lovesharks.sg

New "4 sharks" t-shirt!

noreply@blogger.com (sharkman) — Wed, 20 May 2009 02:54:00 +0000

Spread the shark love message with our new "4 sharks" t-shirt.

Trendy bold design on the front, anti shark fin message on the back! What more could you ask for in a t-shirt, really?

Impress your friends with your sharky knowledge: The blue shark is one of the most commonly fished and finned sharks in the world. White, whale and basking sharks are the only 3 sharks protected under CITES.

Complete with Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and lovesharks.sg logos.

Only 15 bucks from the lovesharks.sg shop.

Shark-free Marinas

noreply@blogger.com (sharkman) — Wed, 20 May 2009 01:42:00 +0000

Great new campaign from the Shark Crew of www.sharkdivers.com.

A lot of people say that recreational fishermen should not be made to pay for the problems caused by commercial fishing. But sport fishermen catch 500,000 sharks a year in the USA alone. It all adds up.

Shark-Free Marina Initiative to reduce worldwide shark mortality
Tuesday 19th May, 2009, Press Release

The Shark-Marina has a singular purpose, to reduce worldwide shark mortality. Today the not-for-profit company launches its strategy which intends to prevent the deaths of millions of vulnerable and endangered species of shark. The initiative aims to win over the fishing community by working with game fishing societies, tackle manufacturers, competition sponsors and marinas to form community conscious policy.

In the last five years over a half million sharks on average were harvested annually by the recreational and sport-fishing community in the United States alone. Many of these were breeding age animals and belong to vulnerable or endangered species. Research has shown that removal of adult sharks from the population is occurring at such an extreme rate that many species stand no chance of survival, severely damaging the delicate ecological balance of the oceans ecosystem.

“There’s a lot of talk about the atrocity of shark fining and fishing worldwide” says the SFMI’s Board Director, Marine Biologist Luke Tipple “but not a lot of measurable action towards reversing the damage. The time has come to stop simply ‘raising awareness’ and start implementing sensible management techniques to protect vulnerable species of sharks from inevitable destruction.”

The Shark-Free Marina Initiative works by prohibiting the landing of any caught shark at a participating marina. By promoting catch-and-release fishing the sport of shark fishing can actively participate in ongoing research studies and collect valuable data. The initiative is based on the Atlantic billfish model which banned the mortal take of billfish in response to population crashes in the 80’s.

Visit the Shark-Free Marina website at www.sharkfreemarinas.com

No whale sharks at IR

noreply@blogger.com (sharkman) — Mon, 18 May 2009 02:48:00 +0000

Yay great news! For those of you who haven't signed, please sign at www.whalesharkpetition.com we need to keep the pressure up so the gahmen will approve RWS's proposal!

No whale sharks at IR
May 16, 2009, Grace Chua, the Straits Times

RESORTS World at Sentosa (RWS) is scrapping its plan to exhibit whale sharks at its upcoming Marine Life Park.

The creatures had been touted as a star attraction for the 8ha oceanarium, the world's largest, when Genting International's RWS won its bid for the Sentosa integrated resort (IR) three years ago.

The plan drew intense flak from animal welfare organisations which highlighted the limited space for huge animals that can grow to over 12m long, and their dismal survival rate in captivity.

The developer stuck to its guns - but now may have realised it made a mistake.

RWS spokesman Krist Boo admitted the resort was hoping to back out of its original plan as it believes it may not be able to care for the animals.

She told The Straits Times on Friday: 'We are discussing and exploring an alternative proposal to having whale sharks.'

The new proposal, like any change to the original IR plan, must be presented to the Government.

Catching controversy, all 1,060 pounds of it

noreply@blogger.com (sharkman) — Sat, 16 May 2009 05:03:00 +0000

Sad news that people still want to do something like that. In exchange for 5 minutes of fame you killed an animal that was probably as old as yourself. Watch the video report of his shark catch here.

Catching controversy, all 1,060 pounds of it
Eric Ernst, Herald-Tribune, Friday, May 15, 2009 at 1:00 a.m.

He could have moved to the middle of the boat. Instead, he leaned over the edge with a gaff hook and set off another controversy.

