Hawaii - what is Riki Karamatsu's Agenda?

From Stefanie, unabridged.
Lots of additional information here.

Hello everyone,
Unfortunately, I need your help again.

Yes, we made it through the House vote with the shark finning bill, but that was not the end of it.
The bill is now in conference where a final version is being discussed between Representatives of House and Senate. There is very strong push back from the same House members that tried to kill it in the first place. If the conference committee can't come to an agreement, the bill dies.

Deadline is next week.
We don't have much time. In the meantime we have addressed the concerns and talked to all opposing groups. Most are now on board with this bill.However, there is STILL a strong push against the bill from a few members of the House. We are not sure who is influencing them. But they are willing to go against the overwhelming majority of the public that is in support. The problem is that they are able to influence a large portion of the House votes, due to their position.
It is hard to understand, and VERY frustrating.

We cannot let this small group of Bullies win!
Why do we bother to have 50 Representatives when one or two guys can abuse their position to keep the rest in check?Why go through the hassles of committees and hearing and votes when it all comes down to a power play amongst the Representatives? We have scheduled a press conference for Sunday where we will show the depth of support that we really have. We have invited members of the community to represent the Hawaiian and the chinese culture, as well as representatives of conservation groups. We will have videos, photos and articles available. Anyone that would like to be there, contact me for info.

We have talked, explained, and negotiated for weeks.
Reasonable discussion is obviously not enough! We need to bring down a storm of letters onto the House Representatives AGAIN, so they will get on with it once and for all. If we can get the majority of the House to see the light, then they will be able to outvote the few stubborn opponents.

But first we have to get this bill out of conference- intact and on time. (by next week Thursday)

Here is how you can help me:

1) Please write a letter in support .... again.
Of course you can use what you wrote before, but keep it short and to the point. (half page or less)
Here are a few points that are important:
- Ask the members of the legislature to please make sure SB2169 will move ahead and become law. Don't let this important opportunity slip away.
- Legislators, please listen to the majority, and not to the interests of a small group that is trying to hold up this ground breaking movement.
- The world is watching. Hawaii can make a difference. Legislators can show great leadership by taking a strong stance... etc

It is important that they realize how many people are watching this effort, here in Hawaii, nationally and internationally. And how much impact this will have.

Address it to:
Hawaii State Legislature
State Capitol Building
Honolulu, Hawaii 96813
Re: S.B. No. 2169, Relating to Shark Fins
Dear Members of the Hawaii State Legislature,

Make sure you send the statement to me (stefaniebrendl@gmail.com) before Sunday the 18th. I will print them out and make sure the media gets them. I will also make packages to pass on to the governor and other important people that can influence the outcome. Then send a copy to all the representatives at this address: reps@Capitol.hawaii.gov

If you live in Hawaii you can also call or email your district's representative and tell them that you are one of their constituents and that you would like your voice to be heard. (find your Reps and Senators here )
If you get to this after the 18th, still go ahead, because the meetings will continue next week.

2) If you have time, and feel strongly about this, give these offices a call ASAP.
They are the House Representatives on the conference committee that are making things difficult. Speaker Say is not on the committee, but he is the speaker of the House, and therefore influences all Reps. Feel free to ask some tough questions and demand answers on why they are hesitating to support this bill.

I have included email addresses in case you want to follow up with materials etc.
- Representative Jon Riki Karamatsu ph 808 586-8490 e-mail repkaramatsu@Capitol.hawaii.gov
- Representative Ken Ito: ph 808 586-8470 e-mail repito@Capitol.hawaii.gov
- Representative Angus McKelvey ph 808 586-6160 e-mail repmckelvey@Capitol.hawaii.gov
- House Speaker Calvin K.Y. Say ph 808 586-6100 e-mail repsay@Capitol.hawaii.gov

Call or email me if you have questions 808 778-6740

Also, do any of you have contacts to any clever investigative reporters that would like to sink their teeth into this?

Despite absolute majority in support of this bill, one guy, Riki Karamatsu, keeps trying to kill this measure.
He did the same thing with other animal cruelty bills (dog fighting, cock fighting, dog tethering). They all had massive public support and they all died in Karamatsu's committee. Apparently he only answers to the members of his constituency/district. But in his position as judiciary chairman, he is supposed to consider to the wishes of the whole State (and in this case, the nation). I just don't see why he should get away with it. Especially when he is planning on running for Ltd. Governor this year. It's time to bring on the heat!

Any advice and input is appreciated.
Thank you for your patience
Stefanie

Case in Point!

Sorry for the silence!

Thing is, we're currently hosting Royalty and also, incredibly busy cooking up some real cool projects (watch this space!) and it's just very difficult to find the time!

But I saw this and just wanted to make the point.

This would have been a Fijian all-tackle record and yet, they let the Shark go.

They of course being Bite Me, Fiji's top game fishing operator and together with Matava, the coordinator of the Fiji roll-out of the Shark Free Marinas Initiative. 22 supporters later, Fiji is by far the most active region and well on its way to becoming the first Shark Free country.

