PIPA - more Smoke & Mirrors!

PIPA - fact or fiction? Source.

Read, or listen to this.

Yes Sue is pissed off.

We should have sent her an e-mail to get the FACTS right - not simply believed the repeated public assertions of the president of Kiribas, e.g. proffered here last January, 03:20 ff.

Right.

Here are the FACTS.

CI and the Tong have been lying to the public by stating, or at least implying that the entire PIPA is closed to commercial fishing.
Having been caught out, CI is now trying to deny any accountability by complaining that they are being unfairly attacked by competing NGOs etc. and claiming that the whole exercise has been a process from the get go.

The latter is of course correct.

Here's CI's Greg Stone giving a talk about it in April of 2010.

All perfectly fair and understandable.

But then, this is not a grand gift to the world - then this is a (perfectly legit) financial transaction that is far from having been delivered upon let alone concluded - and as long as that is the case, claiming that the PIPA is closed to commercial fishing is a big fat LIE, period! 

CI has repeatedly changed its website and now calls it a multiple-use marine protected area (MPA) which is technically correct - but even that is totally misleading and thus equally dishonest.

So here's the deal.

Get on with it and by all means, godspeed. 

IMO aint gonna happen. But it's worth the try - at least until it becomes clear to everybody that this is nothing but a scam where the donors are being duped into forking out money for more inefficient bureaucracy and the salaries of those verbose NGO folks whilst Kiribati continues to cash in on those fishing licenses and zero progress is being made on the actual no-take area.

Anybody taking bets?

But above all, stop whinging. 

You've been caught with your pants down - so how about everybody including the prez is being told to shut the fuck up and deliver on the breathy claims instead. Now THAT would be impressive!

We shall be watching!

PIPA - Smoke and Mirrors!

Phoenix Islands - a mere fraction of Kiribati's EEZ.

Read this.

Make sure you click on the link to the article by Christopher Pala, reviewed here.

And this is the reaction by CI.

Not a single word of contrition for having duped the world for years on end but on the contrary, the usual bullshit and then a whole lotta letters of support by their friends - and I must say that my waning respect for Her Deepness has taken one last and likely fatal blow.

And I cite.

To this end, Kiribati has made a sacrifice.
We established PIPA, which closed much of our territorial waters to fishing. We had to fight our own internal political battles and opinion on this decision, but it is a very large statement on our part.

And this one is even more egregious.

The people of Kiribati have also made such a gift. 
Three years ago, we declared 160,000 square miles of our Phoenix Islands a fully protected marine park, off limits to fishing and to any extractive use. Today these pristine islands and waters are a United Nations World Heritage Site – in fact the largest World Heritage Site (not for long!). 

I think these gifts lie close to the heart of resilience: A decision to say “This is where we stop taking from the earth, and start giving back.” 
We need many such gifts to the world. Kiribati is a poor country that relies heavily on its marine resources for its income, but we did not hesitate to make our gift.

The truth?

The PIPA comprises a mere 11% of Kiribati's EEZ and only 3% of it are currently protected. Now CI calls it a 408,250 square kilometer multiple-use marine protected area (MPA) which is technically correct but highly misleading (and here!) and deeply dishonest - to use their example, it's exactly like claiming that California is a 163,695 square mile multiple-use wildlife refuge!

And those 5 million?

They will be squandered for "management" and if you read carefully, you will notice that there is zero mention of even one single inch of incremental territory being protected in exchange  - the question being, was this correctly represented to the donors?

Appalling!

FSM Shark Sanctuary - two!

Source - bravo Timbo!

Well well.

Leo Falcam Jr. does not like to listen to expert opinions.

Interesting. Where I come from we say, la gallina che canta ha fatto l'uovo - but that's, possibly, besides the point.
 
The point is that maybe he should.
Maybe, had the Office of the President been a tad more receptive and professional, the sanctuary legislation would not have been such a fiasco. Maybe, the FSM President would have been spared the embarrassment of proudly announcing that Micronesia's livestock would henceforth be fed with the likes of shredded Whale Sharks, Turtles, Dolphins, Albatrosses, Mantas and the like, and that it would be the fishermen's patriotic duty to procure them.
I mean, seriously, what were they thinking!

