Shark Champions Blog

Help establish a new shark sanctuary in Raja Ampat, Indonesia

2010-06-17T21:08:00.006-04:00

Please support this very important petition to protect sharks, mantas and mobulas in Raja Ampat

The shark population there has been depleted almost to the point of no return -- it's very urgent to protect what's left now!

And the manta rays that are now being targeted have even slower reproductive rates than most sharks - only one pup every one to three years! They absolutely cannot withstand directed commercial fishing pressure.

More background info:

Indonesia is one of the top shark fishing nations in the world, and supplies a large percentage of the fins that wind up in the world's shark fin markets. Many of you have seen the finned -- still breathing and bleeding -- baby nurse shark in the "Say 'No' to shark fin soup" PSA. That scene was filmed in Raja Ampat.

In the Raja Ampat Regency in Eastern Indonesia, the shark fishing pressure is coming mostly from the outside, and there's frustration among the local people as their resources are being plundered by outsiders. Shark finning has been going on there for quite some time, but manta and mobula fishing is fairly new there.

There have been some meetings with the Heads of Raja Ampat's Tourism and Fisheries Departments, and these government officials are open to hearing more about the value of sharks, mantas and mobulas to the economic future of their Regency. At the next meeting in early August, a full proposal will be presented, and this petition will be an important part of this proposal.

Note: This is not another "feel good" petition! The petition is one piece of a comprehensive initiative. It's very important that we show the Raja Ampat Fisheries and Tourism Departments that sharks, mantas and mobulas are very valuable to their local economy - ALIVE!

Please sign and share! Thank you!

Impacts of Gulf Oil Spill on Vulnerable Whale Sharks

2010-05-22T17:25:00.005-04:00

Research Needs to Assess Oil-Related Impacts on Whale Sharks in the Northern Gulf of Mexico

(Reposted from Gulf Coast Research Laboratory)

To help support this research, please click here to donate.

(Please be sure to specify that the donation is for "Whale Shark Research")

Please also report any sightings of whale sharks in the Northern Gulf of Mexico and spread the word about the GCRL’s Whale Shark Sighting Survey

The Problem

The Gulf of Mexico (GOM) provides essential habitat for many shark and ray species, including the whale shark, Rhincodon typus (Hoffmayer et al., 2006). The oil spill resulting from the explosion of the BP/Deepwater Horizon platform on April 20, 2010 in the northern GOM is currently located in whale shark essential habitat (Hoffmayer et al, 2005) and is posing a critical threat to this species in the region. From 2002 to 2009, over 300 GOM whale shark sightings were reported to the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory's (GCRL) Whale Shark Sightings Survey, and over a third of the sightings were within the ever expanding oil coverage area (Figure 1). Given the amount of time whale sharks spend at/near the surface of the water (Figure 2), there is considerable potential for harm or death to these individuals resulting from direct exposure to and contamination from the spill (via oiling or clogging of their gills), as well as from depletion of prey, or consumption of oil-contaminated prey (Figure 3). In addition, the dispersants currently being used to ‘break up’ the oil will significantly increase the potential for exposure of sharks throughout the water column. What is unknown is if whale sharks are able to detect the oil and dispersants in the water and will avoid the areas affected or if they will directly encounter the oil without warning.

Figure 1. Map depicting historic (2002-2009) whale shark sighting locations shown within the estimated boundaries of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill coverage as of 18 May 2010.

Figure 2. Whale sharks surface filter feeding in the northern Gulf of Mexico.
Photo credit: GCRL, June 26, 2006.

Figure 3. Oil at the surface near the accident site.
Photo credit: Vernon Asper, May 7, 2010.

Go to latest projections of the oil spill

Unfortunately, this problem is going to be far-reaching and has the ability to impact whale shark populations outside of the northern Gulf of Mexico. Over the last few years, GCRL researchers and their colleagues have documented direct evidence of connectivity between whale shark populations in the northern Gulf of Mexico with those in the southern Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea.

This connectivity has been documented through the use of photo-identification (Ecocean:http://www.whaleshark.org) and passive-acoustic tracking (Marine Meganet:http://www.facebook.com/MarineMeganet). Additionally, recent genetic studies have shown that whale sharks may comprise a single global population, meaning any mortalites in the northern Gulf of Mexico may impact sub- populations in other parts of the world.

Due to the slow growth rate, late age of maturation, and low fecundity (number of offspring) of whale sharks, they are currently listed as a “vulnerable” species by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) and are protected internationally by its inclusion in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). If our northern Gulf of Mexico whale shark population declines as a result of this oil spill, the recovery time would be extremely slow.

What Needs to be Done?

Researchers at GCRL are currently seeking funds to monitor oil impacts on whale sharks and other large pelagic animals in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Two immediate needs have been identified in order to gain a better understanding of how these sharks are being impacted by the oil spill.

Aerial surveys Plane surveys looking for whale shark presence in the northern Gulf region, particularly focusing on the area affected by the oil spill, need to be conducted to note whether these animals are traversing in or near these waters.
Satellite telemetry Tagging whale sharks with satellite tags will allow for the assessment and monitoring of fine-scale movements of whale sharks in and around contaminated waters. By deploying satellite/GPS tags and pop up satellite archival tags (PSAT) on whale sharks outside of the oil-affected area, GCRL researchers will be able to determine if these sharks will actively avoid the affected areas, or monitor their survival if they are exposed to the oil.

How Can You Help?

Although, the financial responsibility for oil spill monitoring, clean-up and damages, lies in the hands of BP Corporation, it may take years before financial support is available for research funding or reimbursement. It is paramount that monitoring projects be implemented immediately. To help support immediate monitoring and research of whale sharks and other large pelagic species in the northern Gulf of Mexico, please click on the link below:

Support Whale Shark Research

*Please be sure to designate your donation toward
Whale Shark Research.

You can also help support this research by spreading the word about the GCRL’s Whale Shark Sighting Survey. Participation and awareness of the survey will increase the likelihood of reported sightings and aid with documentation of whale shark distribution in the northern Gulf of Mexico.

Lessons Learned from the Deaths of 2 Pregnant Sharks

2010-05-02T14:39:00.003-04:00

Last Wednesday was a very sad day in Florida for sharks and those of us who are working hard to conserve them. Dr. Neil Hammerschlag's report on the RJ Dunlap Marine Conservation Program blog sums up the day's events and the senseless waste of two pregnant sharks - a Great Hammerhead and a Bull Shark - and their 47 unborn pups.

Out of tragedies, however, there are usually some positive outcomes and lessons learned. Having had a few days to calm down and think about what has happened, following are some observations.

Positive outcomes:

1. Positive Media Coverage for Sharks:

The media coverage of these incidents has been sympathetic across the board. The usual "monster" and "man-eater" terms have not been seen. The coverage of these incidents focused on the tragic lost and waste of beautiful animals that are vital to the ocean ecosystem. Brendal Davis and I, who attempted to save the pups from the Great Hammerhead that died in Delray Beach, were interviewed by the Sun Sentinel as well as the local CBS, NBC and ABC news affiliates. Not one reporter asked about shark attacks. They were interested in the importance of these animals to the ecosystem and the threats that sharks face. Each of them seemed genuinely saddened by the incidents. For example:

Channel 5 news West Palm Beach

Sun Sentinel

2. Public concern and support:

All of the onlookers gathered at the beach in Delray on Wednesday were saddened and shocked at the sight of the rare and beautiful female hammerhead and the 35 unborn pups that unfortunately were already dead when we got to them. Many people jumped in to help -- moving the massive shark out of the surf, cutting the shark to get to the pups, documenting with pictures and video (thank you Chloe!), and even the very unpleasant job of obtaining biological samples for shark research. Several people offered to participate in beach patrols to watch for and report illegal shark fishing on the beach. THANK YOU!!

3. Educational opportunity:

The questions that day at the beach were non-stop. People were eager to learn more about sharks and we took this opportunity to inform them that these animals are not only endangered, but are vital to the health of our oceans. I think that a number of people went home that day with a new respect and appreciation for sharks. Fear and misunderstanding was replaced with sympathy. One man at the scene commented that he would not want to run into a shark like that while diving, and then actually saw a Great Hammerhead later that afternoon on a dive! See this quote from the Sun Sentinel:

'Recreational diver Scott Williams, 35, of Delray Beach, had the rare opportunity of seeing the deceased shark, then a few hours later seeing a live one while diving about a mile off shore. After seeing the size of the dead one, he hoped to never run into one under the sea. But when he did, from a 30-yard distance, he was enchanted. The full-grown shark took a look at him, then craned its massive head back down, apparently looking for food. "It was elegant. I wasn't scared like I thought I would be," Williams said. "It was real docile. It didn't seem aggressive in any way. I was awestruck."'

4. Productive discussion about improving catch and release fishing gear and practices:

Comments on the RJ Dunlap blog have spurred a healthy dialogue among members of the recreational fishing community. Some examples:

Capt. Bill Hardy of Berightback Charters commented: "Any useless and senseless destruction of life in our precious and fragile ocean ecosystem must be eliminated ....... Through study and education, we may have a chance to preserve our ocean."

George Campbell commented: "As a fisherman and advocate for sustainable catch and release shark fishing, I have to say that this is a tremendous loss." And he goes on to explain steps that "responsible fisherman can take to protect these animals while fishing".

