Human Impact on the World’s Ocean - Paper!

Click for detail - you can download a list of the stressors here!

Check this out.

Prima vista, it sure doesn't look good.

But if you explore the graph at the top, there are also a few success stories where some countries like e.g. South Korea appear to have substantially reduced domestic commercial fishing (Really? Maybe only to fish more abroad...?) and also pollution.
Stories here.

The graph also clearly shows the principal threat. 

We can try and continue tinkering at the edges and reduce, recycle, innovate and manage, etc etc etc - but unless we successfully tackle Global Warming we're all going to be fucked. And yes little Swedish girls and global strikes, or whatever, are nice - but let there be no doubt that ultimately, the only way to achieve positive change is at the ballot box = and who needs to vote is not them but YOU.

Anyway.

Please do your due diligence, and go and kick vote the wrong people out of office, and vote the right people in!

And no I'm not particularly hopeful.

 

Il Video del Papa!

Well well.

This sure is remarkable.
Thank You!

World Oceans Day - Ocean Championship!

And I cite.

Today is World Oceans Day! 
ARE YOU AN OCEAN CHAMPION?

At Shark Diver, we receive a lot of inquiries from individuals looking for opportunities to help in the area of shark or ocean conservation. There are so many ways to apply the diverse amount of talents out there that people possess. So this year, we decided to show our support for those who are making a difference toward protecting the oceans we love and their inhabitants, by awarding them with the experience of a lifetime!

Today, on World Oceans Day, we officially begin the Ocean Championship, a competition for conservationists of all ages who are working to preserve anything and everything ocean related.
Your focus could be saving sharks, saving dolphins, protecting coral reefs, cleaning the beaches, or bettering the ocean in general. What is your passion? Social media awareness is nice, but it doesn’t always get the job done. We are looking for enthusiastic, motivated, and driven individuals who are working hard to make a direct impact. Are you working with legislators to enact protection laws? Are you working with businesses to reduce or eliminate plastic usage? Are you planting mangroves? Have you started a major ocean/beach cleanup effort? The sky is the limit. We want to know how you are making a difference. Do you know what you’d like to do, but just haven’t put your idea to work yet? What are you waiting for? Get going! We want to hear from you.

Here’s one example of conservation efforts at work: Beqa Adventure Divers created a national marine park called the Shark Reef Marine Reserve through their bull shark diving operation in Fiji. Regular surveys and fish counts are conducted in an effort to help in the long-term survival of endangered species. Their findings led to the expansion of a vitally protected area now called the Fiji Shark Corridor which runs approximately 30 nautical miles along the southern coastline of Fiji’s beautiful main island of Viti Levu.

Yes, some efforts take a lot of time. 
And yes, some efforts take a lot of money. But many major efforts begin with just one thing. Love. If you love the ocean and its incredible inhabitants, let’s see what you can do or are doing, so that generations to follow will be able to love it too.

This competition will yield two big winners!

Winner number 1, picked by Shark Diver, will receive a 5-day inclusive Great White Shark Diving Adventure at Guadalupe Island, Mexico where you will cage-dive with great white sharks! No SCUBA certification is necessary. Spend 5 days with Shark Diver’s owner learning about the magnificent great white shark, which finds the volcanic island of Guadalupe a mating ground and plentiful food location.

Winner number 2, selected by our sponsor Beqa Adventure Divers, will win a shark adoption through their My Fiji Shark shark adoption initiative, plus a full week of diving at the Shark Reef Marine Reserve in Fiji to ‘meet’ their shark. (SCUBA certification required)

Both are unique and unforgettable experiences!

Get inspired! Do something! Stop talking about it and take action… be an Ocean Champion!

Shark Diver hopes to make this an annual event. Good luck!

CONTEST RULES:

Ocean Championship is open to any individual to enter.
All submissions must be sent to oceanchampionship@gmail.com.
Entries are subject to being published on SharkDiver.com and FijiSharkDive.com and/or all participating sponsor’s social media pages or websites. Finalists will be asked for verification of all documents submitted and may be asked for references for contact. Airfare to and from San Diego/Fiji is not included.

Enter by May 1st, 2020.
Winner will be announced on World Oceans Day, June 8th, 2020.

So there.

