Big Shark Meeting in Fiji!

Very cool.

Details here.

Kudos to Pew and CORAL for having organized this, and to Fiji for hosting it!

Namena - swarming with Sharks?

A shiver of Sharks - source.

Not so!

If at all, they are shivering - especially right now that Winter is upon us! Just kidding - but if you're interested, here's the whole insane list!

A Rhumba of Rattlesnakes? Ils sont fous ces Anglais!

Anyway, good article.

Of course the findings are neither surprising nor new. 

MPAs do work - provided of course that they are monitored and enforced.

And Namena is one of the few FLMMA MPAs where things have been done right, this thanks to good stewardship by the local stakeholders, good leadership by CORAL and the WCS and last but not least, important support by the tourism industry that contributes substantial funds via a park fee, much like we do here.

So kudos to everybody involved - well done!

Way to go Rick!

Great.
Kudos and Vinaka Vakalevu to Rick MacPherson and Manoa Rasigatale of the Coral Reef Alliance for doing the right thing!

Fiji - two PSAs!

Shark Tourism - an important niche product in Fiji!

Enjoy!

#7 on the List - nice!

Yes these would be 3m Bull Sharks - click for detail!

Thank you Angelo Taotao Tasi!
Taotao Tasi is Chamorro and means People of the Sea - and he is, both.

He is also the Senior Editor of Shark Defenders.
They have just posted Conservation's Top 10 Shark Dives and the Fiji Shark Dive in the SRMR is one of them.

Surprised?
Check this out - plus, Fiji is currently on the list of potential future Shark Sanctuaries, courtesy of the Fiji Government, Pew and CORAL. And the tag line that regularly has people up in arms? Scroll down all the way to the bottom here!

So, what are you waiting for!

Bravo Helen!

Message from SlideShare.

Hey helenthereef,

Congratulations!
Your presentation The King of the Sea: Making Fiji a Shark Sanctuary has been featured on SlideShare's homepage.

Kudos from our editorial team for your effort. Your presentation was chosen from the thousands uploaded to SlideShare everyday from across the world.

– The SlideShare Team

Indeed, Congratulations!
Helenthereef is of course none other the indefatigable Helen Sykes, our valuable counselor from Resort Support, principal of Marine Ecology Consulting and local manager of the Fiji Shark Sanctuary campaign for CORAL and Pew.

Here is the presentation.
Enjoy!

Fiji Times - more pro-Shark media!

Another brilliant pic from Timbo's latest crop - click for detail!

Bravo Fiji Times!
When they announced that they were partnering with CORAL and Pew in advocating the protection of Sharks, they really did mean it!

This latest article highlights the connection to Hong Kong.
Fiji has recently become an important turntable for Shark fins that are shipped here from as far as Vanuatu and Kiribas and then shipped on to Asia, this to the tune of, I hear, more than 100 metric tons per year.
That's a whole lotta Sharks!

Hence the importance of the Fiji legislation.
If it comes to be, it will not only preserve Fiji's natural resources but even contribute to maintaining a healthy balance in the waters of our neighbors, far and near.
Fingers crossed!

Fiji Shark Campaign - cool Posters!

Bravo CORAL and Pew!

I've just found this Fiji Shark Campaign page featuring links to the two posters, this one for the Fijian and this one for the English version.
Well done!

And I've also found this interactive map by Pew!
Here's to it featuring Fiji by the end of this year!

More excellent Sharky Stories by the Fiji Times!

Adi, by MPO - yes those are links!

Today's Fiji Times features a stunning two-page spread on Sharks.
This is a continuation of their stellar advocacy of Shark protection in cooperation with CORAL The Coral Reef Alliance and the Pew Environment Group's global shark campaign.
Thank you Shark Defenders for having re-posted the articles.

How Jaws made the shark a monster in our minds is authored by Lee-Anne Lee of the Fiji Voyaging Society.
She's aboard board the drua Uto Ni Yalo and about to reach San Francisco after an epic voyage of close to 11,00 nautical miles. On board is also Moala Tokota'a of CORAL and it just so happens that our Arthur was one of the crew of the 2010 maiden voyage and that Ratu Manoa is very much involved in the undertaking, hence the connection to Sharks conservation.

The angry fisherman who turned into a shark is of particular interest to us here at BAD.
This is the story of the Fijian Shark God Dakuwaqa as told by Mika Tubanavau, storyteller of the village of Rukua. Rukua on Beqa Island is the home of our most senior staff Rusi, Manasa and Eliki, and of Tumbee, Manasa's son - and according to Beqa lore, a cave behind the village is the very place where Dakuwaqa resides!
I was fascinated by how the legend as told here complements the legend as told in Cakaudrove, with the tiny island of Benau off Taveuni being the obvious common link between the two. To this day, both tribes are engaged in a friendly feud as to who can claim to be the true people of Dakuwaqa.

