Blog about "The World's best Shark Dive" by Beqa Adventure Divers.
Featuring up to eight regular species of Sharks and over 400 different species of fish, Shark diving doesn't get any better!
You got to see this to believe it - and after seeing it, you still won't! I sure was skeptical but after watching this interview on msnbc, I must concede that it may be for real . Maybe!
That in itself is certainly sad - but shit happens and it may have been in perceived self-defense. Not very likely considering the "circumstances" as told - but possible.
What has really angered me and countless others within the Shark Community is the ensuing media spectacle: and lemme tell you, when the story even makes it onto the venerable "Fiji Times", someone has pulled every possible marketing stop!
In retrospect and with that in mind, the whole event appears staged and questions like "why didn't they jump into their boat and leave" or " wouldn't the Shark have left once shot for the first time" are more than justified, along with ethical concerns about the countless pictures of the diver stabbing the animal with his knife and then posing with the tail and jaws. The way I understand it, it goes against everything serious free divers stand for, and that is a profound knowledge and respect for the Ocean.
Patric over there has addressed the whole shenanigans first in this post and then, in this op ed. The latter is as good as is gets, well worth reading and reflecting about - and you may want to read the comments by many prominent advocates of Shark Conservation. Bravo Patric!
She's not only pretty and funny, she's also one of those persons who really care about the Marine Environment and who has proven, time-after-time again, that she is willing to forfeit badly-needed income in favor of upholding her ideals about Conservation.
Karen and her husband Paul (both of Tahiti Aggressor fame) own Dive Vava'u, hands down the most professional, best-equipped and most Conservation-oriented dive shop in Tonga. Like everybody in Vava'u, they specialize in Whale Watching during the Humpback migration in August-November. Contrary to all other dive shops, they however also specialize in finding the most amazing big (they found the first ever recorded Bull Sharks in Tonga) and small critters (see above) during the off-season.
Dive Vava'u is also the only foreign dive op supporting the Fiji Shark Conservation and Awareness Project, They have been invited owing to the fact that with a mere 4-5 dive operations, Tonga is just too small to mount their own country-wide initiative. All-in-all: Highly Recommended - and I mean it!
Karen tells me that she has entered the "Name you Dream Assignment" competition. Her dream assignment dovetails beautifully with who she is, a passionate Conservationist and accomplished UW photographer.
Please cast your vote for her. Granted, her assignment may lack the the chutzpah of this one (and I can relate to this one, too...), the sci-fi flamboyance of this one or the depressing gravitas of this idea - but she's one of us and anything that helps furthering Marine Conservation must be supported!
And how about the other themes? Plenty of people wanting to document America, squillions wanting to photograph children and babies, and a surprising number wanting to spend a day with the President! The current frontrunner, with 150 votes, is some piece about Diabetes (yeah, right, and the votes are completely spontaneous...) by a woman who would also like to document foster homes.... Whow....
Can we top that in a heartbeat? You bet!
Please invest one minute of your time and go vote for Karen.
He's back in Switzerland and analyzing the latest crop of data - and driving poor Eroni crazy with ever new projects!
I can't tell you too much yet but we're about to see some ground-breaking papers on behavioral stuff and more conclusions from our ongoing radio tagging exercise. At the same time, after 6 years and close to 2,000 data sets, we're completely re-wamping our trusted database to make place for the many newcomers: who would have ever thought that we would once have 42 named Bulls, along with 4 Tigers, 3 Lemons, 6 Silvertips, and 8 Greys - and mind you, that's just the individuals with a name (for which they need to feature a distinctive permanent imperfection), putting the total population at comfortably double those numbers! Yes we love our Sharks and name them, very much like an increasing number of other Shark Diving operators worldwide - and we think that that's a good thing (well said Felix!) that contributes to their Protection!
New projects will focus on Fiji's principal rivers, which we suspect of being Bull Shark nurseries, on finding their mating grounds, on some very cool and cutting-edge tissue and DNA analysis, on Shark Diving Tourism and on substantially expanding our current push for better Shark protection. Oh and of course there's the ever-expanding Year of the Shark - Fiji - lots of fun but boy, talk about invested man-hours, especially by Eroni! As always, watch this space!
And should you wish to delve in Juerg's publications, go to his website as usual or go to SOSFs website where you can find a cool synopsis of what's going on pretty much real-time!
