In the month of January, the average amount for me to ship a package was $24.97, and the least expensive package I shipped was $18.96. As you can imagine, at those shipping prices, I had numerous abandoned carts (where people placed items in their shopping cart but did not complete the purchase). In many of those cases, I could see that the cost of the shipping exceeded the cost of the order. No wonder the purchase was not completed.

Keep in mind that the price you see when checking out is already my negotiated rate from UPS, and I do not charge anything for shipping supplies like boxes, tape, etc. I also don't charge any handling fees to account for the hours I spend in my barn packing orders. And despite this, I know that the shipping cost is still often too much. What's a girl to do?

Today I'm going to try something, and if it works, I may implement it as the standard shipping procedure. What is it?

FLAT RATE SHIPPING TRIAL!

I know that paying $27.92 in shipping for a single $19.95 Angler's Pint is a hard pill to swallow (and thank you to the person who did that in January!). My thought is that if those of you considering a single Angler's Pint increase your order to two Angler's Pints, then I'll ship both glasses for less than the least expensive shipping cost in January. In other words:

All orders over $39.91 will ship for just $15 this week only.

Want to pay even less on shipping?

All orders over $79.80 will ship for just $10, and all orders over $100 will ship for free this week only.

Please keep in mind that I'm doing this as a trial and not as a sale or promotion. The flat rate shipping will automatically be applied to your cart at checkout. If we can increase sales volume to offset shipping costs, then I think it could be a win-win. If it doesn't work, then I'll go back to the drawing board.

SMALL TYPE: This offer is good only for shipping destinations in the Lower 48, and it does not include shipping original artwork (including handpainted glasses).

Karen Talbot Art

Last Day to Order Handpainted Glasses is December 4^th. I will have only a limited number in inventory after that. Please contact me at karen@karentalbotart.com to see what’s available.

Last Day to order customized gifts is Sunday December 11^th to guarantee Christmas delivery (provided UPS does its job!). Customized gifts include framed pieces, remarques, hand-embellishing and customized Angler’s Pint Presentation Boxes. If you don’t make that date, please contact me before ordering.

Last Day to Ship US Domestic Packages (for Christmas Eve Delivery)

Cutoff ordering dates (by noon EST please) for ground shipping to most of the country are as follows:

• Most of the Rocky Mountain West: Friday December 16^th
• Most of the West Coast, some of the Midwest and some of the Gulf coast: Monday December 19th
• The Rest of the Midwest and the Southeast: Tuesday December 20^th
• The Mid-Atlantic and Some of the Northeast: Wednesday December 21^st
• Most of New England: Thursday December 22^nd

See attached map for specific locations. Please note that some areas of the country require six days for shipping, which means you would need to order by Thursday December 17^th. Keep in mind that shipping to a business address may be both faster and less expensive.

Last Days to Ship Expedited US Domestic Packages (for Christmas Eve Delivery)

• UPS 3 Day Select is December 20^th
• UPS Second Day Air is December 21^st
• UPS Next Day Air is December 22^nd

Please Note: UPS has suspended their Service Guarantee. Currently, the Service Guarantee is in effect for select Air and International services but is otherwise suspended. Please also understand that neither I nor UPS has much control over weather delays.

This is one of nine blog entries written to coincide with Shark Week 2015. For an overview of the series and links to the other entries, click here.

Sand tiger sharks (Carcharias taurus), also called grey nurse sharks, can reach a maximum length of 330 cm but are usually smaller. These coastal sharks are rare in the Gulf of Maine, and they are listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. At least one study (Musick et al. 1993), found that sand tiger shark populations declined by as much as 75% during the 1980s as a direct result of the commercial shark fishery along the Atlantic coast. The Southwest Atlantic Subpopulation is listed as "Critically Endangered."

Like many sharks, the sand tiger shark is especially vulnerable to even moderate levels of exploitation because of life history and reproductive traits. Female sand tiger sharks usually give birth to 2 pups after an 8-12 months gestation period.

The species is unique amongst sharks insofar as it is believed to be the only shark that can inhale and store air in its stomach in order to maintain neutral buoyancy. 

More Information on Sand Tiger Shark

FishBase Sand Tiger Shark Page

IUCN Red List Sand Tiger Shark Page

Fishes of the Gulf of Maine (1953) Sand Tiger Shark Chapter

Purchase an open edition print of my scientific illustration of a sand tiger shark, and choose any other open edition print for free! Simply mention this offer in the comments field when checking out, and let me know which open edition print you would like me to include with your order for free!