When Martin contacted us with his stellar initiative, we were more than happy to contribute. As detailed above, the winner of our prize will be selected by us and receive

• A free adoption of one of our Shark Stars through our My Fiji Shark initiative, and


• One week of diving with us.
  This usually comprises 5 days of two-tank diving in the Shark Reef Marine Reserve and two days of two-tank coral and/or wreck dives. Diving is FOC but exclusive of the daily Marine Park Levy of FJD 25.00 and the cost of any rental gear or other extras like Nitrox fills, etc.

Having said that, there is a high probability that as time progresses, we will announce further perks and prizes - so keep watching this space!
As to what we like and want to reward

• Obviously, Shark conservation!
  But please, something tangible on the ground and not merely the dreaded raising awareness by posing for selfies and posting dreadful home videos, or misguided petitions for finning bans and the like! And no, contrary to what some quarters would have you believe, petting, riding and otherwise molesting Sharks is not Shark conservation - especially not in bikini!
  What we are looking for are initiatives that actually reduce Shark mortality to below sustainable levels - e.g. read this!


• And because the Sharks cannot survive if we fish away their prey and obliterate their habitat, we'd also like to see more holistic projects like implementing effective sustainable fisheries management or the establishment of well-enforced MPAs, etc - but please, spare us the fashionable but misguided fads!


• And please, show us the track record even if what you do is still work in progress and there is only partial success - but mere breathy announcements do not count!

There you have it.

Wishing you the very best of success - and hopefully, see you next year in Fiji's first National Marine Park!

To be continued!

 

World Wildlife Day 2019!

Lots of Elasmos - I like it! :) Click for detail!

And I cite.

The World Wildlife Day 2019 aligns closely with the Sustainable Development Goal 14 – Life below water, which focuses on marine species, and will be an opportunity to highlight the critical issues and values of marine wildlife to our everyday lives. The occasion will also celebrate successful initiatives to conserve and sustainably manage these species, and to scale up support for future initiatives.

In line with the UN General Assembly Resolution proclaiming World Wildlife Day, the CITES Secretariat and UNDP call on all the Member States and organizations of the United Nations system and other global, regional and sub-regional organizations, non-governmental organizations and all interested individuals, to: 

• observe and raise awareness of the theme for World Wildlife Day 2019; 
• associate the celebrations with major national and international conservation events; 
• build collaborative partnerships; 
• organize campaigns to support the conservation and sustainable use of marine living resources and their products using targeted strategies in order to influence consumer behavior; and 
• make use of the World Wildlife Day logo as widely as possible.

So there.
Supporting the conservation and sustainable use of marine living resources is what we do every single day - and you now have the opportunity to assist in that endeavor.

And right now there's even a special promotion! 

With that in mind, please, Adopt Your Shark Now!

Thank you.

My Fiji Shark - Video!

Behold!

Great job by Natasha and by Dave of Magnum Productions.
Watch in 1080p and enjoy!



And, please, Adopt Your Shark Now - it is for a good cause!

Vinaka!

My Fiji Shark - Post by Tom!

Very nice as always!

Read this.

Tom is obviously a good pal and may be a tad biased - but this is really a good thing and if you haven't yet, please go over and explore the awesome website, courtesy of our indefatigable Head of Conservation and Program Coordinator Natasha.

And, please, Adopt Your Shark Now!

Vinaka!

PS - Martin here. Vinaka!

My Fiji Shark - Info!

Did you check out the website?

Like it? :)
The whole stellar project is the brain child of our new shareholder and newly minted Director of Conservation Tashi Blue who has personally developed the concept and then very much personally implemented all its components from coming up with the concept to coming up with the different perks and upgrades to designing and then programming the website and curating all the outreach via social media and mailings, to coordinating with and physically meeting our partners to taking the vast majority of images and writing all the personality descriptions - and the list goes on and on.
If all the raw passion and dedication are any indication, this will be a huge success!

So like promised.
This is how our probably rather surprising cooperation with the UNDP's Pacific Office has come about.

We were contacted by the UNDP several months ago.

The backdrop were the UN's Sustainable Development Goals in general and SDG 14 = Life Below Water in particular. 

They told us that they wanted to explore alternative solutions and financing mechanisms by partnering with the private sector as opposed to embarking on the usual NGO route, and that we had come to their attention due to our long track record in conservation and ecotourism.