I just discovered that the SFMI website has been completely re-vamped and is now even more user friendly.

And yet, when you check out the Registered Marinas, nothing much has changed: a paltry 7 in the USA, a measly 3 in the Bahamas where Shark diving is a mainstay of tourism - not a single one in Australia,  New Zealand, Africa, Asia, Europe, South America: entire continents featuring less supporters than the tiny Kingdom of Tonga!

How pathetic is that!

I've said it before, this is without a doubt one of the most efficient and effective Shark conservation initiatives around. The concept could not be simpler, it costs absolutely zero and it immediately saves Sharks that would otherwise get killed - and yet, nobody seems to care.

Let me cite from another post.

Having searched for "names" and having looked at the websites of the plethora of self-professed Shark lovers, savers, warriors and protectors out there, I'm starting to wonder: where are they?

Where are, to name but a few, the Funds, Allies & Alliances, Societies, Foundations, Initiatives, Conservancies, Institutes, Projects and Trusts, the Backbiters, Savers, Preservers, Spotters, Angels, Shepherds, Aiders, Stewards, Researchers and all of those other orgs that solicit donations from the public for safeguarding Sharks?
Where are all those prominent photographers and cameramen that draw their sustenance from taking images of Sharks?
Have the Shark diving operators and the Travel agents that book them bothered to mobilize their clients?

Questions questions - and I spare you the answers! 

Our Website...

... has been hacked.

Please bear with us whilst we strive to get back online.

Thank you!

Hawaii - good News!

From Stefanie.

This is one small Shark operator showing the world how to get the job done: to care about conservation, to take on important issues in one's back yard, to show leadership, to cooperate and network, to persist doggedly despite of the adversities.
Kudos to everybody involved!

Good news again!

The Shark fin bill SB2169 made it through the third reading and House vote yesterday. This is truly a minor miracle, because last week, the bill died in the last committee. We thought it was over. But we were able bring it back to life through some exceptional pressure from a few key people. The judiciary committee brought it back reluctantly, then finally voted to move it out. Just in the nick of time.

Yesterday, during he House vote, there was only one "No" vote.
We can all have a quiet cheer for a partial victory, but of course we are a long ways from being done. Next, this measure will go in to conference, where Representatives from the Senate and the House side will get together to come up with a final version. Once we can wrangle it through the conference meetings, it can move on to a Senate vote. After the Senate vote it will be sent to the Governor.

Thank you so much for your support and for all the great letters and statements.
I am not sure if and when we need more testimony sent in. I have to have a meeting with all the people involved in this measure to talk strategy. Will let you know in another update if there is anything else you can do to help.

Aloha
Stefanie

Full story here.

I still like them - very much!

Epic: award-winning GW portrait by Terry Goss.

Well, here's the clip!

I still like those guys and I just love the general pro-Shark and anti-stereotype message!
Kudos to both: to Mike, for his insightful comments (I totally agree!!!) and to Cooper, for having had the guts to do it and above all, for providing a fabulous global platform for pro-Shark messaging - again! And: great marketing for South Africa's Shark diving industry!
Very very well done!!!

The difference to this?
Listen to the commentary: Mike does not conduct cageless dives commercially.
This is a targeted film shoot - along with research, one for the accepted reasons for deviating from standard commercial Shark diving protocols.

Did it maybe include some (and I would add: extremely mild!) macho posturing like some of the comments here suggest? Sure did - but let's be honest, much of the attraction, and fun of Shark diving consists in the adrenaline rush of being in the presence of apex predators. Doing what those two guys, and the cameraman did takes some mighty cojones and being amped up before the plunge is the most natural of reactions.
I say, not to worry, no harm done whatsoever!

And as to who conducted the first cageless dive with GWs, it was either Ron or Giddings, and the first ride, Jeremiah, not Hartman - which in no way detracts from the fact that Andre is one of the true Shark diving icons! Now it's Mike's turn to shine and I say, good on him!

But I'm digressing as usual - Enjoy!

Fiji's Shark Reef!

Did you deem the coffee table book to be just a tad too big and too pricey?
Look no further than Timbo's Fiji's Shark Reef!

This condensed and smaller format book of our coffee table version "Fiji's Beqa Lagoon" celebrates the unique ocean region of Fiji's southern coastal reefs and sea mounts off the island of Viti Levu. This vast region is part of the southern and central Beqa Lagoon.
Big sharks, scenics, overlooks, reefs, caves, aerials, culture, dance and much, much more can be found in this special region of the lush island.

Every year people flock to Fiji and many of them are divers.
Known for its soft corals and stunning reef life, the Pacific Harbour area and Beqa Lagoon's Shark Reef Marine Reserve are gaining great fame. This is the one of the few places on Earth that you can dive with eight different species of shark on one dive and see them in their environment.
It's an amazing sight to watch the grace and power of the big, deep water sharks and the swift and silky movements of the upper reef sharks.