Whilst we're busy researching the fledgling Shark Finning industry in Fiji (run by Chinese who buy the fins from the crews of foreign flagged vessels - we've taken the above pic last week in Suva), here comes the following message.
TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR A CONSULTANCY TO DEVELOP A PACIFIC ISLANDS REGIONAL PLAN OF ACTION (PI-RPOA) ON SHARKS
BACKGROUND
At the Third Regular Session of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC3) in Apia, Samoa in December 2006 a Conservation and Management Measure (CMM) for sharks in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO) was adopted. This measure was subsequently revised at WCPFC5 in Busan, Korea, in December 2008. The Shark CMM has two parts, the first being a non-binding resolution and the second being binding upon Commission members, Cooperating non-members and participating territories (CCMs).
The non-binding part of the Shark CMM resolves that the 'International Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks' (IPOA - Sharks), developed by the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO), should be implemented by CCMs. The intent of the IPOA - Sharks is to carry out an initial assessment of shark stocks under the jurisdiction of the State to determine if there is a need for national management action to monitor and mitigate the impacts of fisheries on sharks. It is generally accepted that where shark populations may be negatively impacted as a result of fishing activities a National Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks (NPOA - Sharks) should be developed. The IPOA - Sharks suggests the kind of assessment necessary to determine whether an NPOA - Sharks is required, considering the status of stocks (if known) and the effectiveness of any management arrangements that may be in place. An NPOA - Sharks provides for further monitoring and assessment of fishing impacts on sharks and details the implementation of management arrangements. The Commission should be informed of the implementation of the IPOA - Sharks by CCMs, including their assessment of the need for and/or status of any NPOA - Sharks.
The primary intent of the binding part of the Shark CMM is to prevent 'shark finning', i.e. 'the removal of shark fins at sea and the discarding of the carcass'. The preventative measure applied is to require that the total weight of the fins cannot exceed more than 5% of the total weight of the shark carcasses aboard the vessel. By attempting to minimize resource wastage and incidental fishing mortality through the discarding of shark carcasses, it is intended that overfishing of shark stocks be prevented.
PURPOSE OF THE PACIFIC ISLAND REGIONAL PLAN OF ACTION ON SHARKS (PI-RPOA SHARKS)
The purpose of developing a Pacific Islands Regional Plan of Action on Sharks (PI-RPOA Sharks) is to enable Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTS) to address the obligations arising under the Shark CMM by identifying and enacting compatible measures for waters under their jurisdiction. The PI-RPOA also follows from a decision by the SPREP Council to include sharks in its marine species programme and to collaborate with SPC, FFA, and WCPFC on a regional action plan.
The PI-RPOA Sharks will provide a model NPOA developed specifically for the Pacific Islands region, including a range of monitoring, assessment and management arrangements. These may then be incorporated into a NPOA - Sharks and associated legislation as required by the PICT concerned.
The primary obligation under the Shark CMM at this stage is the application of the 5% fin to carcass ratio. However, paragraph 11 of the Shark CMM provides PICTS with the option to adopt alternative management measures to prevent the overfishing of sharks.
As such, it is intended that the PI-RPOA and subsequent NPOAs will provide PICTS with a range of potential management actions, under broader themes and focus areas, that PICTs may prioritise at both national and regional levels. By developing the PI-RPOA in this way it is anticipated that consistent management arrangements for sharks may be adopted, which will assist with implementation and compliance measures, as well as any future assessment of effectiveness.
SCIENCE NEEDS
The WCPFC Scientific Committee (SC) identified the need for a Shark Research Programme (SRP) to improve knowledge and provide assessments for sharks caught in western and central Pacific fisheries. The SRP has yet to receive funding but another WCPFC project on 'Ecological Risk Assessment' (ERA), which covers all non-target associated and dependent species (NTADS), has started to integrate information on biological parameters, catches and other indicators of fishing impacts on sharks. The WCPFC Regional Observer Programme (ROP) will also be essential to the effective monitoring and management of fishing impacts on sharks, as will the ongoing national observer programmes.