Captain Curt Slonim of Curtasea Charters commented: "I would ask that you just take a moment to consider making the following changes within the club; mandate Circle hooks, take measurements and photos in a minimum of waist deep water, partner with a credited Research Organization, and take Shark Tournaments off of the calendar during the time of year that is known for Shark birthing."

c.uva commented: "Recreational fishing for sharks does affect the population whether it be landbased or boat based, there are ways to improve the catch and release survivabillity of sharks. I ASK SEVERAL SCIENTESTS TO COME FOWARD TO WORK ALONGSIDE REACREATIONAL SHARK FISHERMAN .... TO DECREASE MORTALITY RATES OF RELEASED SHARKS."

I would say this sounds like a great opportunity!

Recreational fishing is one of the largest contributors to Florida's economy. The vast majority of these fishermen are ethical, responsible and keenly aware of the need to protect our precious marine resources. There is definitely a need for more education on the value of these animals to the ecosystem, the life history characteristics and population status of Threatened shark species as well as gear and handling techniques to reduce stress, injury and post release mortality. Since the dialogue has now started, we need to keep it going and take this opportunity to make things better.

Lessons Learned:

1. Circle Hooks need to be a requirement. Florida will consider a proposal to require circle hooks this year, which is a great step, but circle hooks should be required everywhere. J Hooks, which were used in both of Wednesday's incidents, often result in "gut-hooking" when the shark swallows the bait and the hook catches and tears internal organs. With circle hooks, the shark is hooked in the corner of the mouth, making the hook easier to remove and preventing the often fatal injuries caused by gut hooking or hooking the gills.

2. Regulations to protect pregnant female sharks during pupping season should be explored. Florida's coasts serve as vital breeding and pupping grounds - or Essential Fish Habitats - for several sharks species. During the Spring and early Summer, pregnant females come to these inshore areas to give birth to their pups. I honestly don't know what the appropriate regulation would be to protect these females during the pupping season. Two of the charter boat fishing captains who commented on the RJ Dunlap blog suggested either restricting land based fishing for sharks during this time of year or at least not holding land based shark tournaments during this time. Obviously more discussion is needed to come up with a rule that will adequately protect the pregnant females with the least negative impact on fishermen.

What I am sure of, though, is that every one of these mature reproductive females is extremely important. Research by Dr. Gruber's team and other shark scientists has demonstrated that a very small number of these breeders is responsible for maintaining the population for their species over a very broad area. The loss of just one of these mature females, especially a pregnant one, can seriously impact the population.

3. Hammerheads need more protection. The US and Palau recently proposed protection for hammerhead sharks under CITES, yet no hammerhead species is protected in US waters. Three types of hammerheads are classified as Threatened by the IUCN Shark Specialist Group -- Great Hammerheads -- Endangered - Very High Risk of Extintion; Scalloped Hammerheads -- Endangered -- Very High Risk of Extinction and Smooth Hammerhead - Vulnerable -- High Risk of Extinction. In addition, hammerheads are considered by scientists and fishermen to be among the most fragile species, which suffer extremely high post release mortality, both from commercial and recreational fishing. See this quote from Dr. Neil Hammerschlag, Director of the RJ Dunlap Marine Conservation Program at University of Miami. In the course of his research Dr. Hammerschlag has had the opportunity to observe and participate in the catch and release of thousands of sharks of many different species.

"Based on observations of hammerheads, compared with other sharks, when they are caught on rod & reel, they exert a tremendous amount of energy to fight the angler. They try to sprint (instead of jog) the marathon of the fishing event..so they become quickly stressed and over-exerted. There are both behavioral and physiological effects that increase their vulnerability at this stage. While fighting on a line, their normal swimming ability is greatly impaired, making it difficult for them to ram ventalate (pump water over their gills) as well as offload CO2. Thus, CO2 and subsequent lactate concentrations build up in their blood. which greatly increases capture stress and post-release mortality."

In addition many recreational shark fishermen attest that hammerheads very often die on the line and are much more susceptible to mortality than other shark species.

Because of this extreme fragility, I believe hammerheads should not only be Prohibited Species, but perhaps should be also be given protection under the Endangered Species Act. With ESA protection, any hammerhead accidentally hooked would have to be immediately cut loose, as is the case with smalltooth sawfish.

4. Enforcement should be improved. The agencies responsible for enforcement have limited budgets and personnel. Despite these difficulties, however, efforts could be improved. Education for enforcement personnel on what the regulations are, how to identify violators, and the importance of enforcing the regulations would help. Education and coordination of public volunteers to assist with enforcement could also relieve some of the pressure on these stressed agencies. We in the conservation community can help this area.

5. More study is needed on Catch and Release stress and mortality. According to NOAA Fisheries reports, approximately 550,000 sharks were harvested and another 14 million sharks were caught and released alive by recreational anglers in the US in 2007. And NMFS estimates that at least 20% of released fish end up dying. This works out to 14 million @ 20% = 2.8 million sharks + 550,000 = over 3.3 million sharks. Commercial shark landings in 2007 in the US totaled 15 million pounds. Using an estimated average weight of 10 lbs per shark, this works out to an estimated 1.5 million sharks. If the 20% mortality figure is correct, then the recreational fishing impact on sharks may be more than double that of commercial shark fisheries in the US. And the bulk of that number comes from well-meaning people who don't even intend to kill the animals!

These numbers should a provide a big incentive to fund research aimed at understanding the causes of post release mortality and reducing it.

Hawaii SB 2169 Passes Another Big Step!

2010-04-21T03:44:00.004-04:00

The Hawaii bill to ban sale, possession, distribution of shark fins and all shark harvest in Hawaii passed the Conference session with a unanimous YES vote. More work for the legislators to do today, but hopefully the bill will to the House and Senate for votes on Friday.

Thank you all so much for all your letters and phone calls. It has made an enormous impact.

More news very soon!

Update on Hawaii Shark Fin Bill: SB2169

2010-04-16T21:00:00.002-04:00

An historic bill is moving through the Hawaiian Legislature calling on a prohibition of shark fin. Since passing the Hawaiian Senate, and then, last week's vote in the Hawaiian House of Representatives, SB 2169 - Relating to Shark Fins - has now moved to the next step in this long legislative process. And once again, it is necessary to rally support to ensure its final passage. There are still a few more steps to go, so please bear with us!

Following is an update from Stefanie Brendl of Shark Allies in Hawaii with instructions on how you can help today.

Here is where we are with this bill:

After passing the House vote, the bill went into "Conference", where Representatives from the House and the Senate are meeting to discuss a final version. Because the bill went through so many changes in the different Committees, the House and Senate disagree on some details of the final language. This is why the Conference is necessary.

The main issue now is that some members of the House are asking for changes that dilute the bill to the point of changing the whole intent. For example, taking out "possession" so that shark fins could still be imported for shark fin soup. And if the Senate and House cannot come to agreement on the language during this Conference process, the bill will not be able to move forward and won't even make it the next step.

The Hawaiian people are overwhelming in support of the measure, including more and more among the Chinese community in Hawaii. But there is still some opposition in the House that is not completely clear.

We have scheduled a press conference for Sunday where we will show the depth of support that we really have. We have invited members of the community to represent the Hawaiian and the Chinese culture, as well as representatives of conservation groups. We will have videos, photos and articles available.

Here is how you can help:

1) Please send a letter to the Hawaii House Representatives:

The important points to include in the letter are:

Ask the members of the legislature to please make sure SB2169 will move ahead and become law. Don't let this important opportunity slip away.
Legislators, please listen to the majority, and not to the interests of a small group that is trying to hold up this ground breaking movement.
The world is watching. Hawaii can make a difference. Legislators can show great leadership by taking a strong stance.

It is important that they realize how many people are watching this effort, and how much impact this will have.

Please address your letters to:

Hawaii State Legislature
State Capitol Building
Honolulu, Hawaii 96813

Re: S.B. No. 2169, Relating to Shark Fins

Dear Members of the Hawaii State Legislature,

Also please send a copy to all the Representatives at this address:

reps@Capitol.hawaii.gov

2) If you have time, give these offices a call ASAP.

These are the House Representatives on the conference committee that still have objections to the bill.

Speaker Say is not on the committee, but he is the speaker of the House, and therefore has a great deal of influence on all of the Representatives.

Feel free to ask some tough questions and demand answers on why they are hesitating to support this bill. But please keep it polite and respectful! Email addresses are included below in case you want to follow up with materials etc.

Representative Jon Riki Karamatsu ph 808 586-8490 e-mail repkaramatsu@Capitol.hawaii.gov

Representative Ken Ito: ph 808 586-8470 e-mail repito@Capitol.hawaii.gov

Representative Angus McKelvey ph 808 586-6160 e-mail repmckelvey@Capitol.hawaii.gov

House Speaker Calvin K.Y. Say ph 808 586-6100 e-mail repsay@Capitol.hawaii.gov

Thank you for your continued support and patience! We will continue to keep you up to date as this bill moves through this - sometimes tedious - process!

Stefanie Brendl
Shark Allies

Shark Truth Wedding Contest: Closes May 9th!

2010-04-14T08:59:00.007-04:00

Please spread the word about Shark Truth and their contest to reward couples who make the decision to not serve shark fin soup at their weddings. Let's help Shark Truth to "Stop the Soup: One Bowl at a Time".

Shark Truth is a not-for-profit consumer awareness group that seeks to engage consumers in a collaborative discussion to find alternatives to shark fin soup. We are dedicated to promoting awareness around the irreversibly detrimental effects of the shark finning industry by specifically working with (and not against) consumers.