When fishing captain Bucky Dennis of Englewood reeled in a 1,060-pound hammerhead shark from Boca Grande Pass last week, he was going for a world record on 80-pound test line.
Shark populations worldwide have dropped 50 to 75 percent because of overfishing, so news of Dennis' latest trophy set off derisive protests, some deserved, some not.
Maybe that's part of Dennis' public relations problem. The commercial fishing industry catches sharks, cuts off their fins for Asian markets, then discards the fish to die. Worldwide, the practice has decimated shark numbers far more than Bucky Dennis ever could.
But commercial shark fishing is a faceless foe. It doesn't pose at the dock for the cameras, so no one attacks it personally.
Dennis has other PR troubles, though. The record shark he caught in 2006, a female estimated at 40 to 50 years old, was carrying 55 pups. That was also a hammerhead record, according to Mote Marine Laboratory, which reluctantly accepted the fish for research. It refused to take Dennis' latest catch, which was likely pregnant, too, experts say.
Of course, not all fishermen endorse Dennis' practice of chasing records. I asked a friend, also a charter captain, for his analysis.
"They're a thing of beauty. You don't kill them. You move to the middle of the boat."

Shark protection call

noreply@blogger.com (sharkman) — Fri, 15 May 2009 04:58:00 +0000

Shark protection call
14 May 2009 -- 09:50CEST, by di-ve.com

The Shark Alliance is marking Global Ocean Policy Day by calling on EU Fisheries Commissioner, Joe Borg, to strengthen the EU’s most important and far-reaching policy for sharks: the ban on "finning" (slicing off the fins and tossing the body at sea).

The EU is the lead supplier for the global shark fin trade, which is driven by demand for the Asian delicacy, shark fin soup. The EU finning ban is currently among the weakest in the world, the Shark Alliance said.

Species that dominate the Asian shark fin trade, such as thresher, hammerhead and blue sharks, are taken by Maltese fishermen. In 2008, scientists reported population declines of 97-99 per cent for Mediterranean populations of these species.

“Ten years ago, Malta took bold action to protect the great white shark, giant devil ray and basking shark, and it is high time to show such leadership again,” said Sonja Fordham, Shark Alliance Policy Director.

Nearly 60 per cent of Malta’s 35 species of sharks are considered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as threatened with extinction. The main shark targeted in Malta, spiny dogfish, is classified as endangered in the Mediterranean. Maltese fishermen also take critically endangered porbeagle and angular rough sharks.

The European Commission released in February 2009 the Community Plan of Action for Sharks, which sets the stage for sweeping improvements in EU shark policies, including the finning ban.

The Shark Alliance is a coalition of 70 conservation, scientific and diving organisations dedicated to improving EU shark policies, including Nature Trust (Malta), Sharklab (Malta) and Sharkman's World Organisation.

Shark Love (EP3): Shark-fin friendly photographer

noreply@blogger.com (sharkman) — Fri, 15 May 2009 04:42:00 +0000

How awesome is this guy! Thanks Dazza!!! Is anybody getting married? Tell them!

Shark Love (EP3): Shark-fin friendly photographer
Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 10:15hrs, the long zlong
So if you’ve been following, I’ve been blogging about the love for sharks and how and why we should be treating these gnashing saw teeth fishes better in;
Shark Love (EP1): In conversation with Sharkman
Shark Love (EP2): Sharkwater and some shark facts

And on how I am keen in affecting change in an industry that, perhaps doesn’t actually play a part in the slaughter of sharks for Shark-fin soup, but may be in the right position to affect some, if only a slight change - a change in seeing Shark Fin dishes off banquet tables.
Take local TV celebrities Shaun and Michelle, their heavily publicized wedding dinner had them declaring live on National TV last Monday night, how they took shark-fin off their menu and served a substitute instead
I would like to encourage couples and their families to not serve Shark-fin at their dinner banquets. And to do that, I pledge to offer every couple signed up for Actual Day wedding photography with me, who are holding sit-down Chinese x-course banquets, who consciously decide not to serve any form of sharks-fin dish at their wedding, a S$100 credit¹. This credit can be used as a redemption for any products such as Canvas Prints, Photobooks or Wedding Books. This isn’t a time-limited offer, it will be an offer I will provide henceforth. I am providing this at a cost to myself, probably not the smartest business or profit margin increasing move, but I am doing this because I care. I care for the sharks that are being poached and sinking to the floor of the ocean with their fins cut off and I am doing so because it matters what goes into the mouths of the people I care about.