This is due in a huge part to the efforts of Beqa Adventure Divers who have established the Shark Reef Marine Reserve.
This special reserve would not have been possible without the involvement of the Fiji Department of Fisheries and the traditional owners of the reef, the villages of Wainiyabia and Galoa. It is to them divers can extend a special thanks. Both villages have agreed to relinquish their respective fishing rights to Shark Reef and in exchange, every diver who participates on The Shark Dive pays a 'Shark Reef Marine Reserve Levy'. This money is collected by Beqa Adventure Divers and deposited monthly into each village's community bank account.

Quite honestly, I like this smaller book even better.
Condensed down to the essentials, it is eminently readable and visually compelling - and yes, great value too! Plus, it talks about us!
Once again, great job Timbo, Vinaka Vakalevu!

Preview here (use the "full screen" option).
Enjoy!

Hawaii - more Action required!

Stefanie continues to show us the way forward.

Whilst others pout and whine, she takes the inevitable setbacks in stride, re-groups and forges ahead with renewed vigor.
Good on 'ya girl!

Here is her most recent message.

Hello everyone,

Yes, the shark fin bill died two days ago in the Judiciary committee, but we were able to get it back to life.

It was scheduled for a decisions making meeting today and the committee voted to pass it.
This means the bill is officially alive and moving ahead!! This is a pretty miraculous turn of events. It will now go to the House Floor for a vote (probably Tuesday). If it survives the vote and is passed out of the house, it will go into conference, where representatives from both the Senate and the House side will get together to look at all the different versions the bill has gone through and work on final draft that everyone can agree with.

Getting it out of Judiciary committee was a HUGE step, and certainly the most difficult one so far.
But we can't celebrate yet. Lots more work to do. You can help us tackle the next hurdle by urging the representatives to vote in support during the House vote next week.

Before Tuesday, April 6, send a message to the representative of your district and ask them to vote in support of SB2169 Relating to shark fins.
Here is a list of all the representatives and the districts they have, and here is all their contact information. If you are not from within any of the districts, or would like to send a message to all representatives that will be voting on the bill, send your message to: reps@Capitol.hawaii.gov.

------------------------------------
TO: House Representatives RE: House floor vote on Measure SB 2169 Relating to shark fins

Let them know that this is an important step not only for Hawaii, but also for the rest of the world.
Hawaii can be a leader and send a strong message by helping this ground breaking bill pass into law, or something like that. I think it is not necessary to write a lot. If your message is short and to the point, it is more likely to be read.

If you have any questions, email me or call at 778-6740

Thank you
Stefanie

Doha - pathetic!

No, this is not yet another post slamming CITES!

From a message by a friend.

The environmental issues need to get into the realm of either the more ruthless, more effective or more monetarily concerned or a combination of all three.
From what I've read, it seems the pro-fishing folks obviously had a strategy and agenda for this meeting. It seems the anti folks just went with their own agendas and hoped to meld once they got there.
It's a full-time job for hardened old internationally experienced, economically savvy lobbyists, not concerned PR grads and volunteer sculptors.

Exactly!
I've been of two minds about this post as once again, it'll get me in trouble for taking on fellow conservationists. I had fervently hoped that somebody else would finally address this total failure of the Marine Conservation movement, or that one of the people involved would have had the courage and the humility to do a proper post mortem and show a modicum of accountability.

Alas, no such luck.
All I get to see are the continued ramblings of the pundits slamming the Japanese and depicting unhelpful doomsday scenarios - and lemme tell you: I am not impressed!
Ocean Death Panel? Sushi-Cide? Tunapocalypse? What's this, a high school poetry contest to complement the pathetic home movies?

It's Copenhagen all over again.
There, everybody and his dog flocked to Denmark, protested, pontificated and vociferated, only to achieve less than nothing - whilst incurring a stunning aggregate expenditure in the process and even more disturbingly, burdening the Planet with a stupendous incremental aggregate Carbon Footprint.

Here, it appears, a motley uncoordinated naïve and clueless group of amateurs paid themselves a trip to Doha in order to protest, pontificate and vociferate - and by those metrics alone, the output has been impressive indeed!
Not however the end result: Zilch, Zero, Nana de Nada!

I say, there has to be a moment of accountability after a failure of this dimension.
It's time for those righteous and self-congratulatory folks to stop whining, to climb off their high horses and to have a hard look into the mirror - and yes, if they dare doing so, what they will see is a bunch of total and utter losers!
Time for the Director of Conservation Strategies to acknowledge that the "strategy", if ever there was one, sucked; time for the Campaign Manager to realize that her "managerial skills" were pathetically inadequate and the campaign, a total fiasco; time for everybody who made the trip on other people's money to tell them how much the debacle cost and to explain why going to Doha was a good idea in the first place and why the public should continue to send money to finance those useless exercises; time for replacing the failed managers and for abandoning the failed strategies in favor of new, pragmatic approaches with a chance of success.
And please, learn something from the world of sports: there, the losers do not rant and ramble but instead, they learn from their mistakes and progress to win the next match!

Does the defeat make me angry?
No, it really does not. It just sadly reinforces my reservations against some of those NGOs who are so long on pontificating and so short on tangible results. And I certainly will never, ever bequeath, or otherwise deed or gift any cash, securities, real estate or other tangible personal property to them like a particularly brazen one solicits!