And then, there is this Letter to the Editor.

I READ with great interest in your newpaper about the efforts of a number of organisations and people to protect the sharks.
Their efforts are great.
Yet, almost on a daily basis, I notice that there are middleman selling fish at the Nubukalou Creek cutting and packing sharks in plastic bags for sale.
I have noticed that they also get in baby shark - up to a metre - and just go on with their business. I think Suva City Council ought to do something.
And I request Mr Manoa Rasigatale to visit them and discourage the shark meat sellers.

JAGDISH LAL
Suva

This touches on the real crux of the problem.
Nubukalou Creek is a notorious site in the middle of Suva where fish vendors hawk the daily catches. Many of the fishing skiffs feature disproportionally powerful engines, a strong indication that they belong to those poachers who regularly raid the qoliqoli, or traditional fishing grounds of offshore islands. The Sharks that are being offered for sale are mostly Reef Sharks like Blacktips and Greys, and this nefarious practice is a direct and largely irreversible threat to our reef habitats and by extension, to the livelihood of entire coastal communities that depend on the ocean for their daily sustenance.
Right now, fishing for Sharks is perfectly legal and there is precious little that either the Suva City Council or even Ratu Manoa can do. This is yet another reason why it is imperative to immediately ban all trade in Sharks and Shark products in Fiji.

More Outreach by Ratu Manoa!

Beqa Bulls - great pic by Daniela!

In today's Fiji Times.

SHARKMAN Manoa Rasigatale hopes the sanctuary given to sharks by the people of Cakaudrove will reward them in tourism dollars.

He said live sharks were worth more than sharks dead.
"I thank the Turaga na Tui Cakau, Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu, for his assurance that Cakaudrove will support the protection of sharks. He has said that the island of Benau will be a sanctuary for sharks," said Mr Rasigatale, who leads the campaign for shark conservation.

The sharkman, working with Pew Environment Group and the Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL), is pushing for legislation to turn Fiji's waters into a shark haven.

The Ministry of Fisheries is drafting a proposal for Cabinet to approve. Mr Rasigatale said Cakaudrove, and the rest of Fiji, should learn from countries that have given sharks sanctuaries.

He said the Bahamas earned $US78million ($F137.9m) annually from shark-related tourism activities.

The confederacies of Kubuna, Burebasaga and Tovata are supporting the campaign.

Ratu Manoa - Awesome!

Please do read this.
It is a re-post of stellar two-page spread in yesterday's Fiji Times, originally authored by Ilaitia Turagabeci. When it comes to explaining the special traditional relationship between some Fijian tribes and Sharks, this is as good as it gets.
No wonder: Ilaitia was interviewing Ratu Manoa.

Iconic and revered.
These are probably the two most fitting adjectives when trying to describe the man that is Ratu Manoa Rasigatale. Deceivingly unassuming and humble, he is a rare mix of charm, passion, eloquence, wit and analytical intellect allowing him to command the respect of the entire spectrum of Fijian society, from the poor and disenfranchised all the way to the arcane circles of political and traditional power. We had a short chat a while ago and having told my staff, my status has experienced a sudden quantum leap for which I shall always be grateful.

But I am digressing as always.
Ratu Manoa has thrown his weight behind the Shark protection campaign of CORAL and Pew. This could not be more timely as there is an urgent need for reaching out and educating the traditional stakeholders, as illustrated in today's editorial in the Fiji Times.

I cannot imagine better local spokesmen for our precious Sharks that the sharkman of Fiji and CORAL with their long track record of successful marine conservation at the grass-roots level.
Vinaka Vakalevu!

Fiji Times on the Guardian of the Sea!

Wallpaper Bulls by MPO - coming up soon!

Bravo Fiji Times!
As far as I know, this is Fiji's largest daily newspaper and it is highly gratifying to see that they have decided to align themselves with Pew and CORAL in publishing a series of articles highlighting the enormous importance Sharks have for the country, this both from an economical and ecological but very much also from a cultural aspect.

This is timely and necessary.
Now that the cat is out of the bag, there will be backlash as witnessed by the disappointing statements from the fishing industry. But I remain optimistic: the arguments in favor of a total ban are absolutely compelling, there already exist smart solutions that greatly reduce bycatch whilst actually benefiting (!) the fishing industry and last but not least, there are going to be provisions that will ensure that the coastal communities will not be deprived of their right to pursue sustainable livelihoods. Plus, there's an awesome team working on this and I am confident that in the end, all parties will agree that protecting our Sharks is in the long term interest of everybody - including the fishing industry!

