Conservation Video Done Right

Hat Tip to Mark and to Mike for passing this first rate video around. Opening eyes and changing perceptions is what this latest video is all about.

If there was an award for this kind of front line reporting and presentation fact, the team behind this video would get it. Perhaps we should start with something like this?

Sit back and ab-sorb this, once you're done we defy you not to want to "grab a flight to join the fight".

Edward Dorson - Shark and Awe

Want to know the current status of the U.S. Shark Conservation Act sitting in Congress?

Underwater photographer Edward Dorson summarises this bills remarkable voyage through the US Senate and it's sad state of affairs in today's Huff Post.

Edward Dorson - an eloquent and passionate voice for the oceans, and for sharks:

The threat to sharks from finning and to a planet that requires their continued existence isn't half-baked ideology -- it's empirical fact. Studies are consistently revealing that sharks, as apex predators, are essential to regulate species abundance and distribution to maintain healthy oceans. Yet the world's sharks are being slaughtered at an unsustainable rate of 3 per second (estimated at 100 million annually). After capture, shark finners hack off the fins (worth up to $300 a pound) and the less valuable mutilated shark is tossed back to sink and slowly die. This travesty was acted on by our lawmakers a decade ago with the U.S. Shark Finning Prohibition Act of 2000, a legislative milestone that made it illegal to have fins aboard a U.S. registered vessel without the corresponding shark carcasses.

Complete Post.

Shark Diver NZ - Video Blogging From Site

Last week, after some delay, we announced Shark Diver New Zealand. For many in the shark community who have their "ear to the ground" the announcement of Stewart Island and Oceania was a forgone conclusion (Mike aka Da Shark).

Unfortunately the discovery that the only operator in the region also runs a commercial shark fishing and finning operation caused us to remove our name from this operator and any further dealings with him.

While it is "legal" to catch both sharks and fin them in New Zealand we will not support any commercial shark diving operator who engages in this activity. The operator in question does several toms of shark fin each season while also attempting to make money showing people white sharks.

His vessel information:

Vessel Number	Vessel Name	Operator Number	Operator Name	IMO Number	Callsign
62742	Lady Anna	9280045	William Peter Scott, Beatrix Fredericka Scott		ZM2929

It's a simple choice. You either support shark conservation, or you're part of the problem.

For us it was an easy choice to make.

For others in our community you are now on notice. Do you support the conservation of sharks?

Hawaii - Hobbling through conservation and commercial shark diving

Small island politics often breed strange laws, and non stranger then the seven anti-shark diving bills currently circulating through Hawaii's political center in Oahu.

At least one politician sensing the oncoming political circus surrounding sharks has added an anti-shark fin bill to the mix, that's the only good shark news coming from this island.

RTSea's Blog covered the entire political mess nicely in a post last week. Fine reading and summary of small island politics at it's best or absolute worst, depending if you happen to care about sharks, tourism, conservation, and good old fashioned mid term electioneering.

Read here.

Ocean Dancer Supports Maldives Shark Research - Smart

Ocean Dancer is 110' of pure luxury and is a labour of love for French owner/operator, David Mesnard who has lived in the Maldives since 1990.

David is a highly regarded Free-diving and Scuba Dive Instructor and also a keen surfer. In his time in the Maldives he has witnessed dramatic changes to the marine environment. Changes that made him realise he needed to do something to help the oceans flourish again.

The MWSRP team first met David and Gaëlle at South Ari Atoll, in December 2008 when they ended up in the water together on what the research team thought to be a whale shark.

A large dark fin had breached the surface amongst a few tourists close by, so the MWSRP sent two team members in to take the ID photographs required to log the encounter. As the guys approached the ‘shark' they were not greeted by the usual large dark shape emerging from the plankton rich water. Instead, David, on scuba gear, was cruising around at around 5 metres, holding a fin he had carved from wood and painted black. The ocean loving French man then surfaced, removed his regulator and took great pleasure in his fooling of the ‘whale shark researchers'.

