can properly be called dangerous in this part of the world is apparently untrue."</p><h2>HUNTER BECOMES THE HUNTED</h2><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2I91DJZKRxs">Universal via YouTube</a></span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>While those attacks gave oceangoers pause for decades, "Jaws" turned the hunter into the hunted, Burgess said.</p><p>"Every red-blooded American man felt obliged to go out and catch sharks, which were readily capturable," said the University of Florida's Burgess, noting that they can be caught offshore and from small boats. "It became the blue-collar marlin."</p><p>Sharks were being killed by sportfishing fleets as well as commercial fishermen seeking steaks for US grocery stores and Asian markets for shark fin soup, regarded as an aphrodisiac in some cultures.</p><p>By the late 1980s, shark populations were crashing, and scientists sounded the alarm. The first law protecting sharks was passed in the 1990s in Florida - the home to the largest shark population of any US state - and limited the daily catch to one shark per person, according to Burgess.</p><p>Federal safeguards followed, as well as more state efforts like the shark fin ban that has gone into effect in 10 states and is under consideration in Rhode Island.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.dronestagr.am/french-polynesia-4/">tahitiflyshoot/Dronestagram</a></span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Conservation efforts have introduced the public to another side of sharks: their vital link to the ocean ecosystem, their typically curious and shy nature, even the human-like birth of their offspring rather than laying eggs like other fish.</p><p>The public is clearly hooked. Aquariums from San Francisco to Brooklyn say sharks are among the most popular attractions, and some people are willing to pay hundreds of dollars to swim close to them.</p><p>Mario Caruso, 42, a Brooklyn father of two, said it was well worth the $250 he paid to spend an hour submerged in the Atlantic Ocean inside a metal cage with sharks prowling around him off Montauk, New York.</p><p>"The first time, you get that rush of adrenaline and then, 'Oh, boy - he's got teeth!'," he said.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/sharks-feeding-dead-whale-australia-2016-5">Australian tourists got caught in the middle of a tiger shark feeding frenzy</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="ZsM3hvMzE6yqoWvxP8pImB9LvWPfk1rT" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

2016 may see a record number of shark attacks

<p><div class="image-container float_right click-to-enlarge" style="width:350px"><div class="image"><a title_source="Wikimedia, CC" title_caption="Not the specific white-tip shark in question." class="zoomin" href="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/51431ec9eab8ea4f30000009-960/oceanic-whitetip-shark.png"><span class="click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span></a></div><p class="source"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Oceanic_Whitetip_Shark.png">Wikimedia, CC</a></p><p class="caption">Not the specific white-tip shark in question.</p></div>A 5-foot-long white-tipped shark died after it was placed into an above-ground backyard pool in Van Nuys, California, during a commercial shoot for <keyword id="554530" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Kmart">Kmart</keyword>, <a href="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2013/03/shark-dies-in-kmart-commercial-shoot-in-van-nuys-backyard-pool.html">the LA Times reported</a>.</p>
<p>White-tip sharks are on <a href="http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/39374/0">the list of threatened species</a> due to a decline in population following the popularity of shark fin soup, according to the IUCN.</p>
<p>The death occurred March 6, but came to light after an on-set whistleblower told PETA that Kmart had asked to use live sharks in the ad:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">... the production company, Boxer Films of Los Angeles, had recommended against using a live shark. When the animal died, Kmart asked that a second shark be brought on set, but the production company refused and replaced the animal with an animatronic hippopotamus, ...</p>
<p>A source tells us that the script for the ad did call for use of a live shark, and the use of a shark was backed by the production company which had sub-contracted with Critters of the Cinema, an animal actor company that was supposed to follow best practices. This source, however, says that there was no second shark, and the whistleblower was wrong about that.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-21796435">Actors were jumping in and out of the pool where the shark was kept</a>, according to an AP/BBC report. Mark Stubis, CCO of the American Humane Association (responsible for those "No Animals Were Harmed" notices) tells us that wasn't true, however. "No one jumped into the pool at all. This is untrue." The <a href="http://americanhumaneblog.org/2013/03/aha-orders-investigation-of-shark-death/">AHA has launched an investigation</a> into the incident.</p>
<p>When it showed signs of distress, "the shark was injected with adrenaline and received oxygen from a trainer," the LA Times says. The shark died that afternoon after being moved to a specialist in Long Beach.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-shark-van20130313,0,3883920.story">Kmart said</a>:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">“We take this matter seriously and safety is always our paramount concern. We have been advised by our agency that the production company responsible for this shoot worked with professional animal handlers and a representative of the American Humane Association for the purpose of monitoring the shark’s welfare. We are saddened by this incident.”</p>
<p><keyword id="176654" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Draftfcb">DraftFCB</keyword> is the Kmart's main agency, although the client placed the account into review in January. The agency tells us:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">We are deeply saddened by the passing of the shark that was to be included in the television commercial.  The safety and well-being of animals during a commercial production is a matter that we take very seriously.  Accordingly, proper steps were taken by the production company managing the shoot to make sure professional animal handlers and a representative of the American Humane Society were on set during the production.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">Draftfcb remains fully committed to animal welfare as evidenced by our long-standing relationships with organizations such as the Humane Society of the United States, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and PAWS Chicago.</p>

