Peru: Dolphin as Shark Bait

Wrong on so many levels - complete report here

Costa Rica did what?

Costa Rica, usually known for it's forward thinking when it comes to the environment, seems to be one of the most backward countries when it comes to protecting sharks.  And what happens when the shark populations in their own waters dwindle...you find Costarican fishermen in Colombian waters killing sharks off Malpelo...and apparently this is not the first time either.  Galapagos and Cocos Island are not off-limits either.

For those who know Spanish - please read the following post and watch the video below...

The Bahamas: Eden for Sharks?

The Bahamian sharks need to be protected from reckless fishermen and Chinese "gourmets"!

A tiger and a wolf in perfect harmony as captured by Manuel Lazcano (Bahamas, 2009).

Click on image

Back in March 2007 there was no need to add a question mark to how the National Geographic Magazine described the Bahamian archipelago in its main feature.

At that time nobody would have even dreamt that this Eden for sharks could ever become a hunting ground for a reckless Bahamian seafood company to satisfy its Chinese clients' demand for shark fins.

After reading the National Geographic Magazine article you will understand why so many shark conservationists - organizations and concerned individuals - are totally OUTRAGED about the nightmarish thought of exterminating the Bahamian sharks so that wealthy Chinese can eat shark fin soup.

Shark fin soup is a very costly dish the Chinese consider not just a mere delicacy but a social privilege not to be challenged by "foreigners" who have no respect for ancient "cultural" traditions...

Here is the National Geographic Magazine article.

We need the Bahamian sharks - badly!!

Some 40 years ago I was a press and PR officer of the second largest German investment fund company. The first lessons I learned there were: 1) PR begins at home, and 2) you don't wait for the media to contact you - you go out to get them interested in what you have to say.


Which is precisely what I did one week ago, when I approached Mike Alexiou, a good old Bahamian friend of mine, asking him to put me in touch with the editorial board of the most prestigious and oldest Bahamian newspaper, The Nassau Guardian (est. 1844).


Luckily, the Guardian's Managing Director, Erica Wells, was very interested to publish an article about the mortal danger the Bahamian sharks are facing these days, a subject that alarmed local and international conservationist associations as well as recreational divers from all over the world.

Dr. Samuel Gruber, Professor Emeritus of the University of Miami, the famous "Doc", and Jill M. Hepp, Manager of Global Shark Conservation at the PEW Charitable Trusts, supplied me with most valuable and current information on the subject of shark conservation in the Bahamas.

If this PR action will help enhancing awareness of the plight of the sharks in the Bahamas, it will be due to "Doc's" and Jill's input, and, of course, to Erica Well's mastership of the journalistic craft.


Here is what Erica wrote on October 4, 2010:

To be able to read the article, click on images - once enlarged, click on them again.

Bahamian sharks are facing mortal enemies

The archipelago of the Bahamas is one of the last paradises for sharks. Not any longer if a reckless seafood company will have it their way.

Who wants to imagine she might be killed for her fins?....
Photo: Wolfgang Leander (Bahamas, 2009)
Click to enlarge

Read this:

Shark finning article sparks outcry from conservationists

Published On:Friday, September 10, 2010

By MEGAN REYNOLDS

Tribune Staff Reporter

mreynolds@tribunemedia.net

INTERNATIONAL organisations and local conservation groups are rallying to protect sharks in Bahamian waters following a Tribune article exposing the potential for shark finning in Andros.

Sunco Wholesale Seafood Ltd CEO James Mackey told The Tribune he would consider expanding his sea cucumber export operation in Mastic Point, North Andros, to include the export of shark fins to Hong Kong.

His comments sparked outcry from conservationists throughout the Bahamas and around the world as sharks are increasingly being fished to serve emerging markets for their meat and fins, which are used in soups and can fetch more than $200 per kilogram, and global shark populations have declined by as much as 80 per cent worldwide.

The Bahamas boasts the healthiest and most biologically diverse shark populations in the Atlantic as they have never been considered more than worthless bycatch, and the ban of long-line fishing following a BNT campaign 20 years ago greatly has decreased that risk.

However, there is also no legislation in place to prevent the taking of shark fins or catching and killing of sharks, and the Bahamas National Trust (BNT), in partnership with the Pew Environment Group, is launching a campaign to put such legislation in place.

