David's PSA - awesome!

David in Fiji: realism and documentary guerrilla film-making with a cinematic delivery.

Love it!

And lemme tell 'ya, this has not been easy!
This has been an incredibly time consuming and difficult endeavor, a true labor of love that David Diley has taken on in his own time and on his own money . The clips are from a variety of cameras, with different formats and codecs requiring a lot of technical wizardry, and this on an editing suite that at the time consisted of little more than David's frustratingly slow laptop; and to top it off, the challenge lay in producing something fresh, different and positive within the strict 60-second confines dictated by the aim to eventually air it on local television. Having witnessed its creation from afar, I can attest to many, many moments of utter dejection due to lost footage and computer crashes - so the more power to David for having pulled it off in the end!
But read it here, straight from the horse's mouth - great post!

Shame the public in Fiji will likely never see it.
Barring a miraculous turn of events (don't hold your breath!), the Shark Sanctuary is toast and the best we can now aspire to is that the authorities will come true on their announcement that the upcoming Fisheries decrees will translate into effective Shark conservation measures.
For that to eventuate, the noise that has been, and I cite, a continuous irritant has to finally stop, as especially this government (!) does not appreciate being pushed and lectured in public - and I'll certainly leave it at that, the more as you can read a surprisingly insightful analysis of what happened here. It's not the whole story but it does contain a few valid pointers to the fact that as always in real conservation in a real world, things are far from being simple and straight forward - and yes, Andersen & Co's bloody interference at a critical time did certainly play a role!

But I'm digressing as always.

Please enjoy David's PSA.
As David explains here, it contains many of the stylistic elements that he has chosen for Of Shark and Man and that are also apparent in A Ray of Light. Featuring some of the Shark greats (thank you!), it is a testament to his creativity and technical brilliance - and of course, to the most incredible collection of charismatic, intelligent sharks on the planet! :)



And there's more!
David will shortly post a longer version featuring more awesome people and brilliant sound bites!

Fiji Shark Sanctuary - not good!

So now it's official.

The Fiji Shark Sanctuary is toast.
Instead, there will be three new Fisheries Management Decrees, two of which (the third being Aquaculture) will contain special mention of Sharks. These are rather generic laws and only the regulations will then reveal what specific degree of protection Sharks will benefit from, or not.

So what went wrong?
As I said here, we're not part of the Sanctuary team - but one month ago, we were invited to what was billed as the very last stakeholder consultation and left extremely hopeful as the message from government could not have been more positive.

And now this.
No I'm not gonna comment - but I could!

Anyway, tempi passati.
Time for plan B.

And talking about fishing the Commons...

The current solution to avoid a Tragedy of the Commons where both the eco-system and consequently the fishing industry collapses, is a total ban on all fishing of sharks and any sale of shark products regardless of whether they are accidentally fished or not.

Read this!

Killing Sharks in Fiji!

Dead or dying Tiger Shark, note the everted stomach due to gut hooking - probably Malolo, April 25, 2012

Big Sharks are being killed in Fiji.

It's irrelevant who does it.
Right now, it's perfectly legal and singling out one person will not be helpful. Later on, the Mamanuca Environmental Society may want to go talk to him.

But the Fiji Shark Sanctuary cannot come soon enough.
Fingers crossed!

Tiger + Bull Shark jaws, another Tiger jaw in the background - January 5, 2012

H/T: Lill.

Commander Naqali - well said!

Read this.

Great to see that Government cares about all the stakeholders - including the fishermen!
Step-by-step...

PS: & here's a very nicely worded letter by David!
Thanks buddy! :)

Is Fiji's Tuna Industry facing Extinction?

Canned Tuna. There's heaps upon heaps of it - but is it possibly too cheap?

I was frankly dismayed by this article.
No not about the fact that the Tuna Industry wants to keep exploiting Sharks - that I knew already.
I was dismayed because apparently, Fiji's Tuna Industry is facing total collapse.

If so, fishing for Sharks will not save it.
It would merely establish a second unsustainable fishery on top of an apparently nonviable one. The result would be that Shark stocks would be quickly exhausted with devastating effects for marine ecosystems including the Tuna, meaning that in only a few years we would end up with no Sharks, no Tuna and even less Fish.
That surely cannot be the solution!

But that's not really the topic here.
I've said it before, everybody here wants the Tuna Industry to survive.
This is a vital component of Fiji's economy and everybody, and this very much including government, should lend a helping hand in assuring that both the local Tuna fishing and Tuna processing sectors can survive in the long term and continue providing for employment and opportunities for many generations to come.
This obviously mandates that the Industry be sustainable but also profitable.

For that to happen, it appears that the fishery needs to be reformed.
I really ignore the details - but if it is really true that Fiji's Tuna Industry is in such dire straights like its spokesman asserts, then the likely reasons could be.