Ocean Dancer has always supported shark conservation programmes. Now they have become the MWSRP's newest sponsor, and the team is ecstatic to have them onboard. David and his wife Gaëlle are true ocean lovers. They, along with expert crew, are the shark friendly tour operator who encourages their guests to enjoy their holiday responsibly.

For more information about Ocean Dancer please visit here.

"Chatham, Carcarius has landed"

"Non invasive" archival pop up tagging with great whites has been a mainstay of research for the past decade.

CHATHAM — For years, information about the migration and feeding habits of great white sharks has been as elusive as the predators themselves. Now, thanks to information from a tag attached to a shark off Chatham last summer, researchers will soon have something to sink their teeth into.

At around midnight on Friday, Jan. 15, a data-logging tag popped loose from a shark 50 miles east of Jacksonville, Fla., and began transmitting data to researchers by satellite. The tag was one of several which were fastened to white sharks off Chatham last September, and is designed to detach and float to the surface after having collected information on water temperature, depth and light levels.

The tag transmitted information for about five days, and Senior Biologist Greg Skomal of the state's Division of Marine Fisheries is now poring over the data. Spokeswoman Catherine Williams said Monday that the process is slow.

“It was tracking since September, so there's a lot of data on the tag,” she said.

With help from fisherman Bill Chaprales, who wielded the harpoon, researchers tagged five white sharks in September after there were multiple shark sightings close to shore. The sharks prompted officials to close area beaches to swimmers, which in turn drew many curious sightseers to the shoreline.

“We're hopeful that we'll see all of the tags,” Williams said. “We're very interested to see what the data can tell us about this species.”

“For Massachusetts citizens and biologists and shark enthusiasts across the globe, this is an exciting opportunity to study these fascinating creatures,” state environmental affairs Secretary Ian Bowles said in a press statement. “We're looking forward to sharing the findings—so far, all we know is that this particular shark is a snowbird.”

Many species of fish, including sharks, migrate to New England's coastal and open waters in the summer months. At least a dozen shark species migrate in and out of New England waters annually. Massachusetts is the northernmost range for several species, and is an important area for monitoring the health and distribution of shark populations. Although relatively rare in New England, great white sharks are known to visit local waters, where they are sometimes seen feeding near seal colonies.

Last May, the journal Current Biology published Skomal's research on the migratory patterns of basking sharks. Using similar tagging technology, Skomal and his team documented the movements of the species, identifying previously unknown winter habitats. The discovery has implications for that species' conservation.

While many of the secrets of white sharks remain unknown, local officials would be content to have one question answered: will the sharks return this summer?

“That's difficult to predict,” Williams said. “We don't know if they'll be back.” But if the great whites return, and if it is possible to safely tag additional sharks, “we'll definitely take that opportunity,” she said.

Skomal's research is funded through the Division of Marine Fisheries' Recreational Marine Fisheries program. Among the funding sources for the work are grants from the Massachusetts Environmental Trust, the National Science Foundation and NASA.

Shark Research Isla Guadalupe - Complex Emotional Data

Science is not always pretty. Field science even less so. The headlong rush to extract data from big charismatic mega fauna like the white shark has lead us to a real debate within the shark community over invasive tagging methods.

SPOT tagging is a questionable method of tagging whites that involves catching them with baited hooks and attaching a "drilled on" dorsal tech package. The argument is these packages last longer and deliver more data to researchers which is then used to protect the species.

We have been supporters of this method until recently.

Unfortunately when reviewing videos of SPOT tagging, one comes to the conclusion that these efforts are in dire need of set protocols that do less invasive harm to magnificent breeding aged animals. The loss of just one of these animals through invasive research would be a major blow to the entire western pacific population.

At no point should anyone on this team be lacking for any contingency, seconds count, and the lack of basics, like support tires for this animal, multiple and conflicting directive voices, and a fresh sea water tube that is 10% effective is appalling to watch:



More from the Dorsal Fin Blog.

Australian Shark Conservation - Makos Back on the Grill

One of the most perplexing issues with modern shark conservation is regional and local government buy in. Too often rules and regulations that protect shark species take years of legislative process, time, money, and energy to adopt.

