David vs River Monsters

Wow.

I thought it would be bad when I ranted about it more than a year ago.
The despicable descriptions ares still online and now WhySharksMatter has watched the Bull Shark episode of Animal Planet's River Monsters and blogged about it. Some excerpts are online, more than enough for understanding what he's talking about - including using a gaff to drag in that shark, just great! The heartless bimbo: this one!
Looks like in terms of having reached an absolute low point in programming, we've got ourselves a winner: David is usually as mellow and level headed as they come and to see him this angry is truly remarkable.

Please read his post here.

Hawaii - Riki Karamatsu exposed!

Good on Patric!

He did some digging and came up with plenty of dirt!
Turns out that the Hawaiian Shark hater Riki Karamatsu is a convicted felon and embroiled with the Hawaiian Shark fin industry - and who's surprised! Does anybody know a good investigative journalist willing to get his hands dirty on this?

It also turns out that the Chair of the judiciary committee is pretty way out there in la-la land and believes that ghosts prowl the State Capitol! Wow - talk about being uniquely suited for aspiring to the position of Lieutenant Governor!

Patric is right: time to give Riki a piece of your mind!
But as usual, he's being to karmic-minded, undoubtedly a consequence of residing in California and sipping all that hippie stuff like chai-flavored latte!

I say: let it rip!
The more since Riki only wishes you peace and happiness!

Enjoy!

Hawaii - Sample Letter

Well done!
Where I rant, others keep their cool.

The good people over at the Shark Safe Network Blog have posted the following sample letter. If you want to assist Stefanie in Hawaii, please send it, or parts of it to the addresses mentioned in the previous blog post.

Thank you!

Dear Sen. Hee,

I am writing in support of two North Shore shark eco-tour businesses, North Shore Shark Adventures and Hawaii Shark Encounters. These responsible businesses, that draw tens of thousands of tourists every year, are being unfairly targeted by a series of five bills (SB2330, HB2664, HB2459, HB2705, HB2483) that have been submitted to this year's State Legislative session. It is appalling and unconscionable that public officials -- who are supported by Hawaiians' tax dollars -- would take up the State Legislature's time and resources with this series of bills that have no other purpose than to destroy two hard working and law abiding small businesses.

The proponents of these bills have been conducting a campaign of misinformation and misguided emotion with no regard to the facts or any common sense. A calm review of the facts and issues, however, presents a much different picture.

Following are some observations on the issues involved that I respectfully present to you:

1. Public Safety: There has been no evidence to indicate that these shark eco-tours pose a hazard to public safety, nor is there any indication that the tours cause a significant change in the sharks' behavior. Please see the following University of Hawaii study, which concluded that shark tours have a "negligible impact on public safety" (http://www.hawaii.edu/cgi-bin/uhnews?20090714111309).

Other activities in Hawaii's waters are much more likely to attract sharks close to shore and the surfers, canoers and swimmers. For example, the Waikiki Midnight shark hunt operates near the most populated areas of Waikiki and Hawaii Kai. Spear fishing goes on right in the surf zone where bleeding and struggling fish attract sharks.

It doesn't make a lot of sense that activities that attract sharks close to shore are apparently not considered to be a threat, while shark viewing tours that operate three miles offshore are being criticized as a hazard to public safety. Yes, these tours operate three miles offshore in 600 foot deep water, far from where any surfing, swimming or canoeing takes place. Participants view the sharks from Poly Glass cages that allow them to view the sharks with no risk of physical contact.

This anti-shark tour movement seems to be fueled by a fear of sharks and shark attacks that is way out of proportion to the actual risk. For example, according to the International Shark Attack File there have been five shark attack fatalities in Oahu since 1828, and the last one occurred in 1992. The shark eco-tours that are being targeted have only been in existence since 2001. Proponents of the bills in question, however, are using the fear factor to manipulate the public and attract attention to promote themselves and their personal agendas.

2. Hawaiian Culture - Aumakua: Please see the following Public Service Announcement that is currently being aired on Fijian television -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eqrKs1B74w& .