Contest Details:

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Happy Hearts Love Sharks

Wedding Contest 2010

Did you know that a wedding banquet serving shark fin soup to 300 guests can kill up to 30 sharks? Through the 'Happy Hearts Love Sharks' wedding contest, we will reward couples who submit a video or photo entry of their pledge to Stop the Soup at their wedding banquet and promote shark fin soup alternatives.

Couples can enter now for a chance to our International Grand Prize: a waterproof digital camera and an adopt-a-shark package.

**The first 5 international couples to enter the contest will get the beautiful coffee table book “Sharks Up Close”, which captures the majestic, beautiful shark in photography.

Contest closes May 9th, 2010

Registration and contest details at http://sharktruth.com/wedding

Questions and comments? Email wedding-contest@sharktruth.com

Stop the Soup - Spread Shark Truth

http://sharktruth.com

http://facebook.com/sharktruth

http://twitter.com/sharktruth

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For the Happy Hearts Love Sharks pamphlet and other Shark Truth goodies to download, please contact us.

Want more info?

Why wedding banquets? http://sharktruth.com/stop-the-soup/wedding/why/

'Happy Hearts Love Sharks' wedding contest: sharktruth.com/wedding

More about Shark Truth: http://sharktruth.com/about/

If you want to help us Stop the Soup or if you have any questions, please contact Shark Truth.

Hawaii Shark Fin Bill Passes the House of Representatives!!!!

2010-04-08T11:51:00.006-04:00

Synopsis:

Perhaps the most significant legislation involving sharks in US history was passed yesterday by the Hawaiian House of Representatives. This bill will prohibit the sale, possession, and trade of any type of shark fin or shark fin product in the State, including State waters.

This bill has stirred up a great deal of political debate, pitting the concerns of ocean health against a lucrative trade. And has also spurred somewhat of a cultural debate, since the Chinese cultural preference for consuming shark fin soup runs counter to the Hawaiian reverence and respect for sharks as powerful "aumakua", which in Hawaiian is defined as a benevolent guardian spirit or family protector.

History:

Former Hawaiian First Lady Vicky Cayetano is the inspiration behind the bill and asked Sen. Clayton Hee to write the legislation. She is a Chinese immigrant, extremely well respected, and a very outspoken proponent of the bill. Sen. Hee, who is half Chinese and half Hawaiian, has served in Hawaii's State Legislature since 1982 and is Chairman of the Native Hawaiian Culture and Arts Program. He introduced the bill on January 20th.

Both Sen. Hee and Mrs. Cayetano have fought hard to keep the bill alive and are determined to see it passed into law. Mrs. Cayetano provided powerful testimony at the recent House Judiciary Committee Hearing, including her statement that "shark fin soup is about as cultural as bound feet". Their efforts were also instrumental in getting the meaure resurrected last week after it had been deferred by the House Judicial Committee by Rep. Karamatsu.

Local conservationists, Stefanie Brendl of Shark Allies and Inga Gibson, of The Humane Society of the United States, have completely dedicated themselves to advocating the passage of this bill for the past two months. Stefanie, through her tireless grass roots efforts, has garnered widespread international attention and support. And meanwhile Inga has been working non stop to help to iron out legal issues, drafting amendments and working on wording changes to ensure that the bill is fair and will hold up to scrutiny. The efforts of these two dedicated women have contributed greatly to keeping SB 2169 moving through all the various committees that had to review and vote on the measure. They have spent almost every other day at the capitol meeting with committee members, working with the opposition and helping to draft amendments, all the while spreading education about sharks, finning and the bill.

And of course the groundswell of public support from within the Hawaiian community and from around the world has been nothing short of phenomenal. Stefanie has rallied the troops at every critical step along the way, assisted by some key contributors, all of whom have spent many, many hours glued to phones and keyboards, pulling out all stops in efforts to keep the bill going.

Among this avalanche of support, most notable has been a statement signed by fifty one members of the Mission Blue Voyage, a National Geographic project which was imagined to fulfill Sylvia Earle's 2009 TEDPrize wish to save the oceans!! This list is a who's who of the world’s most renowned ocean experts – marine scientists, deep sea explorers, technology innovators, policy makers, business leaders, environmentalists, activists and artists.

More letters of support came from renowned Artist of the Sea and Hawaiian resident, Wyland, as well as Hollywood actors, prominent business leaders, and scientists.

The combination of all of these elements has contributed to getting the bill to this point. It has made it through two Senate Committees, three Judicial Committees and a full vote on the House Floor. Many hurdles have been overcome, but there are still a few more steps to go.

Next Steps:

Next week the bill will go to a Conference meeting, in which one Senate Committee and one House Committee get together to clean up any issues with the language, and the "defective" 2050 date will be corrected - see note below. For example, many of you read about opposition from Shark Researchers at the University of Hawaii. They were initially opposed to the bill, because they feared that it would make it illegal for them to possess specimens needed for their research. The original bill did include an exemption for educational and research purposes, but this exemption was taken out at some point in the process. After addressing this concern with the researchers, they are now strongly in support of the bill provided the education and research exemption is included.

Because attempts to kill the bill were not successful, it's very possible that a new wave of opposition may surface.

During the Conference meetings, there will likely be many voices trying to be heard. Some interest groups will surely be vocal in wanting exemptions and less stringent language. Some compromises may have to be made. Support for the bill and full protection for sharks is strong, however.

After the Conference meetings, the bill will move on to a Senate vote.

And after the Senate vote it will be sent to the Governor. The Governor can sign the bill into law or veto it.

At this point we need to sit tight and try to be patient for the next week as the bill goes through the conference process. We'll send another update soon.

In the meantime, thank you to everyone who wrote, made phone calls and spread the word over the past two months!! Our voices really do count and all this effort does make a difference!! Our input will be needed again soon; we'll send an update to let you know what we can do to help.

Please hang in there and stay with us over the coming weeks until this bill is finally signed into law!

** Note about 2050 date:

Legislators insert a "defective date" on many bills that are expected to go through a great deal of discussion and amendments. When a committee feels that all issues have not been resolved, but they want to pass the bill out of their committee to keep it alive, (because the deadlines are so tight) they add the defective date. This signals to everyone that more discussion is needed, but that the bill is essentially alive. Without this option, some bills would get stuck in a committee until every single issue was resolved beyond any doubt. And as a result, these bills would never make it through all the steps within the designated time.

A defective date also forces the bill into a "conference meeting", which means that the bill has to be approved by the "originating body". Again, that's because after a bill has gone through a number of changes, the originating body (in this case Senator Hee's committee in the Senate) is given the opportunity to agree or disagree with the other Committee's additions and changes. This process prevents the bill from turning into something completely different from its original intent.

Once Representatives and Senators that have been designated to the conference committee have agreed on the final draft, they remove the defective date and assign the "effective date". Generally the effective date will be July of the same year or the beginning of the next year.

Hawaiian Bill to Ban the Possession, Sale and Distribution of Shark Fins

2010-04-02T08:52:00.004-04:00

Thanks to the tireless efforts of:

Stefanie Brendl of Shark Allies, as well as Inga Gibson - Humane Society, Linda Paul - Hawaii Audubon Society, and of course Senator Clayton Hee, who wrote and introduced the bill, and former Hawaiian First Lady Mrs. Vicky Cayetano - the inspiration for the bill! - and many other supporters --- Hawaiian Senate Bill 2169 has made it through numerous , hearings, votes and reviews over the past few months. And it's still alive!!

Yesterday, after the House Judiciary Committee had deferred (translation: killed) the bill, supporters refused to give up. They persevered and were able to get it back into a decision meeting hearing yesterday, where it was voted on and passed out of committee. Now the bill is officially ALIVE again and moving ahead!!!! Getting it out of Judiciary committee was a HUGE step, and certainly the most difficult one so far.

But it's not time to celebrate yet. Lots more work to do.

AND WE NEED YOUR INPUT BEFORE APRIL 6th!!

Following are the instructions from Stefanie and we've also posted an example letter written by Mark Thorpe, founder of the Global Shark Initiative. And please, please keep all letters positive and respectful!!

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THE NEXT STEP

A) The bill will now go to the House Floor for a vote (probably tuesday).
You can help us tackle the next hurdle by writing to the representatives:

Before Tuesday, April 6
Send a message to all of them (it's just one email address), and ask them to vote in support of SB2169 Relating to shark fins during House floor vote

email address: reps@Capitol.hawaii.gov

include this information

TO: House Representatives
RE: House floor vote on Measure SB 2169 Relating to shark fins

Let them know that this is an important step not only for Hawaii, but also for the rest of the world. Hawaii can be a leader and send a strong message by helping this ground breaking bill pass into law. They should feel good about being in the forefront of such an important issue.

I think it is not necessary to write a lot. If your message is short and to the point, it is more likely to be read.

B) Media coverage of any kind will be very helpful at this point. The kind of coverage that shows that this is a very important and ground breaking effort and that Hawaii will show strong leadership by taking this step. We want to show the politicians that this is getting international positive attention, and they can take great pride in supporting the bill.

And as Sen Hee has pointed out, this will also help the federal bill (Shark Conservation Act) -- an important point he is going to drive home next week.

---------------------------------

Example letter from Mark Thorpe:

TO: House Representatives
RE: House floor vote on Measure SB 2169 Relating to shark fins

Dear Representatives,

I write to express my profound request that you see fit to enact the Hawaii Shark Fin Bill: SB2169.