The fact is that to everybody with a brain, CITES was always gonna be a very long shot indeed.
Yes it was a great utopia and a bold move which would have provided for a relatively simple solution to overfishing, one of the most complex and intractable policy and conservation challenges. But fisheries are often the major source of income for maritime countries and big business on top of that, and trying to simply pull the rug from under those interests was inevitably going to generate some determined opposition.
In that regard, the whining by some quarters that business succeeded in trumping conservation looks at best naïve and at worst, just plainly stupid - certainly when compared to the Japanese delegation who understood and deftly exploited the unease of many of the delegates.

Solutions?

The good news is that the need for Marine Conservation has been clearly put on the table.
The good news is also that contrary to the usual stupid stereotypes, Fisheries officials very much understand the need to fish sustainably (read this, very interesting!).

Yes that very much comprises the much maligned Joe Borg (to include him, and some of the delegates in this list is just plain stupid - what possible benefit will conservation derive from antagonizing the very people who will make the decisions) who has done some real good things, and his successor Maria Damanaki! And yes, that includes the Japanese, too!
Very much like New Zealand and others, they rightly argue that the best way to manage stocks is to do so via treaties among the nations concerned - in the case of the Northern Bluefin, ICAAT and GFCM.

ICCAT has been widely criticized for failing to achieve its objectives, and rightly so.
But once again, the situation is far from being simple. If you take the time to read the executive summary (page 12) of its own external audit, much of the deficiencies is attributable to non-compliance by some of its members, including some astounding scams by the fisheries industry. In essence, it is the Europeans themselves, and not the much maligned Asian consumers that have created the problems.
When it comes to the fisheries for Bluefin (page 53ff), the problems are complex and manifold and primarily concern the fisheries in the Eastern Atlantic and especially, the Mediterranean.

But contrary to the doomsday scenarios, not everything appears lost.
Read page 69ff and you will find that a whole host of sensible recommendations has been put forward, a fact that was echoed in Doha.
Some forward-looking NGOs like the WWF have recognized this as an opportunity and added some recommendations of their own.

All now depends on the delegates.
ICAAT will meet this November and you can find the list of contracting countries here, and here, the members of GFCM - and yes, both lists feature Japan, like it or not!
It will be those people, and not some clamoring NGO that will seal the fate of the Atlantic Tuna - and the sooner we recognize that and play the role we can play, the sooner we will succeed in influencing them in favor of some tangible progress.

Japan-bashing and insulting the delegates is clearly not the way to go.
One must always keep in mind that since civil societies do not hold the institutional power to make any such decisions, their role can only be to try and influence the vote by convincing the parties that sustainable fishing is ultimately very much in their own interest. To be righteous and confrontational is a clear recipe for failure - as amply proven in Doha!

Luckily and contrary to CITES where many delegates were not fisheries experts, the delegates attending the ICCAT meeting will most likely know what they're talking about. But like in Doha, they will be civil servants acting on instructions from home, so trying to sway them during the meeting will be way too late.

The strategy?
Look no further that the successful campaign by Japan, Inc.
Whilst the Europeans were still bickering and the USA, still pondering its stance, Japanese lobbying started months ahead of the conference when various smaller countries were approached and ruthlessly and charmingly "convinced" that it would be in their best interest to vote in line with the Japanese. At the conference itself, veteran negotiators ensured that their allies would not stray and then orchestrated a veritable ambush where the pro-ban countries were dealt a defeat of truly epic proportions.

The lesson to be learned is that the pro faction needs to be better prepared, better coordinated and more ruthless - and possibly also more charming!
Europe needs to become tougher with members who stray, like Malta and Spain. Europe and the USA must start lobbying the other members well ahead of time and must be willing to apply the same kind of political pressure, including leveraging their development aid.
At the same time, negotiators should explore any avenues for reaching a preemptive agreement with the suspected nay-sayers like Japan - and that includes being open for compromises but at the same time, very much explaining that both Europe and the USA wield a mighty big stick inasmuch as they have the power to ultimately decide to implement unilateral restrictions if pushed too far, as has already been suggested.

When it comes to those NGOs, what can I say.
For once, try to be useful by helping when asked, by not voicing extreme and childish viewpoints and above all, by discreetly staying where you belong: in the background, acting as valued counselors and facilitators as opposed to vociferous self-promoting agitators!
I'm obviously critical of all that publicly funded convention tourism - but if you really deem it necessary to be represented: coordinate among you, formulate a common strategy and then send over a few seasoned, well prepared and above all, credible lobbyists.

I however see the real chance for the civil societies in quiet, polite and persistent lobbying "on the ground", flanked by developing, financing and implementing economical and social solutions for the fishermen, country-wide education campaigns and above all, money and hardware for effective enforcement and policing.

The good news is this: the arguments in favor of a drastic reduction in quotas or a moratorium altogether are compelling.
After all, at current rates, those countries are at risk of completely losing their fishing industries as the Tuna and other Fishes will eventually become commercially extinct. Most fisheries officials understand that - but whereas wealthier countries can afford to pay off the fishermen and to set in place an effective enforcement regimen, trying to implement the necessary measures in lesser developed countries is extremely difficult.