(That would be this)



Sharks are also very important to Fijians and other Polynesian cultures.
Yet the Fijians do not consider shark viewing tours to be offensive or disrespectful. What does offend Fijians is the unsustainable killing of sharks that is going on throughout the world.

The Waikiki Midnight shark hunt attracts sharks with bait so that paying customers can catch and release the sharks. Is this activity not using the sharks for entertainment and profit? Yet shark fishing tours are not being targeted by these bills; only the shark viewing tours.

Shark fin soup is sold in Hawaiian restaurants and container loads filled with shark fins can be seen in Honolulu Harbour. If the welfare of the sharks is the concern here, it seems that the shark fin traders in Hawaii's ports and markets and the longliners in Hawaii's waters would be more appropriate targets.

Since sharks are such an integral part of Hawaii's culture why not promote shark conservation, education, respect and understanding? What the shark viewing eco-tours are doing is educating and enlightening, promoting understanding and respect, not fear. How is this bad?

3. Sharks are vital to the health of the marine ecosystem. Hawaii's tourism industry depends heavily on its marine resources. Without sharks to keep the oceans in balance, the ecosystem begins to fall apart, and everyone suffers. Sharks should be protected, not vilified.

4. Impact on tourism and small businesses: A decision to ban shark tours would shut out 40,000 tourists from the North Shore. These tour operators are generating tourism dollars for the local economy. They are hard working small business owners who pay taxes. The tourists who go on these tours also stay in hotels, eat in restaurants and go shopping. Especially during these challenging economic times, is it wise to take actions that will drive out small businesses and tourists? Stirring up fear of shark attacks doesn't seem to be a good idea for tourism either. This fiasco has generated a huge amount of press, not just locally, but internationally as well. And it does not show Hawaii in a favorable light.

It's understandable that Hawaiians would want to see some kind of regulation or oversight of shark tour operations. Irresponsible tour operators certainly could endanger their clients, generate negative press and even possibly endanger others. This statement applies not only to shark tour operators, however, but to many recreational activities.

But why attack responsible tour operators who are operating three miles offshore in deep waters far away from any surfing, canoeing or swimming?

Please consider all the issues and the potential consequences of any proposed actions. And please don't allow Hawaii's Legislature to be hijacked by this witch hunt mentality that aims to destroy small businesses and recklessly divert the State's attention and resources from much more important matters.

Thank you very much for your time and attention!

Sincerely,

Hawaii - at it again!

I just got the following from Stefanie in Hawaii.

If you don't know what I'm talking about, take the time to read this.
In a nutshell, some legislators are continuing to try and close Hawaii's Shark viewing tours.
Ironically, they represent the very people who are the biggest causal threat to the safety of Hawaii's beaches, the fishermen and spear fishermen.

Even more ironically, some indigenous Hawaiian buffoons who claim to have a special affinity to Sharks have jumped on the anti-industry, anti Shark bandwagon by coming up with some sanctimonious and quite frankly, ludicrous pseudo-cultural bullshit (lemme tell you, the Fijians are laughing their head off!) that has been obviously made up on the fly - and this against two operations that have a proven track record of trying to protect the very animals those guys profess to revere. How much more pro-'aumakua can one possibly be? And, when will those spineless Haoles finally man up and take a stand against this all-pervasive reverse racism?
Tragically, this is happening in the midst of Hawaii's biggest economic slump in human memory and threatens to wipe out millions in income from tourists!

But time is of the essence - so without further ado:

Lyla Berg and Gene Ward are at it again.

Since they couldn't kill us in City Council last year (thanks to all of you that wrote and came to the meeting in support), they have submitted bills to this years State Legislative session. That was predictable.

What we didn't see coming, because it seems ridiculous and outrageous, was that they would submit FIVE bills!
All of them basically the same, just different versions. In response, our Senator from the North shore, Robert Bunda, submitted another bill that took one of theirs and added a clause that would allow us to keep operating to protect small business and the local economy. Rep. Magaoay submitted the same one on the House side. So now there are a total of SEVEN bills dealing with shark tours.

And I thought Hawaii had some big issues to tackle like the economy, jobs, public education....?!