Very much looking forward to a lively debate! :)

More local Media in Fijian!

Fltr: Arthur, Papa and Nani on yesterday's Talk Back show.

Bravo Papa, Nani and Arthur!

I'm being told that yesterday's Talk Back show has been a huge success, that the phone calls never stopped coming and that there will be more programs in Fijian about Sharks in the near future. In fact, today MaiTV have already taped a program with Papa that will be aired in Fijian this Tuesday, July 19 on Misiki at 8pm.

And that's not all.
The team will be answering questions on one more upcoming Talk Back show, this time on BulaFM, and Fiji TV will be featuring Papa in one of their Fijian programs in early August.
I'll be posting details as I get them, hopefully this time well ahead of the fact.

Apparently, the questions have so far revolved about the following.
I'm obviously neither part of Government who will draft the final law, nor am I in any way intimately involved in the process (Government, Pew and CORAL are) so take this with a grain of salt - but I am privy to some of the discussions and can say this much.

• Will the legislation effect the local subsistence fishermen. The press release mentions that locals can still consume shark meat and my understanding is that this applies to Canacana fishing i.e. personal consumption only. Any commercial fishing and any trading will be banned.


• What about the enforcement, especially the poaching in the outer islands. The law is targeting the commercial trade and if that trade stops, there will be no more buyers and exporters and the poaching will stop as well.


• What about the danger of Sharks to the spear fishermen. When you enter the ocean, you enter the realm of the Sharks and if you spear fish, you may indeed attract Sharks. Those Sharks are interested in the speared fish, not you. It is good policy to get any speared fish straight out of the water (into the boat or into a floating bucket) and if a Shark wants your fish, give it to him and leave. Also, if you encounter very large Sharks, it is prudent to leave and try your luck somewhere else - this is their ocean, not yours!

Again, we at BAD are in no way official spokesmen or the like.
It is safe to say that that as the legislation is being drafted, Government and the NGOs will undoubtedly engage in a vigorous awareness campaign and that all questions will be answered to everybody's satisfaction well before the law comes into effect. That's what has always happened in the past and I have no doubt that it will happen in the future.

Please keep watching this space for details of the upcoming programs.
Vinaka!

Go Fiji Go!!!!

Very happy Bull Shark - great Pic by Sasha!

I must say, I am overjoyed - and that would be an understatement!
Today's media release by Kalpana Prasad of the Fiji Ministry of Information reads as follows.

(Wednesday 06 July 2011, No:1398/MOI)
Fiji reviews fisheries law to protect the 'King of the Seas'

First it was turtles and now the Fijian Government is out to protect sharks.
A new landmark policy to counteract the alarming decline of sharks in Fiji is being drafted by Government.

Department of Fisheries and Forests permanent secretary Commander Viliame Naupoto confirmed that a review of Fiji’s fisheries laws would include a ban on the trade of all shark fin and other products derived from any type of shark that is captured in Fiji waters.

The ban only affects trade and does not stop villagers from consuming shark meat.

Commander Naupoto clarified the proposed ban was being styled upon a ban protecting turtles.
The only variation from the turtle ban is that locals can still consume shark meat.

The policy aligns the fisheries department vision of achieving growth and ensuring food security through sustainable marine resource management as outlined by Pillar 5 of the People’s Charter for Change, Peace and Progress.
The pillar makes clear that the achievement of higher economic growth can be achieved through the agriculture and marine sectors but this must be carried out in a sustainable manner.

“We want to ban all trade of shark products in Fiji, in order to conserve this species,” Commander Naupoto said.
“We are reviewing the fisheries management law and in it we want to incorporate the ban of all shark meat and products in Fiji, especially the trade of shark fins.”

Sharks often termed the ‘king of the seas’ with their position at the top of the marine food chain, play a critical role within these ecosystem by controlling the population of certain marine species.
“If those animals have no predator than their increase can cause an imbalance in the marine ecosystem and can affect the middle of the food chain, which is where we get most of our livelihood from,” he said.

Commander Naupoto said the emerging market in shark tourism had huge potential in Fiji, as an economic exchange earner but also in terms of providing employment to the local communities.
“Due to the emerging new trends in shark tourism in the country, sharks are more valuable to us alive than dead,” he said.

Beqa Adventure Divers director and shark conservationist Mike Neumann highlighted that Beqa Adventure Divers generated about $3million in direct and indirect revenue that were all invested in Fiji.
“It has been shown that divers will prefer and pay a premium for destinations where they are likely to encounter Sharks.” Mr Neumann said.

“Every single tourist coming to Fiji, does so because of Fiji’s pristine marine environment, if Fiji’s oceans die, the tourists will go somewhere else where the sea is not depleted.
“They have a choice – we do not, we will end up losing an industry that contributes to 55 per cent of Fiji’s GDP. Conversely, if Fiji protects Sharks, it will over time have a huge competitive advantage over other island states that do not.”

