Pelagic Life in Fiji!

I've long been a big fan of Pelagic Life.

And now even more so!

We just bid farewell to Jero and Ana Prieto.

They chose to pop by on their honeymoon, and I must really say that meeting them has been one of our personal highlights of 2013. Young, dapper, smart, respectful and very accomplished, they truly embody all we can hope for when it comes to communicating Shark conservation to the next generation. What I really do like a lot, is that they are out there in the ocean, in their own country, searching for their very own personal adventures, that they try to promote smart and pragmatic hands-on conservation by cooperation rather than confrontation and above all, that they are the very opposite of those shameless self promoters that are so long on verbiage and so short on actual achievements.

And their film project?

I was very happy to hear that the funding drive for México Pelágico has been a great success, allowing them to develop a second budget aimed at enabling more aerial and undewater captures to further enhance the final product. Needless to say that I'm very much looking forward to getting my own copy as judging by the trailer, it will undoubtedly be epic.

Hasta la vista amigos - wishing you the very best of success!

Shark Free Marinas PSAs!

Excellent stuff!
We've obviously been big fans of the SFMI since day one, and Fiji continues to be one of the initiative's principal supporters.

Ever since Guy Harvey and the Humane Society have decided to support the concept, Luke has been assisted by a growing number of Board members, Celebrities and yes, certainly not leastly, by the influx of much needed funds that are being spent on promotional and support materials but also, on excellent PSAs.

Here are two of the most recent ones.
The first contains the endorsements by actor Kelly Perine, singer/songwriter Aria Johnson , celebrity photographer Nigel Barker, actress Lisa Edelstein, guitar legend Slash, the Dr Guy Harvey, American football legend Steve Bartkowski and the SFMI's Director Luke Tipple.
The second features the unequaled Guy and specifically targets the marinas in Florida - and I sure hope that there will be more targeting the other coastal states where pro-Shark activities have so far been dismal!
And, let's not forget this one! :)

Enjoy!

Cool!

And smart, too!

Bravo Mahmood!

Mahmood is Prof. Dr. Mahmood Shivji of the Guy Harvey Research Institute and the Save our Seas Shark Center, both at Nova.

He's the guy who gets all of our DNA samples and you may have heard of him in relation to his recent discovery of a forensic tool (the actual paper is here) to pinpoint the geographical origin of the fins of endangered Scalloped Hammerheads from the Hong Kong Shark fin market.
This is how Reuters covered it.



Now Mahmood has posted this brilliant video about what happens in the lab once they have taken a small sample of the fins. Shame that there's no embedding feature.

Anyway, a big Kudos for the discovery and congrats for having produced a compelling piece about GSI and the need for Shark Conservation.
Bravo!

SFMI: finally, the Signage!

From the Facebook page of the Fiji Shark Conservation and Awareness Project.

New signs ready to be distributed to all supporting marinas, resorts and fishing boats in Fiji!
Funding was provided by Project AWARE! The dock signs are printed and laminated on 0.080 Marine Grade aluminum to ensure resistance against the elements.

The Shark-Free Marina Initiative has a singular purpose, to reduce worldwide shark mortality. We encourage shark conservation at sport fishing and resort marinas by prohibiting the landing of any shark at the participating marina. The SFMI works with marinas, fishermen and like minded non-profit groups to form community conscious policy and increase awareness of the need to protect our sharks, our ocean and our legacy.

Once again, big Kudos to everybody involved, especially Stuart of Matava who pretty much singlehandedly put Fiji on the map as being the planet's most progressive nation in terms of Shark conservation and also, modern eco-minded game fishing!

As in: Twenty-one participating marinas and game fishing operators compared to a measly six in the big and all-powerful US of A!

How's that for a turnout!
And, believe it or not: we ain't finished yet!

Well, gee, Congrats!

From the Paxton Brothers' Fishing gone Wild website.

The original Abomination (hint: you may wanna change the URL...) has been re-branded into The Ultimate Shark Challenge and honored by the County's commissioners. The tournament is now 100% catch-and-release and that's certainly an improvement (tho far from being "good") and a notable achievement for the Shark Free Marinas Initiative.