And all too often we see a watering down or outright reversals of conservation rules and regulations. Such was the case in Australia this week, where new laws governing the take of mako shark were overturned by government slight of hand and a shameless buckling to commercial fishing pressures.

That's why we developed and support the Shark Free Marinas Initiative as an effective method to bypass government while enacting shark conservation measures.

The SFMI works with direct source points of shark traffic creating a win-win with local marinas to request that sharks are not landed at their facilities.

The metrics are there. In the USA alone 400,000 sport caught sharks arrive at marinas each year (NOAA) With just 50% of marinas in the USA adopting the SFMI we could save 200,000 sharks a year. Over the planet many hundreds of thousands more while educating fishermen to catch and release ethics making a shark fishery sustainable, without any government buy in at all.

A case study for modern shark conservation and one that has already seen 70% of Fiji go Shark Free with the help of PADI Project Aware, Stuart Gow and others.

Shark Research in Action - Bahamas

Kristine Stump, the current Principal Investigator at the Bimini Biological Field Station, describes the research she is conducting as a part of her PhD studies.

Kristine's doctorate thesis investigates the effects of habitat loss on the juvenile lemon sharks that use Bimini as their primary nursery.

Bimini's mangrove lagoons function as critical habitat for a wealth of wildlife, from seahorses and snappers to stingrays and sharks. Kristine's study aims to quantify the impact that removing these mangrove nurseries will have on Bimini's lemon shark population, and the wider ecosystem as a whole.

David Diley - Smart Industry Call

In the world of commercial shark diving there are those who lead by example. There are also those who lead by producing solid industry thought and analysis (click image to read).

David Diley is one of those people.

A man who has looked at the global shark diving industry and who has distilled it's biggest issue down to a well thought Op Ed.

We would like to congratulate him on his ideas this month and fearless interpretation of our industries future and direction.

This blog along with a few others have been advocating for deep changes within our industry. One year later it would seem that we're having an effect.

As we close out 2009 and a decade that has seen shark diving grow from a few pioneers and into a global 300 million dollar tourism juggernaut it is time to streamline and manage this industry.

The scuba industry did it and most other high profile tourism industries have done the same.

Make no bones about it, commercial shark diving is not scuba diving and it never was, therefore it is up to our industry to guide and direct it's own future.

With 2010 right around the corner the fusion of a commercial shark diving guiding body along with shark conservation would be a powerful force to content with, and would go a long way to growing this industry into 2020 and beyond.

Solid vision for the future and thinkers like David Diley will get us there.

Thanks to Da Shark for the original post.

Guadalupe Island Television Documentary Wins Journalism Award

In the summer of 2009 Shark Diver was asked to enable a three part television documentary with conservation NGO WildCoast.

The end result was seen by millions of viewers across Mexico. Today two reporters from Mexico's Televisa, who covered Wildcoast in this multi part series shot at Isla Guadalupe, have been awarded for journalistic excellence in environmental and science reporrting.

The award was in part for positively featuring the resident white sharks, shark tourism, and Mexican lead shark research at this Bio Sphere reserve.

The three part series was shown first in Mexico City to several million viewers and across Mexico in the fall of 2009. The industry got some great quotes from Captain and owner Greg Grivetto of Horizon Charters with on site shark footage shot by Richard Theiss from RTSea Productions.

Kudos to the entire team from Wildcoast who worked so hard to bring positive conservation messaging to Mexico and to all the people featured in this informative series.

DIVA Resort in Maldives Part of the Eco Solution

Luxury resort Diva Maldives has become a flagship supporter of the recently designated FenMaaDhiguRan, the Maldives first fully regulated, and largest, Marine Protected Area (MPA) – home to a globally significant population of whale sharks, not to mention some of the world’s finest dive sites.

The first resort located within the MPA to commit to backing the pioneering conservation project with fundraising initiatives, Diva Maldives has introduced a voluntary gratuity charge scheme enabling guests to actively contribute to the conservation of the whale sharks and their habitat.