The recent events at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora in Doha, Qatar were seen as an affront to the very existence of sharks and the health of our oceans. As a global citizen concerned with the accelerated destruction of our planet's natural resources and stocks I implore that you see fit to help enact SB2169.

As a proud Hawaiian I also draw your attention to the fact that sharks occupy a very special place in the Hawaiian culture. Known as both Kamohoali'i and Ukanipo in Hawaiian folklore these deity have played an integral role in the formation of many proud and strong Hawaiian people. It serves no one, except corporate entities, in allowing the spirits to these cultural deity to be sold to the highest bidder. How anyone involved with the removal of this Bill could then continue to suggest they are a proud Hawaiian would in itself be an insult to those who strive for its enforcement.

I am not here today to inform you of the numbers of sharks slaughtered for their fins on an annual basis. I am not here today to inform you of the effect this is having on our Oceans as a whole and neither am I here to inform you of the mounting number of global citizens who can see these crimes being committed on a daily basis against our birthright, and yet we don't get to have a say.

Instead, today I am here as an individual. I am here as a family member, a parent, a father, a mother, a son and a daughter. I am here to ask you to make a stand and align with the bold actions of leaders in Palau and the Maldives who have recently ordained their waters as official Shark sanctuaries. I am here to ask you to be a role model for emerging generations of proud Hawaiians, to be a catalyst in the request for healthy Oceans, ones that I would be proud to pass on to my children.

Your actions in the coming days will define you as a Hawaiian, as a culturally proud member of this unique race it is your responsibility to ensure that this bill gets passed. The global shark conservation community implores you to 'Do the right thing', for Sharks, for Hawaii and for the benefit of our Ocean planet.

Sincerely,
(Your Name)
Proud Member of The Global Shark Initiative

-----------------------------------------

Thank you for your help!!! We'll be posting regular updates on Facebook.

Shark Safe Network Team

Please Support Hawaii's Shark Eco-Tourism!

2010-01-31T12:00:00.009-05:00

Hawaiian shark eco-tours are under attack once again. Shark eco-tourism promotes appreciation and understanding of these magnificent and vital animals. Please help to support Hawaii's shark eco-tour operators!

Here's a summary of what's going on:

Hawaii - at it again! Jan. 31st post by The Best Shark Dive in the World

And lots more background information and facts:

Sharks Matter website - by Stefanie Brendl of Hawaii Shark Encounters

And here's how you can help:

Send a written statement of support to these two offices:
(This has to happen as soon as possible, because hearings are being scheduled every day. You can use what you had written before for the City council or letters to the editor. Keep it short and sweet and tell them that you are strongly opposed to/appalled/disturbed/ shocked by :) any bills that will kill small businesses.)

-House Committee on Water, Land, Ocean Resources - Representative Ken Ito (Fax: 586-8474 email: repito@capitol.hawaii.gov)
Reference House bill: HB2459, HB2664, HB2705, HB2483, HB2900

-Senate Committee on Land and Water - Senator Clayton Hee (Fax: 586-7334 email: senhee@capitol.hawaii.gov)
Reference Senate Bill: SB2330, SB2655

(save your letters so you can send them again for the next batch of committee hearings).

And if you live in Hawaii or are able to travel there, please get in touch with Stefanie Brendl about participating in the hearings.

Sample letter below. Please feel free to copy parts or the whole letter as you see fit. There is also a wealth of information available on the Why Sharks Matter website, including support letters written by other people.

Thank you for your help!

Dear Sen. Hee,

I am writing in support of two North Shore shark eco-tour businesses, North Shore Shark Adventures and Hawaii Shark Encounters. These responsible businesses, that draw tens of thousands of tourists every year, are being unfairly targeted by a series of five bills (SB2330, HB2664, HB2459, HB2705, HB2483) that have been submitted to this year's State Legislative session. It is appalling and unconscionable that public officials -- who are supported by Hawaiians' tax dollars -- would take up the State Legislature's time and resources with this series of bills that have no other purpose than to destroy two hard working and law abiding small businesses.

The proponents of these bills have been conducting a campaign of misinformation and misguided emotion with no regard to the facts or any common sense. A calm review of the facts and issues, however, presents a much different picture.

Following are some observations on the issues involved that I respectfully present to you:

1. Public Safety: There has been no evidence to indicate that these shark eco-tours pose a hazard to public safety, nor is there any indication that the tours cause a significant change in the sharks' behavior. Please see the following University of Hawaii study, which concluded that shark tours have a "negligible impact on public safety" (http://www.hawaii.edu/cgi-bin/uhnews?20090714111309).

Other activities in Hawaii's waters are much more likely to attract sharks close to shore and the surfers, canoers and swimmers. For example, the Waikiki Midnight shark hunt operates near the most populated areas of Waikiki and Hawaii Kai. Spear fishing goes on right in the surf zone where bleeding and struggling fish attract sharks.

It doesn't make a lot of sense that activities that attract sharks close to shore are apparently not considered to be a threat, while shark viewing tours that operate three miles offshore are being criticized as a hazard to public safety. Yes, these tours operate three miles offshore in 600 foot deep water, far from where any surfing, swimming or canoeing takes place. Participants view the sharks from Poly Glass cages that allow them to view the sharks with no risk of physical contact.

This anti-shark tour movement seems to be fueled by a fear of sharks and shark attacks that is way out of proportion to the actual risk. For example, according to the International Shark Attack File there have been five shark attack fatalities in Oahu since 1828, and the last one occurred in 1992. The shark eco-tours that are being targeted have only been in existence since 2001. Proponents of the bills in question, however, are using the fear factor to manipulate the public and attract attention to promote themselves and their personal agendas.

2. Hawaiian Culture - Aumakua: Please see the following Public Service Announcement that is currently being aired on Fijian television -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eqrKs1B74w& . Sharks are also very important to Fijians and other Polynesian cultures. Yet the Fijians do not consider shark viewing tours to be offensive or disrespectful. What does offend Fijians is the unsustainable killing of sharks that is going on throughout the world.

The Waikiki Midnight shark hunt attracts sharks with bait so that paying customers can catch and release the sharks. Is this activity not using the sharks for entertainment and profit? Yet shark fishing tours are not being targeted by these bills; only the shark viewing tours.

Shark fin soup is sold in Hawaiian restaurants and container loads filled with shark fins can be seen in Honolulu Harbour. If the welfare of the sharks is the concern here, it seems that the shark fin traders in Hawaii's ports and markets and the longliners in Hawaii's waters would be more appropriate targets.

Since sharks are such an integral part of Hawaii's culture why not promote shark conservation, education, respect and understanding? What the shark viewing eco-tours are doing is educating and enlightening, promoting understanding and respect, not fear. How is this bad?

3. Sharks are vital to the health of the marine ecosystem. Hawaii's tourism industry depends heavily on its marine resources. Without sharks to keep the oceans in balance, the ecosystem begins to fall apart, and everyone suffers. Sharks should be protected, not vilified.

4. Impact on tourism and small businesses: A decision to ban shark tours would shut out 40,000 tourists from the North Shore. These tour operators are generating tourism dollars for the local economy. They are hard working small business owners who pay taxes. The tourists who go on these tours also stay in hotels, eat in restaurants and go shopping. Especially during these challenging economic times, is it wise to take actions that will drive out small businesses and tourists? Stirring up fear of shark attacks doesn't seem to be a good idea for tourism either. This fiasco has generated a huge amount of press, not just locally, but internationally as well. And it does not show Hawaii in a favorable light.

It's understandable that Hawaiians would want to see some kind of regulation or oversight of shark tour operations. Irresponsible tour operators certainly could endanger their clients, generate negative press and even possibly endanger others. This statement applies not only to shark tour operators, however, but to many recreational activities.

But why attack responsible tour operators who are operating three miles offshore in deep waters far away from any surfing, canoeing or swimming?

Please consider all the issues and the potential consequences of any proposed actions. And please don't allow Hawaii's Legislature to be hijacked by this witch hunt mentality that aims to destroy small businesses and recklessly divert the State's attention and resources from much more important matters.

Thank you very much for your time and attention!

Sincerely,

First Annual South Florida Shark Conservation Party a Huge Success!

2010-01-11T19:37:00.015-05:00

Sunday, January 10, marked the first annual South Florida Shark Conservation Party. The event was hosted by Shark Savers, Oceanic Defense and Shark Safe Network at Pro Dive International in Ft. Lauderdale.

The purpose of the gathering was to introduce and unite local folks and beyond who love sharks and healthy oceans, and want to get involved with shark conservation efforts. The crowd consisted of scientists, divers, students, boat captains, and the general public. Clips from Lawrence Groth's extensive archive of shark footage were shown while fun music played in the background.

One goal of the event was to raise money for the Shark Savers/WildAid billboard campaign to "Say 'no' to shark fin soup" currently being run in China. From party donations, we will be able to purchase 15 bus stop billboards! This is a very exciting outcome of the shark celebration. For more information on the campaign and purchasing these billboards yourself, go to here.

The shark party revelers were treated to PSA screenings produced by Shark Savers/WildAid. These powerful PSAs feature international basketball star Yao Ming, and other known celebrities and athletes. To view the Yao Ming PSA, check out this page . Julie Andersen of Shark Savers introduced the PSAs as well as gave updates on the campaign. We are proud to contribute to such a creative and effective cause!