Other, more effective and pragmatic and at the same time, less vocal NGOs like SOSF, SF, the Pew or the incredibly impressive IUCN have recognized this and quietly pursue local and regional agendas yielding long-term sustainable results, some of which spectacular. No instant gratification here, no grandiose "statements": just a lot of persistent, difficult and tedious work which is conducted for the sake of the cause and not with personal aggrandizement in mind.
This, I believe, is the way to go - no need to re-invent the wheel.

But back to the principal topic of this post.
Guys, please, spare us the "statements" and the pouting!
Coming from you, the losers, they are frankly embarrassing.

The idea of jetting to Doha, making some noise and then coming back for a victory lap has sorely backfired. Veni vidi should be followed by vici - defui is just not good enough, sorry.
Show some humility. Be accountable.
Maybe, then, you will regain some credibility.

(down off soap box)

PS: Wolfgang has weighed in here - much too kind as usual, thank you!
PS2: another must-read by Mark Harding here!
PS3: SouthernFriedScience's take here.

Beqa Lagoon - The Book!

Behold the Book!!!

Welcome to God's Country! Fiji.
This beautiful full size hard cover book offers 200 pages and 316 photos above and below the sea in Beqa Lagoon and south Fiji. The photography is by internationally published photojournalist TIM ROCK.
This book is a visual trip to the south of Viti Levu, its people and its undersea attractions in the famed Beqa Lagoon. See the land, the coral reefs and marine creatures, the wonderful people and Fijian culture, aerials and overlooks and, most of all, the amazing sharks.
Enjoy!!

I can't even begin to tell you how proud we are!
Timbo and I started hatching the plan last September and his latest visit was entirely dedicated to developing a "feel" for the Country and to capturing all the required images - which being the consummate professional he is, he did absolutely brilliantly! As well as the writing and the editing!
Absolutely stellar - and yes, I am very very biased!

But judge for yourself.
You can preview it here and I strongly recommend that you use the "full screen" feature.
BAD aficionados will discover many old friends, both above and below the surface - and newbies will get an excellent impression of what's awaiting them should they decide to visit our shores.
All are in for a feast for the eyes.

So what are you waiting for - go and get your copy!!!
(Yeah I know that's pretty pathetic marketing... but still!)

Thank you Timbo - we owe you big time!

Hmmmmmmmmmm....

Don't quite know what to think about this.

I like Rutzen, I like Cooper - not sure I like this.
Guess I'll have to wait & watch 60 minutes.

Story here.

How about some Accountability!

Patric is not letting go and I say, well done!!

Several months after the fact, there's still no news about that Shark.
Or is there? And if so, why is it not being released, the more considering the fact that this was one of last year's major, and I may add: self inflicted media disasters?
Fishy business - or just the same old hubris?

Just as a reminder of what this is all about.

This is not about the professional qualifications of Michael Domeier as a scientist - in fact, I find his research interesting and I mostly like his interviews and the fact that he always tries to weave in a pro-Shark message.
And his White Shark Symposium in Hawaii has been stellar.

This is also not about whether SPOT tags are generally useful or whether the data collected are valuable, or not.

This is about a fishing show where research was used as a pretext to go angling for record sized Great Whites within two marine parks.

This is about the self serving and unethical mindset of the researcher who partook in it and the agency who gave the according permits, and the arrogance they displayed once it became clear that one of the animals had been grievously injured.

This is about about the brutal procedures employed, where an endangered animal was hooked and subdued and then hoisted upon a naked wooden platform where it was left to fight for its life whilst somebody drilled holes into it.
Specifically

• Tagging procedures and gear must be chosen in order to limit any possible harm to the animal. Like RTSea said at the time, if the tag required bolting on, it needed to be improved, or new attachment techniques needed to be devised. Others have invested the time and have come up with viable alternatives where stationary tags can be firmly attached "on the fly". Instead, in this instance, the animal's welfare was disregarded in favor of filming a fishing show aimed at providing the public with a maximum of thrills watching intrepid anglers subdue monster Fish.

• Likewise, there was no need whatsoever to brutally manhandle the Shark onto the platform, let alone to hoist her aboard and torture her for 20 minutes. It is well established procedure to bring big Sharks to the vessel and to keep them submerged, often even in a soft cradle whenever applying tags - yes, including tags that need bolting on, as amply demonstrated here by Richard Fitzpatrick!
  

This is about the need to finally abandon the antiquated view that research data are all-important and that they warrant treating animals as mere objects regardless of the consequences to them.

And finally, this is about accountability.
Domeier was not dragged, kicking and screaming, into the public domain - he himself chose to go there in the first place. Pity it didn't turn out as planned and that instead of the expected accolades, he got heaped with scorn once he botched it.

It's high time to stop pouting, to man up and to accept the consequences of one's doing.
If the Shark is alive and well - prove it. And if the Shark has died as the result of the injuries it has sustained, own up to your responsibility, apologize and learn the lessons that have to be learned.