Mozambique Loses Millions To Illegal Shark Fishing

noreply@blogger.com (sharkman) — Thu, 14 May 2009 04:55:00 +0000

Mozambique Loses Millions To Illegal Shark Fishing
May 14, 2009 11:18 AM, Bernama.com

MAPUTO, May 14 (Bernama) -- The Mozambican state has been losing millions of US dollars because of illegal shark fishing by foreign vessels in the country's waters, the Mozambican news agency (AIM) said quoting a report in Wednesday's issue of the Maputo daily "Noticias".

The illegal vessels mostly come from Tanzania and operate in the waters off the coat of Memba and Nacala districts, in the northern province of Nampula. The local maritime administration currently lacks the resources to inspect the coastal waters effectively.

A kilo of shark fins is sold for about US$750 in the international market, but fetches much higher prices in the Asian shops and restaurants where it is regarded as a delicacy.

Shark Love (EP2): Sharkwater and some shark facts

noreply@blogger.com (sharkman) — Thu, 14 May 2009 00:17:00 +0000

I really loved this post from Dazza. It is very refreshing to have a Singaporean guy man enough to say he cares (apart from Sharkman of course)!

Read the full post of Shark Love (EP2): Sharkwater and some shark facts.
Read Shark Love (EP1): In conversation with Sharkman.

Shark Love (EP2): Sharkwater and some shark facts
Wednesday, May 13, 2009 at 09:32hrs, the long zlong

SharkWater is an award-winning documentary produced, written and directed by Rob Stewart. The film debunks many of the fears and misconceptions the media machine has brainwashed us with. And traces the journey that Stewart makes with renegade conservationist Paul Watson of Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, on an adventure that exposes the truth behind shark-finning, with the corruption involved for that tiny bowl of soup at our Chinese dinners.

There were moments that disgusted me, moments that made me feel shameful and embarrassed as an ABC (Asian Born Chinese) - a Singaporean company is featured in the film for all the wrong reasons. The MD of the said company is filmed with such arrogance on how vicious sharks are - “See the teeth! Like a saw!… They bite you…pain until die.” - and ignorance of how one can prevent cancer and rheumatism by eating shark’s fin. And it horrified me that we Asians, me in part, am responsible for the slaughter and driving the need for the corruption that is involved, which includes paying off officials in Guatamala (where finning is illegal) by Asian syndicates.

But I also felt a sense of redemption when an Asian couple, whom I can only guess is from South-East Asia from their accent, declared how they would not be serving Shark fin at their wedding dinner.

Now I promised that I had a plan to affect change. When this idea first started, I didn’t realise how much there was to write about shark fin and how embarrassed and disgusted I would feel from learning more. And since this post has gone on to include a lot more than I anticipated at first I will postpone my plan to affect change til the next post.

NGO Alliance Looks for Compensation Above R $60 Million for the Illegal Capture of Sharks

noreply@blogger.com (sharkman) — Wed, 13 May 2009 00:35:00 +0000

Good work IBAMA. Too late for the 36 thousand sharks but maybe it will set the poachers back a bit. But as long as there is the demand there will be someone, somewhere, getting the supply, even if it means doing it illegally like these people are.

NGO Alliance Looks for Compensation Above R $60 Million for the Illegal Capture of Sharks
Monday, May 11, 2009, Sea Shepherd

Sea Shepherd Brazil, Instituto Environmental Justice (Insitutot Justiça Ambiental), and the South Coast Institute (Instituto Litoral Sul) filed on Thursday, May 7th, a public civil action in the Federal Court of Rio Grande, Brazil. The NGO's mobilization began on June 19th, 2008, when the Environmental Police of the Military Brigade and IBAMA raided the fishing company Dom Matos Comércio de Pescados e Resíduos Ltda, and found 3.3 tons of shark fins. IBAMA is the Brazilian Ministry of the Environment's enforcement agency. The shark fins belonged to species threatened of extinction, including angel sharks. For the amount of fins found, it was estimated that over 36 thousand sharks had been killed.

Illegally obtained shark fins from the 3.3 tons confiscated by IBAMA
Photos Credit: Gerson Pataleao
"It is a coherent and important regulation that seeks to avoid the uncontrolled capture of sharks. The regulation was ignored, since only shark fins were found at the premises without any carcass," explains Cristiano Pacheco, executive director for Institute Environmental Justice. "We have enough elements for an exemplary pecuniary condemnation."
The shark fin industry has ramifications in almost all the coastal countries of the world, including the Galápagos Islands, which is today perhaps the 'Latin capital' of the shark finning industry. In Brazil there are ramifications from Pará to Rio Grande do Sul.

