Take a deep Breath!

From the personal website of a sharktivist.

And I cite.

Global Warming will be nothing compared to what happens if we lose the oceans.
Because, when that happens, the Phytoplankton production will be reduced to a dangerously low level and the production of 50 to 70% of the world's oxygen supply will be interrupted or completely lost.

Wowza!
Well if we lose the oceans, we better find them again!
Just the incoherent ramblings of just another ordinary dimwit? Far from it - absolutely nothing is ordinary in this person! The most extraordinary attribute: Jupp is none other than the current prez of the SRI (yes the R stands for Research!) and in this function, he jet sets the globe representing Shark conservation, and that would be us (!) at the various international conferences. Is it fair to assume that he may be spouting that same nonsense there and if so, does the Jersey Girl concur and approve of that?

And I cite again.

Sharks are "apex predators" and keep our oceans in healthy balance.
They play an important role in the marine ecosystem, controlling populations of small fish and crustaceans that eat phytoplankton and algae, organisms that produce a large volume of oxygen. Some 70% of the oxygen we breathe comes from the ocean and sharks have been helping to maintain this natural equilibrium for 420 million years or so. Without them, oxygen production would surely be disrupted.

Just another stupidity on some irrelevant website?
Far from it! This is the scientific foundation of the latest, greatest angelic initiative aimed at saving humanity from extinction, or whatever - which incidentally totally confirms my opinion that this is a total bullshit machine and will certainly prevent me from ever signing that petition, lest I become a dimwit and bullshitter by association!

Yes that irritating oygen myth just aint going away!
On the contrary, the meme is evolving and is now morphing into the assertion that on top of leaving us gasping for air, the current demise of Shark stocks will ultimately accelerate global warming, as per Katrien's article cited in this brilliant post by Rick.
Please do read it - and explore the links!

Incidentally, I respect Katrien.
She's done great work with Shark Savers when establishing the Raja Ampat MPA and regularly works with the Shark Alliance - but this is bunk science and having it published in Scribd, apparently the world's largest social reading and publishing site is worrisome.
NOTE - as per her comment below, she has retracted the erroneous statements - kudos!

But I'm digressing as usual.
The myth, as I understand it, goes as follows.

• Sharks are apex predators and as such, they regulate all life in the oceans
• Their demise will ripple down through the food chain all the way to its base, i.e. the Phytoplankton that will be obliterated as a consequence.
• Phytoplankton produces 50-70% of the world's supply of oxygen and its disappearance will lead to the asphyxiation of all life on Earth, including us.
• Moreover, the oceans absorb 80% of the CO2 and once the Phytoplankton is gone, Global Warming will accelerate, methane gas will be released into the atmosphere, the ozone layer will be stripped and we shall all be toast! And Jupp totally agrees!

Right?
No all of this is utter unadulterated moronic bullshit!

1. But how to prove that something is not?

Disprove this!
God is a yellow pig with pink polka dots that resides in the 7th dimension of a parallel universe from where He resonates with our reality.

Utter unadulterated moronic bullshit - and blasphemy & sacrilege to boot?
Yes, maybe - but that's just your opinion. Would you rather believe me if I took up opulent residence in a southern European capital, sported a pointy hat and presided over a cabal of geriatric pedophiles whilst taking from the poor and declaring myself infallible? Would it help my cause if I had the power to declare you an unbeliever and expel you from the community?
Or, how about if I were some old rabid half-dead geezer with a turban and could have you killed for not being faithful, i.e. for being an infidel - would you believe me then?
Yes I may be digressing - but maybe not so much?

But I was not asking you to believe.
I was asking you to prove that I am wrong, as per the frankly dismaying first comment on this post on the Shark Defenders blog. Anonymous, now outed as one Jessica Perry-Targaryen sure got a long, looooong ways to go in her education in the science field, starting from comprehending the difference between a moronic untested hypothesis and verified scientific theory - which incidentally is completely open to falsification!

So let's define the rules of the game here.
In science, law and incidentally, in any rational discourse, he who asserts carries the burden of proof and extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence!

Not so?
Then, we are in the realm of religion, myth and superstition all the way to quackery, pseudoscience and new age including those conspiracy theories where dissent is forbidden and any proof to the contrary is being dismissed as untrustworthy and fabricated.

Example?
Dozens of eye witnesses seeing a commercial passenger plane slam into the Pentagon are obviously part of the conspiracy - but one single drunken dude stumbling out of a pub in Yorkshire and seeing some light in the sky is proof that we're being visited by extra-terrestrials!

It's really a matter of choice.
You may want to believe the charlatan who appears to have originated this stupidity, or one of his devote disciples and continue asserting that the overfishing of Sharks will lead to the depletion of the planet's oxygen etc - and if so, hasta la vista and have a great life!
The bad news: it may be a short one! The good news: time is infinite - granite into which to chisel calendars is not!

Or, you may want to ask whether there is any proof that the above is true.

So far,
there is not one single shred of evidence, let alone any serious, i.e. peer reviewed scientific paper corroborating the correlation between sharks, oxygen and global warming!
Zilch, Zero, Nada de Nada! At best, this is a completely unverified hypothesis - and as long as that's the case, there's also nothing for me to falsify!

But is the hypothesis at least plausible? Read this!
I think it's total bollocks, and this is why.


2. Sharks and Phytoplankton?

Let's assume that all Sharks are apex predators and keystone species.
"They" are obviously not (do I need to elaborate?) - but for the time being, let's just assume that.

And how about those trophic cascades.
Some of them are well documented, especially for terrestrial habitats. Some of them, especially those that have been postulated for Sharks, are however highly controversial.

But let's assume that "Sharks" sit at the top of "food chains" and that they regulate all life below them. "They" obviously don't and "food chains" are equally mostly a fallacy - but for the time being, let's just assume that to be the case.
Then, such a Shark-controlled food chain could be as follows.

Sardine Run.
Sharks (Duskies, Blacktips etc) eat Sardines (Southern African Pilchard) that eat (principally) small Zooplankton that feeds on Phytoplankton.
And here comes the assumed cascade: Sharks get killed - Sardine population explodes - Zooplankton gets wiped out - Phytoplankton thrives 

= if we want to preserve the oxygen we need to kill all the Sharks!