This is one of nine blog entries written to coincide with Shark Week 2015. For an overview of the series and links to the other entries, click here.

The spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias) is the smallest shark documented in the Gulf of Maine but it is often one of the most controversial. Like several well known Gulf of Maine species, the spiny dogfish has experienced a boom-bust cycle going from "cussed dogfish" in the late 19th century to fishery collapse in the late 20th century. At present the spiny dogfish is said to be so abundant in the Gulf of Maine that it is considered a nuisance responsible for fouling fishing gear and preying on valuable fish stocks like cod. Despite this fact, the IUCN Red List still lists the northwest Atlantic subpopulation as Endangered based on a 2006 assessment.

Growing to a maximum length of 160 cm, most spiny dogfish grow to closer to 100 cm. The species' scientific name translates roughly as "pale" or "weak" spines or shark with spines. Dogfish have two venomous spines, one with each of its two dorsal fins. The spiny dogfish is a marine, brackish, benthopelagic and oceanodromous species that has been recorded at depths of more than 1000 meters. 

Life History and Reproductive Traits

Like many shark species, the spiny dogfish exhibits life history and reproductive traits that make it extremely vulnerable to over-exploitation. For example, the spiny dogfish has longest known gestation period (at 18 to 24 months) of all cartilaginous fishes (chondrichthyans). Litter size may be as many as 21 pups but is frequently much smaller (sometimes even just a single pup). The relatively long-lived (35-50 years in northern Atlantic) spiny dogfish grows relatively slowly and does not reach sexual maturity until 60-70 cm in length for males and 75-90 cm for females.

Because populations segregate and large females tend to aggregate, the most important individuals in terms of population stability are extremely vulnerable to even moderate fishing pressure, even in areas where stocks have been severely depleted. This is problematic because larger individual females carry more embryos. A 100 cm female spiny dogfish, for example, may carry four times as many embryos compared to a 70 cm individual. The survival rate of pups from females over 100 cm are higher than the pups of smaller spiny dogfish. Even moderate fishing pressure can be devastating to the species when aggregations of large females are targeted.

Domestic Market Challenges

While the spiny dogfish does not have a large domestic market, traditionally large numbers of the species harvested in the northwest Atlantic have been exported to Europe, where demand is high. Overfishing in the northwest Atlantic caused a fisheries collapse and subsequent closure of the fishery in the late 1990s. Since that time, dogfish stocks have rebounded, but the international demand has all but disappeared. Attempts to develop domestic markets have been hampered by a lack of familiarity with the species as food, a poor reputation as food, and extremely limited availability at the point-of-sale. In addition concerns about mercury concentrations* have likely negatively affected efforts to have the government buy large quantities of dogfish as part of a USDA surplus food program.

The spiny dogfish is also commonly called piked dogfish, spurdog and cape shark.

More Information on Spiny Dogfish

FishBase Spiny Dogfish Page

IUCN Red List Northwest Atlantic Subpopulation Spiny Dogfish Page

Fishes of the Gulf of Maine (1953) Spiny Dogfish Chapter

Purchase an open edition print of my scientific illustration of a spiny dogfish today, and choose any other open edition print for free! Simply mention this offer in the comments field when checking out, and let me know which open edition print you would like me to include with your order for free!

*The FDA and EPA advise women of reproductive age and small children to not eat any shark because of mercury concentrations. The rest of the population is advised to limit their consumption.

This is one of nine blog entries written to coincide with Shark Week 2015. For an overview of the series and links to the other entries, click here.

The blue shark (Prionace glauca), along with the spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias) is one of the most common sharks observed in the Gulf of Maine. Reaching a maximum size of 400 cm and potentially weighing more than 205 kg, the blue shark is unusual amongst sharks insofar as its reproductive capacity is concerned. Unlike most sharks, the blue shark grows relatively quickly and reaches sexual maturity in as little as four years. Female blue sharks produce litters of up to 80 pups, although more commonly litters are less than 40. Still, when compared with the extremely small litter size of most sharks, blue sharks have a significant advantage. 

A Highly Fecund Shark Species

Blue sharks reproductive capacity is one of the reasons that it is not listed as Vulnerable or Endangered on the IUCN Red List like most shark species documented in the Gulf of Maine. Despite an estimated 10-20 million blue sharks taken annually in fisheries worldwide, there are few data suggesting significant population declines. Nonetheless, marine scientists are concerned about the effects of removing such a large number of apex predators from any marine ecosystem, especially given how important keystone predators are known to be in terms of ocean health. While there is a recreational fishery for Blue sharks, most that are harvested commercially are bycatch. The blue shark is currently listed as "Near Threatened" on the IUCN Red List.