Shark Dies In Backyard Pool During Kmart Commercial Shoot

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A menu signed by Mao Zedong and other officials was sold for $275,000 on Wednesday.</li><li>It was from 1956, and for the first state banquet hosting Pakistan's then-Prime Minister.</li></ul><p>A banquet menu from 1956 signed by former Chinese leader Mao Zedong sold on Wednesday for $275,000, per <a target="_blank" href="https://www.rrauction.com/auctions/lot-detail/348179106800063-mao-zedong-zhou-enlai-and-chinese-statesmen-signed-menu-from-first-pakistani-state-visit-to-china-1956/?cat=5">auction house RR Auction.</a></p><p>The menu itself marked a historic occasion — the first Pakistani state visit to China at the height of the Cold War, as a young Beijing government sought to establish diplomatic ties with other nations.</p><p>Then-Prime Minister Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy arrived on October 19 that year just after taking office, and dined with Mao, China's then-Premier Zhou Enlai, and other officials.</p><p>A total of seven officials, including the two heads of state, signed the menu, per RR Auction.</p><p>Apart from appetizers and dessert, the menu mentions six specific dishes of note:</p><h2>1. Consommé of Swallow Nest and White Agaric</h2><div type="image" title="A sample of bird's nest that has been cleaned, soaked, and ready for preparation." height="3357" width="5000" msid="105827847" hostid="261" sizebytes="1523352"></div><p>Swallow Nest is a delicacy still eaten in China, and its ingredients are harvested from the solidified saliva of swiftlets, which is a wispy, jelly-like, and translucent substance.</p><p>White Agaric is often called snow fungus in China, and is known to taste bland and to thicken in soups. The mushroom features seaweed-like fronds that spread out.</p><div type="image" title="Snow fungus features on the top left of the plate." height="3456" width="5184" msid="105827850" hostid="261" sizebytes="324270"></div><p>Both are often combined in soups and served with sugar, and remain a delicacy or dessert today.</p><h2>2. Shark's Fin in Brown Sauce</h2><p>Shark's fin is a luxury dish that dates back to the Ming Dynasty of 1368 to 1644, and was regarded as an item that only the imperial family or upper classmen could eat.</p><p>The dish, however, spread in society in the 20th century as people standards of living rose.</p><p>It's typically served shredded in a soup, or braised in a thick and slightly sweet sauce.</p><div type="image" title="A bowl of shark's fin soup at Luk Yu Tea House in Hong Kong." height="3264" width="4928" msid="105827853" hostid="261" sizebytes="551190"></div><p>The shark's fin trade is <a target="_blank" href="https://www.hsi.org/issues/shark-finning/">controversial today</a> for its often inhumane harvesting practices, and import of shark's fin is <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/shark-fin-us-ban-biden-law/">banned in the US</a>, Canada, and other countries.</p><h2>3. Vegetable Rolls in Three Colors</h2><p>Spring rolls are often wrapped in batter and deep-fried or pan-fried in China, and served with a dipping sauce. They are typically savory and treated as an appetizer.</p><h2>4. Fried Spiced Chicken</h2><p>Chicken that's fried and spiced. No further details were given.</p><h2><strong>5. Vegetarian Macedoine</strong></h2><p>A dish of diced vegetables that is native to neither China nor Pakistan, but France, a vegetarian macedoine often features corn, carrots, green beans, and potatoes tossed in a light dressing.</p><h2>6. Roast Peking Duck</h2><div type="image" title="A sample of Roast Peking Duck, including three sauces, scallions, carrots, and pancakes." height="3648" width="5472" msid="105827856" hostid="261" sizebytes="498346"></div><p>The pride of a typical Chinese state banquet, the famed Peking roast duck is served with its skin separated and arranged in thin, crispy slices meant to melt in the mouth.</p><p>The duck meat, meanwhile, is served with thin pancakes, scallions, and a sweet sauce.</p><h2>Close relations between China and Pakistan</h2><p>Pakistan was one of the first nations to recognize the Chinese Communist Party's rule after the latter took power in 1949.</p><p>Hoping to seek ties with a large nation that could rival India, Pakistan forged closer ties with the Chinese, and Suhrawardy would go on to sign a friendship treaty with Zhou on his 1956 visit.</p><p>China eventually played a key role in Pakistan's nuclear armament program, giving its government enough <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna33904300">weapons-grade uranium for two atomic bombs.</a></p>