The recently revised Shark CMM now sets timelines for the future assessment of key shark species, with preliminary advice on stock status of key shark species expected in 2010 in addition to the proposed SRP. CCMs are expected to review the implementation and effectiveness of the Shark CMM and any related management arrangements developed by coastal states, which would include the PI-RPOA Sharks. While it may be difficult to determine the effectiveness of management arrangements in the absence of stock status information, this should not preclude the application of such arrangements by Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs) or by the WCPFC based on the 'precautionary principle'. Fishing gear configurations, indicative catches, survivorship of sharks caught and the fin to carcass ratio of landed sharks may all be monitored as indicators of fishing impacts on sharks.
OBJECTIVE
To draft a Pacific Islands Regional Plan of Action (PI-RPOA) on Sharks reflecting and promoting best practice in the conservation and management of sharks in the WCPO, and enabling Pacific Island Countries and Territories to develop NPOA - Sharks compatible with the WCPFC Shark CMM.
SCOPE OF THE CONSULTANCY
In collaboration with focal points from regional agencies (FFA, SPC, SPREP, WCPFC):
a) To provide an overview of regional and national measures in place to conserve and manage shark stocks in the WCPO, including a review of any NPOAs developed by WCPFC CCMs and of existing regional action plans for other marine species.
b) To provide advice in relation to cost effective management options to prevent overfishing of shark stocks on a regional and national basis where possible (i.e. as potential alternatives to the fin to carcass ratio).
c) To assess the effectiveness of these measures from multiple perspectives, i.e. sustainability of stocks, utilization of product, compliance with regulations, etc.
d) To provide advice on ways to minimize the incidental mortality of sharks in WCPO tuna fisheries, through avoiding capture and increasing survivorship of captured sharks.
e) To provide advice on mechanisms for effectively applying the 5% fin to carcass ratio through compliance and monitoring measures, as defined in the Shark CMM.
f) To provide advice on mechanisms for promoting the full utilization of sharks that are caught and retained, including from the point of transhipment or first landing.
g) To provide advice on shark species identification and data collection, including fin to carcass ratios of landed catches, for the purpose of improving fisheries monitoring and assessment.
h) To provide advice on the feasibility of stock assessment for sharks (incorporating a review of catch data, biological data and potential indicators of abundance) and on interim indicators for fishing impacts on sharks.
i) To develop a framework for NPOA - Sharks that individual Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs) could adopt, consistent with the following aims: * To ensure that shark catches from directed and non-directed fisheries are sustainable * To assess threats to shark populations, determine and protect critical habitats and implement harvest strategies that ensure biological sustainability and rational long-term economic use * To identify, and provide special attention to, vulnerable and threatened shark stocks * To improve or develop frameworks for effective consultation involving all stakeholders in research, management and educational initiatives within, and between, States * To contribute to the protection of biodiversity and ecosystem structure and function * To minimize incidental catches of sharks while targeting other species, e.g. tuna, swordfish. * To minimize incidental mortality, waste and discards from sharks that are caught, as per the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, the WCPFC Convention and CMMs. * To provide for capacity building in fisheries monitoring, data collection and management, and awareness training in the conservation of sharks as vulnerable marine species. * To identify the roles of and promote collaboration among regional agencies and PICTS to deliver efficient and sustainable outcomes in the conservation and management of sharks.
WORK TO BE UNDERTAKEN BY THE CONSULTANT, INCLUDING TIME SCHEDULE AND REPORTING REQUIREMENTS
The consultant shall:
May 2009
* Gather information on NPOA - Sharks implemented by WCPFC CCMs and on existing regional action plans for other marine species. * Produce an outline for a PI-RPOA Sharks, reflecting the Objective and Scope defined above.
July 2009
* Meet with focal points from FFA, SPC, SPREP and WCPFC, to discuss the outline and potential contents of the PI-RPOA Sharks (potentially at SPC in New Caledonia). * Visit SPC in New Caledonia, to gather data, information and advice on fisheries monitoring (i.e. shark species identification, catch reporting, etc.) and options for scientific analysis, including catch estimation, the feasibility of shark stock assessment and interim indicators of fishing impacts.
September 2009
* Produce a draft PI-RPOA Sharks for review by focal points from SPC, WCPFC, SPREP and FFA. * Receive and incorporate comments on the draft PI-RPOA Sharks as directed from the focal points.
October 2009
* Attend a secondary meeting with the formal contacts if required. * Prepare a final draft of the PI-RPOA Sharks document for presentation by the focal points to FFC, SPREP Governing Council, and SPC Heads of Fisheries.