Oops...

But is that really so?
Seen any Fish population explode as of late?
Yes we have: Lionfish in the Caribbean! But those are invasive introduced species that so far lack any predators - betcha that in 10 years, the picture will be vastly different!

Not so with those Sardines!
The fact is that those Sardines are not part of a food chain, but of a food web.
They are not only the prey of Sharks, they are also the prey of Cetaceans, Birds and many teleost Fishes, meaning that their demise is all but assured. And then there is us, hundreds upon hundreds of artisanal fishermen that scoop them up by the bucket-loads!
So, in the end, there will be just enough Sardines left to spawn and trigger a new run etc - as it should be because as archetypical forage Fish, Sardines undergo boom and bust cycles!!

In brief.
Not all Sharks are apex predators; there are really next to no food chains but instead, the reality consists in complex food webs where there are wide-spread prey- and predator substitution and feedback loops, as in what happens to the exploded Sardines once they have annihilated the Zooplankton, and which population is likely to recover faster; but above all, we have taken on the role of marine apex predator and principal regulator, and this down through the entirety of the trophic levels!
Chances for those postulated cascades to ever eventuate in reality are very low indeed!

And the Phytoplankton?
It could not care less but will continue to boom and bust like it has always done, the former principally depending on the availability of nutrients and light!
Check out the map.


Click for detail - see?
The highest concentrations of Phytoplankton are in cold, nutrient-rich upwellings, in those cold currents that sweep along the continents from the poles and at nutrient-rich river mouths.
Want to get more Phytoplankton? Throw in nutrients - although that, too, is far from being unproblematic!

And here's another map for you.


This is the monthly Chlorophyll map of the Med in 1999.
Chlorophyll is obviously an indicator for Phytoplankton abundance and as you can see, it varies wildly over the year based on environmental factors, like temperature, light, currents and stratification of the water.
Phytoplankton is in no way comparable to, say, a tropical jungle that is meant to last for centuries: in its majority, it is composed of extremely small organisms (e.g. the Cyanobacterium Prochlorococcus marinus that makes up the bulk of it) whose life cycles are extremely short, meaning that they die and then regenerate themselves all the time! That bacterial growth is exponential and will only cease once, say, the Benguela peters out, the nutrients are exhausted or sink back to where there is no more sufficient light for photosynthesis - only to start again in the South and eventually trigger yet another Sardine run!

Nothing whatsoever to do with Sharks!

Example?
The population of the large Sharks and of the large Fishes in the Med which could qualify as apex predators has all but been wiped out . Has there been any according crash in the Med's primary production?
Take a wild guess - see any reference to trophic cascades?

So if it is not Shark fishing, what is actually threatening the production of Phytoplankton?
Probably Global Warming, by stratifying the water layers and impeding those cold, nutrient-rich upwellings!

Example?
The effects of the El Niño along the South American coast: warm water displacing the Humboldt Current, drastic decline in Phytoplankton production, crash of Anchovies and Sardines, starving sea Birds!

Shark-based trophic cascades do of course exist.
But they are not simple and linear and whilst sound in theory, empirical evidence for them is scarce. Predictions like the Shark=Phytoplankton correlation are in no way supported by evidence and actually, just simply stupid in their simplistic and completely implausible assumptions!

So, is there any correlation between Phytoplankton and Sharks?
Yes of course there is! Phytoplankton is the principal driver of the ocean's primary production and as thus, it forms the base of the marine food pyramid - and guess what, in order to fulfill that role, it needs to, gasp: get eaten!
Yes the Phytoplankton will get eaten by herbivores, those will be eaten by carnivores etc - and somewhere near the top of the pyramid, we will start finding the Sharks who could not exist if the whole thing did not start with the Phytoplankton at the bottom!

You heard it here for the first time: if the Phytoplankton does not get eaten, there will be no Sharks!

Like I said.Bottom-up effects are totally unproblematic.
Top-down - not so much!

Long story short?
The Phytoplankton is the basis for most life in the oceans, for which it NEEDS TO GET CONSUMED - and to make exactly that aspect the centerpiece of apocalyptic doomsday scenarios is utter unadulterated moronic bullshit!

Quod erat demonstrandum!

3. Phytoplankton and Oxygen Production?

So plants produce the atmosphere's oxygen, right?

Not so fast!
Plants do indeed produce oxygen and Phytoplankton indeed produces the bulk of the ocean's oxygen that is a bit less than half of the global production. The process is called Photosynthesis and in very!!! abbreviated terms, it consists in taking in CO2, throwing away the O2 and keeping the C for producing plant matter. Thus plants that are growing produce the most oxygen, after which the output of oxygen decreases and is essentially balanced out by the plant's respiration.

BUT!
Once a plant dies, the C it is made of is generally converted back into CO2 by re-combining it with the amount of O2 that was originally thrown away - meaning that in general, plants ARE NOT net producers of oxygen! Read this and yes, it is totally counter-intuitive but true never the less!

Example?
Eutrophication: first there is an algal bloom, then the Algae die, then breathing and thus oxygen-depleting and CO2-producing Bacteria etc consume them - and finally, everything else dies for lack of oxygen!

So where does the oxygen in the atmosphere come from?
Ever since the first Cyanobacteria started producing oxygen a couple of billion years ago, with possibly a big push half a billion years ago, a tiny fraction of the plants that died (or of the animals that ate them) was not re-converted into CO2 but instead, the organic carbon was buried and preserved (e.g. as coal, oil and shale), leaving the excess oxygen in the atmosphere or dissolved in water. This process is called Biosequestration and results in a net reduction of CO2 and in a net production of breathable O2.
Over this very long time span, it is this tiny excess production of Oxygen that has resulted in the actual atmospheric concentration of 21%, a drop from a high of 35%. And yes, it is plausible to assume that up to 70% of that oxygen came (past tense!) from the oceans as a) terrestrial plants only came into being approx half a billion years ago and b) Plankton is particularly prone to sedimentation.