A tropical paradise on one of the archipelago’s largest and most beautiful natural islands, with four kilometres of pristine white sand and lush tropical greenery flanked by a crystal clear lagoon, Diva Maldives enhances the picture postcard Maldivian idyll with the elusive luxury of space, and the liberty of choice. The introduction of the voluntary gratuity charge scheme underlines Diva’s commitment to protecting the whale sharks and their habitats, while helping the new MPA to generate improved business, education and employment opportunities for the local community.

Established following successful lobbying by the Maldives Whale Shark Research Programme conservation charity, the MPA was officially designated by the Republic of Maldives government in July 2009. The MPA is 42km in length and, through proper regulation and educational community initiatives, will protect important habitats and species in this area from threats including overfishing, unregulated tourism and pollution, and help the local community to protect their natural resources for future generations.

Founded in 1990 and based in Mauritius, Naïade is a renowned hotel group with an undisputed reputation in the Indian Ocean. The group currently consists of nine hotels and one private island: Beau Rivage (five star deluxe), Legends (five star), Les Pavillons (five star), Tamassa (four star), Merville Beach (three star plus), Le Tropical (three star), and the private island of Ile des Deux Cocos, all in Mauritius; Hotel du Recif (three star) and Grand Hotel du Lagon (four star) in Reunion Island; and Diva (five star deluxe) in the Maldives. Each hotel has its own individual charm yet all the resorts in the portfolio share high levels of service and warm hospitality setting them apart from their competitors. www.naiade.com

Sharks - Changing Perceptions?

When the shark conservation movement drills down to this level, we will have saved the species.

Until that day there is much work to be done. Please support your regional shark conservation programs. Together, we can "de-demonize" the shark.

Caution: This video contains live fining of a shark.

Changes to Fisheries Laws - Florida

An extraordinary and diverse group of conservationists, divers, and shark people banded together to effect a change in shark fisheries along the coasts of Florida this year. Kudos to the effort.

We got the final synopsis from Guy Harvey this week:

On December 10^th, the Florida Wildlife Commission approved new measures aimed at protecting several distressed shark populations in Florida state waters. Beginning in mid-January 2010, the harvesting of sandbar, silky and Caribbean sharpnose sharks is prohibited within state waters. These species are either currently being overfished or are in danger of being overfished.

In addition, the FWC implemented several other protective measures, including 1) the prohibition against the removal of shark heads and tails at sea, 2) a rule allowing for only hook-and-line gear to harvest sharks and 3) the establishment of a minimum fork length on several shark species.

Another encouraging development at the Dec. 10^th meeting was the proposal of a rule that would prohibit both recreational and commercial harvest of lemon sharks from state waters. Lemon sharks are especially vulnerable to overfishing, so conservationists – including representatives of the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation – have been lobbying the FWC for some time to adopt more aggressive protective measures for lemons. The FWC will hold one more public meeting on this proposal before putting it to a final vote.

All in all, the Dec 10^th meeting of the FWC was a great day for shark conservation efforts in the state of Florida. Many thanks to the FWC for taking a leadership role in the protection of our marine ecosystems!

For more information about the new rules, and to view the presentations on shark management and lemon sharks that were used at the meeting, see the official FWC press release published on the FWC web site.

Cheers!

Additional in depth look into Florida shark fisheries here from the Paxton Blog.

Salmon Sharks National Geographic

Back in 2005 I was fortunate enough to fly to Cordova, Alaska and spend a week cage diving with Salmon Sharks, distaff relatives of the Great white. Shark Diver was the first commercial shark diving company to ever drop a cage in these waters and the first to ever work with them on a commercial level.

We were not disappointed.

Fast forward to 2009 and a simply stunning look at these animals in HD by National Geographic:

Shark Conservation or Stuntwork?

Leon Deschamps a “Western Australia conservationist,” would like you to believe the only way you can prove Tiger sharks are not dangerous is by riding on top of a dead whale while Tigers feed on it. Seriously.

Additionally Leon and his crew have video proof that petting these feeding animals is actually some form of shark conservation.

It is not.

The Department of Environment and Conservation in Australia have seen through this charade calling this stunt “highly irresponsible and dangerous behaviour.”

