Keep Fishing Sharks to Support Research?

The world of shark conservation often works at cross purposes as agenda driven groups push for conservation strategies that have unintended consequences.

From direct action protest groups who ultimately embed resistance and cause disparate fishing interests to successfully band together against conservation, to "Shark Messiahs" who push unsustainable messaging about what sharks really are - top order predators.

This week Loblaws' Canada (a grocery chain) announced a ban on the sale of shark meat and a few species of fish declaring them unsustainable.

Clearly a win for the shark conservation folks, but hold on a minute, researchers now claim this ban will damage research efforts as the vessels they use to tag sharks are the fishing vessels that catch sharks for sale at Loblaws' Canada.

If your faith in the shark conservation movement is being shaken at this point, you might not want to read the entire story. The take away from this story is the need for all groups to look beyond just their immediate efforts and push for a holistic approach to conservation.

If you think the chances of that happening anytime soon is as good as Sea Shepherd Conservation Society actually stopping Japans whaling efforts or the Canadian Seal hunt - you would be right.

This blog often points out issues and trends that mature over time, one thought, one idea, and one post at a time.

Sharks and research in Canada.

Hawaii - Tours Pose Little Risk

Three cheers for reporter Christie Wilson with Honolulu Advertiser who, bucking recent media trends in Hawaii, has introduced a story about what is not happening with commercial shark diving operations in Hawaii.

As we have been covering, politicians and anti-shark diving groups reacting to a tragically poor operator roll out in Hawaii Kai have called for a complete ban on all operators in the region.

To close existing commercial shark diving loopholes, this growing anti-shark diving group is demanding legislators to:

"(1) prohibit use of public facilities such as parks, piers, ramps, and harbors by shark tour operations;
(2) prohibit advertising of commercial shark tours in any print and electronic media; and, (3) prohibit commercial use of shark cages or other devices designed to place humans in close proximity to sharks or within shark habitats."

Citing a recent research study today regional commercial shark diving operators came back (finially) with the one thing they had at their disposal - research data:

"When it comes to offshore caged shark diving tours, there is no evidence of any risk to nearshore recreational users," said marine scientist Carl Meyer. "People need to understand there are already sharks in these initial shark-feeding areas and if these shark tours were a real problem, we would have seen it manifested by now by an increase in attacks.

"The study reports other factors that make the tours a minimal public safety risk include the fact shark-diving tours mimic the activities of crab-fishing vessels operating in the same area for more than 40 years, and that inshore recreational stimuli, such as a surfer paddling on a surfboard, "are substantially different from the conditioning stimuli associated with tour operations ... and, hence, unlikely to stimulate a conditioned feeding response."

Editors Note: THIS is one reason why operators work in tandem with shark researchers. To exclude shark research within operations is to blind yourself to important data about the animals you make a living with.

Additionally, ongoing data sets provide impartial answers to questions and accusations leveled by the anti-shark diving lobby at our industry members. These accusations are typically taken from a well worn "play book" of "raw meat hysteria".

The operators in Hawaii have a long way to go - but today, they just began the road back to credibility in the public eye. Kudos to all involved in both this study, and to reporter Christie Wilson.

Update: Reporter Leila Fujimori from Hawaii's Star Bulletin also ran with this story this morning. Kudos.

Shark Conspiracies-Rocking the boat in Sharky Waters

Shark Conspiracies’ host Kevin Harris is a 10 year veteran reporter who has jumped into the wild world of sharks, shark attacks and commercial shark diving with his monthly Pod Cast.

Depending on who you speak with Shark Conspiracies is alternately the work of the Devil himself, or a seasoned look into the soft underbelly of peoples shifting perception of sharks, shark diving, and shark attacks.

We're on the fence with Kevin Harris. He does take an unflinching look at our industry and often comes to conclusions that we agree with. We also disagree on many things. One thing is for sure-his voice-like it or not is needed as a counterpoint and topic starter for many of the debates that need to be had about humans and sharks.

An industry is only an industry when people discuss views, organize, and debate topics affecting that them. Kevin Harris provides the starting point for many of those debates for the commercial shark diving industry.

Click here for this months Pod Cast.

Hat Tip: Jessica J for the image.

Shark Conspiracies-The Real Deal?

An interesting look at sharks, shark diving and commentary on both with podcast host Kevin Harris of Shark Conspiracies .

For the past year Kevin has kept a growing legion of shark fans updated on monthly shark news worldwide.

He posits the following thought this month:

"Are the surfers killed by sharks in the last few months around the coastal town of Zihuatanejo the result of bodies dumped into the ocean by Mexican Mafia?"

One things for sure Shark Conspiracies always keeps the listener interested.