And right now?
Right now, those 21% of atmospheric Oxygen are being circled around via the Oxygen Cycle.
You can see the absolute amounts of what's being done by whom here (note that Photosynthesis (ocean) accounts for less than half of the gain!) and if you do the math, the complete loss of all oceanic photosynthesis would equate to a reduction of atmospheric oxygen levels of one 10,000th or 0.01% per year
But with only 0.5% of all the Planet's Oxygen contained in the Atmosphere, there's plenty of scope for replenishing the shortfall from the other reservoirs! Also, there is some evidence linking an increased level of CO2 to an increase of photosynthesis, meaning that the Oxygen Cycle may be partly self-regulating.

But actually, this discussion is really irrelevant.
In case you have forgotten, Shark fishing will NOT lead to the disappearance of the Phytoplankton anyway!

4. Phytoplankton and Global Warming?

As seen before, the principal threat to the production of Phytoplankton is probably Global Warming - but what about the opposite? Would a decline in Phytoplankton drive Global Warming?

At present, the oceans act as the planet's largest carbon sink.
Check this out.


This is a representation of the Carbon Cycle.
Of interest, most of the carbon is dissolved in the ocean by physio-chemical processes and not due to the photosynthesis by Phytoplankton. Phytoplankton obtains its CO2 from the ocean, not the atmosphere and thus, its effect on the mitigation of atmospheric CO2 concentrations due to Global Warming, if at all, would only be indirect anyway.

But remember the discussion about the Oxygen?
When a plant dies, it is generally re-converted into CO2!
Thus once again, the net effect of the Phytoplankton on the abundance of atmospheric CO2 (and thus Global Warming) is limited to the rate at which its carbon, or that of the animals that eat it gets sequestered!

Want to combat Global Warming?
Stop faffing around about Sharks and Phytoplankton and work on limiting the anthropogenic emissions that cause it!
Reduce your own emissions! Vote for politicians, parties and government that advocate global reductions! Educate others! Do something to enhance carbon sequestration, like we do!
And guess what: you will not only help save Sharks and possibly even the dreaded Phytoplankton, but you will even directly contribute to limiting the depletion of oxygen in the atmosphere!

In closing.
Like a broken record and Erik the Mad Hatter, let me quote myself.

The facts and numbers?
Science is in continuous flux and the data do indeed change – but until they do, the latest peer reviewed science remains the best approximation of the truth.
Thankfully, there are now plenty of resources where anybody can consult the latest insights and data, meaning that those who continue to operate with inflated statistics and outlandish assertions lack any excuses and credibility whatsoever. The facts are plenty horrible as it is – so let’s please stick to those and refrain from the usual stupid inflated hyperbole!

Conservation is never happening in a vacuum - it is being used to advocate legislation that in its marine context will deprive fishermen of income and quite possibly, of their livelihoods. With that in mind, we owe it to them, but also, to ourselves not to cheat and to use misleading perceived "marketing", or whatever, but to be truthful and fact based instead.

The situation for many, if not most species of Shark is really, really dire and there's absolutely no need whatsoever to inflate numbers and to come up with ludicrous propositions like the moronic correlation to the ocean's production of oxygen.

And then there's this.
Assume we succeed in having laws enacted based on misleading data - what would prevent the legislators from repealing them once we got caught out?
Think we would ever get a second chance after such a fiasco?

End of rant!

PS: David here and Patric here!
And Richard's take is here. Colorful and blunt huh? So there: in wise man's politically correct lingo, pushes the envelope of rational, science-based discourse beyond the boundaries of common sense = utter unadulterated moronic bullshit! :)

Shark Conservation and the Holocaust?

Total baloney - and Jupp's totally agrees! Source

Wow.

Out of the blue, Josef Freiherr von Kerckerinck zur Borg has just seen it fit to post a comment on an old post about the Phytoplankton nonsense.

Normally, I wouldn't bother.

Europe is awash in pompous Niederadel, a dime a dozen, and one more messianic Hainarr who has done some Shark dives and now believes that he knows something about something is neither here nor there, totally irrelevant. But Jupp is of course the President of the SRI, and as such, their BS and his assorted platitudes are being regularly  mentioned on this blog, inevitably not in a flattering way.

Case in point, his revamped website.

The Phytoplankton reference is thankfully gone, along with the laudatio of his friend and guru Erich Ritter.
Instead, immer schön frei nach dem Motto I am not a scientist nor am I claiming to be one; but I am not stupid either, we find pearls of erudition like

By the year 2017 nearly 100 of the approximately 500 species of sharks will have been extinct. In the eyes of many scientists, the Great White Shark (Carcharodon carcharias) is already biologically extinct.

And we learn that

They keep water-birds (!!!) and seals (!!!) at viable numbers, that coral reefs without reef sharks will die within one year (repeated in this recent and otherwise charming interview on German television), and that if we humans continue to destroy this controlling factor in the ocean, we will eventually create the largest ecological disaster in the history of mankind - see Ritter here. Yes that would be Shark fishing - not climate change, habitat degradation and pollution!

Whatever - as I said, it's all rather irrelevant.

But this I believe is egregious.

This is the comment by the president of the SRI, re-posted in its entirely lest it gets "accidentally" deleted.

Mike Neumann is a very mean person and a bloody liar. Quoting things out of context, to make me look bad; quoting things I might have said years ago, when I had little or no knowledge about the ocean and the sharks, is typical for him. I don’t believe that I ever used the words he is putting into my mouth.

Maybe he just does not like me because I am a German and he is still living in the bad days of the 1930s. But even in that case he is wrong again. I was a baby then and my mother spoke out publicly against the Nazis. She was even taken to court a few times because of it. Do you, Mr. Neumann, believe in public guilt? So did they.

Now you are trying to make me look like an idiot in order to make yourself look like a hero; or like the self-righteous super brain of all experts on the ocean and the sharks. Mike, I am sure that you are a smart person, who has a very good way with words, much better than I do. However, it is obvious that it does not help you to get over your inferiority complex. Think about it and leave me alone.

No I'm not gonna elaborate.

I trust that everybody understands exactly what's going on here. Thankfully, far from being representative for the Germans, people like that are very much the minority - and time is ticking.

In diesem Sinne.

Obnoxious!

When researching the previous post, I came across this epic piece of horse manure:

"It's about time! The fact that it took this long for such legislation to happen is a little frightening, and the fact is there are still many more areas that need similar laws. How can anyone say with a straight face that chumming or feeding large, dangerous species of sharks does not increase danger to humans and does not increase the risk of shark/human interactions? And listen, these laws should not be limited to commercial enterprises... scientific research are big violators of these activities, and I believe also pose serious dangers when they partake in chumming and feeding large sharks.
Sincerely,
Kevin Harris"

Who is this guy, thinks moi and goes digging about in the Blogosphere.