We gladly agreed to a meeting.

Ever since the historic Fiji-led Ocean Conference (and here), we knew that something big was brewing and have been exploring avenues to lend a helping hand if and when Government would pull the trigger and start with the implementation. At stake are not only Fiji's Shark and Ray commitment but among several others, this specific pledge for delivering improved coastal fisheries management. 

Like I said yesterday, the SoPac is running out of fish, and Fiji is certainly no exception. 

Case in point, as Kerstin has been repeating her ground-breaking interviews, it has become sadly apparent that the situation has since deteriorated considerably whereby as the price of seafood keeps increasing,  overfishing and poaching especially here in Viti Levu have become ubiquitous. In essence, we are witnessing what has already happened elsewhere, i.e. that more and more previously artisanal subsistence fishermen have morphed into small-scale commercial fishermen, with locally devastating consequences - and like already stated, we surely cannot hope to succeed in conserving Shark populations if we continue to obliterate their prey and destroy their environment!

Possible solutions?

Look no further than this old post advocating community involvement and ecotourism, etc, etc - but of course the controversy about who really owns Fiji's traditional fishing grounds, or quoliqoli is far from being resolved and Government resources remain scarce.

Anyway.

Sorry it is so long, and for the many links - but as always in the real world it is complicated!

Back to My Fiji Shark.

We did meet several times and after some lengthy brainstorming, we resolved to focus on two principal projects

• Assisting Government in implementing and enforcing any upcoming Shark and Ray management and conservation measures. This would involve launching a nifty and innovative campaign and likely cost approx. FJD 20,000.00 in its first year, after which the fines collected would hopefully cover the costs.

• Developing and funding several community-based 5-year pilot projects that would trial some simple yet hopefully effective coastal fisheries management measures, this in view of hopefully upscaling them to national level if successful. This would cost approx. FJD 50,000.00 per year and most certainly require some co-funding by other quarters.

• Any surplus could then be set aside and used for our long-term goal of establishing a more permanent Shark research presence in Fiji, this possibly including a proper field station but also research internships etc. But that's another story altogether.

And the funding?

Very much in line with the new trend towards mobilizing the private sector to assist in Ocean Finance (read this!), we resolved to create My Fiji Shark as the vehicle for collecting those funds.
Tashi Blue and our marine scientists will run and manage the adoption program, whereas the UNDP will be acting as facilitators. With such a partner, you can obviously rest assured that this is certainly not aimed at enriching BAD or its staff and directors!

As to why you should adopt.

Needless to say that on top of having very specific and measurable aims, this program is unique insofar as you are not adopting some theoretical animal but real individuals with totally distinct personalities who we intimately know and love and you, too, may have already personally met!
And let's face it, having your very own Bull Shark is badass, too! :)

Anyway, the universe of potential adopters is limitless.
In fact, so far, adopters range from parents wanting to give a very special gift to their children to birthday presents to people interested in marine conservation to our clients and volunteers all the way to people who simply find it a cool thing to do - and we're also talking to our first corporate contact, so fingers crossed!

So there you have it - sure hope you like it.

And if so, Adopt Your Shark Now!

Thank you very much!
FB here, Instagram here!

My Fiji Shark!

Behold!

Beautiful huh!

So yes this would be our newest marine conservation initiative that is aimed at funding both Shark conservation and research but also coastal subsistence fisheries management in Fiji. After all, our Sharks will not survive if we continue to obliterate their prey, and fry and pollute their habitat - right?

For now, please go and check out the website.

It should be pretty much self explanatory, but I will give you plenty of additional background information tomorrow.

So, enjoy.

And, please, Adopt Your Shark Now!

And You Can Get Cool Stuff, Too!

Click for detail!
 

Nearly There!

Coming Soon!

Click for detail! 
 

Parque Nacional Revillagigedo!

¡Viva México!

This really is fantastic news - announcement here, story here.

This is hands down one of the best dive destinations in the world.

You will be witnessing some of the most iconic species whilst being serviced by one of the most professional, most luxurious and safest operators in the industry, GSD member Nautilus Liveaboards.

 

So, what are you waiting for!

 

East Wells: Bimini’s Last Hope!

Watch.