Joe Romeiro and a virtual Bill Fisher, of 333 Productions, debuted their latest film, "A Lateral Line." Along with visually stunning shark footage, the film includes graphic coverage of a shark kill tournament. One astonishing scene shows the beating heart of a long-dead mako. Sad, but incredibly convincing. The film was well-received and we continue to applaud the efforts of our friends at 333.

Samantha Whitcraft from Oceanic Defense followed by presenting their 100% catch and release video to the audience.

Dr. Neil Hammerschlag, Dr. Gruber, Steve Stock, and Bill Parks each spoke to the room about what has been accomplished in 2009 and what their plans for conservation and research are for 2010. They expressed words of encouragement and heartening after seeing the progress that has been made this past year. Walt Stearns was unable to attend, as he was away on a dive trip.

Finally, the inimitable Andy Brandy Casagrande IV entertained the masses with his infectious songs about finning (anti, of course!) and being a great white shark.

We are grateful to Pro Dive for volunteering to host the event. Even though our plans for an evening boat ride were scrapped due to Florida's unseasonable cold, we were able to stay indoors at Pro Dive and enjoy an evening with good friends. The food and drinks from Coconuts restaurant were delish. Special thanks to Sergio for the three exceptionally well-designed shark cakes!

So far, photos from the party can be viewed on the Facebook pages of Samantha Whitcraft, Fort Lauderdale Dive Report by Pro Dive International, Brendal Davis, Thomas Sergent, or Felix Leander.

A hardy thank you to all for your support and attendance of the inaugural South Florida shark conservation party! See you all again next year!!

Looking forward to a big year for sharks in 2010!!

2009-12-13T13:29:00.004-05:00

Most of you have heard the news by now that this Thursday, December 10th, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission approved the draft rule prohibiting the harvest of lemon sharks in Florida waters. Final vote and adoption of this rule is scheduled for the FWC's February meeting in Apalachicola. Yes there's a final vote yet, but the unanimous approval of the rule on Thursday was critical and demonstrates that the Florida FWC Commission truly is leading the way in shark and marine ecosystem conservation!

And luckily the commercial shark fishery in Federal and State waters is currently closed and not scheduled to re-open until July. So this winter's lemon shark aggregations will not be targeted by commercial fishermen.

Thanks to everyone who has supported this effort over the past six months, but first and foremost to Dr. Gruber and Walt Stearns for getting this ball rolling!! The research data provided by Dr Gruber and his dedicated team demonstrated without a doubt the extreme vulnerability of the lemon sharks and provided the justification needed to call for their protection. And Walt Stearns, who first discovered the Palm Beach lemon shark aggregations back in 2001, has worked hand in hand with Dr Gruber, put out the first call for support in the campaign to protect the lemon sharks and has followed through every step of the way. In addition, a number of people attended and spoke at the FWC Commission meetings and Workshops, many letters were written to the Commissioners and over five thousand people signed the lemon shark petition!

Probably the most heartening aspect of this campaign is that scientists, conservationists, recreational fishermen, divers, eco-tour operators and former commercial fishermen have come together to work as a team. No one jumped up and down and made demands. We made reasonable requests and backed them up with scientific and economic data. And the Policy Makers listened.

There are other shark species that are still in need of protection, and for 2010 efforts will focus on Hammerheads, Bull Sharks and Tiger Sharks, all of which have experienced tremendous population declines. Please get involved!

Here's what you can do to make a difference:

1. Attend the FWC workshops and Commission meetings:

Public input is welcome and it does make a difference. Please attend these meetings, speak and fill out the questionnaires provided. At the October Lemon Shark Workshop in Dania Beach, we had a great turnout, but about half of the pro-shark attendees forgot to fill out the questionnaires!! And all of the commercial fishermen there filled them out. Not complaining, we're thrilled and grateful that so many people made the effort to show up! Just something to remember for next time! The reason for holding the Public Workshops is for the FWC to gauge public opinion. So it's important not just to show up, but to make your voice heard. And you don't have to be a scientist or a shark expert to comment!

The next meeting on the schedule is the FWC Commission meeting on February 17-18th in Apalachicola, Florida. Most likely the vote on the Lemon Shark rule will take place on the second day, the 18th. We'll post the agenda and more details as they become available. Apalachicola is on the Florida Panhandle between Tallahassee and Panama City. Please contact us if you'll be able to make it.

2. Provide scientific research:

If you are a shark scientist, and have any data that is relevant to protection of these shark species -- published studies, ongoing or planned studies, ideas for studies, etc., please contact us. Scientific data is absolutely critical -- documentation of population declines, value of sharks to the ecosystem, value of sharks to the economy, documentation on life history characteristics, important nursery habitat areas, etc. We can get you in touch with other scientists as well as foundations that are interested in funding this type of research.

3. Stay informed:

Register to receive updates to this blog and / or become a fan on Facebook for updates (click the Follow / Facebook buttons on the right side of the page). We will provide the information on dates, places and issues. And we will research the issues and give you an overview so that you can be informed when you get to the meeting.

4. Send written comments:

If you live out of state or can't make it to the meetings, then write a short letter to the Commissioners. Again we'll provide overviews of the issues so that you can comment intelligently.

5. Get involved with other shark protection efforts:

For those of you from other coastal states in the US and other countries, please get involved with efforts to protect sharks in your waters. Go to the website for the state or country fisheries management authority. Get on the mailing list for updates, notification of meetings and proposed rule changes. Find out what other groups are already involved and contact them to find out how you can best contribute!

More and more, the message is spreading that sharks are vitally important to the health of our planet and that they are in trouble. There's momentum on the policy side -- more countries are passing no shark finning legislation and stricter limits on shark harvesting. And there's also momentum on the movement to reduce demand for shark products. The Shark Savers / Wild Aid "Say No to Shark Fin Soup" campaign raised funds for over 1000 billboards in less than three weeks and is going strong. Meanwhile several groups have been successful in persuading nutritional supplements makers to drop their shark cartilage products and many cosmetics makers have switched from shark based ingredients to plant based alternatives. And the list of success stories continues to grow!

There's hope for sharks so let's all pull together and make a difference in 2010!

One Big Step Closer to Protection for Florida's Lemon Sharks!

2009-12-05T09:45:00.005-05:00

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission have proposed a draft rule that will prohibit all harvest of lemon sharks in Florida State waters.

Dr. Gruber and his team from the Bimini Shark Lab and Walt Stearns, publisher of the Underwater Journal initiated this campaign to add lemon sharks to fully protected status in Florida waters. And several conservation groups (Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation, Shark Foundation, Shark Safe Network, Oceanic Defense, Shark Savers) and shark eco-tourism operators (Jim Abernethy, Emerald Charters, Jupiter Dive Center, Captain Ken Harris) have joined them in this effort.

You can help too!! Here's what you can do :

1. Attend the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission meeting December 10th in Clewiston, Florida (Details). It's very important that people show up at the meeting to voice their support for the protection of lemon sharks. We can help you with preparing your comments. Please contact us if you can attend.

2. If you can't make the meeting, you can still submit written comments to:

Email: Commissioners@MyFWC.com

Mail: Kathleen Hampton

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

620 South Meridian Street

Tallahassee, FL 32399-1600

See the sample letter below. You may modify this letter to include your personal observations or interest in having these animals protected. Please keep it positive and to the point!

3. Sign the Petition to Protect Lemon Sharks.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!! We will post developments to this blog, so stay tuned!

Sample Letter text:

Dear Commissioners:

I understand that on December 10th the Commission will consider approval of a rule prohibiting the harvest of lemon sharks in Florida's state waters. I am strongly in favor of this proposal and urge you to please vote to protect the lemon sharks from all commercial and recreational harvest.

Lemon Sharks and the other Large Coastal Shark species are vital to Florida's precious ocean ecosystem, and allowing their numbers to be depleted will result in degradation of our reefs and fewer fish for all of us to enjoy. The Lemon Shark aggregations off the coast of Florida have also become a very valuable tourist attraction and are the subject of scientific research.

I am also in favor of other shark protections that have been proposed, including:

* prohibtion of the harvest of sandbar, silky and Caribbean sharpnose sharks from state waters;

* prohibition of the removal of shark heads and tails at sea;

* allowing only hook and line gear to harvest sharks

Thank you for making Florida a leader in the conservation sharks and our marine ecosytems!

Sincerely,

Name

City, State

Senate Committee Passes Bill to End Shark Finning in the US

2009-11-19T13:33:00.003-05:00

The US takes a step in the right direction. Let's hope other countries follow suit.

Oceana November 19, 2009: Senate Committee Passes Bill to End Shark Finning in the US

The Shark Conservation Act of 2009, which aims to close loopholes in current shark finning legislation, was passed by the House of Representatives in March:

Oceana March 2009: Houses Passes Shark Finning Ban

Shark Savers and WildAid billboard campaign

2009-11-18T20:33:00.002-05:00

Here is a great way to take action for sharks. Shark Savers and WildAid have teamed up to create a new campaign in China aimed at stopping the ugly and destructive practice of shark finning. Through this program anyone is able to purchase a "say 'no' to shark fin soup" bus stop billboard featuring NBA star Yao Ming, an influential and respected Chinese native. For $100 this billboard will stay in place for a year. See more details at this link:

http://www.sharksavers.org/en/get-involved/ways-you-can-help-save-sharks/613-buy-a-billboard-in-china.html

If you're looking for holiday gift ideas, this is a good and noble one.

Act now and one of generous Shark Savers' sponsors will double your contribution! This is a special opportunity to support a crucial cause -- saving sharks!