Turns out he's some fella who hosts a stupid website aimed at proving that there's a Conspiracy (by scientists, conservationists and other equally despicable and shady individuals) to downplay, falsify and suppress the (mind-boggling) information that Sharks do attack people.
His (auto-) bio mentions that he "has been a journalist for 10 years, and is passionate about truth and accuracy in reporting" and his creation sports the proud motto "Pro-Shark • Pro-Truth".
"Truth", I may add, as in the above comment which reeks of prejudice, conjecture and outright ignorance.

Having seen some other, equally edifying posts by Kevin, his modus operandi seems to be to issue some preposterous provocation and then, when confronted, to claim that he's actually the biggest, and vastly misunderstood Shark conservationist of them all. As witnessed by his website!

Fanaticism consists in redoubling your effort when you have forgotten your aim.
I ask: cui bono? What possible benefit can anybody derive from Mr. Harris' morbid fixation?

YES Sharks do attack people and sometimes feed on them - So What?
In the big scheme of human mortality, these are nothing but exceedingly rare freak events, barely worth mentioning, tiny blips in a deluge of tragic incidents affecting people's lives.
Where does this messianic paranoia stem from? Couldn't he invest his relentless energy into some causes really worth pursuing? One would be tempted to shout, get a life! and move on to more pressing matters - but as always when dealing with zealots, it aint quite that simple.

Alas, it seems, some of us have been suckered into trying to counter that garbage with arguments, and by that fact alone, they've unwittingly conferred some kind of legitimacy to its author. I'm thinking of good people like Wolf and Jupp who got themselves embroiled in pointless exchanges of opinion. Even Underwater Thrills with whom I otherwise see eye-to-eye in nearly all cases.

The danger is this.
Unlike other harmless whackos peddling preposterous Conspiracy theories (take your pick...), this particularly obnoxious specimen is directly counteracting our efforts to protect Sharks by perpetuating the image of the lurking killer beast. By hijacking our forums and our time with his asinine punditry and pathetic armchair quarterbacking, he continues to detract us from the real issue at hand, the world-wide plight of Sharks and the challenge to try and change perceptions in order to stem that bleeding.

He's nothing but a sad, condescending and Shark-hating voyeuristic parasite, a small, petulant and self-important jerk who seems to get a kick from stirring up shit and rattling our cages, mine included (yup I know I know, I've just made myself a new friend for life.....).

The only way to deal with people like him is to ignore them.
You may want to keep that in mind next time you should come across one of his idiotic propositions.

Australia - WTF?

Patric is right.
If you are a Shark, take a left in Sydney and get the hell outta there!

Examples?
We've blogged at length about the appalling decision by the NSW minister for primary industries Katrina Hodgkinson to lift the fishing ban at the Grey Nurse aggregation sites Fish Rock and Green Island which are still enumerated in the Ministry's pamphlet but now acutely threatened.
The submission period (this one is excellent - read it!) has closed on August 26th - and what has happened since? So far, I hear, nada de nada de nada, meaning that the Ministry has given no feedback whatsoever and that the sites are still open for fishing.
Sadly, I'm not at all surprised.

Then, much like in SA, there's the shark nets and drumlines.
They are hopelessly antiquated and ecologically unsustainable (and here) and in other countries, they have been widely replaced by equally effective modern beach safety techniques. But when the public continues to advocate culling "rogue" Sharks after somebody gets attacked, rolling back those perceived protective measures may be politically impossible. Read this excellent feature from the Save our Seas Foundation on the problems of coexisting with Sharks and the various measures implemented - an here's a good one about Shark nets in Oz.
Incidentally, I was particularly appalled by this article. In it, one Terry Peake has the audacity to make the following statements.

“There’s a lot of ‘green money’ tied up in shark research.
Certain organisations are given money to protect something, so they do whatever it takes to say they’re protecting it, then at the end of tenure they present facts saying protection must continue so they receive more grants,”

As fishing stocks deplete, sharks are starting to adapt their food sources.
“Sharks need food with a high fat content and in the past humans wouldn’t provide that. However they’re getting desperate. Now we’re hearing stories about people completely disappearing, not just being bitten. It’s not a case of mistaken identity anymore, sharks are adapting out of necessity.”

Yes, this would be totally Vic Hyslop redux!
Shocking - but then again, maybe not so much. One could put it away as the ramblings of merely yet another unhinged Shark hating lunatic, were Terry not the Australian investigator of the GSAF, a bogus Shark Attack database closely affiliated with the equally bogus Shark Research Institute, the home base of other luminaries like Ritter, Collier and Amos - and I spare you the links to posts on this blog, the more as you can search for them yourself!
I say, quousque tandem - and Jupp, should you read this, get the hell outta there - ehrlich, in Freundschaft!

But I'm digressing as always.
Back to the Ozzie Shark fiasco and we find the Queensland East Coast Inshore Fin Fish Fishery ECIFFF that is taking 600 tons (or maybe more) of Sharks from the GBR Marine Park each year.
Yes read that again - from a Word Heritage Area!

I mean, seriously!
It has been known for years that any such fishery is completely unsustainable and that reef Sharks in the GBR are in big trouble - last confirmed by this open source paper as recently as last month.
And now, Fisheries Queensland has made a submission to have this abomination declared an approved Wildlife Trade Operation, this based on a rather problematic (!) report and this in diametrical contrast to the aspirations of the dive industry.
And the Federal Government is asking for comments.

Enter Madi Pip Stewart.
I must say, I am increasingly impressed by this very young underwater cinematographer, by her passion, by her product, by her outreach, by the quality of her statements. Anyway, you want to check out her blog where you will find a template for a comments letter and also, an assessment of Elasmobranchs caught in the GBR. Once again, very impressive indeed!
The consultation period closes on October 21 - and alas, I once again fear that the end result will not be in favor of Sharks, Pip passion or no Pip passion!

But the conservation fiasco not only limited to Australia's Sharks.
South Australia and NSW are bowing to the pressure by the anglers and other ocean recreationists and re-zoning their marine parks.