Apparently Lyla Berg continues on this crusade, even angrier than before.
She is running for office this year, so she has taken on the shark tours as one of her causes to get attention. I am spending a lot of time at the capitol these days. Trying to stay ahead of the curve. Haven't even had time to write this update until today. Things are happening so fast and changing every day that by the time you read this, the status of bills may have changed. We are working on having some of these bills weeded out so not all of the bills will be heard by the committees. The ones that do, will get a hearing date. Unfortunately the notices for hearings can be as short as 48 hours.

If you are willing to help: Send a written statement of support to these offices:

(This has to happen as soon as possible, because hearings are being scheduled every day. You can use what you had written before for the City council or letters to the editor. Keep it short and sweet and tell them that you are strongly opposed to/appalled/disturbed/ shocked by :) any bills that will kill small businesses.)

- House Committee on Water, Land, Ocean Resources

- Representative Ken Ito (Fax: 586-8474 email: repito@capitol.hawaii.gov) Reference House bill: HB2459, HB2664, HB2705, HB2483, HB2900

- Senate Committee on Land and Water

- Senator Clayton Hee (Fax: 586-7334 email: senhee@capitol.hawaii.gov) Reference Senate Bill: SB2330, SB2655 (save your letters so you can send them again for the next batch of committee hearings).

If you are willing to come to hearings with us, it would be helpful to start prepping any statements and testimonials you are willing to give. And you could talk to other people you may know who can help since the notice to act will most likely be very short. If you can keep me on your radar by checking and reading my emails, I will try to announce all action with as much notice as possible.
If you are interested to read any of the bills, go to this page and type in the number of the bill http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session2010/ The bills are SB2330 SB2655 HB2664 HB2459 HB2705 HB2483 HB2900

You can also call or fax the offices of our North shore representatives and tell them what you think about these bills.
Both, Senator Bunda and Rep. Magaoay are very supportive of our businesses and are going to help us fight the bills. It will only strengthen their commitment to hear from other people that they support the shark tour. Even if you just tell them that you appreciate the fact that they are supporting us. They have been incredibly nice and open and have an open door for anyone that wants to get involved.

- Senator Robert Bunda: 586-6090 (ask for Laura) Fax 586-6091

- Representative Michael Magaoay 586-6380 (ask for Judy) Fax 586-6381

Thanks for your time, call me anytime if you have questions 778-6740

Stefanie

Hawaii - The Facts

Kim Holland is a good guy.

He is also a brave man.
Instead of kowtowing to the virulent Hawaiian anti-Shark witch hunt, he has come out with an unequivocal response to the allegations that the ground-breaking paper he has co-authored (yes that would be the "Meyer paper") may in any way be "suspect". Kim leads the world-renown "Holland Lab" of the University of Hawaii and his research is regularly coming up with fabulous insights into Shark behavior.

This is what he's got to say.

Shark Tours: Study shows no increased risk

I am obliged to respond to Greg Knudsen's inaccurate characterization of our research paper concerning North Shore shark tours. Three points:
1) The paper was not based solely on data from tour operators.
2) The operators' information was provided prior to the recent turmoil; there was no incentive for false reporting.
3) The paper was only published after review by independent experts.

Soon-to-be-published results of shark tracking research show that sharks found at the tour sites don't come close to shore.

Several elected officials such as Mr. Knudsen took public positions on this topic before they had sufficient objective information or after listening to "instant experts."
Apparently, ego now prevents them from changing their minds even though the scientific facts do not support their opinions. Objective data indicate that the tours do not cause increased risk to humans and do not significantly impact the biology of sharks.

The tours do provide local employment and they probably increase the general public's appreciation of marine life and how worthy these resources are of our respect and protection.

Kim Holland, Ph.D. Researcher, Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology

Full stop.
Everything else is just demagoguery of the very worst kind.
But we knew that already, didn't we.

PS Underwater Thrills have just weighed in on the issue.

Hawaii Smell Test - it stinks!

Bit-by-bit, the Shark Task Force in Hawaii is being outed as what it really is: a fraud.