We have to agree. This video serves as a wake up call to all would be "shark conservationists," who promote the notion that sharks are anything but top ocean predators. Those few who ride sharks and put themselves into questionable situations with sharks under the guise of "shark conservation."

2009 was a strange year for this off brand of "shark conservationist." Featuring stuntmen playing guitars while surrounded by white sharks, and others who presented their flesh to sharks to prove some sort of conservation point.

Shark conservation is and should always be solid measures for conservation success not stunt work and this disturbing slide towards stunt work in the name of shark conservation continues to malign the entire effort.

More commentary from the Dorsal Fin Blog.

Ocean Encounters - New Website

Ocean Encounters founders Fred Buyle and William Winram will take you places you never dreamed of diving. Both avid world-class breath-hold divers, they have taken it upon themselves to share their passion for the underwater world with the rest of us.

They will bring breath-hold diving courses to your door, take you on live-aboard freediving cruises and organize expeditions for the chance to breath-hold dive in the company of large marine animals.

In their many upcoming activities, you will find one that is tailored to suit your needs whether you are a complete beginner wanting to improve your comfort underwater, or a dedicated breath-hold athlete looking to fine-tune your technique for your next competition.

The more adventurous amongst you will participate to shark encounters for an opportunity to discover the natural behaviour of these amazing creatures in their own territory.

Ocean Encounters is no ordinary endeavour. In addition to organizing courses and expeditions for the public, Fred Buyle and William Winram regularly join expeditions for the purpose of scientific research on large marine animals. From tagging sharks in the wild on a silent breath-hold to documenting unique animal features through photography and video, they contribute to the advancement of ocean preservation.

Buyle and Winram are scheduled to arrive in French Polynesia on December 5, 2009 to complete the last of five HDTV documentaries for the project Ocean Quest, a series which will, without a doubt, change the world’s view on the true nature of the oceans and their creatures.

For more information on Ocean Encounters, visit http://www.oceanencounters.net.

Shark Conservation - Making Long Bets

FORT MYERS, Florida -- Jack Donlon, original founder of The Ultimate Shark Challenge Tournament Series, and his co-directors, Sean Paxton and Brooks Paxton II, have teamed up with renowned marine wildlife artist, scientist and conservationist Dr. Guy Harvey to present an innovative competitive event with $100,000 in cash and prizes that will serve as a model for sport fishing enthusiasts and marine conservationists.

The newly branded Guy Harvey Ultimate Shark Challenge Tournament Series will be a catch and release competition off the Southwest Florida coast – and much more. “For the first time, what we call a ‘love ‘em and leave ‘em’ shark tournament will be transformed into a true spectator sport,” said Sean Paxton. He and his brother, Brooks, known as the Shark Brothers, continued, “Our shared goal with Dr. Guy Harvey and Jack Donlon, is to give participants and viewers the most interactive, entertaining and educational shark-infested, multimedia spectacle found anywhere on the planet. This is not your grandfather’s fishing contest, but something completely new for a shark fishing tournament.”

Harvey, a long-time marine conservationist and founder of the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation, said the tournament will increase global awareness of the important role that sharks play in the world’s oceans and our ecosystem. “The Guy Harvey Ultimate Shark Challenge Tournament Series will be a uniquely exciting event for participants, spectators and everyone who cares about the future of our oceans,” Guy Harvey said.

A total of 60 fishing teams will compete in the 2010 tournament, which will begin with three separate qualifying rounds next April and May. The series kicks off in Fort Myers Beach, Florida, on April 9 – 11, with additional stops in Marco Island and Sarasota. Twenty teams will compete in each round and the top four will qualify to compete in the two-day Grand Championship Finale on May 22-24. The finale and its sister event, Shark Fest –a family-friendly, educational and entertaining event for all ages – are sponsored by Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium and the Center for Shark Research in Sarasota.