Furthermore, the Commonwealth is completely ignoring unanimous scientific advice, and that of the community, when defining its marine parks in the South West Bioregion that features an exceptionally high concentration of iconic marine species, many of which are endemic and can thus be found nowhere else on the planet. And worse than that, it is now actively muzzling and censoring dissenting researchers, Texas style.
Bravo to Corey for speaking up - and having talked to a few friends, it is exactly like he says!

So, WTF is going on?
Ever since the fratricide of Rudd and the subsequent botched elections, the Labour-led government there has been nothing but an appalling joke whereby anything and anybody, let alone useless baggage like ideals and principles are being sacrificed on the altar of self serving political survival - and yes I'm trying to be polite!
Gone are the days where Australia was a shining beacon of visionary conservation, gone the days where it could lecture the Pacific Island States who are now showing Big Brother the way forward.

Solutions?
Alas, short term, I am rather skeptical.
The political trend appears to be pointing towards a shift to the right where Big Mining and Big Oil are calling the shots - and obviously, those entities could not care less about Australia's ecosystem, marine and otherwise. But as long as there are young passionate people like Madi, there is hope, at least in the long term.

Fingers crossed!

Sharks and Chupacabras - DaShiffmann on the Oxy Myth!

Thank you David! I must say, I am impressed. No not because he has totally debunked the oxygen myth by illustrating why the hypothesis is utterly implausible to the point of being ridiculous, something that by now, anybody with a brain should be amply aware of. No, I am impressed because David has deigned to tackle the subject despite of its silliness whilst remaining his usual compelling, polite and above all, eminently factual and informative self in the process! Well done! But, has he disproven the myth? No obviously not as that's not the way this works! Remember the yellow pig? He who asserts carries the burden of proof! Eagerly awaiting Jessica's dissertation proving her silly-gism that, and I obviously cite, All Sharks supply Oxygen to Earth! Maybe start with, say, Cookiecutter Sharks and exploding populations of large pelagic Fishes, Mammals and submarines? But more to the point as I'm clearly being silly myself. There needs to be a moment of accountability after a fiasco of these dimensions - and yes Erik the Mad Hatter: we're looking at you - and at Rob, Julie, Jupp et al! No not because you're bad people with bad intentions; but because despite of your bombastic self promotion, you are actually nothing more than sheeple that have uncritically inhaled, parroted and propagated the pseudoscience of your friend the Great Guru of Sharkitarianism - and above all, because despite of multiple attempts at educating you that this is nothing more than utter unadulterated moronic bullshit, you have stubbornly clung on to this stupidity like a truther to building #7! And the deluge of your disciples starting from the credulous echo chambers all the way to the naïve Hollywood stars and the rabid zealots like Jessica? This is now your very own legacy - and rest assured that no amount of self serving amnesia and pudic deleting will ever succeed in completely erasing that public record: scripta manent! Leaves Erich Ritter. Gotta hand it to the man, he really is the ultimate trailblazer. Neff's attempts to re-define Shark attacks as mere accidents; the moronic to totally demented self-immolation by the bimbettes in order to prove, or whatever, that Sharks don't attack humans; and now the moronic oxy myth - all are phylogenetically linked to Erich and his visions. And so it goes. I say, enough of that shit. So far, everybody has been polite - but from now on

2012 - The Bad and the Ugly: Track back!

So there - here comes the juicy part!

WARNING - LAST CHANCE TO STOP READING!

You have been warned!

1. Track back

Last year's list is here!

• Shark Research Institute.
  
  Meh.
  The Jersey Girl, the remarkable prez (Film maker, German TV star and one of the top 26 Shark experts on the planet no less!) and the other featured names, or whatever, continue to shine through... wait for it.... NOTHING!
  Did they once again mooch off other peoples' achievements? Who knows and frankly, who cares! And this? Q.e.d, see above under Shark Con! So don't be a sucker - and should you want to donate to a REAL Shark research institute, choose one that actually DOES engage in research and send your money to Doc's Shark Lab!
  
  But THIS is scary!
  Remember the Doha fiasco?
  Has there been a moment of accountability and reflection, and have the lessons be learned?
  
  The question then and now is
  Have the Shark conservationists met, are they coordinating their efforts and pooling their resources, and are they going to be sending their best, most seasoned negotiators to represent the whole Shark conservation movement - or are we going to see yet again the same convention tourism by yet again the same motley uncoordinated naïve and clueless group of amateurs who will pay themselves a trip to Bangkok in order to protest, pontificate and vociferate?
  And in the case of the SRI, I hear: hobnob, small talk and sippy champagny?
  
  Take a wild guess!
  I've talked to a lot of people who have attended Doha and their assessment of the SRI delegation has been nothing short of DEVASTATING - and now those folks want to do it again!
  I mean, seriously, just go and check out Jupp's Facebook page that is all about the SSCS and zero about the SRI (= because there's NOTHING to report - q.e.d. again!), and look at the righteous platitudes, populist hogwash and Watson-esque poetry he chooses to propagate - from the PRESIDENT of a Shark RESEARCH Institute?!? Seriously!!!
  
  And THOSE are the people that are asking for your money to go and represent YOU?

• Shark Angels.
  
  Turns out that I was wrong in lumping them all together!
  There are valiant members who shine through brilliant advocacy at the grassroots level, and the Franco-Belgian chapter is actually quite impressive - so kudos to them.
  South Africa? Meh - it's one year later and STILL zero results!
  
  And then there's the Californian outlayer consisting of Andersen and her claque of sycophantic half-sized bimbos sporting black-dyed chicken feathers (seriously!) and rabid vegan sea shepherdettes that are frankly a bloody disgrace - see Part Four under Operation Requiem!
  
  The question being: is that even Shark Angels - and do the other legit members want to be associated with that whacky shit?
  And if not: maybe one should get rid of the narcissism and the KRAZY and boot her out, just like Shark Savers have done a long time ago, only to emerge much improved and way more credible in the process?

• United Conservationists
  
  What if conservation became easier than rallies, protests, radical groups and letter writing? What if the ability to save ecosystems, species and ultimately humanity was put into your hands and was as easy as the click of the mouse? What if the power returned to the people? What if we united and started a revolution to save the planet, and ultimately ourselves?
  