Run directly out of the offices of the rep. Gene Ward, it operates the anti-Industry hate site Safe Waters for Hawaii and propagates, among other stupidities, the myth that two operators conducting Shark tours miles offshore constitute a public safety hazard.

Ward has so far failed to distance himself from the hate group.
In what is increasingly looking like a huge political embarrassment, his persistent silence risks making him a de-facto supporter.

He has been handed the unique chance of being able to step up and claim to have solved the "problem" consensually and to look like a statesman in the process. The flip side, siding with the anti-Shark lynch mob would be to look anti-business, anti-tourism and anti-science.
Well, as I said, that's really his choice isn't it.

Others are ensuring that their reputation is not being tainted.
Both the UNEP and TIES have asked that their names and quotes on the SWFH website be rescinded. I hear that more such requests are about to follow.

I had a look and the quotes are still there.

Hardly surprising considering the affiliation of the Shark Task Force with the infamous anti-Industry CDNN and the persona of their president Makani Christensen, a notorious xenophobic Shark hater and Fish killer. As long as they can promote their hypocritical agendas, they just don't care who says what and whether what they do and claim is truthful or even legal.

Here's what our wise and anonymous Hawaiian has to say about the contribution to the safety of Hawaii's beaches by the fishermen and the spearos like Makani and about the hypocrisy of those who single out the Shark viewing industry.

BAN LOGIC #2: Shark tourism must be banned because it creates a public safety hazard.

SMELL TEST A: Many fishing activities put bait in the water, often greatly in excess of the amount of bait used by shark viewing operations.
These fishing activities attract sharks, and in many cases attract them to nearshore areas where recreational activities such as snorkeling and surfing occur. Fishermen often dump excess bait, cleaned fish carcasses, etc. at harbor entrances as they return to port.

• Has this government body banned or regulated use of bait or dumping of bait and carcasses by fishermen?
• Is there enforcement of the laws and regulations that apply to these practices?

SMELL TEST B: Shark cage tours have never been associated with a shark attack in Hawaii.
On the other hand, surfing, spearfishing, and offshore swimming have all led to shark attacks in Hawaii. Spearfishing has been known to precipitate attacks on persons nearby who were not participating in the spearfishing activity. Surfing is statistically the activity most likely to produce a shark attack in Hawaii.

• Does the proposed legislation include surfing, spearfishing, and offshore swimming among the activities to be banned?

SMELL TEST C: The shark species viewed at Hawaii cage diving operations (Sandbar and Galapagos sharks) have NEVER been implicated in attacks on humans in Hawaii.
Furthermore, reports by University of Hawaii shark researchers and NOAA shark specialists conclude that there is no public safety hazard created by these tours and that the sharks do not follow boats to inshore areas or otherwise interact with recreational ocean users as a result of the tours.
On the other hand, pit bulls attack and maim or kill someone in Hawaii at least every year.

• Has this government body acted to ban or require sterilization of pit bulls, which are probably the most dangerous animals in Hawaii?

Once again: It stinks - and sadly, I'm not surprised!
Is this really the foundation upon which Ward wants to enact a Law?

Weasel weasel....

Remember our question to Discovery Channel?

A shame that WhySharksMatter did not find it worthy of being asked but digressed into Whale wars instead. But no worries mate: no harm done. Thanks for the effort.

It's pretty obvious that Gasek never meant to truly engage with the Shark community anyway.
Like any good politician, he managed to deftly dodge the issues and obfuscate, befuddle and bedazzle whilst promoting the Corporation he works for.
That's what he's paid to do and he did a good job at it.

But whatever the exercise in smoke&mirrors, Discovery remains profoundly anti-Shark.
Their own description of this year's Shark Week Program is a case study in sensationalism, scaremongering and evil demonizing of a group of animals. Just like Animal Planet.

"We pride ourselves on telling compelling and accurate stories. Shark Week is no different. Two of our shows this year are based on actual historical events" - right, Sharkbite Summer and Blood in the Water are all about historical education!

Paul: yeah, whatever...