And I cite,

Bimini Island in the Bahamas lies just 48 miles from Miami, Florida and is an ecological wonderland.
But for the past 17 years, Bimini has faced serious environmental threat in the form of a US-owned development. Much of the Island's mangrove forest has already been dredged out to build luxury homes, a casino and most recently, a Hilton hotel. Just to the east of the development lies East Wells, Bimini's only remaining pocket of pristine habitat, but the development is growing and the latest marketing brochures advertise a golf course which will be the final blow to the people of Bimini and the ecosystem on which they depend.

A new government has just been voted into power.
This video is an appeal from the Biminites for the declaration of a marine protected area that will protect their environment. We call on the Hilton Hotel Group to do the right thing and halt any development that will destroy East Wells - a critical nursery area for all marine life in this region of the Caribbean. 

Exhaustive article here. 

 

Mexican Caribbean Biosphere Reserve!

Source.
 

Great news!

Read this.

Looks like Playa's Sharks and especially, their habitat are about to be protected, meaning that the petition by Saving our Sharks has equally been successful. Quintana Roo has been experiencing an explosion of only partly controlled tourism, and this measure could not have come soon enough.

And the Shark tourism activities?

There, too, news are excellent as it appears that like in Guadalupe, baited Shark diving will be tolerated within the Biosphere but only provided that the operators adhere to the code of conduct and possibly, that they join and thus contribute to the efforts by Saving our Sharks.

Bingo.

This once again goes to show that given the necessary leadership, responsible dive operators can make a huge difference. As a reminder, Shark diving in Playa and the push to protect them have all started with Chino Loria and Phantom Divers - and the rest as they say is history.
 

Obviously, Phantom Divers are a member of Global Shark Diving, you global alliance of responsible and long-term sustainable Shark diving operators.

Well done!

 

Brinkley - Interview!

Nice!

And thank you for the recommendation, much appreciated! :)

Papahānaumokuākea - Leadership!

Watch.

Thank you President Obama and Senator Schatz!

And if you've been living under a stone and don't know what this is all about,  read this and this - or any other of the zillion pieces that have been published about this literally monumental achievement.

And here's to the other leaders.

Apologies to the many, many others  - but here's to you Matt.

Owing to your vision and your leadership, Global Ocean Legacy has quickly advanced to being today's preeminent marine conservation project, and the world is becoming a better place for it.

Thank you!

And here's to you Rick.

You will always be my hero, for your passion, your erudition and especially your wit. But above all, for always doing all the heavy lifting, anonymously - not because of the plaudits, the recognition let alone the money but because you really believe in the cause.

Thank you!

And finally, here's to you Rich.

For being such a crazy pioneer, explorer, adventurer and impeccable researcher, for having lent your time, voice and you scientific gravitas to this campaign, and for just being such an all-round nice person.

Thank you!

And one more thing: eat that Kitty. 

How do you and your corrupt gang of sniveling liars, cheats and thieves like being handed such a resounding defeat by the very indigenous people you always profess to represent!

Oh and... fuck you!

And here endeth the Sunday prayer!

A Plastic Ocean!

Literally everywhere - this unfortunate little girl turned up on Friday's dive. 
Click for detail.

Remember?
 
Sure you do! :)
Anyway, here is the trailer - story here.

Moce Brinkley!

Brinkley, Ty and some of the BAD gang - including the infamous Ledua gang and adopted BAD boy Charlie Charlie - click for detail!

We've just said farewell to Brinkley and Ty.

Here they are.

Yes I know it's obviously an advertising job - and yet, it very much reflects my impression of them insofar as to me, they are above all else authentic: no BS, no drama, no hype - just two young people discovering, experiencing and enjoying the ocean.

Plus, this is just beautiful, so enjoy!

Anyway.

I must confess that we were initially conflicted.

The landing picture on her website and  her apparent affinity to the Shark molesting Aloha crowd over in Hawaii did initially give us pause - but the pic is merely a modeling job and the affinity is merely perceived, and I must say that both I and Andrew are really happy to have overcome our reservations and given it a try.

What we've discovered is a lovely couple that despite of all the romantic surf culture aura, remain firmly rooted in reality and are traveling the world on a quest that could quite possibly, one day, lead to something remarkable. To me, there is, maybe, a bit of Valerie here - small, pretty, blonde, doing tough stuff among tough dudes whilst never losing touch with her humanity and artistry.
Maybe. We shall see.