A historic 1956 menu signed by Mao Zedong just sold for $275,000. Here's what was served at the dinner, which ultimately led to nuke development.

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Courtesy The Swim</span></p><p class="caption">Benoit Lecomte</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul><li><strong>Distance swimmer Ben Lecomte plans to depart on Sunday from Japan to swim 5,500 miles across the Pacific to San Francisco.</strong></li><li><strong>He'll be swimming for eight hours a day and sleeping on a nearby boat. </strong><strong>Lecomte plans to track his position with a GPS so he can resume swimming from the same spot.</strong></li><li><strong>He wants to raise awareness about plastic pollution, and has partnered with 27 scientific organizations to collect data while he's en route.</strong></li></ul><p><br />If all goes according to plan, Ben Lecomte should arrive in San Francisco approximately six months from now.</p><p>He plans to swim across the Pacific Ocean to get there.</p><p>Lecomte is expected to begin his expedition from the coast of Japan on Sunday. His journey to the US' west coast will require crossing more than 5,500 miles of high seas, encountering marine wildlife including sharks and jellyfish, braving cold temperatures, passing through staggering quantities of plastic, and more.</p><p>The first question many might ask him is: why?</p><p>"It's a very valid question, I am asking myself that question from time to time," Lecomte told Business Insider. "It started with a passion for the ocean, a passion for ocean water."</p><p>After a <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/179862.stm">1998 swim across the Atlantic,</a> which took 73 days, Lecomte said the Pacific just seemed like the next thing. Yet time, marriage, children, and various other factors delayed that trip for over a decade. Then about seven years ago, he began focusing on making the journey happen.</p><p>Lecomte <a href="https://www.seeker.com/earth/introducing-the-swim-a-5500-mile-expedition-across-the-pacific-ocean">has partnered with Seeker</a> and Discovery on the project, which they have named simply, "The Swim." The 51-year-old Frenchman hopes the undertaking will help him raise awareness for ocean health, particularly with regard to plastic pollution in the water. Throughout the entire trip, Lecomte and the boat accompanying him on the journey plan to collect samples and test the water, looking for everything from contamination from the Fukushima incident to the presence of microplastics in the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/great-pacific-garbage-patch-view-study-plastic-2018-3">Great Pacific Garbage Patch</a>.</p><p>"For me it couldn't be a better opportunity to get the attention on the ocean and the state of the ocean by doing something crazy like this type of swim," he said.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">Benoit Lecomte swims off the Brittany port of Quiberon at the end of his trans-Atlantic swim.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><h2>8,000 calories a day</h2><p>During the journey, Lecomte plans to swim for approximately eight hours per day. He'll spend the rest of the time resting, sleeping, and eating on a boat that will accompany him. The boat will be equipped with a GPS tracker so the crew can monitor where Lecomte exits the water every day and return to that spot for him to resume the next day.</p><p>Lecomte will need to eat 8,000 calories a day to power himself through the journey. His meals will mostly consist of freeze-dried foods eaten in several sessions while he's on the boat, though he'll consume soup and other liquids while in the water. He said he doesn't eat sweets but does consume a lot of fat.</p><p>For the swim itself, he'll be equipped with fins, a snorkel, and a wetsuit - which will be extremely necessary once he gets closer to the US, where colder waters could lower his body temperature to dangerous levels after hours in the water.</p><p>"The most difficult will be the temperature," he said.</p><p>But the waves, which could be up to 50 feet high, will also pose a serious challenge - especially if they start crashing, which could make it tough for Lecomte to stay near the boat.</p><p>Another risk is attention from curious sharks. The boat is equipped with a means of broadcasting an electromagnetic field to keep them from venturing too close.</p><p>"They'll be there," Lecomte said of the sharks, noting that the trip passes through an area where great whites are known to migrate. There will also be jellyfish, which he describes as painful, and dolphins, which he describes as "amazing to swim with."</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>The Ocean Cleanup</span></p><p class="caption">Lecomte plans to pass through the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, where tangled plastic floats near the surface and waters are filled with broken down microplastics.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><h2>Getting ready to depart</h2><p>Lecomte's physical preparation has been focused on getting his body accustomed to being active at about 60% of maximum heart rate for a full eight hours. He swims, bikes, or runs three to five hours per day, five or six days per week, and tries to keep his heart rate at 120 for the duration of those workouts. Recently, he's been doing six-hour open-water swims.</p><p>From a mental perspective, Lecomte said he's been "working on disassociating my mind from my body."</p><p>The trip has been planned in conjunction with various partners, which include 27 scientific organizations like NASA and Woods Hold Oceanographic Institution. The swimmer and boat crew will collect more than 1,000 samples as they travel, which will allow scientists to learn more about plastic pollution, mammal migrations, extreme endurance, phytoplankton, and other topics.</p><p>This isn't the first time Lecomte has tried to start the cross-Pacific swim - <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/oct/06/swim-across-pacific-ocean-benoit-lecomte-tokyo-san-francisco">previous attempts have been foiled</a> by issues with boats or crew. But this time, on the verge of departure, he thinks everything is almost ready.</p><p>Those interested in following Lecomte's progress can track the journey on <a href="https://www.seeker.com/earth/introducing-the-swim-a-5500-mile-expedition-across-the-pacific-ocean">Seeker</a>, where there will be live coverage throughout the trip, along with short documentaries every two weeks and a documentary feature planned after the project's completion.</p><p>"The big unknowns are really what will this be like for Ben, and how will this feat weigh on him in ways that we're not yet predicting ... That could be anything from weather just to pure stamina," Caroline Smith, chief creative officer at Seeker, said. "We're all hoping for the best for him."</p><p>As for Ben, he's hoping the trip will inspire people to mobilize around the issue of plastic pollution.</p><p>"We each need to take some action to alleviate the problem," he said. "A single-use plastic is something we can all decide not to use anymore."</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/supermarinovation-x2-sport-device-makes-you-human-torpedo-2017-7">This underwater jetpack lets you swim like Michael Phelps</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