Shark Love (EP1): In conversation with Sharkman

noreply@blogger.com (sharkman) — Tue, 12 May 2009 00:40:00 +0000

Wah we got interviewed! Plus this blog post has the nicest screenshot I have ever seen :D Read the whole interview here.

Shark Love (EP1): In conversation with Sharkman
Monday, May 11, 2009 at 13:49hrs, the long zlog

As a leisure scuba diver, it has been on my mind for a while now and I feel it is a matter close to me. Especially since, I am in an industry that, perhaps doesn’t actually play a part in the execution, but may be in the right context to affect some, if only a slight, but nonetheless a change. A change in seeing Shark Fin Soup kept off dinner tables.

Q: What called you to advocate for sharks in particular?
I watched Sharkwater, a documentary about how sharks populations are being destroyed worldwide for their fins and by destructive fishing practices such as longlining. This came as a horrible shock for me. I was aware of the issues involved in shark finning but I was not aware of the extent that certain shark populations were affected (some populations have fallen up to 95% over the last 20 years).

As a diver, sharks are like the Holy Grail. I dream of going to Malapascua to see thresher sharks or to Costa Rica to see hammerhead sharks. The idea that these amazing creatures have survived 4 major extinctions but they may not survive our lifetime is very distressing.

Sharks are a keystone species in the marine ecosystem. This means that they are essential to maintain the balance of how everything works. Removal of sharks can lead to the troppling of the entire marine ecosystem! Even if you didn’t care much for sharks, you would have to give some thought to that.
Q: How can the everyday Singaporean help the cause?

Stop eating shark fin! There’s really no simplier way than that. Don’t have shark fin at your wedding. Tell your friends not to have shark fin at their wedding. A friend of mine had top grade birds’ nest at her wedding as the substitute luxury dish and everybody loved it. It’s really just a matter of changing your mindset to look to the future and focus on what REALLY matters. I think when you look at it that way, a bowl of soup is no substitute for a sustainable future for the generations to come.

Calls to ban shark fin exports

noreply@blogger.com (sharkman) — Tue, 12 May 2009 00:27:00 +0000

Come on Peter Garrett, do the right thing!

Calls to ban shark fin exports
Posted Mon May 11, 2009 2:08pm AEST, ABC News

A giant shark fin is erected outside the office of Environment Minister Peter Garrett as part of the protest (NSW Conservation Council: NSW Conservation Council)
Conservationists are calling on the Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett to stop shark fin exports from New South Wales.

The minister is currently considering whether to renew the state's shark export license.

The Nature Conservation Council of New South Wales says shark numbers are declining from over-fishing due to increased demand from Asia, where shark fin soup is a delicacy.

It delivered a giant shark fin to Mr Garrett's Sydney office this morning in protest against exports.

The Council's director Cate Faehrmann says there has been a large increase in the numbers of sharks targeted simply for their fins.

"We've seen a decline worldwide of about 90 percent in shark numbers since the beginning of the industrial age," she said.

"This is very unsustainable. We have sharks being targeted in New South Wales waters that are listed as internationally threatened."

11 tonnes of shark fins seized

noreply@blogger.com (sharkman) — Fri, 08 May 2009 00:30:00 +0000

11 tonnes of shark fins seized
May 8, 2009, The Straits Times

Police in Spain said on Friday they had seized 11 tonnes of shark fins worth 136,800 euros (S$270,449) destined to be shipped to Hong Kong in China. --PHOTO: REUTERS
The warehouse in Huelva in southwestern Spain where the shark fins, used to make soup in China, were found was not authorised to store or export the product, they said in a statement.
The shark fins did not appear to be a protected species, police said. They came from a port in Galicia in northwestern Spain.
European Union countries are the main exporters of shark fins to China. The removal of the shark's fins results in their death.

Shark Kill Tournament Protest Demonstration in Fort Myers Beach FL

noreply@blogger.com (sharkman) — Fri, 08 May 2009 00:02:00 +0000

This is a repost from the Shark Safe Project. Click here to read the whole post for more information on the protest.

What century are we in now that shark kill tournaments are still deemed as acceptable? We're not cavemen, why are such shows of "manliness" still condoned in civilized society.