I understand the need for this sort of harmonic mythology and mutual back-slapping - but let's not forget to honor the contribution of the people who got the ball rolling in the first place! And of these guys! And others!
Fair is fair - OK?

Yes, I know, others will disagree!

Twenty!

Check out the list of Shark-Free Marinas!

Yes, that's twenty Fijian operators that have made a commitment for Shark conservation by pledging not to allow any dead Sharks to be landed at their dock. And I just hear that one more has agreed to sign up - and counting!
Is that cool - or what!

This is foremost the direct personal success of Stuart and Matava who have taken the initiative, done most of the leg work and tirelessly promoted the concept.

But this is also a testimony to how much Fiji cares about Nature in general and Sharks in particular.
This is a country that thanks to a visionary network of locally managed MPAs, is well on its way to protecting 30% of its reefs and that has declared all of its waters to be a Whale Sanctuary - and may hopefully once do the same for Sharks.
This is the country that has embraced the International Year of the Shark, with the who's who of conservation, diving and tourism signing up to its local initiative, the Fiji Shark Conservation and Awareness Project. This is where local television and the main media support Sharks and where a locally produced pro-Shark PSA has been a roaring success among the indigenous population, many of which revere Sharks as Gods and Guardian Spirits.

And finally, our thanks need to go to Patric and Luke who have come up with this brilliant initiative and have invested their time, energy and money into what is a fabulous example of smart and inclusive conservation!

Stuart tells me that thanks to a generous grant by PADI Project Aware, the signage is being printed and that it will be distributed within the next two weeks.

A big Vinaka Vakalevu to everyone involved!
I'm sure that Dakuwaqa is smiling!

Great Piece!

I wish I were a Sand Tiger called Maxine!

Lesley Rochat is obviously as smart and passionate as she is pretty!
Story here.

Enjoy!

Pro-Shark Media

Great pic: Fred Buyle

Before Discovery unleash their rubbish, here's some pro-Shark stuff.

First, this article in the SA Times about soft cage diving at Aliwal Shoal in KZN.

And then, again from SA, there's this smart video by Lesley Rochat.
I've blogged about it before but she has finally activated the embedding function - and the more people see it, the better.

Warning: graphic content!

Shark-Free Beaches?

Back to the controversy.

I got quite a bit of flak for having posted my take on the land-based Shark fishing in Delray Beach.
The organizers of the anti-fishing movement are excellent and passionate people who love Sharks with a vengeance, and the post was seen as a stupid and unnecessary contribution that would ultimately weaken their case. If so, I hope they'll accept my sincere apologies.

Of course, it wasn't meant that way.
Where I'm coming from is that I believe that Conservation must be pragmatic, smart, whenever possible consensual and fact-based. The Shark-Free Marinas Initiative is an excellent example of how that can be achieved.

Surely, nobody is seriously contemplating to ban all land-based fishing (for Sharks and "regular" Fishes) in Florida.
Anglers are a passionate and powerful group and their hobby is just another -albeit for some disturbing- way of enjoying the outdoors. From a Conservation point of view, they are certainly entitled to pursue it as long as they don't kill endangered species.

Here's an example from Australia.



Once again, the way to go is to sit at one table and agree on a compromise, whereby the anglers are allowed to fish provided that they do so sustainably.
In the case of game fishing for Sharks, all of which are endangered to some degree, that really boils down to practicing catch and release, very much in line with what the IGFA is already doing with Billfish. I understand that some anglers do kill the Sharks and eat the contaminated meat - but from what I can discern, many don't, so it should not be mission impossible to convince the recalcitrant rest.



Incidentally, Sean Paxton & Brooks Paxton II are already working on certifying released Sharks as part of the Int'l Land-Based Shark Fishing Association. Not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, as they will also certify dead Sharks and also, because some of the Sharks on their list should be fully protected - but certainly a step in the right direction.
Also, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is presently reviewing its Shark management rules and it very much looks like they are willing to take aboard the above reservations, along with measures aimed at protecting juveniles, pregnant females and banning Shark kill tournaments.

But what about the argument that land-based fishing is endangering the other aquatic recreationists by drawing in Sharks?

