How do you effect conservation change?That question is the million dollar or million shark question depending on which side of the conservation fence you are currently sitting.
Smart conservationists know that conservation change, real and long lasting change, does not come from direct action, protests, or petitions.
Conservation change comes from new ways of thinking, alliances with forward thinking individuals and groups, and effecting change from within.
That's why we support the Guy Harvey Ultimate Shark Challenge.
We know hard core shark folks will decry the "support" of any shark tournaments but the bottom line is this - until today no one had taken a leadership role combining shark research, shark conservation, and catch and release into a certified tournament model. A model that will soon become the accepted tournament model to replace the 300 or so catch and kill tournaments currently operating in the USA.
Think about it.
Shark tournaments will not stop because they are money making propositions. Asking anyone to stop making money is hard, demanding that they stop without a sustainable replacement is a fools errand.
To change the shark tournament world you will first have to come up with a tournament model that is so successful that everyone will want to copy it.
Kudos to the team from the Guy Harvey Ultimate Shark Challenge, and to Guy and his crew for supporting the evolution of shark catch and release tournaments in the USA.
Taking "marlin tournament model" into the world of ongoing shark research and conservation is the way you effect conservation change.
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