Shark campaign manager Shelley Cant said: "The BNT wants to further secure the future of all shark populations in the Bahamas by establishing legislation that fully protects these important species and make Bahamian waters a shark sanctuary."

The blossoming shark campaign has already won support from The Nature Conservancy, BREEF, Friends of the Environment, Earthcare, The Bahamas Sea Turtle Conservation Group, the Bahamas Humane Society, ReEarth, Tropic Sea Food and Envirologic Bahamas - all of which have vowed to lobby the government for legislation to protect the ocean's top predator.

International shark protection organisations Stop Shark Finning and Shark Advocates International have also stepped up to support the fight.

Duncan Carson, of Stop Shark Finning, called on Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources Larry Cartwright to state the government's position on the issue following Monday's Tribune article, which he has distributed to around 22,000 readers of the group's website.

"Aside from being a barbaric practice, if it were allowed in the Bahamas, shark finning would soon decimate shark populations," Mr Carson wrote to Mr Cartwright.

"I can understand the desire to increase employment in the area, but this employment would be short lived, and would cease once the sharks had been killed."

Mr Carson and others have called on the government to recognise the economic benefits sharks can generate for marine ecotourism instead, such as recreational diving, shark feeding and shark watching.

As a former fisherman, Mr Cartwright agreed the country's healthy shark populations should be protected.

"We don't have a position on it yet, or any legislation to govern that right now," the Minister stated.

"But as a former fisherman, I think sharks need to be protected; all marine species do, they all serve a purpose.

"I wouldn't say shark finning is not going to happen here because what's happening elsewhere I am sure will come this way eventually, and when the time comes we will look into legislation."

BNT executive director Eric Carey said: "Shark fisheries are not sustainable and as such, all shark fishery, except for catch and release sports fishing, should be discouraged.

"Permanent protections for sharks should be considered by the relevant government agency now, especially in light of recent developments."

***FACT BOX: (maybe for turn page)

- Up to 73 million sharks are killed every year to supply the shark fin trade

- Of the 1,045 shark and ray species assessed by scientists for the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), 17 per cent are threatened with extinction and another 13 per cent have near-threatened status

- For 47 per cent of species scientists lack enough data to properly assess their population status

- There are 315 shark and ray species currently classified as threatened or near threatened with extinction, according to the IUCN including the great, scalloped, and smooth hammerhead sharks, whale shark, great white shark, oceanic whitetip shark and the shortfin mako shark.

- Declines in populations of sharks by as much to 70-80 per cent have been reported globally

- Some populations such as the porbeagle sharks int he northwestern Atlantic, have been reduced by 90 per cent or more

- Shark bycatch is frequently reported pelagic long-line fisheries targetting tuna and swordfish and can represent as much as 25 per cent of the total catch.

- The value of shark fins has increased with economic growth in Asia and this increased value is a major factor in the commercial exploitation of sharks worldwide.

- The removal of large sharks can negatively impact whole ecosystems by allowing an increase in the abundance of their prey, or influencing prey species through non-lethal means by causing behavioural changes to prey habitat use, activity level and diet

- Live sharks have a significant value for marine ecotourism such as recreational diving, shark feeding and shark watching

Now that you have read the article, and believe that the Bahamian sharks have to be fully protected, please sign this petition. Thank you very much.

Just a reminder...

Just saw the post from The Dorsal Fin in reference to Shark Week with the following video embedded...a reminder that there is still a lot of work to be done.

Hawaii - Rep Riki Karamatsu in bed with the shark fin industry?

Rep. Jon Riki Karamatsu for Lieutenant Governor not for Sharks

We thought things were going well in reference to the ban on shark finning - but apparently there has been a setback being led by one man - a politician: Riki Karamatsu.  The guys over at Shark Diver having been reporting about the situation in Hawaii and have written a pretty detailed post on Karamatsu:

"He is a politician.

He has been charged and convicted with drunk driving resulting in a crash.

He is currently running for Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii.

This man also hates sharks.

Enough to actively work against a new shark fin bill making the rounds through the hallowed halls of Hawaii's legislative offices.

Why is he doing this?

