"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.

Task Force Created To Ban Shark Feeding Tours

HONOLULU -- New efforts are under way to ban commercial shark feeding tours on the Islands.Hawaii Kai lawmaker Gene Ward on Wednesday announced the formation of a shark task force to eliminate commercial operations except those with educational and scientific purposes.

The group wants to enforce a state law that makes it illegal to feed sharks within three miles of shore.

The formation of the task force comes about two months after Hawaii Kai community members strongly opposed a shark tour in their area, which ultimately caused a planned operation in Maunalua Bay to be called off.

Hawaii Shark Diving - An Angry Mob

With the news coming out of Hawaii for existing commercial shark diving operations sounding grim, the old adage "a good offence" is "good advice".

Still buzzing from a failed commercial roll out last month, islanders and the Hawaii Kai Neighborhood Board will decide tonight on a resolution measure that will ask for the closure of all shark diving activities in Hawaii.

The same pitchforks and flaming torches anti-shark diving "resolutions" that forever closed commercial operations in Florida back in 2001. This is the most serious challenge to commercial shark diving seen in many years and operators need to move fast now to head off possible closures at the hands of those few who see commercial shark diving as negative. Chumming data from credible sources worldwide exists to counter many of the arguments, but this challenge will not be met in public meetings, the media will decide the fate of operations on these islands.

Food for thought - and a clarion cry for serious and lasting action:

The Hawaii Kai Neighborhood Board will consider a resolution to support a
statewide ban on commercial shark tours during its meeting tonight.

The meeting begins at 7 at Hahaione Elementary School.

The resolution is in response to community opposition to a proposed shark
tour operation outside Maunalua Bay, and to questions raised about the
legality of existing shark tours on Oahu's North Shore.

State and federal laws currently prohibit feeding sharks within 200 miles of
shore.

More than 300 people attended a community meeting on the issue at Kamiloiki
Elementary on April 16. Opponents of shark tours said that sharks learn to
identify the sound of vessels that have chummed the water, that chumming
causes sharks to associate feeding with humans, and that sharks have been
observed to follow shark tour boats back toward shore.

The Hawaii Kai Neighborhood Board resolution calls for "city and state
legislation to effectively ban commercial shark tours in Maunalua Bay and
throughout the state."

To close existing loopholes, the resolution also calls for legislation 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."

The public is invited to attend the meeting and offer testimony.

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