Shark Kill Tournament Protest Demonstration in Fort Myers Beach FL
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Shark Safe is organizing a protest demonstration against the “Are You Man Enough Shark Challenge” in Fort Myers, Florida. This shark tournament is boasting “Bring Back the BIG ONE” shark kills. The tournament organizer Jack Donlon has been contacted by many shark conservationists and prominent shark researchers from the state of Florida in an attempt to discourage them from taking or killing sharks for the sole purpose of proving the “Manhood of the Fishermen”. Thus far, no adjustment to the rules has been made as Mr. Donlon has simply disregarded these pleas.

Shark Safe is opposed to all killing of sharks however we are EXTREMELY opposed to tournaments such as this abomination! Here are some unbiased and logical reasons, which have been presented to Mr. Donlon, why tournaments such as this one are so terrible for sharks:
Most of the large sharks being targeted are on the IUCN list of endangered species.
Populations of large shark species have been reduced by over 90% in the past 30 years (over 100 million sharks killed per year worldwide -- mostly for shark fin soup).
80-90% of all shark populations just in the Atlantic have been reduced to levels that scientist believe can never recover.
As apex predators, sharks are absolutely vital to the ocean's ecosystem -- they maintain the balance in the oceans. Without sharks the oceans die.
"Kill" shark tournaments promote the outdated and inaccurate image of sharks as vicious man killers that need to be killed.
In addition to these obvious problems, the current format of the tournament encourages killing of the largest and likely sexually mature sharks. And since each team is only allowed to bring in one dead shark to be weighed, it promotes catching and killing sharks such that at the end of the tournament, each team will only keep the biggest one to be weighed in, while discarding the rest of the sharks back into the water deceased.

Basking Sharks' Hiding Places Found

noreply@blogger.com (sharkman) — Thu, 07 May 2009 00:09:00 +0000

Basking Sharks' Hiding Places Found
May 7, 2009 Emily Sohn, Discovery News
For ages, scientists have wondered where basking sharks go in the wintertime. Now, they have an answer -- and it's full of surprises.
In the western Atlantic, the world's second largest fish swims all the way from New England to the Bahamas and across the equator to South America, a new study finds. Scientists have long thought that basking sharks spent all of their time in cooler waters.

"This is equivalent to finding polar bears in Kansas," said lead researcher Greg Skomal, a marine biologist with Massachusetts Marine Fisheries in Martha's Vineyard. "This was a mind-blowing discovery for us."
"We've opened up a whole new world of implications into the life history and ecology of these fish and how they live," Skomal said. "To be able to do that in the 21st century for an animal that has been studied for eons is what fascinates me."
The new findings may help people better protect basking sharks, said Robert Kenney, a biological oceanographer at the University of Rhode Island in Narragansett. The species is currently listed as threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

"If all of a sudden, you are finding that a population is spending part of its life somewhere that you didn't consider," Kenney said, "Then you have to expand what you think about when you are trying to manage them."

Woeful tale of maimed whale shark

noreply@blogger.com (sharkman) — Wed, 06 May 2009 00:32:00 +0000

Great coverage by BBC News on whale shark tagging in the Maldives and the disturbing reality of the threats to whale shark populations.

Tagging whale sharks in the Maldives
Tuesday, 5 May 2009 13:29 UK, BBC News

Whale sharks - Rhincodon typus - were first discovered in the 1800s and are found throughout the tropical oceans, but relatively little is known about their behaviour, how long they live, their breeding habits, or their migratory routes - or indeed whether they migrate.

Using software similar to fingerprint-matching technology, the snaps of the shark's spot patterns are compared to see if it has previously been photographed or is a new find. So far they have recorded 106 on the database, all but two of which are male.
Back on the boat, the team explain the sad story behind "Joey's" fin.

He was first photographed by the group in 2007 in perfect health. Then, one night last year, they got a call from people on a local island saying that there was an injured whale shark floating in the island harbour.

Arriving at the scene, Richard saw that it was Joey, who had suffered an unsuccessful finning attempt - his dorsal fin was very nearly severed, left hanging on by a small segment.

"It was a terrible injury, we thought he probably wouldn't survive," Richard says. But in time the wound healed and Joey is still swimming around.

A shark fin of this size can go for $10,000 (£6,600) in Taiwan or Hong Kong, and can be used as an eye-catching billboard outside a restaurant serving shark fin soup.

The tale of Joey, a whale shark who nearly lost his dorsal fin to hunters.

Joey's story is sobering, despite our euphoria over being lucky enough to spot these incredible creatures. Luckily for them, the new Maldivian government is beginning to take shark welfare seriously and has introduced a reef shark hunting ban throughout the 26 atolls.

