About Biodiversity, with E. O. Wilson

The distribution of marine biodiversity varies widely throughout ocean basins. The abundance and diversity of most taxa tends to be highest near continental and island margins that are less than 2,000 meters deep. Please click to enlarge.

This is about Assumption 2.

Ed Wilson is one of my heroes.
Now 81, his mind remains as sharp as a razor.
Along with other seminal books like Quammen's The Song of the Dodo, his The Future of Life (read this great interview) is one of the publications that convinced me that something needed to be done, right now. Choosing to focus on the Oceans, and Sharks in particular, was then nothing more than a corollary and largely spawned by my life long passion for diving and underwater imagery.

Anyway, I'm digressing as usual.
Enjoy!

Whithout a Lobby

Back to the serious side of life and a timely post alerts me to the plight of the Bluefin Tuna.
It's a great piece and I invite you to go check it out and to follow the links.

Thing is, they are not alone.
Across all Oceans, all Apex Predators are on the verge of extinction and contrary to the Sharks that have finally attracted some advocacy, nobody seems to care much about the other species. Or is there really a grassroots Movement that lobbies against the extermination of the various Tuna and Marlin, the Broadbill and the like? Dunno, really, but I fear that the principal Organizations dealing with this topic are more likely concerning themselves with how to kill them in the most efficient, and just maybe, in the most "sustainable" way (often, not even that).

Am I boring you?
Is that maybe because contrary to the case of Sharks, our Western "Civilizations" are among the principal consumers, along with being some of the worst perpetrators?

We boast about having established "Dolphin-free" Tuna nets - but what about the Tuna?
Does their life carry less value, I mean ethically, than that of another very similar animal , the only difference being that we have chosen to eat one and not the other?

Do I hear "Sentient", maybe even "Extraterrestrial" , "Ambassadors" or "Matrix Energetics"?
Yeah right...

Sure, agree, one has to choose one's fights and mine is Saving Sharks.
Still, we need to keep an eye on this. Not only because of the problem with the bycatch but also, because all is interconnected anyway and the slaughter will impact oceanic Sharks in ways we may not yet know. Species Protection always equals Habitat Protection and the other Oceanic Predators are undoubtedly an integral part of the equation.

You may want to keep that in mind next time you decide to indulge in Maguro Sushi or vitello tonnato. Or Sharkfin Soup - because ethically, it's the exact same thing.

Blood and Guts

Whilst Guadalupe is reeling from the effects of a chumming ban that threatens to shut down a multimillion Shark viewing industry (no doubt, much to the delight of the Shark mafia who are thus getting rid of unwelcome witnesses), here's a real nice post about the subject of chumming from a South African blog about Gaansbai.

If there ever was any doubt about it, it just confirms how globally interlinked Shark Diving has become.

Just like the morons who continue to pester us with their relentless stupidity.

Olympic Shark Savers

The Beijing Olympics are less than two weeks away and the celebrations will undoubtedly include thousands of portions of Shark fin soup.

This dish is one of the principal causes for the global extermination of Sharks, at a staggering rate of somewhere between 40 and 100 million killed every year. As a result, the numbers of some species have dropped by as much as 80% over the last 50 years, with devastating consequences for the ecosystems they once lived in, where the food chains and the fisheries depending on them are collapsing .
A comprehensive and chilling summary of the Global threats to Sharks can be downloaded here.

Much of the trade in Sharks' fins is derived from fins cut from living Sharks; this process is called finning. Because Shark meat is worth much less, the finless and often still-living Sharks are thrown back into the sea to make room on board the ship for more of the valuable fins. When returned to the ocean, the finless Sharks, unable to move, die from suffocation.
Apart from being wasteful, the practice of Shark finning is brutal, cruel and unethical.
In case you've never seen it, you may want to watch the following clip.

Many Shark diving operators like us are trying to buck the trend via Sustainable Tourism, Habitat Protection , Education and by sponsoring Research, often with help from NGOs like in our case, the Shark Foundation and Save our Seas Foundation.
Other more powerful organizations operate mainly via media campaigns and by influencing legislation. Two of those, WildAid and Oceana have captured the occasion by airing a series of smart video clips featuring two of the best-known, and most charming American Olympic swimmers.
We say: Well Done and Good on You!

Here is Tara Kirk.



And here, Amanda Beard.