The consultancy is for a period not exceeding 76 days (i.e. 76 days @ $500 USD a day). Payment for the consultancy will be made consistent with standard FFA contract where 25% is paid in advance and the remainder is paid on completion of the contract.
The work of the consultant will be monitored by all the focal points through the FFA focal point.
BUDGET ($ US)
Professional fees 76 days @ $500 $38,000
Stage 1 - document outline $ 6,000 Stage 2- final regional Shark Plan document $32,000
Travel: flights and in-country expenses for Noumea (to be booked by FFA) $ 5,000
Total $43,000
Like the acronyms? Get the gist?? Probably not, right? That's because it's written in Fisherese, the secret lingo of Fisheries bureaucrats.
The way I read it is this:
The Central Pacific Nations have adopted a non-binding Plan of Action for the Conservation and the Management of Sharks and a binding resolution aimed at preventing Shark Finning, the latter being the Good News. What is also Good News is that the problem of sustainable Shark Fisheries has made it into the agenda at all.
The bad news is what is going to happen now: just a lot more blah blah and very likely, no tangible Conservation - at least not fast enough.
Amid all the great sound bites about the need to protect Sharks, the document is rife with the usual vocabulary, as in "gathering data', "initial assessment", "monitoring", "preliminary advice on stocks expected by 2010" and a lot of "may", "could" and similar non-binding fluff.
It's always the same and I admit, one of my pet grievances: inevitably, and often despite the very best of intentions, Fisheries Agencies will discuss, assess, monitor and gather data (=i.e. procrastinate whilst the fishermen reap and pillage) in order to meticulously document the decline of a Fishery or a Species - and only when it's too late will they finally present their findings to the Politicians who can then enact Legislation which may sound great but achieve nothing as anything worth protecting is long gone.
Yes, I know, I'm repeating myself: nowadays when it's amply documented that everything is rapidly going to shit, the right course of action would be to first enact stringent Legislation aimed at stabilizing stocks at present levels. Later on, and once the necessary data have been collected, one could then relax the rules in order to promote a form of sustainable fisheries if so wished.
Will somebody please start learning from past mistakes? In the present case, that will most likely depend on the recommendations of the Consultant.
Anybody out there who would like step up to the job?
This is a Shark Conservation Blog - so why this obsession with Global Warming?
The why is that Species Protection doesn't work: it needs to be Habitat Protection! That's why we have established a Marine Protected Area, Shark Reef Marine Reserve, and that's why we have established the 30-mile long Fiji Shark Corridor once our data suggested that the area of the SRMR was too small for the Bulls and Tigers. Our present acoustic tagging exercise may well reveal that we may have to expand the area even further.
But to get back to what we really do: our Marine Reserve would die and the Fish and our Sharks would have no more place to live in.
Just scaremongering? Just a Conspiracy by the Liberals and the Scientists (and I may add: the Reptilian Humanoids)? To rule the word, promote a socialist agenda and get more funding - and steal a Nobel Prize and an Oscar in the process? Really!, who are those people who come up with this garbage?
But granted: may there be an element of hysteria and may some of the predictions be exaggerated? Sure, most probably! As in all marketing!
But whatever the full Truth: can we really afford not to heed the warnings and continue to waste time by engaging in pointless discussions instead?
Recognize anybody? (click)
Ten BAD Boys and Girls and six Gentlemen from Waitabu Marine Park have spent three days learning about Reef Ecology and Fiji's Fisheries Law, courtesy of the Coral Reef Alliance who fronted the costs for the Taveuni gang and SRMR and BAD who organized & financed the whole gig.
Our thanks go to the Department of Fisheries, foremost to the Director, Commander Naqali for having accepted to run the course and for having sent us a team of brilliant lecturers. All the participants have assured me that they have thoroughly enjoyed the experience and learned heaps in the process!
The result?16 brand new Fish Wardens! These are sort of "Park Rangers" who are given full authority by the Government to enforce the Fisheries Law. They can arrest poachers, inspect cargo, even confiscate catches and boats - great for monitoring and enforcing the fishing ban in our respective Marine Protected Areas!
Fisheries tell me that they would welcome more such cooperation between Government and the Private Sector.
