Watching Sharks, Sharks and Watches Bahamas

Luke Tipple from What We Do Media has been busy on the commercial side this month with an underwater time piece roll out at Tiger Beach, Bahamas.

Actually the MTM Special Ops Watch is far more than an ordinary time piece.

If Darth Vader owned a watch this is what he would carry.

For industry guys and gals this commercial is a tribute to you and your lifestyle. Only you know what it is like to "get the call" and have to jump out the door on another shark adventure, enjoy:

Sharks and the 1970's? Beer too?

Thanks to the ever watchful Dorsal Fin Blog for this video catch of the week.

Yes the 70's were groovy, and none more than this beer commercial featuring a shark, a diver chick, and that perennial aluminum flavored brew - Colt 45.

Proving once and for all that sharks and Billy Dee Williams can be used to sell almost anything:

No Caught Shark Allowed - Matava leading the Shark Free Marina Initiative in Fiji

Matava and Bite Me Gamefishing Charters in Fiji are taking a leading role in the international shark conservation efforts, organizing Fiji to become the first country to fully participate in the Shark-Free Marina Initiative (SFMI).

The SFMI works with marinas, boaters and fishermen to develop policy designed to protect sharks as a vital component of the oceans health. The SFMI has a singular purpose, to reduce worldwide shark mortality. Working with marinas, fishermen and like minded non-profit groups, the Initiative forms community conscious policy and increase awareness of the need to encourage shark conservation.

Shark Free Marinas work with, not against, the recreational and commercial fishing community, in order to raise awareness of the importance of a healthy shark population for our oceans, and to contribute to their ongoing survival.

Matava, together with partners in Fiji, has helped many marinas and charter fishing boats become SFMI certified, and Fiji now has more certified Shark-Free Marinas than any other country in the world. Stuart Gow, Director of Matava, said that his team has been actively promoting the SFMI, and distributing information about the Initiative, with the long-term goal of making Fiji “the first country to be proud to announce itself as a ‘Shark-Free Marinas’ Country”.

See the map of current Shark-Free Marinas

The majority of shark species caught by recreational and sport anglers are currently listed by the IUCN as “Threatened” (or worse) and each year, half a million of these sharks are killed in the US alone. It is estimated that 70-100 million sharks are killed yearly worldwide.

See IUCN Red List of Threatened Shark Species

About Matava

Matava is an eco adventure getaway in Fiji, offering a unique blend of cultural experiences and adventure activities in the pristine and remote island of Kadavu, Fiji. Matava is a PADI Dive Resort as well as a Project AWARE GoEco Operator, a title awarded to demonstrate a commitment to conservation and provide customers with experiences that enhance visitor awareness, appreciation and understanding of the environment. Matava is also one of the supporters of the Fiji Shark Conservation and Awareness Project, which aims to raise global awareness of their imminent extinction of sharks and the crises facing our oceans.

With more than 12 years experience in the Fiji Islands, Matava is recognized as a leading educational dive center. Matava is participating in TIES ecoDestinations project (currently featuring “beaches, marine and coastal ecotourism experience”) as one of the Summer Special 2009 sponsors.

Underwater Thrills:Swimming With Sharks: “No Caught Shark Allowed”: Matava leading the Shark Free Marina Initiative in Fiji

Spanish Fisheries Confederation - Sharks

The Spanish Fisheries Confederation (CEPESCA) will ask the European Commission (EC) to put forth international conservation and management measures for a variety of species of shark, among them, the thresher and the hammerhead.

It is hoped that the measures are proposed in the next annual meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), which will be held in Recife, Brazil, from 6 to 15 November.

Last September, Spain prohibited the capture of thresher sharks and scalloped hammerhead sharks – in an effort to protect both vulnerable species.

According to the norm, Spanish fishing ships are not be able to catch, transfer, land or commercialise these sharks in any of the fishing-grounds they target.

“In written documents sent as much to the Spanish Administration as to EC Fisheries Commissioner Joe Borg, CEPESCA insists on the need for the European Commission to chair the ICCAT session on the necessary initiatives for the protection of the most vulnerable species of sharks and in the setting of the most adequate management measures for the establishment of responsible and sustainable fishing,” the Confederation indicated in a statement.

Complete Story.

McDonalds Hates Sharks...Apparently

In response to a new McDonalds radio commercial on the east coast, Melanie Marks CEO of Shark Trust Wines sent the following email to McD's corporate headquarters this week.

Having personally known Melanie for over 6 years and her absolute dedication to shark conservation issues we'll agree with her take on this commercial having not yet heard it for ourselves. Sometimes you just have to act:

I recently heard a radio commercial for McDonald's that referenced the great white shark. More specifically, it promoted McDonald's at the expense of the great white. Sickened would not begin to describe how I felt about McDonald's when I heard this commercial.

The great white shark is on the endangered species list. It's population has declined by roughly 80% in the last 15 years and is expected to become extinct within the next several decades unless something is done to reverse this trend. In light of that, how can McDonald's approve an ad that contributes to the negative, and incorrect, image of this animal. Clearly, someone did not do their homework! A great leader once said, if you are not part of the solution than you are part of the problem.

I request that you immediately remove these extremely ignorant and inflammatory commercials from the air. I am prepared to organize a boycott of McDonald's if you do not do so immediately. And, to give you a sense of the power behind this statement, 30 million viewers tuned into Discovery Channel's Shark Week last year because they are interested in the fate of the shark.

I am an active voice in the ocean conservation community and I am not opposed to using that voice to send a message to McDonald's that your advertising campaign is malicious and contributing to the extinction of one of the great ocean animals.

I request that you respond to my request within 5 business days, or I will have no choice but to begin a PR campaign against McDonald's for your slander of an endangered animal.

Regards,

Melanie Marks
President
Shark Trust Wines
619-994-5933
marks@sharktrustwines.com