Tournament organizers hope that this event will become the “next generation” model for shark fishing competitions. Joining Donlon, the Paxton brothers and Guy Harvey in this ambitious effort are strategic partners Robert E. Hueter, Ph.D, director of Mote Marine Laboratory’s Center for Shark Research; Lee County Commissioner Ray Judah; Luke Tipple, director of Shark-Free Marinas; and other advocates of environmental stewardship.

"With the increasing demands facing our marine resources, we saw an opportunity to implement an alternative to traditional harvest formats that is not only environmentally sound, but also a viable tournament business model,” said Jack Donlon. “Through strategic alliances and with the support of like-minded corporations, such as Guy Harvey Inc., our vision will become a reality.”

Hueter noted that the staff from the Mote Center for Shark Research will oversee all scientific aspects of the tournament, including tagging operations. Selected sharks will be outfitted with satellite tags to track their movements after release. “This project will provide a breakthrough in collaborative research involving the marine scientific and recreational fishing communities,” he added. “By working together to develop a 21st century, conservation-oriented alternative, the Mote Center for Shark Research and tournament organizers will provide a national model, while changing public attitudes about responsible use of marine resources.”

Tournament organizers are planning a major television broadcast, which promises to deliver an adrenaline-fueled mix of extreme angling, cutting-edge research and wildlife management efforts. The show will be co-anchored by the Shark Brothers and Tipple, a marine biologist.

“In these days of technological connectivity, we will be able to put spectators right into the action, above and below the water,” said Tipple. “Our viewers will experience the sheer power and raw beauty of these animals, while seeing scientists and anglers working in concert to protect and understand their world.”

Limited sponsorship opportunities are still available and team entries are currently being accepted for review. For more details and additional contact information, visit: UltimateSharkChallenge.com and www.guyharveyoceanfoundation.org.

About Dr. Guy Harvey:

Born in Lippspringe, Germany in 1955, Harvey is a 10th generation Jamaican of English heritage. Growing up in Jamaica, Harvey spent many hours fishing and diving with his father. He was obsessed with the creatures of the sea and began drawing pictures of the many different fish he observed. From those early inspirations, Harvey’s gift of recreating marine life propelled him from Professor of Marine Biology to a wildlife artist and photographer. He initially opted for a scientific education, earning high honors in Marine Biology at Aberdeen University in Scotland in 1977. He continued his formal training at the University of West Indies, where he obtained a Doctorate in Fisheries Management. A vocal proponent of catch-and-release, Harvey generously donates artwork, time and funds for numerous institutions and conservation groups, including the Guy Harvey Research Institute established at Nova Southeastern University in 1999. In 2008, Harvey created the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation, which supports marine conservation, research and education efforts. For additional information on Guy Harvey, visit www.GuyHarveyinc.com.

For complete information on the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation, visit www.GuyHarveyOceanFoundation.org.

Bull Shark Diving in Cuba - Report

From the always interesting Team Sharkbait Blog, comes a quick report from Cuba and bull shark diving adventures in Santa Lucia.

Blog readers here at UT will recognise the name and this site from several of our posts involving the cardinal rule of bull shark encounters...never wear a Speedo.

In fact Speedos are just not considered official shark diving gear at all -anywhere.

Fortunately since 2004 the Santa Lucia bull shark site has matured and Team Sharkbite had a great time:

"One of the most breath taking moments we had in the holiday was the opportunity to go scuba diving with bull-sharks. As we were down 25 meters below the surface at a location called La Boca, it was a marvel to look at the bull sharks being hand fed by the diving master. Of course it’s even better to have seen them in their natural environment, without the help of a human touch… But I think wikipedia also describes the bull sharks as dangerous to humans, so for me this was more than a good chance to see them really close. When I write really close I’m talking about within arm’s reach, but I think ‘don’t touch’ had the upper hand in my mind."

Complete Post.

Alex "Sharkman" Buttigieg - Happy Birthday!

Long before the world of shark conservation had a million faces, and long before people even cared about sharks, there was Alex.

With his quirky and unique website and unbridled passion for sharks, Alex has been a mainstay of the shark conservation world.

Today was his birthday and we wanted to wish him a very best of days!

Your passion for sharks has inspired more people then you will ever know.