Yikes!

Because the experts had warned them.

An anonymous benefactor has shared this remarkable document - click for detail.

See?
This is really as good as it gets.

All I did bemoan is there, and then some: the need for an explicit fishing ban, the problems with the mandatory bycatch provisions and also the observation that the final legislation differs considerably from what had been announced - even the fact that it is in direct contradiction to the national Shark sanctuaries, something that had escaped me!

So WTF has happened?

Of course the FSM are a sovereign entity that can legislate whatever they want provided that it is legal - which incidentally, this probably is not. Maybe they did change their mind and did not know how to tell - but if so, were the member States consulted before this policy reversal?

Yours truly however smells shenanigans, likely some nefarious special interest (WESPAC is apparently well ensconced in Pohnpei) that has managed to torpedo the whole exercise at the eleventh hour.
Or was it merely abject incompetence?

Leo? :)

Leaves this problematic press release.

No, sorry, stating that the measure prohibits the commercial fishing and trade of sharks and rays and their parts is simply not true, and it is grossly misleading the public. Having observed the pewculiarities of that org and noticed the degree of pico-management whereby nothing is being said let alone published without multiple vetting, and where transgressors are being summarily executed regardless of rank and past achievements, this is definitely not the proverbial "unfortunate misunderstanding" and as such, it is highly disappointing. I understand the diplomatic need to make the best of a bad lot - but an outright lie?

So Pew, it appears, are having their own PIPA moment.

Yes it's rather embarrassing - but to the gloating NGOs I say, beware of glass houses and stones!

Like in the case of the PIPA that is now apparently fully implemented and holding (! - yes, and my prediction was wrong!), this can be turned into a win - so how about instead of sniping and god forbid, penning public letters and other stupidities, you earn your salaries and work on solutions instead!

Plus, those NGO wars are simply pathetic.

Instead of engaging in those petty tribal wars (notable exception, since he is being explicitly mentioned: Ian Campbell of WWF!), how about remembering that there are many paths towards the goal of reducing Shark mortality. I can understand that the fact that Pew do not need to go begging and generally do whatever they please is making others look ineffective by comparison, and is generating a lot of envy - but let's face it, they are very good at what they do, and their continued successes are impressive!

Plus, those sanctuaries are certainly not the final solution, either.
IMO they are merely indefinite Shark fishing moratoria, stop-gap solutions that need to lead to other, more holistic approaches - which Pew is incidentally already tackling via its Global Ocean Legacy projects!

Yes having disproportionately fished away the predators, it is OK to selectively protect them - but of course, species protection does not work in the long term. Shark populations cannot be expected to thrive as long as we continue to obliterate their prey, destroy their coastal nurseries, and boil and pollute their habitats to smithereens; and the Mantas will have no chance if we don't stop acidifying away the Plankton.

Right?
Remember the principal issues?

Plus, fishermen got to live, and those ever-increasing legions of people got to eat, too - especially considering that at least in theory, seafood is a renewable resource!
 

I hear that smarter minds are already looking into that.

There is talk about a mix of 30% mega-MPAs (which IMO appear only possible in non-populated areas, or places that are highly dependent on tourism like Palau) and 70% managed fisheries - and if so, there is ample scope for everybody to cooperate and at the same time, to go absolutely nuts on one's preferred solution!
As long as the populace feels adequately represented by snowball-throwing clowns, the task at hand is hard enough without those pathetic internecine fights - and yes that would be ME talking, but contrary to YOU, I'm not being paid for doing the right thing! :)
So be nice to each other!

Anyway.

Yes I'm certainly digressing big time.

The issue at hand is obviously, how to correct this abject PR fiasco - and I'm very confident that like me, you're equally really looking forward to act two! :)
 
So, to paraphrase poor maligned Ian, here's to this not being seen as "job done", but as "job started"!

To be continued no doubt!