  Yeah, right - WHAT IF!
  Long story short: NOBODY GIVES A SHIT - thankfully!
  There's now, I hear, a movie nobody apart from daddy's paid journalists has watched; a book nobody apart from daddy's paid journalists has read; a campaign that is unraveling (and here); a REVOLUTION that ain't happening; a non-for-profit (maybe!) without a board now that mummy and daddy have stepped away; and a guru-esque salesman who has fallen victim to his own marketing - which also covers what I've written under Personality Cults one year ago!
  Hell, it is so bad that even Andersen has fled the sinking ship!
  Time to shut this down and go get an honest job, how about that!

• The California Shark Fin Ban is holding.
  
  For now!
  The way I read it, an injunction has been rejected pending the case proper - or was this the final judgement? If so, phewww; if not, good luck - and I mean it!
  
  And this being CALIFORNIA, the Sharktivists have already embarked on the next flawed Shark conservation initiative - see the next section!

• Erik the Mad Hatter of Sharkitarianism.
  
  My research into sharks lead me to a ground breaking and shocking scientific discovery and I spent years of research with scientists and experts around the world to get all of the data down for my book, "The Sixth Extinction". What I have written is by far the most powerful conservation book and in fact the most important book that anyone will ever read.
  
  Excerpt below!

• ABC4
  
  I must say, he really IS a great shooter - watch this.
  
  
  
  I will never like the riding and am really disappointed that GoPro promotes that shit to their thousands upon thousands of customers.
  
  But overall, excellent stuff!
  And, people tell me that this year, he has not partaken in any outright Shark porn!
  
  And still, I just don't like or trust the man - which I'm sure causes him countless sleepless nights :)
  E.g., does one really have to pander to the loons and trolls in order to belong, or whatever?

• Discovery Channel
  
  I once signed the boycott petition and don't watch that shit unless somebody tells me I have to - and nobody has. I hear that things are slowly improving, which is good news indeed.

• Erich Ritter
  
  He's still at it!
  After more than a decade of spouting pseudoscience, we're STILL waiting for the GROSSE WURF, the rolling out of his seminal peer-reviewed paper on his visionary THEORY OF EVERYTHING on Shark-human interaction!
  
  Instead, he has written a BOOK - ANOTHER one! Yay!
  No I'm not posting titles and links lest I be accused of aiding and abetting - just this: would you buy a book purporting to teach you about Bird-human, or Mammal-human interaction - get the gist? Not to mention the fact that he really hasn't got a leg to stand on - those very same lunatic hypotheses have already been falsified by a hungry Bull Shark nearly a decade ago, camera running!
  Anyway, see below!
  
  WARNING!
  A friend who has watched it writes, That's 6 minutes and 42 seconds of my life I will never get back!.
  Indeed - you have been warned!
  
  
  
  6:38
  In the presence of Bull Sharks in shallow water: Recommendation: STAND STILL!
  WOW - pass the coochie to the left hand side!

To be continued!

PS: Check out Part One, Part Two and Part Four!

2012: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly - Part Deux!

Yup that would be a stupid bimbo sinking on a dead Shark - but check out the caption and the comments! Sigh.

The Bad and the Ugly!


Sorry for keeping you waiting!

So this is what y'all been waiting for - with bated breath no doubt!

This is when, to paraphrase Vee and the nieder-Jupp, my vicious soul and inferiority complex compel me to insult and belittle others - this all in order to get attention, elevate myself at the expense of others, become famous and get the chance to finally travel with a retinue of shapely bimbettes, just like my secret hero ABC4!

But more seriously

This is when somebody will inevitably start shouting, how dare you attack fellow conservationists, and invoke global peace and harmony and-so-on and-so-forth.

So lemme state this loud and clear: I don’t hate anybody here.

Hell, I don't even really care about those people!

What I however DO hate is bullshit!

And in the spirit of qui tacet consentire videtur, I will always reserve the right to criticize situations I don’t agree with - and if they happen to be in the public domain, I will also feel perfectly entitled to do so publicly, like it or not!

I also believe that like in science, progress in conservation is achieved via dialogue but also, via robust debate where opinions may get heated but where everybody who is legit accepts that those are just the rules of the game – and where those who do not are simply not scientists and conservationists but posers and bullshitters!

In brief, where I’m coming from is that whereas it is great that Shark conservation has become sizzling hot and is uniting many passionate voices around a great common cause, bullshit continues to be bullshit and shenanigans, shenanigans - and the great common cause is in no way an excuse for any of that.

And like in real life, people are sometimes simply incompatible and thus mutually exclusive.

If you don’t agree, stop reading now - HNY and have a great life!

Seriously, spare yourself the aggro because the following aint gonna be pretty – but if you cannot resist and end up being outraged, spare me the lessons in ethics and instead, debate the assertions!

Seriously!

If the meteoric rise and the astounding successes of Pew teach us one lesson, then it is that the correct way to save Sharks is to pursue their protection by pragmatic and science-based advocacy and by hard work and smart negotiations aimed at legislative changes.

The rest is just stupid fluff and hot air, and counter productive to boot. We are not the ones who enact Shark protection - and rest assured that the people who do have zero time, zero patience and zero respect for the vocal clamoring of the Shark whacks!

Again, Shark conservation is inextricably liked to political and economic considerations, and he who does not understand that is just a fool.

Shark fishermen don’t hate Sharks, they want to make a buck – and the authorities don’t subscribe to conservation because they have changed their perspective and suddenly love Sharks, they do so because they have been convinced of the (eminently economic) need for sustainability and in the case of Sharks, because they have learned about the importance of several (not all!) species in regulating the marine environment and thus, of their economical value all the way to generating millions in income from tourism.

Shark finning?

The finning bans are archaic and ineffective and thus not anymore worth pursuing in isolation. Yes finning is an ethical abomination and needs to be abolished – but what is killing the Sharks is Shark fishing and if you care to open your eyes, you will quickly discern that many of the major Shark fishing hubs are processing the whole animals as the meat is increasingly sought after by ever increasing populations starving for protein, and other products like leather, squalene and even the eggs are introduced into the wider economy.

The facts and numbers?