Whale sharks are described as "vulnerable" on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List, with their population expected to decline by as much as 50% over the next century.

But in truth, nobody knows how vulnerable they are, the true number of whale sharks in the world, or whether that number is in decline or increasing.

Click here to watch the video on "Joey" from the post below.

Woeful tale of maimed whale shark
Tuesday, 5 May 2009 13:29 UK, BBC News
Gaia Vince reports from the South Ari atoll in the Maldives on the successes and challenges of tagging whale sharks.

Little is known about the breeding and migratory habits of the sharks, the world's largest fish.

Here, Richard Rees and Adam Harman discuss the case of Joey, a whale shark that nearly lost its dorsal fin to hunters.

Seychelles Bans Cutting Sharks' Fins

noreply@blogger.com (sharkman) — Sat, 02 May 2009 00:23:00 +0000

Seychelles Bans Cutting Sharks' Fins
01 May 2009, Blueflipperdiving

VICTORIA — The Seychelles has banned the cutting off of sharks' fins by foreign fishermen to curb a flourishing global trade that is threatening the survival of the sea predator and marine ecosystems.

The United Nations estimates that 100 million sharks are killed every year world-wide, mostly for their fins which are a delicacy in East Asia where a bowl of shark fin soup can command high prices.
Dozens of countries have banned the practice of slicing off of sharks' fins in the last few years.
The Seychelles Fishing Authority (SFA) ban took effect this week and covers all foreign vessels fishing in the territorial waters of the Indian Ocean archipelago.
The ban does not include domestic vessels, which the government says are few and controlled, or shark fishing where the whole shark is caught.
"Shark finning ... threatens ... the stability of marine ecosystems, sustainable traditional fisheries, food security, dive and eco-tourism," SFA said.
The World Conservation Union says 65 out of 373 known shark species are globally threatened, largely owing to the shark finning trade. Some experts think the number is higher.
Fins from Hammerhead, Mako and Blue Sharks command the highest prices while cheaper shark fins are usually taken from smaller species.

Holiday makers help protect largest fish in the sea

noreply@blogger.com (sharkman) — Sat, 02 May 2009 00:20:00 +0000

Holiday makers help protect largest fish in the sea
May 1st, 2009, Thaindian News
Sydney, May 1 (IANS) The world’s largest and rarest fish, the whale shark, may be increasing in number in one of its vital habitats, a new study by scientists and the general public has revealed.
The remarkable success of the online survey of whale sharks was carried out by Earthwatch volunteers, tourists, divers and researchers at Ningaloo, Western Australia.
It has prompted scientists to issue a worldwide call to holiday makers and divers to join a global effort to monitor and protect the largest fish in the sea. Whale sharks are thought to be at risk.
“Besides showing that whale sharks can increase where they are well-protected, we have also demonstrated the power of citizen-science, that ordinary people around the world can make a real contribution to serious research and conservation,” said Brad Norman, project coordinator and founder of ECOCEAN whale shark project.

Whale Shark sightings - Donsol, Philippines

noreply@blogger.com (sharkman) — Fri, 01 May 2009 04:52:00 +0000

These are from my friend, Peter, who was lucky enough to see whale sharks 8 times on his trip to Donsol, Philippines this April.

This wonder and majesty of seeing a whale shark in the wild can never be duplicated by keeping them in a tank, they belong to the ocean! www.whalesharkpetition.com

Watch the whale shark videos he filmed here. Thanks for sharing Peter!

These are from my friend, Peter, who was lucky enough to see whale sharks 8 times on his trip to Donsol, Philippines this April.

This wonder and majesty of seeing a whale shark in the wild can never be duplicated by keeping them in a tank, they belong to the ocean! www.whalesharkpetition.com

Watch the whale shark videos he filmed here. Thanks for sharing Peter!

Nearly half global fish catch is wasted

noreply@blogger.com (sharkman) — Fri, 01 May 2009 00:30:00 +0000

So retarded right. If we go to a buffet and we waste food we get charged a wastage fee; the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation needs to impose a similar fine to fishing wastage! This is so much worse and on such a huge scale that it cannot be overlooked or ignored anymore.

Nearly half global fish catch is wasted
1 May 2009, OneWorld.net

Nearly half of the world’s recorded fish catch is unused according to a new scientific paper co-authored by WWF. It estimates that each year over 38 million tonnes of fish, taken from our oceans by fishing activities, is left un-managed or unused, and should be considered as bycatch.