Shark Saturdays -- the Good Kind!

2009-10-31T20:52:00.004-04:00

Tom Sergent has successfully kept shark products out of the restaurants in Rockford, Illinois, spends countless hours educating children about sharks as a volunteer for Iemanya Oceanica and is always available to help and coach others who want to get involved with shark conservation.

Tom's latest effort to educate his community will take place on Saturday, November 14th at the Discovery Center Children's Museum. If you live in or around Rockford, Illinois, please come by to show your support!

Shark Saturdays - Discovery Center Children's Museum, Rockford, IL

Second Saturday Science Series: Learn about sharks! Meet ocean and shark conservationist and professional diver Thomas Sergent of Shark Diver Magazine. Find out more about these fascinating creatures as well as the oceans they live in, and discover what you can do to help save them. Breathe through scuba gear, make a shark model, touch real shark teeth, see what underwater pressure does to your lungs, and more! No registration required. Included with Museum admission: $6 adults, $5 children ages 2-17.

And Happy Birthday to Tom - Amphibious Warrior and Shark Hero!

Great Turnout at the Lemon Shark Workshops!!

2009-10-22T11:56:00.006-04:00

The lemon sharks were well represented on Monday and Tuesday at the Workshops held in Ft Myers and Dania Beach, Florida!

There was an excellent turnout of shark scientists, dive operators, conservation groups and concerned citizens who came together to present a coordinated and factual appeal to the FWC for protection of lemon sharks and the other large coastal shark species. Several people even drove three hours to attend to the Workshop in Fort Myers -- thank you!!

The case presented for the sharks was very compelling. Both the scientific evidence and the economic case for the value of a live shark vs a dead shark was overwhelming.

The group of commercial shark fishermen at the Dania Beach meeting felt outnumbered and were understandably unhappy. They expressed concerns that the closures and restrictions on one species after another was gradually putting them out of business. Other attendees, however, urged them to consider ecotourism as an alternative. Jim Abernethy offered his assistance in making this change, and another gentlemen spoke about his personal experience of changing from commercial fishing to ecotourism. For him it has been both profitable and rewarding. The fishermen weren't particularly open to the idea, but at least the seed has been planted. Hopefully some of them will consider it.

In summary, we're confident and very optimistic, but it's not time to relax yet. The two FWC analysts who conducted the Workshops will now work on their recommendation to the Commissioners. These recommendations should be made public sometime in November.

At the December 10th Commission meeting in Clewiston, Florida the FWC Commissioners will vote on whether or not to add Lemon Sharks to the Prohibited Species list. It will be important to have another good turnout at this meeting.

Other coastal species are on the schedule for 2010 and we've been told that shark issues - including more protections for Hammerheads, Tiger and Bull Sharks, and mandated use of circle hooks - are a top priority.

Thanks to all who made the effort to show up at the Lemon Shark Workshops and to all of you who signed the Lemon Shark petition. Great job, thank you!

Florida Lemon Shark Update!

2009-10-19T00:02:00.011-04:00

Lemon Shark Public Workshops start today. If you can attend one of these meetings, it would make a big difference in the effort to protect these sharks!

Monday October 19th in Fort Myers, FL - 6pm till 8pm

Joseph P. D'Alessandro Office Complex -- 2295 Victoria Ave.

Tuesday October 20th in Dania Beach, FL - 6pm till 8pm

IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame and Museum - 300 Gulfstream Way

And if you haven't signed yet, please sign the Petition: Urgent Help Needed to Protect Lemon Sharks!!

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/4/urgent-help-needed-to-protect-lemon-sharks

Over 4000 people have signed in just one week! This petition along with selected comments will be presented at the Dania Beach Beach Workshop on Tuesday. So let's make a big push to get many more signatures in the next two days!

Thanks to everyone who signed, shared and blogged so far. Your support is very much appreciated!! Please check back later in the week for a full report on the Workshops.

Why All Shark Tournaments Should be Catch and Release

2009-10-16T08:23:00.005-04:00

Destin, Florida's Annual Fishing Rodeo draws crowds and brings business to local retailers and charter boats. Their addition of the "Shark Saturdays" category, however, in which a $250 prize is awarded for the biggest shark brought in every Saturday in October, gives this family event a big black eye.

The photo at the left shows a juvenile tiger shark - only 78 pounds - brought to the dock on October 10th. Because of their biology (they basically pee through their skin), shark meat is not edible unless the animal is immediately gutted on put on ice.

The winning shark was a 140 pound bull shark that probably hadn't even reached reproductive age yet. On the first Shark Saturday, October 3rd, a Hammerhead (classified by the IUCN as 'Endangered') was brought to the docks and then discarded.

Yet this very same tournament has a Billfish Division, for which anglers bring a photo to the weigh station --- yes, all catch and release! Why not make all fishing tournaments catch and release for sharks as well. Please see these Seven Vital Reasons Why Shark Tournaments are Changing to 'Catch and Release':

http://www.oceanicdefense.org/campaigns/shark-fishing-tournaments.html

Shark Safe Network and Oceanic Defense are working together on this important issue. Fishing tournaments can be family friendly community events that benefit everyone and don't harm the environment. Killing the most ecologically important animals in the sea is not family friendly and it's not necessary.

Thank you to Omar Mulla and friends for his photo and report.

Florida's Lemon Sharks Need Your Help

2009-10-10T19:55:00.003-04:00

This is an urgent posting asking your help to protect Florida's lemon sharks. Since lemon sharks are not protected, and other species of coastal sharks and fish are, fishermen are already targeting these fascinating and eco-vital creatures for slaughter this winter.

Divers, scientists and conservationists have united to form a petition to be delivered at the upcoming public workshops hosted by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission on October 19th and 20th. We need your support to reach our goal of 10,000 signatures. Please pass along the petition to everyone you know. The sharks need your help!

The petition can be read and signed here: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/4/urgent-help-needed-to-protect-lemon-sharks

If you live in Florida please join us:

October 19th - Fort Myers, FL - 6:00pm - 8:00pm - Joseph P. D'Alessandro Office Complex, 2295 Victoria Ave.

October 20th - Dania Beach, FL - 6:00pm - 8:00pm - IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame and Museum, 300 Gulf Stream Way.

You can also list the petition site as your Twitter or Facebook status. Any form of reaching the masses is appreciated.

Let's do our best to put an end to this senseless slaughter!

Thank you for your help!

Peter Fang, House of Nanking, is a hero to sharks and the oceans!

2009-10-05T22:15:00.001-04:00

Thank you Peter Fang for being a hero to sharks and the oceans!!

The House of Nanking is one of the most famous and popular restaurants in San Francisco’s Chinatown. Chef Owner Peter Fang also recently opened a new hotspot in the SOMA district -- Fang Restaurant (660 Howard Street).

AND NO SHARK PRODUCTS ARE SOLD AT PETER FANG’S RESTAURANTS!

Peter Fang cares about the health of his customers and wants to do his part to protect sharks and our oceans from the devastating overfishing that is being driven by the demand for shark fin soup. Both of Peter’s restaurants are now proudly displaying Shark Safe Network’s brand new stickers in their front windows:

For the health of our customers and the planet ... no shark products are served at this establishment.

As an award winning chef with one of the most acclaimed restaurants in Chinatown and now in SOMA as well, Peter Fang is setting a brilliant example. Proving that Chinese restaurants do not have to serve shark fin soup to be successful!

Quote from World Travel Guide’s City Guide to San Francisco – House of Nanking was one of only 25 restaurants chosen for this listing.

“San Francisco's Chinatown is bursting with eateries, but this is king among them. Owner and chef Peter Fang has perfected the Chinese art of serving an array of delicious dishes in the shortest possible time.”

Please help Shark Savers to get 10,000 signatures for this Thank You card to Palau!!

2009-09-30T15:45:00.000-04:00

From Julie Andersen:

Shark friends,
Last April, Palau announced they were considering legislation to legalize shark fishing for foreign vessels in their water. A country who relies upon tourism for over 60% of their GDP – the majority of that being dive tourism.

Over the last several months, Shark Savers, with the support of several international and local Palau organizations, has been actively conducting a campaign to protest this legislation, engaging citizens of the world to appeal to the government of Palau through individual letters and through a petition. And in that time, countless letters have been written while the petition gained over 4,500 signatures; many from tourists who had or were planning on visiting Palau.

This month, I am sure everyone is aware by now that Palau has completely changed their stance -– in part thanks to the outpouring of support from folks who participated in this campaign and made their voices heard. It is true... Our voices count!

A real 180 degree strategy shift. Instead of opening their waters, Palau has unequivocally closed them – creating the world’s first national shark sanctuary. 240,000 square miles protecting 130 species of sharks. And while Palau, like so many other countries, does not have the funds to enforce the sanctuary to the level needed (a recent flyover revealed 70 long lining boats in these waters) and our work is clearly not done, it is an important step. One that deserves some recognition!

Please sign the thank you card to President Toribiong and Palau. We will be presenting this to him publicly to celebrate this win amongst all of us and show everyone that together, we can protect sharks. We are hoping this attention ignites much more positive change.
And besides, it is so nice to sign something positive related to shark conservation, isn't it? We would like to get at least 10,000 signatures from all over the world, so please have everyone you know sign it and promote it however you can (blogs, thru your organization & mailing list, etc.) This should be our battle cry!
http://www.sharksavers.org/en/get-involved/sign-these-petitions/608-thank-you-palau.html

Julie Andersen
Founder & Director, Shark Savers - www.sharksavers.org
Shark Angel - www.sharkangels.com
A Shark Angel's Blog: http://sharkangels.blogspot.com/

Shark Rescue is here! Hong Kong based organization working to protect sharks and the oceans.