I've actually been totally sold on that one for quite a while - but maybe contrary to the proponents of a ban on Shark fishing, I intuitively believe that the worst perpetrators may well be the "regular" fishermen that use chum and then drag in struggling fish that send out distress signals which are irresistible to Sharks. Incidentally, that's what the Shark fishermen claim, too!
On top of that, many anglers will then clean their catch right on the shore and thus create a further Shark attractant. I've personally witnessed it in French Polynesia and the next blog post will mention a glaring example from Hawaii. And there's the famous case of Walker's Cay where the regular dumping of carcasses by a game fishing operation established a resident population of Bull Sharks.

If the above is true, the only solution would be to establish mutually exclusive zones: no fishing where people swim and no swimming where people fish.
Yes Delray Beach may resolve to chase away the anglers (but it should really be all of them, not only those who target Sharks) citing that the area is just to small to support both activities - but in the big scheme of things, anglers certainly deserve their own space where the other users agree to take a step back.

Bottom line: talk to each other!
It's really always the same: the best and most enduring Conservation is the result of negotiations - and yes, sometimes the parties will only agree to talk after having been shown the "stick", like in Ft. Myers. The result of those talks will likely be a compromise, meaning that some Sharks will be killed - but in exchange, we could have a say about what species, how many, where, when and how and be reasonably confident that the anglers will abide by those rules. And maybe export the concept to other states where land-based Shark fishing is equally popular.
To me, that would be quite an achievement!

Anyway, as I said, just a thought.

PS: I just found this poll on the Orlando Sentinel website - please cast your vote.

Shark-Free Marinas in Fiji!

Huge kudos to Stuart and Adrian of Matava!

Fiji's Premier Eco Adventure Resort and Bite Me Gamefishing Charters have partnered in spearheading the nation-wide roll-out of The Shark-Free Marinas Initiative to all marinas and charter fishing boats across the country. It's a great undertaking: smart, cheap, effective - Conservation bootstrapping at its very best.
A first push directed at their peers in the game fishing community has already resulted in the certification of nine proudly Fijian Shark-Free marinas and operators - more than in the USA and the Bahamas combined!

Now, it's the turn of the other Supporters of the Fiji Shark Conservation and Awareness Project, Fiji's contribution to the International Year of the Shark - and of you, the Fijian readers of this blog!

Whether you are a Dive Operator, a Resort, an Org promoting Conservation or just an individual: please get active in your area and Fiji-wide. Do you own or operate out of a marina or harbor? Are there any marinas, fishing charter operators, or avid fishermen in your area?



Then, please approach them and help them getting certified as Shark-Free Marinas and Operators!
Should you have any questions about how to go about it, please consult the information and support pages on the SFMI website where you will also find the downloadable "Invitation to register as a Shark-Free Marina". Please also consult Matava's exhaustive explanations right here. Finally, always feel free to write to Eroni Rasalato, the coordinator of the FSCAP at Info@FijiShark.com for any further assistance you may require.
Want to contribute more or get personal recognition for your efforts? Please consult this page!

Registering online is really very easy and absolutely free of charge.
Apart from being a direct and tangible contribution to the immediate conservation of Sharks in Fiji, this will help making a better Fiji by once again contributing to the Country's reputation of being at the forefront of Conservation and Eco-Tourism. It will also allow the registered participants to add valuable "green" credentials to their marketing. Dock signs and other support materials are currently being sourced and will be "in country" shortly.

Let's go for it and make Fiji proud!
Vinaka!

Abomination 3.2.

Contrary to what the title suggests, this is actually about some good news.
For once!

Remember the drunken Shark fishermen of Delray Beach?
According to this interesting article in the Sun Sentinel, the Authorities are planning to shut them down. However, this is not quite a done deal. Land based fishing is a very popular pastime in Florida where it is being viewed as a relatively inexpensive alternative to boat-based fishing and the fishermen are planning to vigorously defend their right to pursue their hobby.

I was initially all gung-ho about putting them out of business - but like always, it may not quite be as clear cut as it may appear at first glance. After all, these guys seem to practice catch and release, and some of the arguments they field do make a lot of sense.

Let me cite them as I've also posted the arguments of the proponents of a ban.