Collateral damage: A dead shark is entangled in a fishing net off Tanzania in this undated file photo. COURTESY OF WWF

The WWF paper estimates the proportion of bycatch in 46 fishing countries (including the North-East Atlantic and Mediterranean & Black Sea areas) and two global fisheries; tuna and shark fin. In redefining bycatch as anything fishers take from our oceans that is ‘unused or un-managed’, the paper’s estimates go well beyond previous global estimates, which focus mainly on catch which is thrown away and vary from 7 to 27 million tonnes a year.

It is likely that the worst case of wasteful fishing is seen in fisheries that target sharks exclusively for their fins where 92 per cent of what is caught is discarded back in the ocean.

According to WWF, bycatch costs fishers time and money, contributing to overfishing, jeopardizing future revenue, livelihoods, and long-term food security. It’s also a major killer of marine wildlife, putting several species at risk of extinction and drastically altering the sensitive balance of ecosystems.

January Jones is scared FOR sharks

noreply@blogger.com (sharkman) — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 08:11:00 +0000

January uses an anchored rope to stabilize herself as she encounters Caribbean reef sharks for the first time.

January Jones, best known for her role on the hit series Mad Men, had teamed up with Oceana to promote a campaign to protect sharks. The actress is working with the org as a spokesperson to help pass The Shark Conservation Act in Congress — which would implement stronger protection for sharks by requiring that sharks be landed whole with the fins still attached to the bodies. The Federal legislation would also allow the U.S. to take action against countries whose shark finning requirements are not consistent with those in the United States.

More about the Scared FOR Sharks campaign here and here!

Project AWARE Foundation Securing Shark Protection

noreply@blogger.com (sharkman) — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 07:40:00 +0000

Great! This Community Plan of Action (CPOA) for Sharks is a long time coming and more countries should follow up with their own plans.

Project AWARE Foundation Securing Shark Protection
Project AWARE website

Project AWARE Foundation recently joined fellow Shark Alliance members in Brussels to mark the release of the European Commission’s long awaited Community Plan of Action (CPOA) for Sharks and comment on its provisions. The plan, covering sharks and all cartilaginous fish, has potential to provide a comprehensive framework for change, encouraging science based catch limits, the protection of endangered species and the revision of EU shark finning regulation.

The UK Minister confirmed his commitment saying: “I strongly support the shark action plan. We must do everything we can to protect vulnerable species and ensure that stocks are exploited sustainably. Better science and information gathering are fundamental to the plan’s success. The UK will continue to work with the Commission, conservation groups and the fishing industry to ensure that this plan produces robust, workable and effective measures to protect and sustainably manage shark stocks.”

The CPOA for Sharks represents a significant step in the right direction for shark conservation and sustainable management, but it will only be effective if Member States act with a sense of urgency and commit to a robust timetable of implementation. Project AWARE considers the publication of the plan of action as the start of a long campaign to secure a sustainable future for sharks.

Korean vessels fined for illegal fishing

noreply@blogger.com (sharkman) — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 03:02:00 +0000

Korean vessels fined for illegal fishing
April 29 2009 at 08:37PM, iol.co.za

The captain and first officer of two Korean-flagged ships have been sentenced to a fine of R500 000 or five years in prison each for contravening their permit conditions, environment officials said on Wednesday.

The crew of the MFV Oryong 371 and the MFV Oryong 373 were found guilty of contravening the Marine Living Resources Act of 1998.

"A total of 667kg undeclared shark fins was also confiscated. They omitted the fact that they had shark fins on the vessel from their permits."

The vessel was also found guilty of illegally off-loading 18,1 tons of fish from one vessel to another.

The MFV Oryong 373 off-loaded 389kg of shark fin, more than the limit stipulated on its permit.

Moses said the crew of both vessels cut shark fins from the trunks and threw the bodies back into the water - in contravention of international fishing conservation measures.

Blue Sharks Of Hawaii - Sad Reality

noreply@blogger.com (sharkman) — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 07:54:00 +0000

Blue sharks are the most commonly fished shark for shark fin soup. Because they have populations all over the world, it is widely thought that they are not affected by the massive scale of shark fishing and finning but it's not true!