2009-09-21T19:57:00.003-04:00

Sign up for the Shark Rescue Examiner

Shark Rescue is Here!
Welcome to the Shark Rescue Examiner, where you'll find our latest updates, get shark-conservation news, learn about the companies we've challenged and are winning over, and more. We've got big plans in store and you're invited to join us. Welcome!

Shark News
Florida proposes more protection for sharks
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) on Thursday proposed rules to enhance its long-standing policy to protect stressed shark populations in Florida waters.
(More...)
Mutilated sharks turning up in SA waters
Foreign fishermen are continuing to hack the fins off sharks in South African waters and toss the animals back into the sea while they are alive.
(More...)

No Thanks!
How we're asking businesses to stop selling shark. Get involved!
+ We confront the Sheraton and Starwood Hotels. After our launch, one of our fans let us know that the Sheraton Futian in Shenzhen was actively promoting a shark-fin offer. Want to get involved? Send their Executive Assistant Manager and email and tell them to remove all shark from their menu!

+ We confront the City of Destin, Florida. Destin is a city that has regular 'shark rodeos', where fisherman get up to $250 in prize money for the largest shark that they kill. Makos, tigersharks and more are the casual victims of these tournaments.

+ We tell Best Bully Sticks to stop selling shark spines. The company sells chew toys for dogs, and one of their products is a thresher shark spine, which their distributor gets from India. Thresher sharks the world over are threatened, and we're trying to get Best Bully Sticks to stop selling threatened species and join Shark Rescue as a winning organization. Want to get involved? Send them an email and tell them to remove all shark from their menu!

Announcing the NEW Shark Safe Network website!

2009-09-19T13:29:00.007-04:00

We want to encourage and enable more people to get involved with shark conservation and make a difference.

On the Shark Safe Network website you can find out:

What shark conservation groups around the world are doing to save sharks and how you can support their efforts.
How to start your own shark conservation campaign in your community. We’ll help you to do it!
Urgent Alerts on important shark conservation issues – Please check today’s Urgent Alert about protecting Florida sharks.

For each of seven main campaign areas, the Shark Safe Network website provides:

Overview of the issues
Campaign goals
Action plan
Materials to download – Brochures, Sample letters and more
Links to more information and resources
Information on current campaigns you can join

It’s been a huge project to compile all this information and create all these materials, but there’s much more to do! Please send us your ideas on how we can improve this resource for you and for the sharks!!

Thanks for your support and looking forward to working with you!!

Shark Safe Network Team

Looking Good for Lemon Sharks and other Florida Coastal Sharks!

2009-09-12T08:32:00.003-04:00

Overall the FWC meeting on Sept 10^th went extremely well and Dr Gruber is happy! The Commissioners spoke very favorably about amending the rules to add lemons, tigers and hammerheads (great, scalloped and smooth) and possibly bulls to the prohibited list, and also to require circle hooks for shark fishing.

We were hoping that they would make the decision right then and there, but after some discussion the Commissioners decided that they should first get some more input from staff. For one, they would like to have more data to be able to make the case for Federal protections, since some of the lemon shark aggregations span State and Federal waters. They also cited concern about protecting one species and then just shifting the fishing pressure to another species. So while the focus was clearly on the lemon sharks to protect their winter aggregations, the Commission is open to adding protections for other shark species that are vulnerable.

The final public hearing will take place in December. In the meantime, we would still encourage you to send comments to the Commissioners (Commissioners@MyFWC.com).

If you send a comment, please thank the Commissioners for their leadership in protecting sharks and let them know that you support adding more vulnerable shark species to the Prohibited Species list, especially Lemon Sharks, Hammerheads, Tigers and Bulls. Observations from any of you who have been diving and fishing in Florida for a long time with regard to the declines in shark populations in Florida and specifically which species have declined the most would be helpful. And of course scientific data documenting these declines is important as well.

And please don’t forget about the proposed circle hook requirement. This is huge! In Florida alone over a million sharks are caught and released. The use of circle hooks vs J hooks has been demonstrated to increase the post-release survival dramatically. So this rule alone could potentially save the lives of hundreds of thousands of sharks in Florida every year.

UPDATE to Florida's Lemon Sharks Need our Help!

2009-09-04T12:28:00.000-04:00

Written comments can be submitted to:

By email: Commissioners@MyFWC.com

By postal mail:

Kathleen Hampton
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
620 South Meridian Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1600

Comments submitted will be forwarded to the Commissioners for their review and for the record.

Please note: Florida has a very broad public records law. Most written communications to or from state officials regarding state business are considered public records and are available to the public and the media upon request. Therefore, your e-mail communications may be subject to public disclosure.

Public attendance is still vital though!! Please try to make it to the meeting in person. The Sept. 10th FWC meeting takes place at the Mission Inn Resort & Club. This is a really nice place to spend a few days and only minutes from Orlando! Very reasonable rates too (call to check - we got a lower rate than advertised on the website).

See previous post for more info. Please also see the flyer posted on the Shark Savers site, which includes links to full details about the proposed regulations.

Florida's Lemon Sharks Need Our Help!

2009-09-02T20:52:00.000-04:00

As regulations tighten for other fish, lemons sharks and other large coastal shark species - already in trouble! - are facing increased fishing pressure. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is seeking feedback from the public on options for amending its shark management rules.

Commercial fishermen are gearing up now to target the winter lemon shark aggregations off Florida's coast. It's critical that as many people as possible speak up in support of greater protections for lemon sharks and other highly vulnerable large coastal shark species.

Please join Dr. Samuel Gruber, Walt Stearns, publisher of the Underwater Journal, and others who are concerned about the fate of Florida’s sharks in this effort to save lemon sharks and other highly vulnerable sharks.

Lemon sharks take 12 to 15 years to reach maturity and then only mate once every two years, have long gestation periods and give birth to a small number of young. These slow reproductive characteristics, very high first year mortality destruction of lemon shark nursery habitats, combine to make this species extremely vulnerable.

The lemon shark "aggregations" - large gatherings that take place off the coast of Florida in a small regional area close to shore with a highly predictable time frame, also make them easy targets for fishermen. Satellite tagging studies have proven that the lemon sharks that aggregate off Florida’s coastline have come from all up and down the East Coast of the US and the Bahamas.

Commercial targeting of Florida's lemon shark aggregations can severely deplete or even wipe out lemon sharks populations very quickly and will impact a large geographic area. This is a potential shark conservation disaster!

If at all possible, please attend this meeting and ask the FWC to add lemon sharks to the Prohibited Species List.

The FWC Meeting is will be held on September 10th 8:30 am. at:
Mission Inn
10400 County Road 48
Howey-in-the-Hills, FL
Phone: (352) 324-3101
Fax: (352) 324-2636
Website: http://www.missioninnresort.com/
Contact Shark Safe Network:
sharksafenetwrk@gmail.com

Shark Tournaments are targeting endangered Makos and Threshers - Urge them to go 100% Catch & Release

2009-07-03T10:00:00.000-04:00

Here's a list of Shark Fishing Kill tournaments scheduled for the rest of this year on the East Coast. Please contact sponsors, organizers, Chambers of Commerce and local businesses to urge them to change to 100% Catch & Release. Many of them are targeting Makos and Threshers, which are now classified by the IUCN as Vulnerable - High Risk of Global Extinction. And they're just killing them for the fun of it!!

Please contact us for help with letters, brochures, etc. -- maryomalley@mac.com or sharksafe@comcast.net

2009 List of Shark Fishing Tournaments – “Kill Tournaments”

This list is not complete. Please let us know about any kill shark tournaments you hear about in your area.

October:

Destin Rodeo - Shark Saturdays -- Destin, FL -- Every Saturday in October

http://www.thedestinlog.com/news/whether-9546-destin-fishing.html

August:

Newport Monster Shark &Tuna Tournament -- Aug 19 - 23rd, Newport, RI

http://www.bbgfc.com/

16th. ANNUAL STAR ISLAND MAKO & THRESHER TOURNAMENT - Aug 6-8th, Montauk,LI

http://www.montauksportfishing.com/tournaments.html

Downeast Maine Shark Tournament -- Aug 28-29th, Saco, ME

http://www.mainesharktournament.com

Outcast Mega Shark Tournament - Pensacola, FL – Aug 7 – 9th

http://www.outcastfishingandhunting.com/tournaments/#tournament-6

July:

7TH ANNUAL NOREAST MAKO – THRESHER BIG DOG SHOOTOUT - June 1st.-July 31st. - noreast.com

http://74.125.95.132/searchq=cache:H8LsKwRjKQJ:www.noreast.com/discussion/ViewTopic.cfm%3Fpage%3D1%26startrow%3D1%26topic_ID%3D126150+7TH+ANNUAL+NOREAST+MAKO+–+THRESHER+BIG+DOG+SHOOTOUT&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

OAK BLUFFS MONSTER SHARK TOURNAMENT -- July 23 - 25th, Oak Bluffs,MA

http://www.bbgfc.com/

Montauk Boatman’s and Captain’s 31st Annual Charity Shark Tournament - July 10-12th, Montauk,LI

http://www.montauksportfishing.com/tournaments.html

Third of open ocean sharks face extinction

2009-06-29T17:15:00.001-04:00

A third of the world’s open water sharks – including the great white and hammerhead – face extinction, according to a major conservation survey.