 

PIPA - finally enacted?

Read this.

If true, it's great news.

But the lack of any official announcement, and the reported silence by the perpetrators of the PIPA scam are perplexing to say the least.

To be continued no doubt!

Will the PIPA be delisted?

The visionary President with his award - maybe a tad premature?

Bingo!

All I can say is, it's about bloody time!

The UNESCO is finally catching on to the conservation scam that is the Kiribati Phoenix Islands Protected Area and threatening to strip it of its World Heritage status if an additional 25% of the area are not closed to fishing by the end of 2014 - notabene, to then merely reach a paltry 28% in total!

And what about Anote Tong?

Can the premature accolades and honors be unbestowed, the more that CI appears highly embarrassed and is now correcting its own PR, see the note at the bottom of this article?

Story here.

It's a great article that shows the huge benefits a totally protected PIPA would bring about - especially now that the Pacific is losing its big Fishes (paper here!).

And now that chance is being squandered for short term gain.

Yes as I said it's once again all about the money - and Tong himself sure requires heaps of it for continuing to gallivant around the world, hat in hand, trying to convince everybody that they need to pay (even more!) for climate change adaptation and the eventual resettlement of his people.

Because of course it's all our fault.

Because the problems got nothing to do with the Malthusian population explosion on South Tarawa, whereby those unchecked masses have run out of water and food, destroyed their coastline, turned the lagoon into a cesspit and subjected themselves to all kinds of unpalatable diseases - whilst happily continuing to produce babies in the face of an unemployment rate of more than 60% and the need to eventually relocate everybody abroad? Nothing new actually - read Collapse!

Yes Climate Change and Sea Level Rise are a huge issue - but how about addressing one's strictly self-inflicted domestic problems first, this starting with some vigorous family planning and relocation back to the outer islands!

With that in mid, how does this sound to you now.

Visionary - or maybe a tad hypocritical?

Just asking!

Operation Requiem - Anniversary!

Where's the  babemobile now? Source.

So there.

This brief exchange reminds me of unfinished business.

It is now one year since Julie Andersen and Co got their hands on Sea Shepherd's pointy babemobile and embarked on a junket across the South Pacific - and it is now high time for one last look at that shit.

But first.

Remember the bombastic announcement?

It still makes me puke whenever I watch it.

Like I said from the outset, the whole BS about kicking ass, stopping at nothing, putting one's life on the line and being willing to DIE had nothing to do with conservation but was instead Andersen's attempt at starring on some sharky Whale Wars clone on Animal Planet. But worry not, I'm not about to bore you with yer another repetitive rant. Should you really have missed the whole kerfuffle when it happened, you can check out what I've posted here when I awarded it the Shark Conservation Con of the Year.

Instead, I want to talk about this.

Sounds great doesn't it - were it not for the fact that like the whole campaign, it's just simply a big heap of BS! To wit, protected one of the world’s largest marine reserves, stopped illegal fishing = boarded legal purse seiners in the PIPA! Talk about a double con: the specific activity but also the fake protected area! 

Anyway.

Even if one overlooks the details, the general gist of that page is that Andersen's junket has been a great Shark conservation success and that it has paved the way for greater and better things to come, see the reference to several partnerships with local governments and NGO’s and the laying of the groundwork for the establishment of locally protected marine areas in 3 countries.

And the reality one year later?

• Is the babemobile under its vociferous captain honoring the given assurances and patrolling the waters of Tonga, Kiribati and Vanuatu that gave such warm welcomes? 
• Are the SSCS and/or the Shark Angels working collaboratively with those several South Pacific governments and NGOs as announced - and if so, where, and what are the results? 
• And what of those LMMAs - what is the progress there?

Or may Operation Requiem STILL be nothing but a scam?

I'm asking because I am hearing and reading NOTHING - and I betcha it's because NOTHING is happening! From what I can discern, Andersen has been terminated, see below;  Fisk, meh; and the sly Ms Basset is back to being her radical shepherdette self in Hawaii. Initiatives from those quarters, let alone successes in protecting the Sharks in the South Pacific: a big fat zero.
On the contrary: Tonga under its Shepherd of the Sea has since opened its doors to unlimited Shark fishing and finning - and the PIPA has since been fittingly outed as a scam! 

