Commercial Shark Diving vs Hysteria

Hello? Yeah, I have a baited shark...

Since 2008 this blog and others have documented a tide of media and agenda based hysteria leveled against the commercial shark diving industry.

What usually begins as a small agenda group seeking to end regional commercial shark diving, quickly morphs into something that left unchecked can end badly for commercial shark diving interests.

And it's all based on the premise that baited sharks become regional killers. It's 1970's based hysteria, and with no research data to counter that ugly argument, our industry has been left hanging in the wind.

All that changed this week, thanks to Dr Neil Hammerschlag and crew who have produced the first and hopefully not only research study to look at baited sharks in the Bahamas.

We featured their outreach video this week, Hat Tip Dorsal Fin Blog, and will let Da Shark take it from there. His blog basically covered this study and it's impacts from Hawaii to Fiji in great depth and it's fine reading:

Fantastic new paper by Neil!

STOP Shark Cage Diving - Target S.A

A new website is making the rounds with a familiar logo and a familiar theme.

Fear.

STOPsharkcagediving.com offers up a non scientific page of anti-shark diving hysteria with the help of a few industry generated videos from You Tube. A WHOIS search finds the owner(s) of this page have opted to remain anonymous.

Here's the homepage propaganda:

We as ocean lovers know sharks are not out to get us, we co-exist, and through conscious raising of awareness we will fight this pseudo-environmental practice making millions of dollars in the name of environmental research. We are not against research, we support boat-based shark viewing and free-diving, but we are vehemently against the cage and the taunting of these great creatures with bait to try get a good photo for your holiday album. Just watch a few of the cage-dive videos on YouTube and see for yourself, most people wouldn't even treat a large dog like that, taunting it repeatedly with food until it snaps. The only people who seem to support it are those who make a fat profit. Remember, us surfers and spearfishermen are the ones who remain in the waters daily, without a cage, and any change in behaviour is going to affect us, not you.

"Blood in the Water" A look at ill informed shark media

Why Current TV decided in 2007 to run with the Blood in the Water expose is beyond anyone's guess, suffice to say they stepped into an long standing global industry issue with a somewhat biased look at the industry in Hawaii.

Unfortunately this entire video expose falls flat when you realize this is a classic media hit piece designed to instill fear of sharks and commercial shark diving. From the choice of music, fun upbeat surfer music, to dark and sinister shark music, to the actual quotes by locals it is evident that Hawaii has a long way to go when it comes to understanding the global commercial shark diving industry.

Can we have a honest and open debate about our industry minus the sand box level of shark fright, moronic factoids devoid of in depth analysis, and video clips that serve no real purpose but to instill fear?

Research Note: Research data from the Farallones and tagged white sharks in that region off the California coast have shown up at Hawaii's North Shore exactly where Hawaii Shark Encounters ran into a much larger female several years ago. Where uniformed locals come to believe operators attract animals like these, research exposes the real story of generations long Pacific migratory patterns that are just now being discovered.

Blood in the Water is another in a series of ill timed, ill informed and hysteric anti-shark diving media pushes that fail to deliver substantive facts, data, and information to a public that needs it.

Research on "shark risks" South Africa

With the anti-shark diving lobby in Hawaii now in "full hysteria mode," pushing shark attacks and a somewhat nebulous public safety argument - South Africa is quietly setting an example.

Missing from the Hawaii debate about commercial shark diving is definitive data. The anti-shark diving lobby has little interest in research and data, while in other countries, some might even suggest, more enlightened countries, the balance between sharks and man is one that will be decided by long term research and study:

WITH Nelson Mandela Bay positioning itself as the water sport capital of Africa, the municipality has given the go-ahead for research on sharks in the city.

This follows reports over the years of shark attacks at coastal towns around the country. At a sports, recreation, arts and culture committee meeting yesterday, councillors agreed the research was necessary to reduce the risk of attacks.

The committee agenda, signed by executive director Zolile Siswana, said “the objective of achieving the position of water sport capital of Africa could be threatened by the possibility of frequent shark attacks in the city”. “A single shark attack would have a negative impact on water, sports and tourism"

“This has prompted various interventions by the KwaZulu Natal Sharks Board and Cape Town Uni-City Shark Spotters programme. These efforts (shark nets and drum lines) reduced shark attacks tremendously.” Marine scientists in Nelson Mandela Bay do not have enough information on Great White sharks or data to establish the possible risk to the public and open-water events in the city.