The blue shark is considered abundant in much of its range, which includes both temperate and tropical waters. In fact, the blue shark is one of the most wide-ranging sharks. It typically feeds on smaller fishes such as herring, silver hake, white hake, red hake, cod, haddock, pollock, mackerel, butterfish, sea raven and flounder. Known predators include the California sea lion (Zalophus californianus) and larger sharks such as the shortfin mako (Isurus oxyrinchus) and the white shark (Carcharodon carcharias), both of which also are documented in the Gulf of Maine. 

While the blue shark is not considered an overly aggressive shark, there are documented cases of blue sharks attacking humans. The International Shark Attack File lists 13 confirmed unprovoked attacks around the world between 1580 and 2014.

The blue shark's scientific name, Prionace glauca, means “blue saw.”

More Information on Blue Sharks

FishBase Blue Shark Page

IUCN Red List Blue Shark Page

Fishes of the Gulf of Maine (1953) Blue Shark Chapter

Purchase an open edition print of my scientific illustration of a blue shark today, and choose any other open edition print for free! Simply mention this offer in the comments field when checking out, and let me know which open edition print you would like me to include with your order for free!

This is one of nine blog entries written to coincide with Shark Week 2015. For an overview of the series and links to the other entries, click here.

You probably know it as the thresher shark, but I bet you didn't know it's scientific name originates from an unlikely terrestrial animal--the fox. Alopias vulpinus comes from the Greek "alopex" and the Latin "vulpes," which both translate to "fox." One of three (possibly four) shark species from the genus Alopias, all three have the characteristic long caudal or tail fin, which, if one uses his or her imagination, may conjure up the long, full tail of a fox. 

Common Name

The common name "thresher," alludes to the use of the word to describe a person or machine that separates grain from the plants by beating it. The thresher shark uses its namesake caudal fin to beat its prey species, which most commonly consists of schooling fishes. Thresher sharks are considered harmless to humans.

The thresher shark (sometimes also called the common thresher shark, the fox shark and the swiveltail shark) is larger than both the bigeye thresher (Alopias superciliosus) and the pelagic thresher (Alopias pelagicus). Reaching a maximum size of 400 cm and nearly 350 kg, the thresher shark is a migratory species that, while not common in the Gulf of Maine, is a well-documented seasonal visitor. The species is circumglobal in tropical to cold-temperate sea. While it prefers open ocean, it is also found in coastal waters, especially when young.

Over-Exploitation

Highly valued for its meat and large fins, the thresher shark has been over-exploited throughout much of its range. While many illegal, unreported and unregulated fisheries target the species, thresher sharks also commonly fall prey to gillnet and longline fisheries as bycatch or secondary target catch. It's estimated than between 1986 and 2000, thresher shark populations declined between 63 and 80 percent in the west/northwest Atlantic. All species in the genus Alopias are currently listed as "Vulnerable" on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List. At present, only the California population has any fisheries management plan in place. 

Like many sharks, the thresher shark is particularly susceptible to over-exploitation. In large part, this has to do with the species' reproductive strategy. Thresher sharks are live-bearers (ovoviviparous), and, as a result, have small litters of typically just two to four pups. It takes at least seven years (and sometimes as many as 20 years) for thresher sharks to reach sexual maturity.  

Distinct Population Segments

An ongoing study of worldwide population genetics began in 2004, and scientists are learning more about the species' distinct population segments (DPS). According to the most recent research, there appears to be little to no immigration and emigration between geographic areas. In March of 2015, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) announced that a petition to list the thresher shark under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) presented substantial scientific or commercial information indicating that the petitioned action may be warranted for the species worldwide. NMFS found, however, that the petition failed to present information to support the identification of DPSs of the thresher shark. NMFS's evaluation of the thresher shark for ESA listing is ongoing at this time.

More Information on Thresher Sharks

FishBase Thresher Shark Page

IUCN Red List Thresher Shark Page

Fishes of the Gulf of Maine (1953) Thresher Shark Chapter

Purchase an open edition print of my scientific illustration of a thresher shark today, and choose any other open edition print for free! Simply mention this offer in the comments field when checking out, and let me know which open edition print you would like me to include with your order for free!