To us, it makes perfect sense: it is in our best business interest to protect the reefs we dive and by being on the water on a daily basis, we have the best chances of catching any poachers. Much more effective than training people from the Communities who all too often don't dispose of adequate boats and quite frankly, often lack the motivation to go out and do the job - very difficult anyway as chances are that one may have to arrest a relative.
Washington -- The House of Representatives passed the Shark Conservation Act of 2009 (H.R. 81) yesterday. This bill would require sharks to be landed with their fins still naturally attached, which allows for better enforcement and data collection in stock assessments and quota monitoring. The Shark Conservation Act will improve existing laws that were originally intended to prevent shark finning. This legislation will also allow the U.S. to take action against countries whose shark finning restrictions are not as strenuous, labeling the U.S. as a continued international leader in shark conservation. Oceana now looks to the Senate for fast action to enact the Shark Conservation Act into law. It is time for the U.S. to end shark finning once and for all. Background: Tens of millions of sharks are caught globally for just their fins each year. During the finning process, sharks are typically hauled up on deck, their fins sliced off and the animals thrown back to sea, often still alive."
Whereas this is very good news, for which Oceana needs to be applauded, I cannot help but being angry - again!
First, let's not kid ourselves: "Finning" is merely one -albeit particularly repugnant- technique and killing Sharks remains perfectly legal! Don't get me wrong, banning it is certainly good Conservation! Not only is it an ethical imperative, it also reduces catches as the ships are now required to land, and thus store the whole carcasses instead of being able to fill their holds with just the much more valuable fins. So far so good, provided that it is intended as a first step towards a comprehensive ban on Shark fishing.
What pisses me off is the wording of the press release.
What's that Shit about "data collection", "stock assessments" and "quota monitoring"???
Guys, that's typical Fisheries lingo. What it means is: we plan to procrastinate until there's nothing left to protect. What's there to "assess"??? Is there any doubt that Sharks stocks are severely depleted, with Oceanic species critically endangered? Haven't you heard that starting from today's levels, some species will take Centuries to recover - if all fishing stops now? What possible "data" need to be collected, I mean: additionally, in order to document a case that is so blatantly obvious and overwhelmingly documented?
Are those guys ever going to learn from the mistakes of the past? Maybe, for once, issue preventive measures first and if really needed, collect data afterwards? Atlantic Cod Fisheries anyone? Scallop Fisheries? Orange Roughy?
As a Supporter of the Year of the Shark - Fiji, you can now order them at our dive shop: just call 3450 911 0r write to Info@FijiShark.com. We'll give them at cost and it's entirely up to you whether you hand them out for free as part of your Shark Awareness Course or mark them up and sell them instead.
However, please keep in mind that the footage is copyrighted to BAD and that you may not use it for any other purpose. Vinaka!
“I wish you would use all means at your disposal — films! expeditions! the web! more! — to ignite public support for a global network of marine protected areas, hope spots large enough to save and restore the ocean, the blue heart of the planet.”
You have to hand it to George, he always comes up with the answers.
Last year, he managed to link some Shark attacks in Mexico to the La Niña. Did anything useful eventuate from his subsequent fact-finding trip to the region, apart from free tickets and a vacation? Did anybody see a paper outlining his thus acquired insights?
This time, he's linking a drop in Shark attacks in 2008 to the economic downturn.
is that because historically, the majority of victims have been tourists and not local surfers, swimmers and spearos?
is that because the residents of, say, Florida, California, SA and Oz who couldn't afford a holiday didn't use their own beaches but locked themselves into their homes instead? In utter frustration?
and when, exactly, did the economic downturn explode? Maybe very much at the end of last year, i.e. kinda late for having a noticeable effect on the statistics? But before the recent events in recession-plagued Oz?
Well, to his credit, he then manages to observe that there might be a lot less Sharks around - but then, why predict an increase in attacks in the long term? Because there will be more Sharks? I wish!
Collecting Shark attack data may be related to Ichthyology - or not. But it certainly doesn't qualify anybody to go dabbling in Meteorology, Sociology and Economics - that is, unless interviewed in a Discovery Channel special where obviously anything goes and bloviating is being elevated to an Art.
Or is this the new direction of Academia, to reach out to the masses by postulating ludicrous Correlations based on completely inadequate Sample Sizes and nonexistent Hypotheses Tests? Remember the Scientific Method?