They do, however, have information on shark populations, migration and behavioural patterns. According to Siswana, the economic development and recreational services shark contingency plan addresses the first-response aspect of shark attacks.

“This emergency plan is simulated regularly. As great white sharks are the biggest threat to the public, safety research would ensure a more efficient response time by our lifeguards and emergency services.” The municipality will commission a shark specialist and marine scientist to conduct the research.

Complete Story

Scott Suzuki-Jones Understands "Aumakua"

As the ongoing debate in Oahu about commercial shark diving rages on, a lone voice in the wilderness comes forth with probably one of the best counters to the issue of "Aumakua" we have seen yet.

The anti-shark diving lobby, increasingly using any excuse to ban shark diving in Hawaiian waters has put forth the tired and hackneyed "Aumakua defense."

To suggest to lawmakers native Hawaiians are "offended" that tourists cage dive with sharks is this arguments strong point.

The "Aumakua defense" is well worn in Hawaii, stopping developments, road signs, health care for the aged, and even access to clean drinking water. The defense works when politicians cannot see through proper and respectful use of Aumaku vs media hype.

Today one voice knocked aside the anti-shark diving "Aumakua defense" and offered up some well thought words on the matter.

Kudos to Hawaiian resident Scott Suzuki-Jones, here is his Op-Ed from this weeks Honolulu Weekly:

Despite the fear and fanfare, there is no reliable scientific evidence, empirical or anecdotal, showing that shark tour activity is hazardous or causes harm to sharks, to people taking shark tours, to people engaged in other water activities in deep-water, to people in or around the reefs, or to people on the beaches.

Shark tours are conducted in deep-water, miles from shore. Sharks encountered in deep-water are deep-water species, not near-shore or reef sharks. Deep-water sharks do not follow boats back to shore. They stay in the deep-water because that is their natural habitat.

People taking the tours are in protective cages in which they cannot be harmed by or do harm to the sharks. People stay in the cages and the sharks stay out.

Shark tours are not an offense to traditional Hawaiian culture or religion. Akua, God, is revealed to us spiritually, through our fellow human beings, and through every manifestation of Nature. Aumakua, our Hawaiian “saints,” reveal them selves and intervene on our behalf through specific manifestations in nature, such as sharks. If the Aumakua revealed in certain sharks were offended, they would avoid and refuse to participate in the activities related to shark tours.

Because Aumakua are revealed in sharks does not make them stupid. Aumakua are not animals or plants or inanimate objects. They are spirit-beings. They are the revered ancestors of human beings. To think otherwise is to cater to long-standing intellectual bigotry by non-Hawaiians that, because someone is Hawaiian, he or she is stupid.

If anything, I imagine Aumakua would approve of shark tours because they invariably instill in participants a reverence for nature in general, for the ocean in particular, and especially for the sharks encountered. In other words, in the Hawaiian scheme of things, shark tours would instill a greater reverence for Akua, God.

For those of us honestly concerned about protecting people from sharks in the ocean, all reliable empirical and anecdotal scientific evidence suggests we should ban all near-shore human activity in the ocean, as opposed to deep-water activity like shark tours. This means all human activity in the reefs, the open-water inside the reefs, and the open-water just outside of the reefs. Virtually all shark attacks occur in the reefs or in the open-water just outside of the reefs. The victims are almost always surfers and swimmers, and to a lesser-degree divers, especially divers who are spear fishing and drawing blood from their catch.

When sharks do venture into open-water inside the reefs, it is usually because they are following spear-fishermen, who are swimming back to shore with their bloody catches, or because of fish that surf-fisherman have hooked and are reeling into shore. Every experienced spear or surf-fisherman can tell you stories of catches they have lost to raiding sharks in the reefs and surf.

In other words, if we are honest about doing something to reduce the danger to people posed by sharks, we need to ban all forms of near-shore surfing, all forms of near-shore swimming, all forms of near-shore diving and all forms of near-shore fishing. Of course, this ban would be ridiculous, just as ridiculous as the proposed shark-tour ban.

If we are just as honest about protecting people in the ocean, and protecting the ocean environment overall, then we will have to ban motorized boating, Jet Skiing, and similar motorized ocean activities. Every year, more than a few people are killed, several people are catastrophically injured, and innumerable people suffer serious injury in Hawaii because of motorized boating and jet-skiing.

Compare that with the extremely low incidence of shark attacks and their related injuries and deaths. Further, these motorized ocean activities seriously endanger other people recreating in the ocean, they pollute the ocean with petroleum products, and they make deafening noise. This ban would also be ridiculous, if only because no elected official would ever get re-elected if they supported it.