Science is in continuous flux and the data do indeed change – but until they do, the latest peer reviewed science (but also read this and this!) remains the best approximation of the truth.

Thankfully, there are now plenty of resources where anybody can consult the latest insights and data, meaning that those who continue to operate with inflated statistics and outlandish assertions lack any excuses and credibility whatsoever. The facts are plenty horrible as it is – so let’s please stick to those and refrain from the usual stupid inflated hyperbole!

The industry?

If there has been one trend at this year’s DEMA, then it has been Shark conservation - and everybody in the dive industry is now claiming that he has always been deeply and passionately involved.

Great – if only they all did walk the talk!

Instead, the usual shenanigans have continued unabated.

Don’t get me wrong, I know that nothing is just black or white. Competition is continuously leading many Shark diving operators to ever up the ante, this also very much in order to satisfy the continuous requests for ever more adrenaline by their clients. There is also an insatiable demand for images featuring stunt work with Sharks.

I understand that these are businesses and that those folks are merely trying to make a buck – but I certainly do not subscribe to the notion that these developments are inevitable, the more since we at BAD are doing very well indeed by promoting a totally different kind of experience, do not enable Shark porn and have in fact continuously tightened our protocols as a result of the stupendous increase in large Sharks visiting Shark Reef.

But you can’t have it both ways.

Stunt work with Sharks and promoting gratuitous adrenaline thrills got nothing to do with Shark conservation, period!

And the much-invoked Demystifying and Changing Perceptions about these Misunderstood animals?

Indeed - respectable Shark diving operations do that daily, and this without having to resort to those stupidities, and so do respectable Shark media!

Think about how the same was achieved with the terrestrial top predators: certainly not by showcasing scantily clad death-defying bimbettes (Bikini Shark Warrior? C'mon girl - you're better than that!) perambulating in the savannahs and the Sundarbans and also not by turning alpha predators into pets by allowing tourists to physically interact with them, let alone ride them!

E.g., what is this shit - and no it was not with Epic Diving!

Changing perceptions by attempting to “prove” that we’re not on the menu of Sharks actually perpetuates the myth by reducing the animals’ fascinating and complex life history to one element only, that of shark-human interactions where some of the large species actually do devour people – which makes them neither Bad not Good but merely illustrates that they are the opportunistic predators they just happen to be!

Nobody in his right mind asserts that Lions and Tigers are harmless – but most of us have learned to respect and love them for what they are, beautiful, charismatic and awe inspiring essential elements of their natural habitats, and very much endangered.

Think BBC documentary: that’s how you do it – and yes, the rest is just moronic BS!

And: Love not Loss - remember?

Ring a bell?

It better - because I've basically copy/pasted what I've written last year!

Yes, alas, nothing has changed much - and I'm frankly too lazy and also lack the profound motivation to try and re-formulate the exact same message in the hopes that choosing other words may change the outcome!

WARNING!

In keeping with what constitutes REAL messaging in Shark conservation, the following will contain a liberal dosing of CAPS LOCK!

The Dolphinization of the Shark Conservation Movement

So, what's going on?

Why is it that after years of attempts at educating the public and of trying to weed out the most irritating myths, those people still continue to spout these inanities - and mind you, I'm talking about the people on OUR side, not the Shark haters?

Look no further than here!

Need I elaborate?

The question of course is, how do we proceed if we want to stop preaching to the choir and instead broaden our base and activate the masses that by definition are dumb (and I'm not even talking about the retards!) - the more as the most popular communication vehicles are demanding ever shorter messages, see Facebook, Twitter et al!

I've been discussing this with one of the science communication senseis, the great Randy Olson, and his answer is, you got to tell a compelling story - one that appeals to the gut and the emotions rather than the brain!

But hear it from da man himself!!

Easier said than done - right?

The challenge of course is to be interesting, entertaining, informative and on top of that all, synthetic - this however without succumbing to the temptation to shorten and dumb down the message to the point where its veracity is being compromised!

And here is obviously where most Shark conservation messaging fails!

I really did like this comment on David's post about the same issues.

Kirsten E

December 27, 2012 at 5:17 pm · Reply

Popularizing science is a very difficult thing to achieve. It is worth considering that misinformation becomes widespread because it appeals to the general public’s sense of Right and Wrong, where soundbites with some tenuous connection to a factual foundation fit firmly into a black and white worldview. It is not surprising that sympathetic individuals fall prey to exaggerated claims, because they lack the background, ability, or dedication to look deeper.

I am guilty of being a bit of a loudmouth when discussing shark conservation, but as it is my intended career path I am always looking to further my knowledge. The difficulty is that most people’s introduction to these issues is not from researchers, but from organizations like Sea Shepherd or documentaries like Sharkwater, who seek a reactionary, emotional impact to make a point. Once that impression is made, it is very hard to scale it back to a more realistic discussion, perhaps because it lacks the same shock factor that appeals to people’s indignation in the first place.

It’s ironic that conservationists can be their own worst enemy.

AMEN!

Could not agree more!

Which brings me to the second issue here.

Once the scientists and conservation orgs broaden their outreach, the messaging is then picked up and multiplied by others - the bleeding hearts and idealists that consitute the movement I call Sharktivism.

And the result of those efforts?

Look no further than the Infinite Monkey Theorem!

Examples?

Here's just two from a never-ending succession of wrong or distorted "information" bombarding the public - and because these people are certainly well-intentioned, I refrain from adding the links.

You know who you are!

We need to get these extremely vulnerable and critically endagered Porbeagles listed in CITES appendix I or we can put the few pictures which exist of these magnificent animals in a museum!

But Porbeagles are only critically endangered REGIONALLY!

And consequently, they ARE being protected nationally and regionally and the advocates are proposing to have them protected by the relevant RFMOs (so far successfully in one but in vain in another) and to list them on CITES II and not I!

To make shark's fin soup, fishermen catch sharks and cut off their fins.

They throw the rest of the shark back into the ocean because the meat of the shark is considered less valuable and not worth keeping. The sharks are often still alive and left to slowly drown because without their fins they can no longer swim!

But the soup's recipe does not require finning - right?

Finning is perpetrated by OTHERS (very much including us supercilious westerners!), and this for  reasons of convenience and greed! But granted, yes, it happens all-too-often - so is this compression of a long story legit?