And: did you notice the statistics from Florida? Where they did ban Fish feeding in 2002? Will somebody please start asking the question what may be attracting the Sharks to the beaches? Yes, I know, I'm repeating myself.
Remember John the Renaissance Man?
When I blogged about him last year, I mentioned his very own first disciple Rob Whitton, "a young, smart, promising computer whiz".
As in "Computer Geek", a largely harmless and often endearing subspecies of Homo nerdicus, or Common Nerd.
But that was last year.
Before I found out that he hangs around with these guys! Warning: absolutely shocking content!!!
You had been warned!
All I can say is that Tourette's is hardly conducive to ever attaining the required Gravitas of a "serious scientist doing serious science, seriously" - John (one of the above perpetrators) being the one notable exception. So far, that is - as long as he doesn't start rebreather diving in his speedos like that other dude! Rob has just left after two weeks of Ichthyological rummaging and now I know better: far from being harmless, the man is lethal! And I'm not only referring to his deadly dabbling with (as in "rebooting of") my wireless router and aircon!
Turns out that before professional Geekdom, Rob used to be an Officer (but I bet: not a Gentleman!) in the Army Rangers!
Correct me if I'm wrong - but the way I understand it, those are NOT the surgical guys, as in Special Forces and the like! These are the guys who Rain down Punion, as in indiscriminate and wide-spread Punishment and destruction!
And an anonymous rewiever (yes this post has been subjected to peer review!) informs me that "Rob is also a combat Frisbee player! Whatever that means, and I’m not sure, it would seem to combine antithetical geek and ranger qualities into a sort of Ninja Nerd, no?"
As I said: Lethal!!!
Case in point, the Punion he and John have wreaked among the Eviotapoplulation of Shark Reef and of the "Best Muck Dive in the South Pacific", i.e. a desolate piece of rubbly (or was it "rubbishy"?) aquatic real estate in front of Lalati!
Yes you guessed it, Jack is revising the Genus and needs specimen! Dunno who Jack is? Read this : if there ever was Da Man, this would be him! And he's the nicest, most generous and funniest guy on top of that!
Back to the serious stuff.
10 days of digging around have resulted in a whopping 53 additional species that are shortly going to populate the ever-expanding Shark Reef Fish List. Yes, that would be approx. 430 species on a small patch reef in Fiji! And counting! And this despite the fact that precious time was regularly wasted on filming our Shark feeding spectacle (Chondrichthyans??Anathema!!You just wait til I tell Jack...!!), and despite the fact that all planned Rotenone stations were quickly disposed of by our ever-greedy Giant Trevally who absconded with the plastic bags!
The Geek of course failed miserably.
He would regularly come back empty-handed, preferring to indulge in the collection of pretty (as opposed to "useful") images rather than bagging his daily quota of specimens. This on top of his ignominious failure to reach the boat when dropped on the corner of the reef that prompted a heroic rescue mission by his sensei.
But to his credit, whenever faced with the risk of terminal excomunication, he would miraculously throw a Hail Mary and come up with some spectacular result. Like when he managed to use a jeweler's loupe and one of my spaghetti containers (hence gifted to science) in order to photograph the above, and possibly undescribed (ever seen an esca like this?) tiny fella. Yes that is sand and that's a dime - click on the pics and be amazed!
Or by coming up with some whopping range extension or in my case, by showing me how to save flash files to disk.
Meaning that I shall -grudgingly- welcome him back next year.
Because Shark Reef is far from having been exhausted.
The Eastern side is largely unexplored and being more exposed to the current, it constitutes a different habitat featuring different corals and thus very possibly more of the species that are frequent in current-swept Beqa Lagoon but that we have so far failed to see in the Reserve.
Also, the deeper reaches have likely so far produced below their potential due to a combination of short bottom times and inquisitive macro Elasmobranchs. We shall address that by using rebreathers and an escort of fearless indigenous bodyguards.
And lastly, we shall try to finally collect the Holotypes of those likely new shrimp Gobies that we failed to bag last year, by devising a new, Trevally-proof technique - as in deploying cutting-edge implements like empty jars of Vlasic's Original kosher Pickles, at least as groundbreaking an approach to Taxonomic Research as the aforementioned spaghetti containers!
But, we're getting there: the latest issue of Mai Life, one of Fiji's most popular magazines is featuring a multi-page article about the Year of the Shark and MaiTV will run a feature about Shark Conservation for which they have already interviewed Ron and Valerie along with Juerg.