What can you do about it?

The answer to the first question is money. Riki Karamatsu is the patron of several well heeled shark fin businesses in Hawaii, businesses that sell thousands of tons of dried shark fin to Asia.

Currently the cost of shark fin is hovering at 1980's gold price levels. The shark fin industry is a multi-billion dollar global industry. It is also one of the most barbaric animal cruelty issues the conservation world is dealing with now. Akin to sedated wild bears and gall bladder secretions, a wild animal product that is as equally disturbing and one that has no place in Hawaii's business trading community.

So, what can you do about it?

Here is the list of contacts for Jon Riki Karamatsu. Your voice, in your own words, may help this man realize how many people care about sharks and how sometimes, being the patron of people whose business depends on shearing the fins off live animals for a soup product...is a bad career choice.

You can also tweet, blog, and re post this far and wide.

Let's send a clear and unambiguous message to Jon Riki Karamatsu.

"Mr.Karamatsu if you want to see your political career continue, get on the side of millions of people who care about our oceans, and our wildlife. Stop your solo attempts to block or modify legislation that would put and end to shark fin sales in Hawaii."

Note: Do not send threatening or abusive emails, phone calls or letters. You are entitled to use words that describe disgust, distaste, you are entitled to detail how you will support his opponent in his race for the Lieutenant Governor seat in Hawaii. You are also entitled to mention the fact that this man, who would aspire to the higher levels of government, was once so intoxicated he drove his car off the road.

Is this the man who should be leading Hawaii into the new decade?

For the many thousands of sharks that are currently being finned just outside the territorial waters of Hawaii the answer to that question is clearly no.

Contacts:

Jon Riki Karamatsu - Blog

Jon Riki Karamatsu - jonriki@gmail.com

Jon Riki Karamatsu - Democratic Offices

Jon Riki Karamatsu - Facebook"

Go at it and let Riki know how you feel about shark finning... 

Urgent - Hawaii Shark Fin Bill Needs a Push

As per Shark Diver:


If you have some time in your busyschedule over the next two days please add your voice to excellent efforts in Hawaii to help conserve sharks with a new bill SB2169:

Hello everyone,

For some reason the Representative that is the chair of our LAST
committee, Riki Karamatsu, is unresponsive and hasn't scheduled a hearing for our shark finning bill.

If you have the time today or tomorrow, please take a minute and send a message/call to to urge him to hear SB2169.

We have come so far with this bill and I can't believe it is stuck now! Very frustrating.

Tell him how important this is for Hawaii, but also the rest of the US/world.

Tell him that the desire for people to eat shark fin soup should not
override the decision to pass this bill. A delicacy should not cause
the destruction of the ocean... etc

Express yourself as strongly as you can and if you are from Hawaii
make sure you let him know that too.

We have been sending messages and have been stopping by his office. We
have given him photos, letters and videos.

Apparently he needs more pressure to be convinced. I think there are a couple of member in the House that really like to eat their shark fin soup that may have asked him to not hear the bill.

I will go to the capitol this afternoon to park myself outside his
office until he speaks to me.

Here is his info:

Jon Riki Karamatsu
Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee
phone 808-586-8490; fax 808-586-8494
E-mail repkaramatsu@Capitol.hawaii.gov

thank you
Stefanie

Costa Rica Leads Call at UN to Increase Shark Protection

A ray of hope for them?.....
Photograph: Wolfgang Leander

There seems to be more and more good news coming out for sharks: the latest from Rome, Italy, at a United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization’s Committee on Fisheries meeting.

According to the Humane Society International:

"ROME - HSI experts participated in a meeting of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization’s Committee on Fisheries this week where Costa Rica led the call for a global “fins-attached” shark conservation strategy.

Joined by 10 other Latin American countries, Costa Rica formally requested a U.N. workshop to address the barbaric and wasteful practice of shark finning.

Each year, around the world, tens of millions of sharks are hauled up on deck, where their fins and tails are sliced off and the (often still-living) sharks are then thrown back overboard to die a lingering and painful death.

The reason for this shameful waste is the demand for shark fin soup. The effect has been the devastation of shark populations worldwide. Some shark populations have declined by more than 90 percent in the past 20 years. Some may never recover.