1) Shark fishing from a beach does not put at risk swimmers.
2) Most shark attacks occur in murky water when a shark mistakes a surfer for a thrashing fish
3) A hooked shark has never attacked a swimmer
4) Shark fishing takes place in the evening mostly when bathers are out of the water
5) We do not chum sharks to a beach (that would be absurd), we drop our baits 200 to 500 yards away from the beach.
6) We do not attract sharks to the beach , they already live and thrive there.
7) Dead fish often wash up on the beach ,,,,,,it is the ocean after all .
Why ban shark fishing ? Why not ban all fishing from the beach ?
Truth be told Tarpon fishing or fishing for any other type of fish attracts more sharks to the shoreline then land-based shark fishing.When a hooked fish is struggling on a fishing line it sends out distress signals that sharks home in on. A shark is attracted to our shark bait that sits well away from shore, those sharks naturally feed in those areas and also come in at night to mate. In all actuality sharks are drawn in toward the shoreline to chase the hooked fish a fisherman reels in. The simple TRUTH!!!
We are unfairly being targeted and discriminated based on people's fear of sharks and the desire to keep regular folks out of the rich seaside towns.

I'm particularly sold on the argument that chumming for and catching regular Fish may well be a stronger attractant of Sharks than Shark fishing itself. I also believe those voices that claim that Sharks frequent the beaches at night as part of their natural hunting, and maybe also breeding cycles.

From what I can discern, the pro-ban proponents are pursuing the following aims:

• Shark Conservation - and if so, enforcing strict catch and release regulations should do the job. This was the compromise reached in Ft. Myers and this is what the Shark Free Marinas Project is aiming at. Yes game fishing for Sharks, like all hobby fishing and hunting is somewhat disturbing - but that's am ethical, not a legal question. One has to pick one's fights and trying to ban fishing per se is neither achievable nor quite frankly necessary as long as threatened animals (endangered Sharks but also all other endangered Fish species) are being released.
• Safety - and if so, one must be very very careful not to speculate but to be well documented about the causalities. Otherwise, one ends up doing exactly the same as the proponents of a Shark viewing ban in Hawaii. Maybe the most effective way of ensuring the safety of the beaches would indeed be a total fishing ban. Maybe the Sharks are really always there, fishing or no fishing. Maybe, there could be mutually exclusive recreational and fishing zones.
• Law and Order - and if so, the police should ensure everybody's orderly conduct.

Yes coming from a Shark conservationist, all of the above may sound bizarre indeed!
My concern is that despite of our passion, we must always remain and thus be perceived as fact-based and credible. We must also be solution-oriented and sometimes, we must be willing to reach a compromise (where each side makes concessions) in order to reach our aims.
And finally, using the fear of Shark attacks to promote Shark Conservation makes me cringe.

Anyway, just a thought.

But if the situation in Delray may be nuanced, here's some unequivocally good news: a local taxidermist is flatly refusing to mount any more Sharks and this is prompting some local game fishermen to exclusively practice catch & release.

And Guy Harvey, himself an avid fisherman, is working on having the IGFA scrap keeping world records for some specially endangered Sharks like Great Hammerheads and Tigers, where all record animals are undoubtedly pregnant females, i.e. the specially valuable breeding stock. It's about time those guys adopted the same rules that have long been accepted by the hunters.
Fingers crossed, that would be such an important step in the right direction!

Slowly slowly, bit-by-bit, Florida seems to be inching towards a substantially more pro-Shark attitude.
Just great!

5,341 Bucks!

Yes this pic is from Destin! Great destin-ation marketing huh!

Pretty sweet!

That's what Team Tim's Tree Service bagged for catching and releasing a 7 1/2 feet Hammerhead at the Are You Man Enough Shark challenge this week in Fort Myers. And they could have earned themselves another ten grand by catching one of the previously tagged five Sharks.
To me, that should be plenty of incentive for keeping this format in the future - and hopefully, for getting rid of the horrible name in the process!

Compare that to the measly 250 bucks for landing the biggest of many dead Sharks in Destin, and it should be pretty obvious what they guys over there ought to do.

Yes, as WhySharksMatter said, the victory in Fort Myers has indeed been the result of clever and respectful Shark Conservation - but let there be no doubt that threatening to disrupt proceedings via a vocal Conservation rally played an important role as well!

That's also the message to Devin: evolve, and everybody will be happy to work with you in order to find attractive alternatives - or else!

