Shark Conservation Wins - T'Was a Good Month

Image Ocean Research

Naturally when word and images of some guy in S.A who had caught a protected white shark appeared on the Internet in 2011 - we had some choice words of our own to say about it:

"Simian, Rock Squatting, Douchebaggery with Sharks"

Note: It was the fine assemblage of words like these to describe events of the day that made us one of the most read shark blogs out there.

But wait, there's even better news, because said "Simian" was arrested and fined, yes fined!

Just when you thought that S.A was little more than an overheated battleground for competing commercial operations, a few disparate conservation types, and a mess of shark regulations, something was done for sharks..

Actually, S.A is a fine place for sharks and for the commercial interests as well who rallied around this one dead shark to see justice for protected species done.

Now, if we could only get New Zealand on board with the legal shark fin quota they have and the few commercial miscreants who still harvest sharks for fins, and you know who you are - Lady Anna still killing sharks or have you given that up for Lent?

Oh and yes there was this, the bust of some fishermen in Honduras in a no take zone. Is this the end of shark fining in sanctuaries?

If Mikes breathy post is any indication we can all call it "Victory" and go home, as for us we'll take a more nuanced approach and wait and see. After six years of shark blogging we know better.

BTW if you happen to be into the nuanced approach Mike also wrote this, and it's about as good as it gets. Read his post before you go off on your next racist Facebook Rant about how, "brown and yellow people and raping the oceans"...they are not for the most part, what they are doing is surviving, and not in the twice-a-day Skinny Latte manner of Julie from Sea Shepherd, (oh how she suffers for sharks) but in the classic, "don't have two dimes to rub together and my folks need to eat," sense.

Good blogging.

About Shark Diver. As a global leader in commercial shark diving and conservation initiatives Shark Diver has spent the past decade engaged for sharks around the world. Our blog highlights all aspects of both of these dynamic and shifting worlds. You can reach us directly at sharkcrew@gmail.com.

About White Sharks & Conservation: Richard Theiss at The Explorers Club in San Diego

There are some very smart people involved with sharks. They have the innate ability to see the many facets of oceans conservation in ways that bring new insights and fresh views towards the process.

One of these wise sages is Richard Theiss.

You probably don't know much about him because he's one of the quiet ones. He's not out in the community rattling media cages, seeking the limelight, or even trying to get his own Reality TV show.

Lord knows we have enough of these to last a lifetime and for the 100,000 metric tons of sharks that will be processed today absolutely nothing being done by these media conservation circus performers will impact that gruesome statistic.

About the only time you'll hear from Richard is when he has something to say and then the smart money is on those who pay close attention.

We have been paying attention to Richard for quite a few years now for reasons that include his talents underwater, to storytelling, to conservation.
 
If you want to get into the rarefied air of one of Richards few public engagements, be in San Diego Tuesday October 16th, 2012 at the Explorers Club.

Conservation is a long game, it's got many facets and like a hand knitted sweater if you pull on one thread it impacts the rest. Richard is going to show you one of the greatest conservation webs of all time and what can be done about it today, tomorrow, and in 30 years from now.

About Shark Diver. As a global leader in commercial shark diving and conservation initiatives Shark Diver has spent the past decade engaged for sharks around the world. Our blog highlights all aspects of both of these dynamic and shifting worlds. You can reach us directly at sharkcrew@gmail.com.

Unsung Shark Conservation Hero? Yes, Claudia Li

We spend a lot of time pointing out what's not working with shark conservation.

Namely to try and guide the discussion and or deflate those whose world views about themselves or conservation messaging is out of touch, out of whack, and downright counter productive to a global effort to save sharks.

So instead we wanted to focus on someone who is doing things right. A group that has created a global template for awareness and change within a community, and that group is Shark Truth.

We have been huge fans of Shark Truth from its inception back in 2009. Here's an organization whose branding, messaging, outreach, and media roll outs have been simply flawless.

If you want to see a website that's on point, on target, and frankly the future of shark fin conservation on a regional level you cannot help but admire what Vancouver, Ca resident Claudia Li and her team have put together.

Shark Truth could, if funded to its logical resource level, become the future of shark fin change across the planet. From Hong Kong to Malaysia and back smart and local boots on the ground efforts are the way to effect conservation change.

It's not sexy work, there's no reality tv moments, no $75.00 sustainable appetizers at Hollywood parties, what Claudia does is real conservation grind. Changing the minds and the hearts of her community one person at a time, making her and her entire team the Unsung Heroes of Shark Conservation.

If you would like to see a world where Shark Truth had branch offices across the planet, donate here this is money well spent, this is money that will actually save sharks for generations to come.

About Shark Diver. As a global leader in commercial shark diving and conservation initiatives Shark Diver has spent the past decade engaged for sharks around the world. Our blog highlights all aspects of both of these dynamic and shifting worlds. You can reach us directly at sharkcrew@gmail.com.