Or not? Surprise me!

The Pacific Voyagers?
Having employed some of the voyagers, my impression was that this was nothing but yet another junket on other people's money, namely some wealthy and IMO hopelessly romantic and credulous German dude who came up with and financed the whole exercise - and observing the local leaders parade around in their big SUVs whilst preaching sustainability to others has certainly done nothing to dispel my reservations.
I believe that this pseudo-cultural retro movement does nothing in addressing the aspirations of the young generation of Pacific Islanders that are desperately looking for a vision of the future, foremost of which decent jobs and decent lives. For that, like anybody else, they will need to have a good education and then be willing to work hard - and I'm concerned to see zero reference to that in the Voyagers' messaging. But as always the proof is in the pudding, and it remains to be seen whether now that the voyage and with it, the indiscriminate funding have ended, there will be any lasting and tangible legacy.
But I'm obviously digressing - progress for Sharks, zero!

Sea Shepherd?

If my suspicion is accurate and NOTHING has happened in the past twelve months and that consequently, the overarching campaign is nothing but hot air - why, exactly, is this stuff still on their website? 

Whereas I will always remain opposed to the personality cult and its brand of radical activism, Sea Shepherd's largely overlooked Shark conservation activities in the Galapagos have been nothing short of stellar. And I must also say that as of late, I've been rather impressed with Gary Stokes' work at CITES and more recently, on the airline and shipping lines campaigns - the more since trusted friends think very highly of him. Plus, would that be a vintage BAD t-shirt? :)

So why tarnish the Shark conservation effort with this shit - the more as the Pacific is already so well served by the literally countless NGOs and especially, Pew?

Or again: surprise me!

And the breathy Director of Shark Campaigns?

According to this posting on SSCS France, she has been terminated because when questioned about her association with Scubapro that stands accused of supporting marine Mammal captivity, she has by no means put her life on the line, or whatever, but has instead chosen to continue taking Scubapro's money - and no I'm not at all surprised!

But fear not, she's obviously completely unfazed, still desperately kissing Discovery's arse and already working on her next Shark con - and talk about a revealing choice of name if ever there was one!

To be continued no doubt - alas!

Sea Shepherd vs Pirate Fishermen!

Source.

Mark this day in your calender!

I'm gonna say something positive about the SSCS!

Ever since he did expose the PIPA sham, I got a lot of respect for journalist Christopher Pala - and contrary to my deep skepticism whenever the SSCS post one of their breathy statements, I'm consequently inclined to believe what he is reporting here.

I must say that I'm impressed.

This is a job well done, and kudos to Sea Shepherd for having doggedly persevered.

(And before you ask - yes it did hurt. But what is fair is fair)

PS - Martin adding insult to injury here!

Fishing in Kiribas!

Compare to this!

Read this.
Yup, it sure looks like it's once again all about the money!

Tuukabu Teroroko denies those allegations.

Now, the Shark Defenders have countered with a post highlighting the official figures. Granted, they are from 2011 - but then again, the much-hailed PIPA has been established five years ago, meaning that even then, people were being led to believe that it was essentially a no-take MPA, whereas even the Wikipedia link appears to indicate that anything beyond 12 nautical miles from those atolls is open for fishing as usual.

And why would the Shark Defenders care?

Maybe because all that purse seining and long lining could imply plenty of, gasp, Shark bycatch - all of which completely accidental, unwanted and actually, inevitable, or whatever?

And if so, where may those Tuna and those totally hypothetical unwanted Sharks be offloaded?

Again, just saying.

All of this is in no way surprising - but we're approaching an anniversary, and it will play a role then!

Keep watching this space!

Is Anote Tong nothing but a Con Man?

Time to unbestow? Source.

You be the judge of that!

Read this!