• That Tuna stocks are depleted.
  That is highly likely.
  You may want to re-read this post about the appalling shenanigans that happen within the WCPFC where outsiders like specifically Japan are stalling any efforts to curb quotas in line with the best scientific advice. This year specifically has been particularly depressing as previously reserved regions have been opened to allow the Philippines to further exploit the already ravaged stocks of Bigeyes,
  If those foreign powers continue to interfere and sabotage the attempts to safeguard those precious stocks, Fiji should do what is best for Fiji and set its own targets and rules, very much like the PNA have already done.
  In the end, there is only one long term solution, and that is to fish sustainably, and this very much also by defining the quotas in line with the precautionary principle.
  Interestingly, this is what Mr. Southwick himself appears to be advocating here!

and/or

• That there is Overcapacity.
  There are probably already too many boats fishing for too few Fish and if so, Fiji should reduce the number of fishing licenses that are being awarded and thus increase the profit margin for individual vessels.
  There, I'm principally thinking of the licenses awarded to foreign vessels.
  Their track record is unequivocal: they have already overfished their own stocks, have zero regard for our well being but will instead catch whatever they can get their hands on, and then sail on once our stocks are equally depleted, leaving Fiji to contend with the long-term consequences - or am I to believe that the price of the licenses contains a component for mitigation? I wish!
  I say, Fiji first! If the Asians want to eat Tuna caught in Fiji, let them buy Fijian Tuna caught by Fijian fishermen and exported by Fijian processing plants!
  Did I hear, and what happens to the development aid by those countries, namely Europe, Taiwan and the US to name but a few?
  If they want to assist us by paying for poverty alleviation and development, we are certainly grateful. But to link it to an unsustainable fishery that depletes our national resources and ultimately impoverishes the nation and its population cannot possibly be acceptable, not economically and not ethically - or am I missing something here?
  

and/or

• That the fishery is not profitable.
  If so and if all costs have already been slashed, then the price of Tuna must increase. Canned Tuna is probably too cheap and the time where it was viewed as some kind of junk food must come to an end.
  One smart strategy for convincing customers to pay more, is to have the fishery certified like once again the PNA have already achieved. That of course implies that the fishery is truly sustainable, meaning that bycatch and other ecological impacts will need to be reduced, as already required by, the current MSC environmental standard. Another group, the ISSF is asking its members not to work with vessels that fin Sharks
  In fact, the Fijian Albacore longline fishery is currently being assessed and my hope is that the Industry as a whole will decide to follow that route.
  I say, let's brand our Tuna.
  With Fiji Water having already paved the way and Government facilitating the process, let's establish Fiji Tuna as being Tuna that has been caught sustainably in pristine waters by happy, friendly and fairly compensated fishermen!
  

But the current unsustainable fishing for Sharks must stop.
At best, it is a short term stop-gap measure that is merely detracting from the need to urgently tackle the real issues at hand. But it is of course much more than that: if it continues unchecked, it will lead to the collapse of all fisheries - and this very much including the local fishery for Tuna!

And that's not something anybody can possibly want.
Correct?

Fiji - bad News for Sharks!

Brilliant! Brand new pic by the BAD Viking!

Patric is absolutely correct.
The Fiji Times has published an excellent piece about the need to protect our Sharks. Apart from the known ecological consequences of a decline in Shark population, the economic case for protecting Sharks in Fiji could not be clearer.
Fiji's thriving Shark tourism industry is generating ten times as much as the revenues from the Shark fin trade - and whereas the latter will inevitably dwindle as Fiji's Sharks are being killed, Shark tourism is completely non-extractive and likely to contribute even higher earnings in the future.

But time is running out.
Sharks are essentially a non-renewable resource and whilst Government appears to be pondering the best course of action, there are now clear indications that local stocks are already critically depleted. The article points out that fisheries data indicate that the larger animals have already been dispatched and that the coastal fishermen are now targeting the juveniles as per this recent report from Nadi.

And now this.
Following their Shark Count in April, the Mamanuca Environment Society reports that Whitetip and Blacktip numbers have crashed.
The Mamanucas are situated at the very epicenter of Fiji's tourism industry and these news could not be more alarming as this is directly threatening the ecological integrity of one of our preeminent tourism attractions. And whereas I applaud the Society for trying to educate the local fishermen, years of painful experience teach me that as long as catching and even finning Sharks remain both perfectly legal and lucrative, and people desperately poor, there will always be somebody trying to catch the last Sharks irrespective of the wishes of the community and even the Chiefs.

Then, maybe, the news may not be quite so grim.
The Mamanucas were particularly affected by the April floods, meaning that the Sharks may have reacted to the catastrophic deluge of fresh water, possibly by relocating further offshore. This at least is my hope, meaning that the next count in November may yield a less depressing picture.

Still, the need for immediate protection could not be more pressing.
Fingers crossed that the Authorities will come to the same conclusions and do the right thing real soon.

The Consultation - Report!

These Sharks are worth millions - great pic by Andrej Narchuk.

Interesting article about the consultation.

My thoughts on the matter in general are here.
In brief

• The local fishing industry is a vital component of Fiji's economy and it is extremely important that it be protected and kept vibrant. The blanket criticism of the fishing sector is unbecoming.
  


• For the industry to survive, it must focus on sustainability which presently means that they should probably catch less. Full sustainability also mandates bycatch mitigation.
  


• They can however compensate for the loss in volume by having the fishery certified like that of the PNA, as consumers will pay a premium for sustainably caught fish.


• After the recent fiasco at the last WCPFC meeting, I'm incresingly of the opinion that we should follow the example of the PNA and stop allowing distant nations to interfere with the management of the Pacific fish stocks - hell, were it for me I would also stop giving fishing licenses to those foreign fleets and have those nations buy the Fiji-caught Tuna from the Fijian processing plants!


• Leave those Sharks alone. At current depletion rates, this is at best a short-term fad and will certainly not save the Tuna industry. Catching them is completely unsustainable and the depletion of Shark stocks has wide ranging and largely irreversible consequences for the fishing sector as a whole but also, for tourism and the nation's overall ecological and cultural integrity. Of interest, Mr. Lagibalavu is a representative of the Bêche-de-mer industry that is wreaking havoc on our coastal Sharks.


• I would certainly not oppose (read the link before you get angry!) an independently certified sustainable food fishery for Sharks - however only once stocks have recovered and only if fully sustainable.
  

Here's to Government doing the right thing real soon!

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!