Case in point, Brinkley's extremely popular Instagram page that far from being one of the usual pathetic solipsistic self-promoting sales jobs, is merely a simple travelogue, nothing more and nothing less - and yes we are grateful for the posts about Fiji, especially here and here, the more as we do know that they come from the heart.

So moce mada and godspeed guys.

Wishing you fair winds and following seas - and do come visit us again anytime!

Management vs MPAs - Paper!

Click for detail!

Bingo.

And I cite.

The reefs in Guam and Papua New Guinea are near collapse, with only 10% of the historical estimate of fish biomass present.
Although these declines seem dire, an equally important finding is that fisheries management works. This is a message of hope to those working in conservation.

Over the past decade, many have given up on fisheries management because it is perceived as being too difficult, expensive or beyond the capacity of academics and non-governmental organizations. Many instead turned to MPAs as a blanket solution to marine-conservation challenges.
But to be effective, MPAs need to be protected and enforced, which requires them to be large, old and isolated. Effective MPAs can halt declines, but the build-up of biomass to historical levels takes time. MacNeil and colleagues show that recovery takes at least 35 years, twice as long as previous estimates. Patience, persistence and continued financial investment will be essential to the success of the ocean’s increasing number of MPAs.

As MacNeil and colleagues recognize, MPAs are simply not an option in areas where people depend on fish from reefs.
Coral reefs lie in the waters of more than 100 developing countries, many of which have dense, rapidly growing coastal populations. Enforced MPAs might not be viable because of the burden of displacing fishers, the unknown effects of redistributing fishing and the time it takes for biomass to recover. But the authors show that those reefs that had some form of management, such as restrictions on fishing equipment, species or access, had 27% more fish biomass than reefs open to fishing. Even in depleted reef communities, regulations protecting key species can promote ecosystem resilience and recovery. For example, prohibiting specific equipment can allow herbivorous fishes to recover, promoting coral resilience.

Indeed - there is no silver bullet!

MPAs do work and are actually the better conservation tool.

But in the real world, they cannot always be implemented - and u got to monitor, manage and especially, enforce them, too, which is often even more difficult!

Or as the paper states,

The continuing degradation of the world’s coral reefs underscores the need for tangible solutions that promote recovery and enhance ecosystem functions.
Our results demonstrate that well-enforced marine reserves can support a full suite of reef fish functions given enough time to recover. However, for reefs where marine reserves cannot be implemented, we find that ecosystem functions can be enhanced through various forms of fisheries management. Addressing the coral reef crisis ultimately demands long-term, international action on global-scale issues such as ocean warming and acidification, factors that may diminish recovery potential by approx. 6% over the coming decades.  Despite these challenges, a range of fisheries management options is available to support reef resilience and it is likely that some combination of approaches will be necessary for success. Having benchmarks and timelines within an explicit biomass context, such as those provided here, increase the chances of agreeing on, and complying with, a mix of management strategies that will achieve conservation objectives while sustaining reef-based livelihoods.

And what about Fiji?

Fiji is just such a place where unilateral action is just simply impossible, and where any solution will have to be a compromise where all stakeholders feel that they get something, and nobody gets everything.

Hence my advocacy of both improved management and MPAs here.
Synopses here and here.

To be continued no doubt.

And that's a promise! :)

Mangroves for Fiji - Social Media!

Love love love this logo - click for detail!

Finally!

Projects Abroad have been planting and nursing like crazy.

And it's about bloody time they told the public! The website has been updated accordingly, and here are the new Facebook page and blog - they are obviously still work in progress but expect many more news, videos and pictures (!) to start populating them soon!

And if all stars align, there will soon be major news.

Ever since we launched the project five years ago, MFF was meant to be open for everybody in Fiji wanting to offset their carbon footprint - but that requires a major marketing effort, and BAD is just to small, and also too busy to take on that task. Now we may have found a solution and if so, the depth and the outreach of that partnership will be simply spectacular.

So keep watching this space.

And do Like the FB page and above all, do come and do some planting yourself!

PS - Martin here. Badass huh - thanks buddy! :)