“Costa Rica has got it right”, says Patricia Forkan, president of Humane Society International, which has worked extensively on the issue of shark finning.

“The Costa Rican proposal promotes the idea that sharks should be landed with fins partially or wholly attached to the carcasses, a practice that is required by law in Costa Rica and is the most simple and sure way to prevent shark finning.”

The FAO was the first multilateral body to address the problem of shark finning.

However, the agreement that suggests a prohibition on finning is voluntary and open to interpretation, with the result that the FAO has achieved little in the way of shark protection to date.

Sharks are in serious trouble. Strong finning bans combined with limits or bans on shark fishing must be implemented fully around the world to curb the rapid decline of shark populations.

Facts:

• Recent studies in the Northwest Atlantic have shown steep declines in shark populations, particularly among highly migratory species. Since 1986, hammerheads have declined by 89 percent, thresher sharks by 80 percent, white sharks by 79 percent and tiger sharks by 65 percent. All recorded shark species in the region, with one exception, have declined by more than 50 percent in the past eight to 15 years. It is highly likely that similar results will be seen across the world's oceans.

• Reported global trade in shark fins increased from 3,011 metric tons in 1980 to 11,732 metric tons in 2000. Much of the trade is unreported because many fins do not pass through normal landing channels and because most of the fin trade is conducted in cash to avoid tax and duties.

• Research in Hong Kong found that dried fins sold for as much as $744 per kilogram in 2002. In 2003 dried shark fins in China retailed for $200 – 300 (per kilogram. In ”producer“ countries such as Costa Rica and Colombia, fishers make $12 – 17 per kilogram for their fins.

• Shark fin soup can cost up to $150 per serving in Hong Kong, but there are worrying signs of a new market opening up for lower-quality fins, allowing millions more people to buy products such as shark fin sushi, shark fin cookies, shark fin cat food and canned shark fin soup.

• Shark fin consists of collagen fiber and has no taste. Flavor is added to the soup by the addition of chicken or fish stock.

• Unlike other fish, sharks take many years to mature, they have long gestation periods and they give birth to live young – or they lay eggs – in very small numbers. In some cases of severe overfishing, recovery of the stock, if possible at all, will take decades. The ”boom and bust“ pattern of shark fisheries has been repeated all over the world wherever sharks have been targeted.

Media Contact:
Kristen Everett, 301-721-6440, keverett@humanesociety.org"

House Passes Shark Finning Ban

Some very good news coming out of Washington D.C today..."The House of Representatives passed the Shark Conservation Act of 2009 (H.R. 81) yesterday. This bill would require sharks to be landed with their fins still naturally attached, which allows for better enforcement and data collection in stock assessments and quota monitoring."

For more information please read Oceana's press release (who also happened to be a driving force behind this initiative) and visit their website - specifically their shark section.

Creativity and Shark Conversation

My old man just forwarded me an email from Jeremiah Sullivan from Neptunic with a link to an advertising blog featuring a anti-shark finning campaign created by Shark Project and Y&R - great direct mail piece that will undoubtedly create awareness...

Alibaba.com to Stop Facilitating the Trade of Shark Fins

We first covered Alibaba.com on our blog back in December of 2006. However, the actual campaign started a few months before that.

It is gratifying to see that they finally came around - just in time for The Year of the Shark.

See all our posts regarding Alibaba.com.

Below is the offical press release from the Shark Group.

Congratulations to all those involved, in particular to Professor Brian W. Darvell for bringing the controversy to the attention of Alibaba's top management - and finally persuading them to stop offering their platform as a virtual shark fin exchange.

We should also applaud Alibaba for demonstrating corporate responsibility and a firm ethical position in an issue of transcendental relevance.

Press Release - The Shark Group

In Honour of The Year of the Shark, Alibaba Ends its Trade in Shark Fin

December 21, 2008

The International Year of the Shark gets off to a good start on January 1, 2009, as on-line trading giant, Alibaba, ceases its trade in shark fins.

The company has been in negotiations regarding the issue for the past year, since shark advocate Brian W. Darvell brought the problem to their attention.

Urging Alibaba to cease the trade, which poses a major threat to the survival of the targeted shark species, has been one of the prime projects of The Shark Group.