This guy plans to swim across the Pacific Ocean over the next 6 months

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Seeker/The Swim</span></p><p class="caption">Swimmer Ben Lecomte 1,000 nautical miles (about 1,150 miles) off the coast of Japan on his way across the Pacific.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li><strong>51-year-old <span>Benoît Lecomte is ending his <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/swimming-across-pacific-ocean-ben-lecomte-photos-2018-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">record-breaking attempt</a> to become the first person to swim across the Pacific Ocean.</span></strong></li><li><strong><span>He says he's not tired, but with a broken sail on his ship and the weather looking treacherous, he's calling it quits roughly a third of the way through the swim.</span></strong></li><li><strong><span>Lecomte says he'll be back in the Pacific next summer, swimming the ocean's 79,000-ton garbage patch. </span></strong></li></ul><p>Ben Lecomte has swum over 1,753 miles through the Pacific Ocean since <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/swimmer-crossing-the-pacific-ocean-2018-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">he set out from the Japanese coast of Choshi in June</a>.</p><p>Along the way, during a trip he hoped would be the first recorded trans-Pacific swimming passage, he's run into turtles, been stung on the nose by jellyfish, and encountered mako sharks. </p><p>Lecomte has been in the water for <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/swimming-across-pacific-ocean-ben-lecomte-photos-2018-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">up to nine hours of swimming each day</a>, fueled by an 8,000 calorie daily regimen of pasta, protein shakes, oatmeal, and soup.</p><p>But on Monday, Lecomte announced that after 610 hours of swimming, with 4,000 miles to go before hitting San Franciso, he's calling it quits.</p><p>"That's very frustrating for me," Lecomte told Business Insider on a phone call as his sailboat headed for the shore of Hawaii. "Because I knew that I had still a lot in me, to keep on going, keep on swimming."</p><p>This is not the first cross-ocean trip for the swimmer, who's been paddling his way from Japan to California with the help of a couple flippers on his feet. Lecomte logged a trans-Atlantic swim back in 1998, and was hoping this would be his second ocean crossing. But he is heading ashore for safety reasons.</p><p>The 20-meter sailboat he's riding on, <a href="https://www.seeker.com/the-swim" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Seeker</a>, recently hit some rough winter seas. The crew weathered heavy winds, pounding rain, and large ocean swells. With a damaged sail now incapacitated beyond repair, the crew decided it's best to head ashore while they still have some wind power left.</p><p>If the boat had encountered another bad storm, it could have put the sails out of business, leaving the crew without enough fuel to make it back to land safely. </p><p><em><strong>Read More</strong></em>: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/swimming-across-pacific-ocean-ben-lecomte-photos-2018-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>A French swimmer is racing to become the first person to swim across the Pacific. Here's what his days in the water are like.</em></a></p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Google Maps</span></p><p class="caption">Lecomte ended his swim a little less than halfway to Hawaii from Japan, just shy of a third of the way from what would have been his final destination in San Francisco.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><h2>Lecomte is already planning his next Pacific swimming trip into a massive garbage patch</h2><p>Undeterred by the trans-Pacific hiccup, Lecomte says he is already planning when he'll next dip his fins back in the waters of the Pacific. He's plotting an expedition for next year  that would go through one of the most polluted areas of the ocean.</p><p>"I'm already thinking ahead and not looking back, and then feeling sorry that I wasn't able to break the world record," he said. "Because [the record], it's just a personal thing. What's important is the big picture, and the big picture is there is a big problem here in the ocean."</p><p>That problem, he says, has been popping up at an alarming rate as the ship sails the sea.