Neumann said globally all sharks were endangered because they mature late in life and have only few offspring, meaning that trying to restore depleted shark populations is practically impossible as it would take decades, even centuries for slow growing species.
“This legislation will be hailed worldwide and contribute substantially to enhancing the positive impression of the Government of the day,” he added.

Results of the review of the fisheries law will be submitted to Cabinet.
“Our paper should go to Cabinet with the intention of protecting sharks, we have circulated the paper once and it is in to its second circulation,” said Commander Naupoto.
“In the interests of the sustainable management of marine resources he hopes reviews to the fisheries laws will be approved by year end.”

Fiji will be the first Melanesian country to approve such a law.

-ENDS-

How GREAT is that!!!
It has already been reported by the FBCL and by today's main news on FijiTV, and will very likely be featured in all of the Nation's newspapers tomorrow.
For our Fijian readers: tomorrow Thursday July 7 please tune into Fiji Gold's Talk Back program at 11am and tell them about your support for this visionary legislation! Internet users can listen in by going to the FBCL website, putting the cursor over the Fiji Gold icon and then clicking on Listen Live.

Our involvement?
Before you start thinking that I may be hinting that yours truly, or BAD may have played some pivotal role in achieving this: no we have not.
But after so many years of successful cooperation with Government and having made public statements about the need for Shark protection, I've kinda become the go-to man when it comes to proffering pro-Shark sound bites, and I was thus asked to say something.

Having been graciously kept in the loop, I however know who did this.
So before the usual suspects start beating their chests, here are the people that have been working tirelessly to make this happen

• Very much first and foremost: The Fiji Department of Fisheries, namely our good friend Principal Research Officer Aisake Batibasaga, the Director Commander Naqali and the Permanent Secretary Viliame Naupoto, and their teams. I must say, ever since I've come to Fiji to talk about Sharks, Fisheries have been unbelievably open, supportive and proactive, being in helping create the SRMR and the Shark Corridor, in training our Fish Wardens, in supporting the Fiji Shark Conservation and Awareness Project or more recently, in mediating contacts to planters under our Mangroves for Fiji project (excellent news there, too - keep watching this space!). A big Vinaka Vakalevu and congratulations for showing the way forward in Melanesia!

In brief, this is very much a Fijian initiative.
But, there have been two NGOs who have extended their assistance.

• Surprise surprise, the simply unrivaled Pew Environment Group's global shark campaign, namely Matt, Jill, Liz and Angelo and probably more members of their team. It's not for me to divulge details of their involvement but I can say that it has been invaluable and will continue to remain so as the legislation is being drafted and then implemented.


• CORAL The Coral Reef Alliance under the leadership of Rick MacPherson and locally, under the management of our friend Heidi Williams and of several members of her team. CORAL is notorious for getting things done and this project is certainly no exception. Well done!
  

As always, this is not a done deal quite yet.
The law needs to be approved by Cabinet, drafted and gazetted and then comes the hard part, i.e. the Capacity Building, the Enforcement and at the same time, the Outreach. And there will undoubtedly be backlash, as there always is.

But I am highly optimistic.
I was extremely grateful to read this statement of support by a prominent Tuna fisheries executive. Fiji's Tuna industry is currently being assessed for MSC certification and this statement is certainly an indication of its commitment to sustainability. Well done Russell!
The bycatch argument is of course valid - but there are cheap and nifty solutions that actually result in a win-win for everybody, and my hope is that the legislation will include a provision that caught Sharks must be discarded whether alive or dead, this to avoid creating a convenient loophole.

Anyway, this is a great day for Fiji's Sharks!

'Nuff said!

Busy!

Indeed!
Thanks Rick - and I must say, the soundtrack is way, way better than last time! :)
Video here.

Rick - not with bated Breath!

Click for detail!

Still super busy - but this has to be shared!

Listen to the soundtrack of the video! :)
We had the pleasure of hosting the formidable Rick MacPherson on a Shark dive yesterday. Rick is not only a fellow blue blogger, but a very experienced diver and more importantly, a super nice guy on top of that, and we thus decided that he might appreciate a somewhat closer look at the action in 30 meters - and it certainly looks like the combo of suspect viz, current and high number of animals combined to produce a memorable experience!
Here he is happily filming away, with Arthur covering his back!

Actually, the current proved to be a blessing.
As per the screenshot on top, it brought in some crystal clear water during the surface interval, and conditions on the second dive at 15m were simply stellar, see the pic on top.
Rick's account here - and yes, in case you ever wondered, we got Shark!

Enjoy!