Finally, if our motive is to protect the sharks, then we need to ban all forms of fishing and hunting for sharks and their prey, both of which have decimated the Earth’s and Hawaii’s shark populations in the last 50 years. And we would be well-served to remember this the next time we barbeque shark or ahi fillets over the grill during the holidays

Scott Suzuki-Jones
Honolulu

Rep Gene Ward - When Politicians Kill Tourism

This is the actual promotional flyer put out by Rep Gene Wards office in Hawaii this week.

It is one sided, anti-tourism, anti-shark diving and designed for one purpose only - to inflame an already angry populace (click image).

"Should Shark Tours be banned? If so How so?"

This is not the face of balanced tourism discussions. This is political theater, stoking an already angry mob to further anger and distrust of two operations in Hawaii that have been on the forefront of shark tourism in the region for the past 10 years.

Rep Ward is a savvy politician, like recent health care town hall debates across the country he knows what buttons to push and how to work the crowd. The people he has brought to these town hall meetings he is calling "his constituents," hoping to use their anger as justification and a shield for killing shark tourism in Hawaii.

Unfortunately the anti-shark diving sentiment being raised by Rep Wards efforts and staff has gone past coherent discussion and is now a full fledged witch hunt of epic proportions. In the long multi-million dollar history of tourism in Hawaii no single politician has gone after small business owners with this kind of directed public anger and mistrust. Using the fear of sharks three nautical miles off the mainland as his "wedge issue".

All is not lost.

The industry has seen this kind of effort before. A quick look into Rep Gene Wards political career shows a politician who sees tourism vision for Hawaii, as in his support for Spaceports on the islands.

We're pretty sure Rep Ward is not completely anti-tourism, as he is presiding over the worst tourism economy in the past 40 years with Hawaii suffering a 25% loss in revenues since 2008.

What is needed in Hawaii right now is rational discussion not political theatre. Meetings with officials and operators to define shark tourism in Hawaii and abide by hard and fast rules and regulations that keep 10,000 shark diving tourists coming back to Hawaiian waters year after year.

Shark Diving Industry? What Industry?

We know several things about both Hawaii Shark Encounters and North Shore Shark Adventures.

Both are solid, reputable commercial shark diving operators, and both are facing the chopping block unless our "industry" get's off it's collective ass and jumps in to the rescue.

It is rare to ask for help, it is industry leadership to offer it and see it through.

So, any takers out there? Is there one operator, dive group, website, chatroom, gear site, or individual that will take up the cause for these guys and push back against the tidal wave of anti-shark diving sentiment in Hawaii?

We had some ideas about what might be done immediately this week. It is not too late.


Nishiki offers bill to ban shark tours.

By BRIAN PERRY, City Editor.

POSTED: July 8, 2009.

WAILUKU - Maui County has no tours available for visitors to plunge into the
ocean and watch sharks cruise by from the safety of submerged cages.

And Maui County Council Member Wayne Nishiki wants to make sure such an
activity doesn't come here.

"I think we need to take precautions," he said, adding that he's concerned
that if shark tours become established in Maui County waters, then surfers,
swimmers and everyone else who enjoys the ocean could be endangered.

Nishiki said he particularly objects to outsiders coming to Maui to exploit
a business opportunity without regard for the lifestyle or safety of residents.

"All they're interested in is the big buck and that's it," he said Tuesday.

Nishiki said he's seeking a county ordinance that would ban shark tours in
Maui County. He said the county has the power to do so by blocking business
licenses for the activity.

The South Maui council member introduced the shark tour prohibition during a
meeting Tuesday. The matter was referred to the council's Economic
Development, Agriculture and Recreation Committee, chaired by Jo Anne Johnson.

Nishiki said that although he would like the state Legislature to pass a
ban, he doesn't know how long it will take for the state to take action.

Nishiki's proposal included a copy of a Honolulu City Council resolution
urging the passage and enforcement of state legislation to ban commercial
shark-viewing tours and related activities.

He said he didn't want to see the Maui County Council pass only a resolution
because it would not have the force and effect of law.

Shark-viewing tours attract paying customers on Oahu's North Shore, but
there's a growing statewide movement to stop the tours from operating. Some
Native Hawaiians consider sharks to be ancestral gods, and they find it
offensive to have tourists feeding and viewing them for entertainment.

Surfers and environmentalists worry that shark tours might have the ocean
predators linking people with food, and scientists say luring sharks to
certain areas could disrupt the ecological balance in near-shore waters.