In case you have forgotten, this is what Accountability is all about.

Hawaii - Vote Vote Vote!!!

From Stefanie

Subject: Immediate quick action in the next 3 hours!!!!!! KHON News

The shark finning news story was on the 6pm news.
It came out great! They are keeping a running vote on the bill on the website to see how the public support is for the bill. The results will be broadcast this evening at 10 pm. We have 2 hours to boost this vote.

Please chime in and pass this on to EVERYONE you know.
PLEASE go the site and click on the "Cast Your Vote" on the right hand side.
Above you can watch the shark finning piece.

Vote here - video here.

This popular vote could be very powerful.
I can't believe 33.7% have already voted AGAINST the bill!!!!
We can do better!!!!
Stef

Hawaii - Shark Conservation!

Speaking of effective Conservation.
Did somebody say: regional efforts?

Stefanie in Oahu has been campaigning relentlessly for pro-Shark legislation.
As per the following, she is only inches away from success.

Please extend all the help you can!

Hi everyone, The nearly impossible happened today.

After days of struggling we were nearly defeated.
It seemed the shark finning bill had completely stalled and was going to die a horrible death because the committee chair didn't want to give it a hearing.
But thanks to an overwhelming amount of letters and phone calls to the legislature, the committee chair has changed his mind and has added bill 2169 to the meeting next tuesday!
This is awesome news, because we are back in the game and will now have a way to continue the fight.

So THANK YOU to all of you who responded so quickly and wrote letters to Karamatsu's office.
It worked!

We can now lay off him and concentrate on the hearing.
Please hang in there with me. We are sooooo close to making this happen.
If this bill goes through, we will have been part of ground breaking legislature for the protection of sharks. This will make a difference not only in Hawaii. It will also help federal legislation in the US and will set a precedent that many countries can refer to or use as an example. How exciting would it be to have Hawaii as a brave little state that dared to pass something that nobody else would or could!?

So here is the plan: We need EVERYONE's testimony ONE MORE TIME. (None of the previous letters will be going to this hearing, so you can re use what you wrote before)
We have to come in with an overwhelming force of support, both in written testimony and in people attending the hearing.

If you live on Oahu, please consider taking part in this hearing.
It will be at the State Capitol, Conference Room 325 (3rd floor), 415 South Beretania Street on Tuesday, March 30, at 2:30 pm We can assemble in the hall way outside the conference room. Call me if you need more directions (778-6740). There is limited parking in the basement (entrance on Punchbowl St, right across from Queens hospital) or at the Queen Emma Palace, or street side parking around the neighborhood. Either place, you will need lots of quarters to fill the meters.

You also have to submit written testimony 24 hrs in advance if you want to speak.
But you don't have to speak if you don't want to. When they call your name at the hearing you can simply say "I stand on my written testimony", that way they will know that you have nothing else to say, but that you are there to support the bill in person. As a matter of fact, the committee does not want someone to get up and read the same letter that they had already submitted. I usually cover the logical and boring points in the written testimony and then try to cover an angle that someone else isn't likely to bring up when I get a chance to speak. We want to try to cover many different points of view.

I have no delusions that this hearing will be easy, because we know that there is opposition in the House leadership that has tried to influence this committee to stall the bill.
But if we have an overwhelming majority in support, then they will hopefully have to pass it out of this last committee. After that there will be a few more steps, but this one hearing is where we can have our last and most powerful influence to pass this bill into law.

So please send in written testimony before Monday morning to the following address:

Testimony for:
COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY
Rep. Jon Riki Karamatsu, Chair Rep. Ken Ito, Vice Chair
DATE:Tuesday, March 30, 2010
TIME:2:30 p.m.
JUDtestimony@Capitol.hawaii.gov
RE: IN SUPPORT of Measure SB2169, SD2, HD2 Relating to Shark Fins

Thank you,
Stefanie

Conservation Fail - three

The Porbeagle decision has been overturned.

This means that not a single one of the proposed Marine species has been granted protected status: not the Northern Bluefin, not the eight species of Sharks, not the 31 species of red and pink Coral.

More later.

Job well done!

Mea Culpa!

I obviously only watched, and ranted about the beta version!
Here's another cut of what is basically the same footage: but boy, what an improvement!
Good script, great footage, excellent narration and editing, a lucid and uncompromising synopsis of the principal problems without coming across as being overly maudlin - in brief, eminently watchable and an excellent resource for anybody wanting to highlight the topic!

Well done!



And just in case you may think that I've gone soft: it's 50, not 100!

Conservation Fail - again!

Seven to one.

Not protected: Scalloped, Great and Smooth Hammerheads, Oceanic Whitetip, Spiny Dogfish, Dusky and Sandbar Sharks.

Listed on Cites 2: Porbeagle.

Over my dead Body!

Lemme try and be clear about this one.
Absolutely, unequivocally, emphatically: not with Beqa Adventure Divers, ever!!!

