WESPAC - few, if any, ecological Benefits?

Remote Pacific Islands National Marine Monument, before expansion - source.

Oh yes, they're still at it!

This time, WESPAC is vocally opposing Obamas mega-MPA.

It's same old same old, and good to see that somebody of the caliber of Juliet (and here!) is starting to sink her teeth into it! The question being, when will the administration finally man up and tell them to shut the fuck up - and then cut any funding and privileges to that coalition of evil!

To be continued!

Mega-Sanctuaries - Mega-Announcements!

Our Ocean is delivering some mighty big goodies.

Maybe!

Obama is proposing the world's largest MPA.

That's a great project indeed, and kudos for it - but there's the tiny little detail that first, he'll have to overcome the likely opposition by the US Tuna fishing industry and of course, by the Republicans.

We'll see.

And then, there is Tong.

It appears that during his Remarks he has, once again, proudly announced that the PIPA will be closed to commercial fishing, plus that there will be a fishing moratorium in the Southern Line Islands, both effective next year. 

So, does that mean that he deserves one more round of accolades simply for finally keeping his word? I say, Fool me once..., meaning that for now, this earns him just a hint of a slow hand clap pending rigorous verification of any fishing quotas next year.

And... what's the quid pro quo?
Maybe a nice posh job, maybe in some major NGO once he retires - or will he renounce the trappings of notoriety, retire to Tarawa and valiantly share the fate of his beloved people?
Questions questions!

Anyway.

The real kudos go to Christopher Pala for a great piece of investigative journalism that has unearthed the scam and quite possibly forced the shifty President's hand. And now that it appears done - how about another piece unmasking WESPAC!

To be continued!

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!

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!

The Pew Charitable Trusts: excellent Stuff!

Quick-quick before we batten down: I'm increasingly impressed by Pew.

Not only because they're filthy rich, but because they very quietly (and one could say: humbly) sponsor some of the very best Marine conservation projects around and notably, excellent things for Sharks.
In fact, if you looks further than what's being said at the surface, you can discern them behind the historical Palau Declaration and more recently, the decision by the Maldives to establish a Shark Sanctuary in all of their waters.

The news could even get better if the UK decides to turn the Chagos Islands into a Marine Reserve as recently announced.
Chagos is the Maldives' southern neighbor and the resulting Shark Sanctuary would truly be of epic proportions - with the added bonus of Diego Garcia and the ensuing patrols by the British and Americans! The French did very much the same during the inglorious Mururoa episode and unwittingly contributed much to the present health of the Tuamotu Archipelago in the process.

Like always, there's controversy.
The Chagossians claim that they want to go home.
"Home"? As in Madagascar, Mozambique and Mauritius? Or are they really aiming to resettle in the Archipelago in order to be economically nonviable and threatened by Sea level rise? Really???
Or may this be, horribile dictu!, merely about money and passports?

Who knows!
In any case, this scribe fervently hopes that the clamoring subsides, that the Chagossians get their money, or whatever, and that Planet Earth gets its biggest Marine Protected Area!
Fingers crossed!