Mass Extinction?

"Human beings are currently causing the greatest mass extinction of species since the extinction of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. If present trends continue one half of all species of life on earth will be extinct in less than 100 years, as a result of habitat destruction, pollution, invasive species, and climate change."
from massextinction.net

Did you know that:

• If current trends continue, one half of all species of life on Earth will be extinct in 100 years. (E.O. Wilson, The Future of Life, p. 102)

• One quarter of all mammal species face extinction in 30 years. (United Nations, http://news.bbc.co.uk/)

• For every person in the world to reach present U.S. levels of consumption we would need 4 more planet Earths. (Wilson, p. 23)

• Humans currently consume 50% of the Earth's available freshwater, leaving what's left over for all other species. (World Wildlife Fund, http://www.panda.org/)

• Humans currently consume 40% of all organic matter produced by photosynthesis on Earth, leaving what's left over for all other species. (Wilson, p. 33)

• Every species of great ape on the Earth (gorillas, orangutans, chimpanzees, and bonobos) is in imminent danger of extiction. (United Nations, http://news.bbc.co.uk/)

• Every species of tiger on Earth is in imminent danger of extinction. (World Wildlife Fund, http://web.archive.org/)

• The number of lions left in Africa has fallen 90% in 20 years -- there are now only 20,000 remaining. (BBC, http://news.bbc.co.uk/)

• 90 percent of all large fishes have disappeared from the world's oceans in the past half century. (Nature Magazine, http://www.cnn.com/)

• Human population is expected to increase by at least 50% over the next 75 years. (United Nations Population Division, http://www.enviroliteracy.org/)

from speciesalliance.org

And what about Sharks?

"By 2017 it is anticipated that 20 species of shark could become extinct due to hunting, indiscriminate fishing techniques and, ultimately, man's greed."
from bite-back.com

So what if we kill them all?

Cascading Effects of the Loss of Apex Predatory Sharks from a Coastal Ocean

Ransom A. Myers, Julia K. Baum, Travis D. Shepherd, Sean P. Powers, Charles H. Peterson

Impacts of chronic overfishing are evident in population depletions worldwide, yet indirect ecosystem effects induced by predator removal from oceanic food webs remain unpredictable.
As abundances of all 11 great sharks that consume other elasmobranchs (rays, skates, and small sharks) fell over the past 35 years, 12 of 14 of these prey species increased in coastal northwest Atlantic ecosystems.
Effects of this community restructuring have cascaded downward from the cownose ray, whose enhanced predation on its bay scallop prey was sufficient to terminate a century-long scallop fishery.
Analogous top-down effects may be a predictable consequence of eliminating entire functional groups of predators.
Science 30 March 2007



This is the newest and probably, also the most compelling study about the consequences of Shark overfishing. You can download the full document from the link above and we're also shortly going to post it on our website.

Bad News

"The world's oceans are a shadow of what they once were.

With a few notable exceptions, such as well-managed fisheries in Alaska, Iceland, and New Zealand, the number of fish swimming the seas is a fraction of what it was a century ago. Marine biologists differ on the extent of the decline. Some argue that stocks of many large oceangoing fish have fallen by 80 to 90 percent, while others say the declines have been less steep. But all agree that, in most places, too many boats are chasing too few fish."
From a chilling report by National Geographic.

Got some great pics and video?

Maybe as good as this one by Doug Perrine?
(Incidentally, that was right before Scarface took that nibble at the end of the infamous naughty file! Check out the pic and you'll see how she's already starting to bend back the monitor! )

Give it your best shot (and I mean that literally) and join the "Under the Blue 2007" International Underwater Photo and Video Competition!
We're one of the main sponsors and you might end up getting some more great price-winning shots on The Shark Dive.

But hurry up, submissions close on May 12.

Best of luck and hopefully, see you soon!

Crazy Stuff !

All of you out there who still think that we're crazy, check out this !!!
I cite: "faut vraiment etre debile, le jour ou il tombera sur un requin moins stone on va bien se marrer" - but who am I to say (-:

Enjoy!

New Beachfront Resort Opens its Doors.

As with a lot of things in Fiji, it took a little longer than initially expected; however it was well worth the wait. Opening its doors in February, The Uprising Beach Resort offers beachfront accommodations with unparalleled views over to Beqa Island.

Uprising Resort has 12 traditional bures available, 6 beachfront and 6 garden all set amongst some beautiful tropical foliage. The swimming pool is encircled by an expansive deck that leads to the bar and restaurant and is a short hop, skip & jump from the clear waters of Beqa Lagoon.

So if you're coming to Pacific Harbour, why not take a look at The Uprising as one of your options?