Keep signing the petition please.
Yes after what I've just read, Discovery won't likely give a rat's behind - but still, it demonstrates that we have a voice. And somebody please tell Sonja Fordham to stop lending her authority to this travesty - especially not via an obviouly fake blog where the last entry dates back nearly one year. That's called greenwashing and is unbecoming of the Ocean Conservancy.
Yes I'm repeating myself!

Enough said

Bravo Sasha!

Not only for this great pic of Scarface!

But above all, for having mobilized many signatures from Russia, by posting the Discovery petition on his blog. asnas then re-posted it, together with this link (embedding disabled) to one of Les Stroud-Gurney's most infamous "experiments".

Yes, it's the turkeys and hams!
And listen to the idiotic comments by the great survivor man whilst he's heroically wrangling the Sharks from the safety of the boat!

Just in case you may have forgotten why this is important!

Talking of which: big disappointment here!

The Ocean’s Nazis?

This was yesterday's dive! And 30 Bulls!

Are you still wondering what kind of "education" people get from watching Discovery Channel?

Look no further than this astonishing article!
Proof positive!

It's so bloody preposterous that I first took it for a spoof - but alas, it probably ain't.
I really don't know much about US politics but if being anti-Conservation is what US Libertarianism stands for, I shall be very happy never to endorse them!

But back to Discovery.
This is a direct consequence of Shark Porn - and this is why so many people are pissed off!
So, guys, make a choice as you really cannot have it both ways: if you really care about your "green" branding and the income it generates, you really gotta stop this shit.

Please.

PS: Sharky has just weighed in with a much more eloquent post.

1.47M P2+

A monster of nightmares (yes this is a link!)

That's a whole lotta viewers!

No wonder Animal Planet and Discovery continue to engage in these obscenities!
Millions of viewers can't be wrong - right?

Sigh...

Pecunia non olet - or does it?

Remember Les Stroud?

He of the Turkeys and Hams! Yes, this guy!
He popped into our dive shop on Tuesday asking for directions to the folks down the road. Dunno if he did it to spite us or because of a genuine mistake - thing is, we realized then that we had lost the battle and that Deadly Waters would be featuring their Fiji segment as planned.

We already knew they were trying to weasel in via the back door as one of the local liveaboards had long asked us whether we would be willing to host them and a group of clients for a professional 3-day shoot for Discovery's Shark Week.
When we finally managed to dig out some details, we were told that the group would come with their own safety divers, need a chumsicle and require no further service other than unlimited access to our site. It was also stated that the show "had not yet been named" and that they intended to try and bring the Sharks to the surface for topside shooting.

Sound familiar?
Here are excerpts from the original "Experiment List" of Deadly Waters, by Gurney Productions, Discovery's pet production house for anti-Shark programming.

Fiji: Tiger/Bull Sharks

To compare how depth affects the predatory nature of sharks, we’ll deploy two balls of frozen bait at different depths. One will be at the surface, the other will be eighty feet below. We’ll then watch if sharks in the Bahamas are more likely to strike deeper underwater and hypothesize a reason. Finally, Les will draw a comparison between Tiger, Mako, and Bull shark behavior.

We will head to a remarkable Tiger and Bull Shark feeding ground that has rarely if ever been filmed.
Although they are the deadliest shark on earth, these well fed Tigers and Bulls are used to seeing divers and usually ignore them – but every now and then they randomly attack and kill one – why? Is it something the diver does?

Les will go down in a specially designed clear polycarbonate shark cage which will make him appear to the sharks as though he is unprotected. Les will conduct a series of experiments to try to elicit an attack response from the sharks (he will be safe). He will flail about, float lifelessly, release a large burst of bubbles and finally hold freshly killed fish, in order to determine what is causing these well fed sharks to randomly kill humans!

Just Great!
After years of trying to establish a safe and mellow routine and to keep the Sharks away from the surface, having Les & Co. come and thrash our dive site!

We of course declined to enable the shoot. Yes, for the second time!
I'm sure you've read the link above (if not, please do) so I'm gonna spare you the bit about the evil anti-Shark propaganda and damage to Fiji's vulnerable tourism industry. Instead, let me post this letter from a fellow dive professional we work with.