I feared something was brewing ever since some dude came to our booth at DEMA.
He claimed to be some travel agent for Ritter (surprise surprise: I'm quoting CDNN - and boy, did they nail this one!) and our reception was, uh, less than welcoming.

Looks like he then got lucky elsewhere.
According to this website (bottom - and no, do NOT bookmark it!!!), the only professional shark-human interaction specialist, or whatever, and his groupies are planning to come to Fiji next year.

Howz this for conservation snake oil!



Here's a piece of free advice to whoever may have taken that booking: You may as well kiss your reputation goodbye - the good news being that there's plenty of time to reconsider!
And yes, enough said!

Media Fail

I've said it before, we need to be credible.
This is especially true since we lack the institutional power to sanction the changes we seek but instead, need to convince others of our viewpoints.

That includes the media we produce.
WildAid and especially, SOSF understand that and have produced some stellar PSAs. Oceana regularly produce excellent pro-Shark publications, latest of which this one for the CITES convention in Doha.

This however is pathetic, sorry.
What is it anyway: Greetings from the Doha Summer Camp??
Exhilarating???



Is this indicative of the caliber of the Oceana delegation?
More about this once the conference is over.

Conservation Fail

The proposal to list the Northern Bluefin under CITES 1 has been crushed.
Background info here.

Makes you want to roll over & puke!

Breaking News!

Malta - again!

The Maltese shenanigans continue.
That Country sure brings out the worst and the best!

If you want to keep abreast of what's going on in Doha, please consult this informative website - or enjoy the toothy comments by Lesley Rochat!
It's same-old same-old, with a defeat for Shark Conservation (good comments here) the latest bad news.
Thank you China, Russia and Japan!

No, really!

This thing is for real!

Found on the very cool Tree of Life!
(Yes I'm bored to death...)

Report from Fiji

Tomas is on its way out.

I just watched the BBC who reported on the current State of Emergency.

So here's where we stand:

• Tomas was a Cat 4 and has devastated the Northern and Eastern Divisions comprising the second and third largest islands, Vanua Levu and Taveuni, and the eastern hi-end tourist retreats like Wakaya and Laucala. Damages are likely to be very important and will be known as communication is being restored thanks to the heroic efforts of a few dedicated individuals. This is where the State of Emergency has been declared. Don't go there or at least, give a call to make sure that your individual destination is OK.
  

• The eastern side of Viti Levu where we're located and, hopefully, Beqa and Kadavu have largely dodged the bullet as the cyclone veered south from its predicted path at the very last minute. We had power and communications throughout, have stocked up on fuel and filled our tanks and are basically good to go. There's a curfew in place but I expect it to be lifted shortly, allowing us to resume normal operations tomorrow. I expect Wednesday's diving to be sub-par due to the surge but as winds subside, so will the swell and visibility will get better.

• The Western side has been largely unaffected, meaning that the Nadi airport is fully functional and that you can look forward to spending a fantastic holiday in Denarau, the Mamanucas and the Yasawas and also the Coral Coast.
  

Fishing for Tuna

Photo: Jonathan Clay

I don't like preaching to the choir.
So, no I'm not about to bore you with yet another larmoyant piece about the decline of global Tuna stocks. Anybody interested in Marine Conservation knows that anyway.

But if you should be the exception, you can read about the status of the various Tuna fisheries here.
As you should know, CITES is meeting in Doha and, among other things, deciding about the fate of the Northern Bluefin. The situation is unequivocal (pdf here!) but alas, I'm not holding my breath that the news will be good as the Japanese are already engaging in the usual shenanigans and the Europeans are still not playing their role despite the fact that it is very much their own fisheries which are at risk of disappearing forever.

But enough pontificating.
Why I'm writing this post is because I want to showcase another one of Jon's stellar video clips, this time about pole & line fishing for Skipjack.
This is one of the more selective and thus, more sustainable techniques, very much unlike the widespread usage of the devastating method of purse seining.

So, without further ado: unbelievable images and fantastic messaging!
Enjoy!

Pole & line Tuna Fishing from Jonathan Clay on Vimeo.

The BBC Clip!

Ηὕρηκα - literally!

I didn't believe that I would ever find it online - but here it is!
Jon has posted the Fiji clip of Fragile Paradise, his contribution to South Pacific by the BBC.
I must say, this has been one of the highlights in the short history of our company, the more as Jon and cameraman Richard were as nice and humble as they come and a real pleasure to work with!
Epic stuff!

Enjoy!

Fiji Shark Dive from Jonathan Clay on Vimeo.

Ripped!

Scarface, by Sasha - click on it!

Yes, believe it or not, we're still waiting for Tomas!
Looks like we may have dodged the bullet as it may pass further to the east - fingers crossed!

Anyway, I was just idly leafing through the web when I came across this remarkable post.
It's old so you may have already seen it: somebody has ripped my Naughty File and boiled it down to a Tiger Shark dive featuring heaps of footage of Scarface! It's completely out of sync but having said that, I must approve of his choice of music - very relaxed and mellow, just like the big lady!

Check it out and then, compare it to the original!

Enjoy!

Shenanigans!

Yup it's not a question anymore!