"[Shark Week&91; taught us that it wants to be almost like a holiday—which it is for a lot of people. They want to wave little flags that say 'Happy Shark Week.' I always see pictures of all these cupcakes and these party decorations that they have to celebrate Shark Week." -Brooke Runnette, Former Executive Producer of "Shark Week"

Brooke Runnette, the former executive producer of Discovery Channel's "Shark Week," told The Atlantic the show's programming is developed by asking "What would be the most fun?"

While Runnette, who is now president of National Geographic Studios, deserves some accolades for making inroads with both the scientific community and conservation groups, Shark Week continues to fall short of what most shark scientists consider "helpful" when it comes to educating the general public about sharks.

Fun & Fear 

I love fun as much as the next person, but the trouble with fun being in the driver's seat when it comes to the longest-running cable television programming event in history is that the subject matter—sharks—are increasingly serious business requiring a more thoughtful approach than fear-centric shows like "Return of the Great White Serial Killer" and "Sharksanity 2." 

When it comes to sharks and fear, the data show that sharks have far more reason to fear humans than humans have to fear sharks. Because of their life history and reproductive strategies, sharks are already more vulnerable than many other ocean species. Add shark finning, unmanaged fisheries, habitat degradation and bycatch to the equation, and it's no wonder that so many of the world's shark species are at risk.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List, more than half of pelagic shark species fished legally and illegally in the open ocean are threatened or near threatened with extinction. While millions of people tune into Shark Week, the Pew Charitable Trusts says 1.9 million sharks will be harvested—that's roughly 11,200 sharks an hour.

Shark Week at Karen Talbot Art

I recently completed a series of eight scientific illustrations of Gulf of Maine shark species for the next issue of Maine Boats, Homes and Harbors Magazine. Guess what? Shark Week 2015 is scheduled to run eight days starting today! While I know I will have nowhere near the 30 million viewers who will tune in to Discovery Channel each day, I hope some of you will tune in for my Shark Week blog entries, which I promise you will be fact-based and data-driven with an emphasis on the importance of shark conservation. I'll also be offering special Shark Week sales and promotions all week long, so please check back daily.

Shark Week Blog Entries

Sunday, July 5th: Thresher Shark

Monday, July 6th: Blue Shark

Tuesday, July 7th: Spiny Dogfish

Wednesday, July 8th: Sand Tiger Shark

Thursday, July 9th:

Friday, July 10th:

Saturday, July 11th:

Sunday, July 12th:

I recently finished two new billfish paintings, and I wanted to share a little bit about the story behind these paintings with you here.

The two paintings are scientific illustrations of two billfish species--a white marlin (Kajikia albidus) and a closely related roundscale spearfish (Tetrapturus georgii). Anglers who fish for marlin in the Western Atlantic had noticed that white marlin sometimes appear different. These "different" white marlin were commonly called "blunt-finned spearfish" or "hatchet marlin." A NOAA observer by the name of Georg Hinteregger started to take a closer look at the morphology of these so-called hatchet marlin, and he noticed key morphometric differences, including a significant distance between the vent and anal fin on these fishes.

After analyzing morphology information, as well as scale samples, skin patches and photography, NOAA determined many of these fish were not white marlin at all. Rather many were roundscale spearfish, a species first described in 1840 but only documented in a very limited area of the Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean. A 2009 scientific paper on which Hinteregger was a co-author updated the morphology, distribution and relative abundance of the roundscale spearfish in the Western North Atlantic. 

These two scientific illustrations are meant to show the similarities and some of the key differences between the two species.

Conservation Issues

Identifying that some of the so-called hatchet marlin were actually roundscale spearfish and not white marlin became important from a conservation standpoint. White marlin had previously been petitioned for listing under the Endangered Species Act, and they are currently listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. 

While the most recent stock assessments show "a slight stabilization or increase in abundance" in white marlin populations, there remain serious concerns about the species. According to IUCN, white marlin populations remain well below the biomass at maximum sustainable yield and the fishery is not considered to be well managed. The data now show that as many as one-third of the fish identified as white marlin in recent stock assessments may actually be roundscale spearfish.

If you are interested in purchasing a limited edition giclee print on canvas of either of these paintings (or both!), here are the links:

White Marlin (Kajikia albidus) Limited Edition Giclee Print

Roundscale Spearfish (Tetrapturus georgii) Limited Edition Giclee Print

Both Prints Together (save $100)

Karen Talbot from Belfast Community Media on Vimeo.