A note of hope for some marine denizens of special interest

Given the bleakness of this summer's climate change news, and the ongoing Trump administration war on nature, this unexpected news was welcome.

Extinction bites: countries agree to protect sharks and rays

"Three proposals covering the international trade of 18 types of mako sharks, wedgefishes and guitarfishes each passed with a needed two-thirds majority in a committee of the World Wildlife Conference known as CITES on Sunday."

Inexplicably, the U.S. didn't support the proposal to protect mako sharks, but enough other countries did so it didn't matter.

"Scientists warn that although warming oceans and climate change are also hurting sharks, it is the demand for shark fin soup that is threatening to drive some species to extinction. The Pew Trust estimates that between 63 million and 273 million sharks are killed every year, mostly to feed the shark fin trade centered in Hong Kong."

OK, isn't it amazing that there are still that many sharks in the ocean?

I know very little about wedgefishes;  here's what one looks like, the smoothnose wedgefish.  Strange but beautiful.