Seriously, do!
If true, it's so bad it really defies description - and although I don't have the means to verify the allegations, the article sure looks extremely well researched and dovetails perfectly with the ongoing narrative that the PIPA is ultimately nothing but a scam.

Will there be consequences?

We shall see shall we not. If they want to continue receiving contributions, both Tong and CI got some massive xplaining to do - and I frankly would expect nothing less than a full, detailed and convincing rebuttal or else, an official apology followed by rapid and measurable changes. And if not, let's please focus our resources on other places and orgs that do not brazenly lie to us!

To be continued no doubt!

Oh and one last thing.

Can fraudulently obtained Benchley Awards be unbestowed?

Now THAT would be a statement!

CITES - the hard Work starts now!

 

Top 20 ‘Rays, stingrays, mantas nei’ catchers, 2002-2011 (total capture, tonnes, FAO Fishstat). All countries reporting catches of ‘Giant manta’ (M. birostris) and ‘Mantas, devil rays nei’ are also included - click for detail!

 Any takers? :)

“There was great elation when these sharks and manta rays were listed in CITES this March, but although it was a significant moment for the conservation world, now comes the task of making these listings work in practice as time is running out for some of these species,” said Glenn Sant, TRAFFIC’s Marine Programme Leader.

“CITES listings do not take away the need for comprehensive fisheries management, they represent one critical part of that management through aiming to control trade and prevent international trade in products of these species being sourced from unsustainable or illegal fisheries.”

 “Key to implementing the CITES regulations will be the establishment of chain of custody measures to facilitate enforcement and verification that harvest is legal,” said TRAFFIC’s Research Officer, Victoria Mundy-Taylor, co-author of the new study.

Indeed!

You may want to reserve a good chunk of time to download and then read this remarkable document by Traffic, and big kudos to them for having done an extremely good job. It is as long and comprehensive as it is frustrating, and it illustrates the monumental challenge that is the implementation of the decisions taken this March.

And there are many surprises, like the unmasking of the Maldives as a major Shark fin exporting nation, page 5 which begs the question, how does that dovetail with the Shark sanctuary?

May this be yet another conservation scam like the PIPA?

But I'm digressing as always.

I was particularly interested in Part III, page 27ff.

Read it! It talks about the challenges of implementing the provisions, this especially in those developing nations whose resources are simply not adequate for performing those tasks.

But is that the only solution?

Why is it that everybody assumes that e.g. the Non-Detriment Findings must be financed out of public coffers and conducted by public officials, and not by those who make the money, ie the Shark exporters? Those findings are akin to ecological impact assessments - and those are usually paid for by the applicants and performed by independent contractors, not the authorities!

Is there any rational and legitimate, and for the matter, legal reason why this cannot be applied to Fisheries?

Please re-read this - and this!

Yes those paradigms need to be changed - especially now that the trade has become so big and so lucrative!

Opinions?

Mega-Sanctuaries - Mega-Announcements!

Our Ocean is delivering some mighty big goodies.

Maybe!

Obama is proposing the world's largest MPA.

That's a great project indeed, and kudos for it - but there's the tiny little detail that first, he'll have to overcome the likely opposition by the US Tuna fishing industry and of course, by the Republicans.

We'll see.

And then, there is Tong.

It appears that during his Remarks he has, once again, proudly announced that the PIPA will be closed to commercial fishing, plus that there will be a fishing moratorium in the Southern Line Islands, both effective next year. 

So, does that mean that he deserves one more round of accolades simply for finally keeping his word? I say, Fool me once..., meaning that for now, this earns him just a hint of a slow hand clap pending rigorous verification of any fishing quotas next year.

And... what's the quid pro quo?
Maybe a nice posh job, maybe in some major NGO once he retires - or will he renounce the trappings of notoriety, retire to Tarawa and valiantly share the fate of his beloved people?
Questions questions!

Anyway.

The real kudos go to Christopher Pala for a great piece of investigative journalism that has unearthed the scam and quite possibly forced the shifty President's hand. And now that it appears done - how about another piece unmasking WESPAC!

To be continued!