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!

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!

Operation Requiem - NOTHING huh!

Well well.

Talk about having ears on fire!

The pageviews of the Operation Requiem post have literally exploded, meaning that heaps upon heaps of people have chosen to click on the post instead of reading it on the blog, most likely in order to check out the comments.
Betcha that many of them are associated with those orgs, and betcha that this scribe has been the object of a lot of wailing and gnashing of teeth?

And yet, there have been ZERO comments in support!

Not a single voice defending the oh-so-noble intentions and stellar achievements of those people, not a single attempt at justifying the project, let alone the stupendous expenditures, not a single answer in response to the following simple questions?

• 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?

Is that really it?

Is there really gonna be zero accountability for this monumental fiasco?

Really?

And if not - lemme cite myself.

It's all so fucking pathetic.

Under the executive direction of Andersen who would give an arm and a leg, or for the matter, any body part for being featured on national media, the Shark Angels have become the repository of all those hypocritical Shark media whores, starting from the great pornographer all the way down to all those desperate self promoting wannabees. No wonder they endorse Shark Week - they all desperately want to be in it and will certainly never bite the hand that could once propel them to perceived fame and riches!

And the others?

I'm frankly totally baffled.

Not the shameless self promoters. Not the Sea Shepherd drones. Not the media whores. Not the Shark pageant kids. Not the chicks with the moldy duck wings.

Those who really want to make a difference, who invest hours upon hours of their free time trying to educate the public or running campaigns, those who want to get the job done and don't appreciate and are frankly embarrassed by those relentless pathetic shenanigans by the narcissistic leadership and its cronies.

WTF are you still doing there - you are being tainted by association!

You know who you are.!

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!

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!

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!

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!