</p><p>It's plastic, and the ocean is awash in it, from shore to shore. </p><p><span>"What is very surprising to me and everyone on the boat is the amount of plastic that we found, and the fact that we found it everywhere" he said. The amount of sea life he comes in contact with in the water waxes and wanes day to day, but the plastic trash flow is a constant.</span></p><p><span>He says he wants use his journey "to try to inspire people to make some changes in their daily life about plastic use."</span></p><p><span>During Lecomte's swim, the crew was tasked with keeping tabs on both the health of Lecomte and the health of the ocean. To that end, they've used microplastic-grabbing nets to figure out how much plastic is at sea, recorded sounds of sea life below, and kept tabs on Lecomte's heart, gut, and mental health. </span>The team partnered with 27 different scientific organizations, from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution to NASA. </p><h2><span>Swimming and looking for plastic at the same time</span></h2><p>Now heading towards Hawaii at an express clip much quicker than when Lecomte was swimming every day, the nine-person Seeker team is still gathering data about the health of the ocean and checking for more plastic as they go. Occasionally, as they're veering towards the US islands, which are still <a href="http://benlecomte.com/live-tracker/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">some 700 miles away</a>, they'll drop nets and trail them, moving a bit more slowly to look for plastics, "but it's not the pace we were before, when I was swimming," Lecomte said.</p><p>The team estimates that four ultra-tiny microplastics drift into their nets each minute they are in the water.</p><p>Though he didn't complete his ultimate swim goal, Lecomte discovered some inner battles to conquer along the way.</p><p>"Sometimes, I'm too focused to enjoy what I'm doing," he said. "I don't take the time to see what I am doing and to enjoy the process. That's something I need to work on."</p><p>He says you might expect the mind to stop racing when it's in the ocean, bobbing thousands of miles from the shore. But it doesn't. </p><p>"When I look back, I said, 'Oh yeah, that was amazing when I had an encounter with the turtle or with that shark, you know, all those very intense and unique moments. I think I didn't live it fully, and I regret that, not being able to be in the moment, and to enjoy it, fully."</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Seeker/The Swim</span></p><p class="caption">Lecomte says his encounter with a mako shark was really something special.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>He'll have an opportunity to try for that again next summer, if he does end up paddling <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/plastic-straw-ban-why-are-there-so-many-2018-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">into the garbage patch that is wider than two whole Texases</a>, drifting between Hawaii and California.</p><p>"It's important that we go to the patch, and that we take samples from the patch, that I open that window and share my experience," he said. "What I see, what I feel, and how I feel when I swim through the patch."</p><p>(He's not planning to wear any special protection when he heads into the ocean dump.) </p><h2>Lecomte is most excited to see his family and eat fresh strawberries again</h2><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">Lecomte proposed to his now-wife before a trans-Atlantic swim, then greeted her on the other side of the ocean on September 25, 1998.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>There are reasons to be excited about ending the trip after six months at sea. </p><p>"My wife and children and friends, that I miss the most," Lecomte said. </p><p>He's also looking forward to the bounty of fresh produce that'll be available on land - particularly strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries. </p><p>The only fresh food the crew has eaten since their stores of produce ran out five months ago is fish they've caught off the boat, like mahi-mahi. They're expecting to hit the shore in early December. </p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Seeker/The Swim</span></p><p class="caption">The original 8-member crew of the boat picked up a ninth shipmate when they hit bad weather in July and had to double back to Japan.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/22-year-old-raised-30m-ocean-cleanup-project-2017-5">A 22-year-old has raised $30M to trap plastic floating in the great Pacific garbage patch</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