Upon reading the experiment list it leaves me in a state of amazement.
The idea of putting Les in a perspex tube to incite an attack on a diver is totally irresponsible. It shows zero thought to any future divers & is trying to promote an attack. Where did they come up with the theory that any diver/swimmer has ever been attacked let alone killed by a bull shark in Fiji? The other experiment of trying to lure them to the surface also goes totally against the safety that the operations in that area adhere to which is to keep them deep & not surface orientated.
I hope very much that this project does not proceed in Fiji as it is the last thing that the diving or tourist industry here needs.
On a purely selfish note; we want to use the bull shark dive as a drawing card to get guests to book on our liveaboard & this show will do nothing to help us down that path. The reality is that it may even deter divers from coming to this destination in the future as they will simply associate Fiji with bull sharks attacking people.
This is not good news & lets hope that it does not happen. I could go on & on about this but in short the bull sharks here have no history of attacking people so to let someone in the water for a few days to make a sensationalist documentary about that happening & potentially create attack scenarios on people in the future is abhorrent.

Well, we sure gave it our best shot.
We tried convincing the liveaboard that this was not the kind of business and publicity they, or Fiji wanted. A friend spent political capital trying to convince their offshore headquarters. More political capital was invested in seeking dialogue with the Fijian Authorities. Hell, fearing the worst as they were always gonna be the dark horse in the process, we even had somebody try and talk sense to our local competitor!

I guess we should have known better.
Money apparently talks - much louder than one's professed love of Sharks and fake Eco-branding.
And contrary to the title of this post, it does have a smell. It reeks of greed, recklessness, stupidity and disrespect of one's host Country. This is now their legacy - and I'll leave it at that.
See, I'm still trying to be polite!

But in the end, it's not our Country, not our dive, not our operation - and hopefully, not our reputation, either. Although as always, we'll have to share the negative repercussions, as will Fiji Tourism.

In the end, the real losers will be the Sharks.
A great shame - especially because we got so close to doing the right thing.

PS: Underwater Thrills have followed up with this great post. Kudos.

Animal Planet - F@#$%ing Morons!

Here we go again.

All over the Globe, we are finally, and thankfully witnessing a tenuous consensus that the Ocean's Apex Predators are not just some superfluous vermin, but essential and fragile cornerstones of the Marine Ecosystem that need to be protected.
And yet, in this day-and-age, the morons at Animal Planet see it fit to publish the following description of Bull Sharks, yet again a threatened species (read the link - very nice!).

“What is it that turns these fish into vicious, murderous killers? That is what I want to find out,” says Wade. “

No fish inspires the same terror as the shark, a creature with an insatiable hunger for brutal violence. But at least these killers are confined to the oceans. Or are they? Expert angler Jeremy Wade investigates the deadly bull shark.

A Freshwater Nightmare: The bull shark is a river monster of nightmares — it is a sea creature that can tolerate fresh water, allowing it to travel far up rivers and close to contact with humans. Its tendency to dwell in shallow coastal waters and rivers ranging from the Atlantic to the Indian to the Pacific Ocean, coupled with its unpredictable and aggressive behavior, lead many scientists to label it as the species responsible for the majority of shark attacks on humans.

Bad to the Bone: The bull shark gets its name from its stocky build, its broad snout and its aggressive nature. It is known to make sharp, unpredictable bursts of speed and often utilizes the "bump and bite" technique to capture prey, during which it first head-butts prey before attacking. Bull sharks have been known to attack large animals, including one account of an attack on a racehorse in Queensland, Australia. They regularly prey on dolphins, other sharks, and have proven themselves more than willing to attack humans — sometimes simply out of curiosity. Their speed, strength and agility — not to mention sharp, heavily serrated teeth — make such attacks potentially deadly.

To demonize an animal like they have done, is Evil.

Sadly, I'm not surprised.
Like their idiotic brethren at Discovery, they have obviously thrown overboard any resemblance of being ecologically minded in favor of pandering to the basest of emotions.

Enough said.