Blue Sharks Of Hawaii ~ Sad Reality
by Katie Grove-Velasquez, Writer, Marine Animal Researcher, Photographer, Educator, and Lecturer Working in the Hawaiian Islands, Zoo and Aquarium Visitor

Fishing globally is taking our shark populations down at a rapid rate, even in Hawaii. According to Gerald Crow, who wrote Sharks & Rays of Hawaii, thousands of sharks lose their lives every year to the fishing industry and show up in the marketplace. Sharks are not a protected specie in Hawaii and many other places worldwide. According to the IUCN, over 50% of the global shark species are critically endangered.

According to researchers, if this fishing industry is allowed to continue, in addition to the finning industry, which takes over 100 MILLION sharks annually, our oceans have less than 100 years before they collapse. If this is true, we are all in dire trouble. In Hawaii alone, from 1991 to 1999, nearly 900,000 sharks were killed for the marketplace. These were mostly blue,mako and thresher sharks. The style of fishing was long-lining, which is famous for indiscriminate taking of turtles, marine mammals, and many others.

What do we do? First, we need to all educate ourselves. Go to reliable websites and become armed with information. Boycott restaurants that serve shark fin soup, and tell them why. Physically go in to the restaurant, check the menu, and tell the management you will return when that item is removed, and walk out. Write letters to your local newspapers. Blog about it. Protest in your area and ceaselessly put pressure to pass laws for shark protection. Our children, our future depends on it. The time is now.

A new international push to save dwindling shark populations

noreply@blogger.com (sharkman) — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 02:54:00 +0000

A new international push to save dwindling shark populations
April 28th, 2009, By Melissa Segrest, kabc-TV Los Angeles, CA

The world’s shark population is dropping rapidly, and the primary reasons are humans’ increasing hunger for both a Chinese delicacy and an alternative medicine: shark fins.
Shark fins are prized as a key ingredient in costly shark-fin soup favored by the Chinese around the world.

The U.S. has had a shark-finning prohibition since 2000, but that law will be strengthened with the introduction of the Shark Conservation Act of 2009 by Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) last week. Rep. Madeline Bordallo of Guam has already introduced similar legislation in Congress, and that bill received unanimous approval.
The older law contained loopholes that at least one American ship took advantage of when they were discovered carrying the fins of about 30,000 sharks. They appealed on the basis that they were a “transport” ship, not a “fishing” vessel, a distinction specified in the earlier law’s language.

The new legislation will close that loophole, along with a ban on importing any shark products that come from countries without shark conservation efforts.
Of the 591 shark and ray species examined by an international group of conservation scientists, 21 percent are “threatened with extinction” and 18 percent have “near-threatened” status, according to the Pew group. The difficult task of tracking so many shark species likely misses about 35 percent of the shark and ray population, researchers say.

One species, the dusky shark, has declined in population off America’s East Coast by more than 80 percent since the ‘70s, and will take about 400 years to rebuild, according to the Pew group.

Whale shark rescued by Cagayan fisherfolk

noreply@blogger.com (sharkman) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 08:01:00 +0000

Great work from the Philippines! It's essential for governments to realise that these amazing creatures are worth much much more alive than dead and they need to be protected.

Whale shark rescued by Cagayan fisherfolk
April 27, 2009, 4:52pm, Manila Bulletin
TUGUEGARAO CITY, Cagayan — Local officials and residents of Buguey town in this province rescued an endangered whale shark or butanding last week.

Buguey Municipal Secretary Arthur Pagador said the whale shark, measuring about 7 meters in length and weighing about 2 tons, was found entangled in a beach seine (daklis) along the shore of Barangay Centro West Saturday.
After an hour or so, the whale shark was freed and was able to return towards the deeper portions of the sea.

“It is very fortunate that the fishermen made a move to save the animal instead of kill it,” Pagador said.
Sec. 97 of RA 8550 and Fisheries Administrative Order 193 prohibits the catching of whale sharks and manta rays. Violation to the law carries 6 months to 4 years imprisonment as penalty.

Old folks in the coastal areas say whale sharks used to abound in great quantities but indiscriminate fishing might have drove them off. BFAR Regional Director Jovita Ayson said that recent sightings might be an indication of the re-emergence of whale shark population in Cagayan waters.

Recently, the fisheries bureau in the region initiated a briefing among members of the Regional Law Enforcement Coordinating Committee Sub-committee on Fishing and Marine Environmental Protection on the proper rescue procedure on stranded marine mammals to include whale sharks and other rare and threatened species, as part of the activities under the Region 02 Marine Mammal Stranding Network. (Max Prudencio, BFAR R02).