The Frenchman racing to become the first person to swim across the Pacific is calling it quits, but he says he'll be back next year

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>San Francisco appears to have two new Michelin three-star restaurants, doubling its number of top-ranked restaurants, if all else stays the same.</p>
<p>The 2015 San Francisco guide is not officially out until 6pm EST Tuesday, but chef Thomas Keller, whose restaurant The French Laundry also has three stars, tweeted congratulations to the two apparent newcomers with the hashtag #3stars.</p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">They are Benu, an Asian fusion restaurant, and Saison, which serves French cuisine.<span> Three stars is the highest possible Michelin rating, and is awarded to just a handful of restaurants around the globe.</span></span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Previously, only two San Francisco restaurants <span>-</span> The French Laundry and The Restaurant at Meadowwood <span>-</span> had a three-star designation.</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">The French Laundry tweeted about both additions shortly before the list was officially revealed:</span></p>
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<p> </p>
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<p class="embed-spacer">Benu, helmed by Chef Corey Lee, <span style="line-height: 1.5em;">offers a $195-per-head tasting menu and is famous for serving a faux version of shark fin soup. Saison, has a menu that changes daily and costs $248 per person, excluding wine. Its kitchen is run by Chef Joshua Skenes.</span></p>
<p class="embed-spacer"><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">The French Laundry also retained its three-star ranking, according to the restaurant's Twitter feed.</span></p>
<p class="embed-spacer">We'll have more on the 2015 San Francisco Michelin guide when it is released this afternoon.</p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Michelin <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/new-york-city-michelin-star-restaurants-2014-9">announced its 2015 New York ratings</a> at the end of September. </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Six of the seven restaurants that earned three stars in 2014 retained those rankings. They are Le Bernardin, Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare, Eleven Madison Park , Jean Georges, Masa, and Per Se.</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"></span></p>
<p>Chef Daniel Boulud's Daniel was downgraded to two stars. </p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"></span></p>