Talking of which, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has scheduled a series of public workshops this month to receive comments on the management of sharks, including possible changes to Shark bag and size limits, the prohibited Shark species list, and Shark landing requirements and gear rules.

Would be great if this could be turned into an ethical debate, as in stopping the despicable slaughter of pregnant females. No reason why the fishermen shouldn't follow the lead of the hunters - or is there?

Time for IGFA to show some leadership!

Great Men think alike

I knew this was coming - and Bingo!

Check out this video.



It tells the story of the roll-out of the Shark Free Marinas Initiative but in the end, the anchor attributes the success in Ft. Myers to the same people. This of course is not true and Shark Diver was quick in pointing out that the praise for it must go to the Shark Safe Project.

Sloppy journalism?
Yes, maybe - but oh-so-predictable.
The reason being that both outfits have their own "Marinas" initiative, with virtually identical goals and virtually identical logos. In fact, having dug around a bit, I notice that the "Shark Safe Marina" logo is identical to the "Shark Free Marina" logo of the Bimini Sands Resort and Marina.
Check it out - no wonder the lady was confused!.













Is this going to be the harbinger of yet another one of those nasty and stupid Eco-wars that are so commonplace in the wonderful world of Conservation? Yet another WWF vs Greenpeace vs Sea Shepherds?

I've said it before, Shark people are uniquely toothy, opinionated and vociferous - on top of being as tribal, back-stabbing and petty as any other self-respecting closely knit group where everybody knows one another and many have years of shared "history", be it life-long friendships or irreconcilable enmity.

I'm certainly no exception to that rule, especially when it comes to Fiji.
And having dared to dabble in "Shark Politics" far away from home, I'm very much subjected to the very same dynamics. In fact, when it comes to these two Orgs, I'm increasingly being asked to finally commit to one "camp".

Thing is, why should I.
Both have managed to mobilize great, talented and committed personalities, some of which I admire very much and some of which are among my best friends. Both strive to achieve the same goals by promoting smart and inclusive Conservation.

Should this not be about the well-being of the Sharks?
And if so - will it be possible to bury any hatchets and unite the efforts in order to roll out one coherent, efficient and successful campaign - and one only? Or are we really going to see two identical organizations with identical messages "compete" for the very same Marinas - and appear stupid and petty in the process?

Yes, it may already be too late - but please, guys, give it some thought.

PS: Felix spotted this as well.

Cool!

Kudos!

WildAid and their Active Conservation Awareness Program have done it again.
Great idea to run this anti-finning clip in Mandarin! The narrator is Sūn Yànzī, arguably the most popular Mandarin female singer in Asia.

For smart and culturally sensitive advertising, also see this clip featuring Ang Lee.

Shark Free Marinas!

Mark the Shark has just killed another Tiger Shark.

At 14 feet and 1200 pounds, she must once again have been a pregnant mother, like the other Tiger in the Bahamas and the two Hammerheads killed by Bucky Dennis. And then, there's the upcoming abomination of Mr. Donlon in Ft. Myers that is specifically targeting more record-sized and thus pregnant Sharks.
That's what "game" fishermen do for fun, the more as their Association has no ethical problems whatsoever to sanction those killings as legitimate records. In my book, that's being tacit instigators, accomplices and enablers. Even the hunting community doesn't do that anymore - and thankfully, there seems to be growing opposition to those gruesome trophies even among the fishermen themselves.

But the cold facts are that all of that is perfectly legal.
All of our vocal condemnation, petitioning and picketing are not likely to change much in the short term. Game fishing is big business and we're hopelessly outmanned and outgunned.
Yes, I'm repeating myself! Again!

Which brings me straight over to the Shark-Free Marina Initiative.
It's a great idea that started with this post by Shark Diver in September, 2008. Type "Shark Free Marinas" into the search box of Underwater Thrills and you will be able to follow its gradual inception by several enlightened marinas in the Bahamas.

Now, it's being rolled out on a global scale via its own org., website and blog

This is smart Conservation aimed at organic cooperation instead of confrontation, via a nifty feel-good campaign. Good for the marinas, good for the Sharks. And I'm sure that the ultimate thrust is to educate the fishermen in the process.

Smart, cheap, effective - Conservation bootstrapping at its best.
Kudos guys!