Here's an excerpt from the magazine. Click to read and admire the (Shark) pics, courtesy of Sasha! ..
This is the brand-new line for the YoS-Fiji and as a registered Supporter, you can now order it from Sean at Windward Apparel! Obviously, you can then add your own logo instead of ours.
Sean has announced that 10% of the proceeds will go toward the YoS and namely, the printing of further materials, as in the upcoming Poster.
I am a proponent of shark diving. While it does affect a few sharks, when compared to the approximately 100 million killed annually for fin and flesh the minimal impact of this human activity pales in comparison.
I feel that shark dives produce several very beneficial outcomes for humans and sharks. First exposing divers to sharks, safely and professionally - and in a beautiful environment will inevitably turn fear into fascination. Quickly these people become ambassadors for shark conservation. Further it produces jobs and income for areas and folks that need the work - especially in an economy such as the Bahamian one. Tourism in the Bahamas is the country's life blood, and sharks are a draw!!
As for hazard - tens of thousands of divers worldwide have safely enjoyed professional shark encounters ever since they were established in the Bahamas nearly 40 years ago. It is true that some people have been injured and there was even one fatality, but compared to other water sports this is a pittance.
Nearly a decade ago the World Health Organization estimated that over 400,000 people drowned in year 2000 making this the second leading cause of unintentional death after highway accidents. So shark dives turn out to be a very SAFE form of water activity when conducted in a professional way.
What I have written is controversial. Animal lovers think that humans have no right to interfere with non-human creatures. This is their opinion, not mine. Biologists always say "don't feed the animals." But I have been feeding sharks at my field station for over 20 years www.miami.edu/sharklab, and have observed their behavior carefully (my degree is inmarine animal behavior and sensory physiology).I know for a fact that our shark encounters do not greatly affect the Caribbean reef sharks we feed.
- They do not become habituated to humans such that they completely lose their natural fear. - They do not begin to consider us as food.
- They are very focused on what we do and learn almost instantly what the feeding situation means.
- They do not depend on us for food but hunt normally and supplement this ordinary behavior with our feedings.
- New individuals join the colony all the time, learn what we do and do not pose a danger. These reef sharks leave the area during breeding season in August and go about their normal reproductive activities. They return about three months later.
I cannot even begin to tell you how utterly rewarding (and surprising) it is to have a scientist of Doc's caliber make the above unequivocal statements. This is exactly our own perception and we're currently spending quite a bit of time collecting the data that will eventually lead to a paper dispelling the old tired "association" myth.
Thank you Doc, you're a shining beacon in an Ocean of ignorance and prejudice!
He's currently here in Fiji where we're busy Radio and Satellite tagging, plus DNA sampling!
Plus, John the Renaissance Man is adding more species every day: 412 and counting, and this without ichtyocides - yet! To the Butterflyfish counters among you: every species known from Fiji is right there on Shark Reef!
Talk about fast and furious action!
Juerg has kindly agreed to give this public lecture about his latest findings:
Subject: An integrated Approach to studying Bull Shark Behavior and Ecology in the South Pacific: The Bull Shark Tagging Programme
Synopsis:
Bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas) are widespread along the continental coasts of all tropical and subtropical seas but also occur around remote island states far away from continental waters. They are often found close inshore in shallow water which makes them readily accessible for scientific study.
The Bull Shark Tagging Programme started in 2003 with a pilot study in the Bahamas to test the feasibility of studying movement patterns and habitat use of bull sharks with state-of-the-art pop-up satellite archival tags. Since 2004 the project's main field site is located in Shark Reef Marine Reserve off the southern coast of Viti Levu, Fiji, where the behaviour and ecology of bull sharks is investigated using direct and indirect observational and monitoring techniques and tools.
You and your friends are cordially invited to attend.
Looking forward to meeting you there!
A Production Company who know nothing about the subject proposes a documentary about Big Cats to a big Television Channel.
So far, they have produced "Lion Hunters" and "Lion Hunters II" where teams of big game hunters compete for bringing down the biggest lions. The new show will feature the "Mountain Man", an extreme solo mountain climber and absolute ignoramus of felines. He will be safely sitting on the roof of a Land Rover from where he will throw a) a wheel of Emmenthal cheese b) a Yellowfin Tuna and c) a Black Forest Cake at the World's "deadliest Cats", i.e. a pride of African Lions, a Bengal Tiger and a Jaguar. Obviously, these groundbreaking experiments require that the team travel to the most iconic Wildlife Parks of Africa, India and South America, all expenses paid.