As a result of the information they provided, and the numbers of organizations concerned by the company's involvement in the shark fin trade, Alibaba made the group-wide decision to disallow shark fins, and shark fin products, on any of their trading sites.

They have encouraged their users to report incidences of shark fin trading, saying that perpetrators would be "suitably punished."

The company's decision gives a strong message to others that ethical concerns prohibit the participation in the wasteful practice of shark finning, which is one of the most dangerous threats to sharks at this time.

"I have been assured by the company that the intention is that all group websites will be shark fin-free on January 1st, 2009. Essentially, the decision that was made for Taobao applies to the whole of the company," Darvell explained.

While the development brings a ray of hope for shark conservation, The Shark Group remains concerned that the trade could resurface in other forms, and that demand for shark fin soup is still high."

For further information, please contact: Ila France Porcher, ila@smartech.pf

Shark Fins make it big

Story on shark finning makes homepage on CNN.com with the editorial on how the practice can alter the ecosystem. Be sure not to miss Planet in Peril on December 11th 9PM EST - report...also check out Anderson Cooper's blog post.

Shout out to Shawn Heinrichs of BlueSphereMedia who has been involved with this.

Back from Tiger Beach - but first...

Photo: Gunther Deichmann

I have been meaning to post about the recent trip to Tiger Beach - will do so shortly - waiting to get photos and video from the others that were there.  In the meantime, please have a look at Patric Douglas' latest post about photographer Gunther Deichmann.

Alibaba.com will once be called to account by the international public...

As Alibaba.com has done nothing with regard to facilitating the shark fin trade on their site, we hardly expect an answer from them any time soon.

Currently they list over 500 results for "shark fin" - unfortuntately, some are even from the US.

Having said that, we still continue to attempt to reach out to them - maybe not as nicely anymore...

From the Wolf to the spin doctors at Alibaba.com:

"One day, when you will have to yield to public pressure, and decide to stop hawking shark fins, you will hypocritically babble something about your respect for people's "cultural choices".

You will declare that you were not "taking sides in the issue" but just complying with the expectations of your shark fin trading clients to enable them to pursue their business as any other member of your platform.

War criminals put on trial invariably state in their defense that they were just "following orders".

You and your superiors have the same mentality.

I know that you don't feel ashamed at all about being sly complices in the environmental crime of exterminating sharks, mainly to satisfy your countrymen's insatiable appetite for a dish that should taste bitter by now.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/7595410.stm

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2675452/Artist-hangs-herself-from-hooks-in-protest-at-shark-treatment.html

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080903/wl_uk_afp/britainanimaldemooffbeat

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/09/04/18533172.php

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/life/2008-09/05/content_7001918.htm"

Swimming for Sharks

Came across a good post by Lori at Ecorazzi about US Olympic swimmer Tara Kirk speaking out against shark finning. Raising some awareness before the Beijing Olympics. Watch the video...

Saving sharks in the strangest places

I was on my way to Chicago on American Airlines when I picked up their in-flight magazine American Way. Right on the cover was Denise Richards - but it was not her that caught my eye, it was the message someone had written on the magazine cover: "Stop Shark Finning...Save our sharks!"

Was nice to see and not a bad guerrilla mkt tactic - I wonder how many eyeballs will see the message.

Some good news

In an effort to further protect sharks, the United States has passed a law that will require fishermen to bring their shark catches to shore with fins still attached. Would have been nice if this law was in place for the Chinese vessel that was apprehended in 2002.

Humans at their best

This video speaks for itself:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uo8K1-BVtNw

Tiger Sharks Killed at Aliwal Shoal

I woke up this morning and the first thing I read was an email from my father about the killing of various tiger sharks at Aliwal Shoal. We are hoping to get more details. The story seems to get darker as allegedly one of the local shark dive operators bought tiger shark meat from the fisherman to use as bait to lure other tiger sharks for his operation.

I am supposed to go with my old man this April to Aliwal Shoal - want to meet his friends (both the ones with fins and those without). Many of the tiger sharks have names, such as "Dartboard" (pictured above) - the Wolf hopes that she is not one of the victims...

UPDATE - Thomas Peschak just wrote more about it.