San Francisco Has Two New Michelin 3-Star Restaurants

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image on-image"><p class="source">REUTERS</p><p class="caption">People surround a statue of Soviet state founder Vladimir Lenin, which was toppled by protesters during a rally organized by supporters of EU integration in Kiev, December 8, 2013.</p></div><p></p></div>Good morning. Here's what you need to know.</p>
<ul>
<li>Asian markets were mostly higher in overnight trading. Japan's Nikkei closed up 2.29%; Hong Kong's Hang Seng, 0.29%; and Korea's KOSPI, 1.01%. European markets were mostly lower, but U.S. futures were pointing north.</li>
<li>It's a <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/monday-scouting-report-dec-9-2013-2013-12">light week of economic data</a>, but economists continue to speculate on whether the Fed will taper its asset purchasing program in December or if it will wait until next year. Citing interviews and public statements by Fed officials, the New York Times' Binyamin Appelbaum reports that the taper is <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/09/business/economy/feds-plan-to-taper-stimulus-effort-not-expected-until-next-year.html?smid=tw-share">not expected until next year</a>. On the other hand, Deutsche Bank's Joe LaVorgna wrote clients, "Regarding the Fed, last Friday's employment report reinforces our previous view that the Fed will begin QE tapering in December."</li>
<li>In China, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/chinese-consumer-prices-november-2013-12">consumer prices grew 3%</a> in November, slightly below expectations for a 3.1% rise. Producer prices fell 1.4%, missing expectations for a 1.5% drop. Meanwhile, reforms in the country continue, with China <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/china-liberalizing-interest-rates-2013-12">introducing the inter-bank negotiable certificate of deposits</a> on Saturday. The reform "can help banks secure a more stable funding source and offer liquid and safer underlying securities for investment products targeting individual investors," wrote Societe Generale's Wei Yao. And in another completely different reform, Chinese officials can <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/china-bans-shark-fin-birds-nest-soup-2013-12">no longer eat extravagant meals of shark fin and bird's nest soup</a> on business trips. </li>
<li><a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-12-09/japan-s-economy-slows-more-than-estimated-in-third-quarter.html">Japan's growth slowed in Q3</a>, with GDP expanding an annualized 1.1% on the quarter, revised down from 1.9%. "<span>Weaker-than-estimated business spending contributed to the revision to the GDP figures, indicating that Japan Inc. is yet to be convinced that Abenomics will trigger a prolonged economic revival," reports Reuters' <span>Keiko Ujikane.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">We won't have new economic data today in the U.S., but we will see three Fed speeches that may further illuminate where officials stand on monetary policy. Richmond Fed President Jeffrey Lacker will speak in Charlotte, St. Louis Fed President James Bullard will speak on the economy in St. Louis, and Dallas Fed President Richard Fisher will speak in Chicago on the economy and monetary policy.</span></li>
<li><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Bitcoin's weekend of pain is over, and the digital currency has </span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/bitcoin-comeback-2013-12">staged a comeback</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">. Bitcoin crashed on Friday and Saturday, at one point falling from $1100 to below $600 on poor Bitcoin-related news out of China. Now the cryptocurrency is above $900 again. Still, not everyone is buying the Bitcoin hype. "It's not a currency at all, it's a complete joke," </span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/fleckenstein-on-bitcoin-2013-12">Bill Fleckenstein said</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> in a recent interview.</span></li>
<li><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">After weeks of protests, Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra </span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/thailand-dissolves-parliament-2013-12">dissolved parliament and called a snap election</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">, Reuters reports. Still, protestors continue to clash with police in an attempt to remove Yingluck from power and "</span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">eradicate the influence of her self-exiled brother, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra," according to the report.</span></li>
<li><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Speaking of protestors, demonstrators in Kiev's Independence Square </span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/photos-of-toppled-lenin-statue-in-ukraine-2013-12">toppled a statue of Soviet state founder Vladimir Lenin</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> on Sunday. After protestors beat the headless statue with hammers, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/protesters-fell-lenin-statue-tell-ukraines-president-youre-next-2013-12">a poster read</a>, </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">"Yanukovich, you are next!" a reference to the current Ukranian president. Demonstrators have rioted over the government's ties with Russia at the expense of the European Union.</span></li>
<li><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">The </span><a href="http://money.cnn.com/2013/12/08/news/companies/american-airlines-us-airways-merger/">merger of American Airlines and US Airways is expected to be finalized today</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">, creating the world's largest airline. After a lengthy antitrust suit with the Justice Department (and with the Supreme Court declining a challenge), the two are expected to sign merger documents before the bell, CNNMoney's Gregory Wallace reports.</span></li>
<li><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Congress could bring Americans a nice gift for the holidays - a budget deal. "L</span><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 1.5em;">awmakers and aides are optimistic that negotiators can reach a budget accord and continue to make progress on a farm bill and other measures," <a href="http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303330204579246592923160458?mod=WSJ_hps_LEFTTopStories">reports the Wall Street Journal's Kristina Peterson and Michael R. Crittenden</a>. PRG's Greg Valliere <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/why-2014-could-finally-be-the-year-for-the-us-economy-2013-12">believes the deal will come in the next couple of days</a>, as an "emotionally spent" Congress is willing to take smaller deals to avoid another budget trauma. "<span>The pending 21-month budget deal will soften the sequester (while coming up with offsetting savings), and will greatly reduce the uncertainty over fiscal issues. And, of course, the deficit continues to plunge," Valliere wrote clients.</span></span></li>
</ul>

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