Probably YES - but then, once the Chinese (!) whispers pick up and propagate the meme, it inevitably leads to racist rants and to crap like

the practice of shark finning results in an estimated 73 million sharks a year being killed for their fins alone and that over one-third of all shark species are threatened with extinction as a result of shark finning;

Total bollocks!

Oh yes that would be once again be the United Conservationists - see Part Three!

AND: finning is not the real issue - the real issue is OVERFISHING! Are we advocating  CONSERVATION or are we ANIMAL WELFARE activists?

So lemme repeat this - again!

If we want to be credible Shark advocates, we got to do our homework and first of all, be informed about the animals we love!

Science is always in flux and today’s insights may quickly become tomorrow’s fallacies, meaning that we must keep abreast of the latest research results and not base our knowledge on old publications and approximate hearsay.

Most importantly, we the amateur naturalists should never make up things on the fly, nor should we idly re-interpret what is considered to be the accepted consensus.

This does not mean that we should not challenge the current status quo, as that is precisely the process by which knowledge is being advanced! BUT: the only accepted technique for doing so is the Scientific Method and as always, let me warn against the siren calls and intellectual shortcuts of the self promoters, quacks and charlatans!

Every single researcher I’ve ever met has always been eager to engage in informed discussions and to entertain different hypotheses, if adequately supported by according observations.

Those researchers are neither omniscient nor omnipresent and often, observations by common mortals like us have greatly contributed to the advancement of scientific insights - so even if you have no academic background, don’t be shy and speak up!

But do your home work first!

Can we maybe just be a little more humble and less righteous, the more since Conservation is so complicated  - and maybe progress towards more facts and less truthiness?

Can we maybe just open our eyes and wonder at the magnificence of what IS instead of trying to make things up?

It is that very deluge of platitudes, pseudoscience and exaggerated doomsday scenarios in all those pedestrian wannabee Sharkwater clones, those zillions of activist Facebook pages and those idiotic petitions that is undermining the legitimaticy of Shark conservation by making us all look like total wingnuts!

We are the amateurs.

Can we please listen to what the professionals are telling us – the principal message being that extreme positions (on both sides!) are inhibiting conservation and appropriate management measures?

AND, here's another one I need to get off my chest!

The Shark Con

No not the ramblings of HE Sawyer!

That's just whackadoodle gibberish!

I'm talking about misleading conservation messaging that is coupled with an AGENDA.

Mostly, it is obviously about the money. Sometimes, it is about the money plus other motivations, e.g.  narcissistic self promotion like in the case of Ms. Andersen, see Part Four.

In my book, it becomes a CON when the bullshitting is INTENTIONAL.

Examples?

That's a difficult one as in practice, it is often difficult to differentiate from the equally idiotic and misleading statements of people who are actually well-meaning but who think that resorting to hyperbole constitutes legitimate "marketing", or of people who simply parrot the stupid statements of others - or of people who are simply stupid!

Case in point, once again from David's post.

David McGuire (@Seastewards)

January 4, 2013 at 8:18 pm · Reply

........

Given the scanty data for the MSC “sustainable spiny dogfish fishery” it remains to be seen whether there really can be such a thing. Included in the definition should be negligible to no bycatch. It that category the Southern California drift gill net fishery fails. Thousands of blue sharks, other species of sharks including Great White Sharks, marine mammals and sea turtles are all killed as bycatch in the thresher shark fishery (and now Mako where the population is data deficient).

David McGuire, Shark Stewards

To which a reader responded.

Jonathan Gonzalez

January 7, 2013 at 11:35 am · Reply

@Seastewards

I get worried when I see such comments from a shark conservation organization leader like yourself that collects peoples donations. Folks like you worry me because you are irresponsible and you mislead the public.

“Included in the definition should be negligible to no bycatch. It that category the Southern California drift gill net fishery fails. Thousands of blue sharks, other species of sharks including Great White Sharks, marine mammals and sea turtles are all killed as bycatch in the thresher shark fishery (and now Mako where the population is data deficient).”

Currently, over 90% of the total bycatch by numbers in the DGN fishery comes from a single species, the common mola (sunfish). Although there has not been a definitive study on the survivorship of common mola released from DGN gear, observations by NMFS observers and researchers suggest that a high percent (>90%) of them are released alive.

Here is a link to info regarding shark bycatch in California’s drift gillnet fishery, you might learn something here:

http://swr.nmfs.noaa.gov/sfws/Kohin-for%20posting.pdf

As far as great white shark bycatch, the numbers are a non-issue as you can see here:

http://www.eatusseafood.com/?p=266

Pingers have lowered bycatch of cetaceans by 50% (Barlow and Cameron 2003) and the 6 fathom extenders (buoy lines) have drastically reduced bycatch of California sea lions and CTS which are typically near the surface at night when the nets are being dragged.

California’s drift gillnet fishery hasn’t killed a sea turtle in 13 years. Here is a link to prove it:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?key=0AmtAXS70A2eodF9QTTZ5UnczNWJ5YTdBaHRnbk9sQUE&gid=9

Do your homework Mr. David McGuire. You owe it to the folks that donate to your organization and the sharks you claim to protect.

Bingo!

So is McGuire just an IDIOT who spouts unverified factoids, or is he a CHARLATAN who is amping up the rhetoric in order to be more successful when soliciting funding, or BOTH? 

You be the judge of that - but he is certainly IRRITATING, and has been so for a very long time indeed! Not quite enough for a nomination - but he's certainly on the waiting list!

Solutions?

On the positive side, LET US TELL A GOOD STORY!

Don't know how to do that? Read this - and if you're an org in the USA, book a seminar with Randy!

Oh yes - and read his blog - see the blog roll on the side!

(howz that for a shamelesss plug, buddy! :)

Example!

On the negative side, LET'S CALL OUT THE PERPETRATORS!

And NO I do NOT agree with Randy on this one: - no gravitas and decorum here mister, ever! I shall NOT watch my language, and I specifically reserve the right to continue saying FUCK, and this in CAPITAL LETTERS, whenever I please!

And what about the comments section?

Moderation is enabled and the WAILING OF HYENAS (love it!) will only be tolerated for entertainment and/or educational purposes!

To be continued!

PS: Check out Part One, Part Three and Part Four!