Some dude in Lupe is wrangling Sharks for the photographers - and judging by this pic, he's not only stupid and disrespectful, but also pretty bad at what he does on top of it!
Is that a hand in the mouth of that GW? From a shaking cage?

Bravo George for having dug a bit deeper.

Thank you Walt!

Well I guess Tomas is nothing but a good Fijian.
He's in no hurry whatsoever but just creeping along in Fiji time and gathering strength in the process - and vae victis when he finally decides to unleash!

Time for one more pre-cyclone post.
Walt Stearns' Underwater Journal has just published a lengthy piece about Shark Reef Marine Reserve featuring some stellar pics by Lill Haugen. Nothing really new for readers of this blog - but hopefully, a further contribution to spreading the word about our conservation initiatives here in Fiji.

Thank you Walt for having given us this opportunity!

Tomas

Click on pic for better view: horrible!

Fiji: batten down the hatches!

This is really gonna get bad!

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!

Incoming!

Click for better detail!

For our Fijian friends!

Keep an eye on the NZ Weather forecast!

Smart!

Good news for Sharks!

The Humane Society of the United States has taken on Shark conservation and instead of trying to re-invent the wheel like so many others, it has decided to join the Shark Free Marinas Initiative.

That is very much right down my alley, the more as I believe the SFMI to be a simply brilliant example for smart, efficient, effective and inventive Shark preservation. This truly is Conservation Bootstrapping at its very best!
And at the risk of repeating myself: I remain perplexed at the fact that all those Sharkitarians haven't picked it up and spread it all across the world!
Go wonder!

Anyway: Kudos!
Let us all look forward to a miraculous increase of registered US marinas and charter services!

Full story here.

Shenanigans in Lupe?

Interesting pic!
I found it here, along with a heroic tale of a man fending off a big GW.

Well well.
Would that be a camera with a wide angle lens?
And somebody touching the Shark's nose to make her open her mouth, in order to capture one of those tooth-studded wideangle closeups?
Or may it be even more stupid and disrespectful, as in plain & simple macho bravado?

Honi soit qui mal y pense!

Hawaii - Urgent!

From Stefanie, unabridged.
You know what this is about - right?

Hi,

Great news.
The shark finning bill has moved one step further.
It survived the Senate vote and crossed over to the House. Hearing date for the first committee is Tuesday 3/9/2010. This is great, because that means it is moving quickly, which is important, because it has to make it through 3 committees by March 19.
It also means there is hardly any time to send in testimony since it should be submitted 24 hrs before the hearing. That means Monday morning.

Testimony from previous hearings in the Senate are no longer attached to the bill, so we have to start over.
That means you can send in the same testimony you wrote before.

McKelvey said the more variety and different angles we cover the better, so feel free to write your own personal reasons why this bill is important.
You do not have to stick with the global conservation issues only. If you live in Hawaii and have personal experiences, go ahead and state those. Maybe you want to save the ocean for your kids, or maybe you are a diver and want to prevent a loss of bio diversity. If you like fishing you can say that you want to protect sharks because they will keep the fish populations healthy.
You can also state moral reasons why finning should be stopped.

Also, if you keep it shorter, and make one or two points instead of covering all the reasons you can think of, it will be more likely that your statement will actually be read.

Send the statement to: ebmtestimony@capitol.hawaii.gov

VERY IMPORTANT - INCLUDE THIS INFO AT THE BEGINNING OF LETTER!

-(your name with position/title and organization) TO: Committee on Economic Revitalization, Business & Military Affairs Chairman Angus L.K. McKelvey Hearing on Tuesday, March 9, 2010, 8am MEASURE SB2169, SD2 IN SUPPORT

I know this is short notice, especially since it is the weekend, but if you can get it there before Monday 8am Hawaii time, it will be part of the hearing record. Even if it gets there later, I am sure they will try to include it, it just won't be guaranteed.


Thank you for your time. Just remember that this bill is a HUGELY important step for shark conservation. It will be the strictest protection sharks have seen in any US State so far. It will also help pass legislation in other US States.


Stefanie

Bravo, Bravo, Bravo!

Sorry for neglecting the blog!

It's just that we're currently incredibly busy with projects and then, I got sidelined into trying to formulate a major policy post in an acquired language. Challenging and time consuming to say the least!
In any case, there's much to report - this week, promise!

But first things first.

See the pic above? Click on it! Fabulous!
That's the Best of Show of the 2010 iDiveSharks Imaging Festival - and did, or did I not tell you that we needed to keep an eye on Sasha? Did you click on the last link: is that a photo blog - or what?
Well, with us being the sponsors of that prize, we'll have the pleasure to welcome him back sooner rather than later - the more as he now lives in Hong Kong and will thus be able to profit from Air Pacific's newest direct flight at unbeatable prices!
Can't wait, it's been far too long!

And more than that: the Best Wide Angle is a portrait of a Fiji Bull Shark, Nick, by our friend Sam, and the Best Portfolio includes my favorite pic of Scarface, by our friend Terry!

Bravo guys - yer making Fiji proud!