The Television Channel enthusiastically accepts and airs the piece during their "Safari Weeks". The Big Cat lovers are outraged but the Television Channel couldn't care less. Business is Business.
Sound preposterous and stupid? Look no further than Discovery Channel's "Shark Feeding Frenzy" where "Survivorman" Les Stroud throws Turkeys, Beef and Hams at some unsuspecting and undoubtedly surprised Sharks in the Bahamas and in South Africa! Did the idiotic diet harm the animals? Probably not. Did the "experiments" lead to any insights, scientific or otherwise? Yeah, Right!
But, and this is important: did the show demean the Sharks and once again reduce them to nothing but dangerous and brainless eating machines? Very much so!
And what about the treatment of Sharks in "Shark Hunters" and "Shark Hunters II", the same Production Company's previous Shark "documentaries"? You be the judge of that.
With the Shark Week 2009 shooting season in full swing, here come those very same guys with the following proposal for yet another Pro-Shark "documentary-entertainment show".
Titled "Deadly Waters", the plan is to travel to the five "most dangerous beaches for Shark attacks" where the waters are "infested with Sharks" and conduct a series of "experiments" to determine what causes the attacks. The locations they have chosen are the Bahamas, South Africa, Oz, Florida and... Fiji! A list of questions includes - what makes these specific locations so deadly? - do you have any documented Shark attack case studies....?
Well, we sent them packing - and I herewith formally apologize to those well-meaning friends who sent them our way thinking that they were doing us a favor.
Thing is, we were not only outraged by their unacceptable portrayal of Sharks and the stupidity of their new "experiments" - but also and foremost, because of the damage they were intending to inflict to the reputation of Fiji. Talk of "deadly beaches"and "Shark infested waters" is simply toxic for the Tourism Industry, the principal income earner of most Island Countries. Yes, also for the Bahamas whose image has already been tarnished by past and equally stupid programs.
With that in mind, we took it onto ourselves to go talk to the local Authorities and to the Tourism Association. As a consequence, not only will those guys be denied any filming license, but anybody enabling this shoot will have to face serious consequences. Having spread the word, we understand that similar initiatives are being undertaken in the Bahamas. Enough is enough.
At the same time, Shark Divers have turned down another idiotic request for yet another idiotic Discovery show.
Does that mean that we hate Discovery or that we want to harm those Production Companies?
Certainly not! Discovery has recently aired some wonderful Shark programs, like Mike deGruys wonderful piece on the research conducted at Osprey Reef, or "Sharkman" where Mike Rutzen experiments with Tonic Immobility. Truly epic programming and they must be commended for it!
So why the garbage? Wolf's insightful post and the ensuing discussion thread clearly point to the fact that those guys are merely trying to do Business, and that they are merely satisfying the market's demands for ever bigger sensations and ever dumber programs. And I might add: for ever dumber show hosts! Is absolute ignorance and zero experience a precondition for getting the job? And what is it with those herp guys (one already deceased) that are being unleashed on the Marine environment? Is being bitten in the arse by giant snakes not good enough anymore?
But I'm digressing. Thing is, what we do is not Entertainment, it is Shark Conservation. Following the obvious utter failure of the 2007 open Letter to Discovery and their equally obvious disregard for the welfare of Sharks, those who care will have to find other ways of getting their voice heard.
One strategy may be to convince everybody in the Industry to simply follow our example. After all, it is us the operators who control the locations, opportunities and animals. If we refuse to partake in this stupidity, the buck stops right here and now. Yes it is cool to be on Discovery and it might also be good money - but in the long term, we not only harm our own reputation, we also contribute to harming the reputation and the well-being of our host Country.
Is that really what we want? Is that what our clients want? How does it dovetail with the image of Sharks we are trying to portray?
At the same time, some serious talk with the Authorities of the Countries most affected by this nonsense could well lead to better scrutiny and especially, to stiff sanctions vis-a-vis those operators that enable those shoots. And finally, the clients should be alerted to shun those operators who obviously put money and short-lived fame ahead of long-term sustainability and Conservation.