Species hunted on the high seas are particularly at risk, with more than half in danger of dying out, reported the Shark Specialist Group at the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Collapsing shark populations have already severely disrupted at least two coastal marine ecosystems, and could trigger even more severe consequences in the high seas, marine biologists warned at the same time.

The main culprit is overfishing. Sharks are prized for their meat, and in Asia especially for their fins, a prestige food thought to convey health benefits. The survey of 64 species of open water, or pelagic, sharks – the most comprehensive ever done – comes days before an international meeting on high-seas tuna fisheries that could potentially play a role in shark conservation.

For decades, significant numbers of sharks – including blue and mako – have perished as “by-catch” in commercial tuna and swordfish operations.

More recently, the soaring value of shark meat has prompted some of these fisheries to target sharks as a lucrative sideline, said Sonja Forham, Policy Director for the Shark Alliance, and co-author of the study. Sharks are especially vulnerable to overfishing because most species take many years to mature and have relatively few young.

Europe is the fastest growing market for meat from the porbeagle and another species, the spiny dogfish. The demand for shark fins, a traditional Chinese delicacy, has soared along with income levels in China over the last decade. Shark carcasses are often tossed back into the sea by fishermen after the fins are cut off. Despite bans in international waters, this practice – known as “finning” – is largely unregulated, experts say. The loss of sharks from the world’s oceans could have unpredictable impacts, say marine scientists.

“Removing large predators would deprive ecosystems of players that have been around for more than 400 million years,” said Francesco Ferretti, a researcher at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada.

The report identified the great hammerhead and scalloped hammerhead sharks, as well as giant devil rays as globally endangered. The smooth hammerhead, great white, basking, and oceanic whitetip sharks are listed as globally vulnerable to extinction, along with two species of makos and three types of threshers.

Some 100 million sharks are caught in commercial and sports fishing every year, and several species have declined by more than 80 percent in the past decade alone, according the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW). afp

Shark Safe Supporters Attend FWC Meetings in Dania Beach and Punta Gorda

2009-06-28T14:32:00.000-04:00

As you know, one of Shark Safe's current campaigns is to encourage shark tournaments to change to catch-and-release only. Additionally we aim to stop shark fishing that is done solely for the purpose of trophy. We are not alone in this quest, which is good for the sharks. The recent study regarding the likely extinction of shark favorites like the great white and the hammerhead has garnered a lot of attention.

Fortunately the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is responding to the call for tighter management on shark fishing. Their goal was to seek feedback on options for amending its shark management rules that would comply with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Coastal Sharks. Over the past few weeks, workshops were held in different locations around the state. Some Shark Safe members as well as divers, fishermen, and shark scientists attended to give voice to the myriad topics.

Among the items discussed:

1. Overview of the ASMFC Plan Requirements -- Florida must comply with these rules, but may also be more restrictive
2. The ASMFC Plan applies to the Atlantic Coast of Florida -- should the same measures apply on the Gulf Coast?
3. Should Commercial and Recreational fisheries continue to be managed under the same rules?
4. Suggestions for alternative measures for shark management
5. Should FL rules be more restrictive than ASMFC?

And additionally:
1. Adding species to the Prohibited Species List
2. Banning "live mounts" for taxidermy
3. Protect breeding females by instituting maximum size limits to protect breeding female sharks
4. Require all Shark Tournaments to be 100% Catch and Release

In September there will be a draft rule hearing, then in December more public comments will be taken and the Commission will vote on it. Any new rules passed will go into effect in January 2010. In the meantime, please feel free to share your comments and suggestions.

Here are your contacts:

Aaron Podey, Fisheries Management Analyst : Aaron.Podey@MyFWC.com

Melissa Recks, Biological Scientist II: Melissa.Recks@MyFWC.com

Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

AVAILABLE FOR PUBLIC COMMENT

Draft Addendum I to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Coastal Sharks for Public Comment

Public comment accepted until 5:00 PM EST, June 30, 2009
E-mail Comments to: comments@asmfc.org

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This is a good summary written after the Dania Beach workshop: http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/story/1117433.html.

Additional background info on the FWC meetings: http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20090609/BREAKINGNEWS/90609051/1006/NEWS01/Florida+fisherman+could+face+new+shark+fishing+rules

We are definitely excited about the outcome of the workshops and have hope that new rules will result. Stay tuned...

Shark Entree Featured at Taste of Chicago; Humana Labels it a "Healthy Choice"

2009-06-27T16:17:00.000-04:00

The popular food festival, Taste of Chicago, has begun and to our horror we have learned that shark is one of the featured offerings at the Polo Cafe's booth. They have been serving "Shark Vera Cruz" in their restaurant and at the Taste for years, along with "Shark and Olives." For some inconceivable reason, Humana Inc, a health benefits company, has decided to promote shark as one of the healthier choices at the Taste.

We have sent the following letter to Humana and we have contacted the organizers of the Taste of Chicago, the Polo Cafe and the Chicago Tribune, as well, to apprise them of the facts related to eating shark.

A recommendation from a large, respected health organization promoting shark meat as a healthy choice is huge blow to shark populations, which are already in serious trouble. In light of this week's IUCN report showing that a third of all open ocean sharks are threatened with extinction (http://www.iucn.org/?3362/Third-of-open-ocean-sharks-threatened-with-extinction), this recommendation is highly irresponsible. The Taste of Chicago, Humana and the Polo Cafe highlighting this menu item only encourages people to look for and request shark at grocery stores and restaurants.

We will keep you posted as to the response. In the meantime, please contact any of the following with your POLITE and RESPECTFUL comments! Please also contact any other media outlets that have run this story to urge them to give their readers and viewers the real facts. If you're in the Chicago area attending the festival, you may also stop by the booth and directly, but respectfully urge them to stop serving shark.

Polo Café:
Dave Samber - Owner
+1 (773) 927-POLO
Email: dave@polocafe.com
www.polocafe.com
Taste of Chicago 2009: June 26-July 5
BOOTH #31

Humana:
Jim Turner - Manager, Corporate Media Relations
+1 (502) 476-2119
jturner2@humana.com
www.humana.com

Taste of Chicago:
City of Chicago, Mayor's Office of Special Events (MOSE)
Megan McDonald, Executive Director
Mayor's Office of Special Events
121 N. LaSalle Street, Room 806
Chicago, IL 60602
312-744-2493

Chicago Tribune:

EDITORIAL DEPARTMENTS

• Local News: 312-222-3540

• Business: 312-222-5944

• Features: 312-222-3001
E-mail letter to the editor: ctc-tribletter@tribune.com

Here is the letter we emailed to Humana:

Dear Mr. Turner,

Humana is highly regarded as a leader in health care and known for enabling people to make well-informed decisions regarding their health care and healthy lifestyles. Which is why we are shocked at Humana’s decision to promote shark meat as one of the “healthier choice” entrees featured at the Taste of Chicago festival.

Humana has effectively provided a seal of approval for a product that carries warnings from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Environmental Defense Fund, Seafood Watch, the New York Department of Health, to name but a few organizations. With all of these highly respected entities publicly disagreeing with Humana’s recommendations, one might wonder how responsible and informed Humana’s recommendations truly are.

Indeed, there is much research and publicly available data regarding the serious health issues associated with consumption of shark meat due to the high levels of mercury and other contaminants in the shark’s flesh. Because of these health risks, most health organizations advise that women of child-bearing age and children should not consume any shark meat at all, and everyone else should limit consumption to no more than one serving per month. The Florida Dept. of Health goes further to warn that EVERYONE should avoid eating meat from any sharks over 43 inches.

In addition to the risks posed to people by consuming shark meat, there are significant health risks for our planet. Sharks around the world are threatened with extinction due to overfishing. Populations of many shark species have decreased by as much as 90% just in the past thirty years. As the apex predators of the oceans, the role of sharks is to keep other marine life in healthy balance and to regulate the world’s largest and most important ecosystem. Removing sharks seriously upsets this delicate balance. A number of studies are already indicating that regional elimination of sharks can cause disastrous effects including the collapse of fisheries and the death of coral reefs.

There are many healthy and responsible seafood choices available that provide high quality lean protein and healthy omega-3 fatty acids without unnecessarily exposing consumers to mercury and other dangerous toxins and without damaging the environment ((please see attached Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Guide (http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/SeafoodWatch/web/sfw_regional.aspx) and Shark Fact Sheet (http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/cr_seafoodwatch/content/media/MBA_SeafoodWatch_SharkFactCard.pdf).

Humana has been a leader in quality healthcare and health choices. By recommending safe and sustainable seafood choices, Humana can only stand to gain by leading the industry in environmental responsibility as well.

Now that Humana is aware of the situation, we cannot imagine you will stand behind these flawed recommendations. We respectfully request that Humana take a stand and immediately rescind its recommendation of shark as a healthy choice option. We further request that Humana issue a retracting statement to all media outlets to which these recommendations were promoted. Finally, the recommendation should be withdrawn from the literature at the Taste of Chicago booth. Instead, the public, especially women and children, should be properly warned about the dangers of consuming shark – consistent with the recommendations of the EPA and the FDA.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. We will be happy to provide you with further research studies and to answer any questions you may have.

Best Regards,

Shark Safe

Shark Savers

Shark Angels

Sea Shepherd

Shark Fins Dealer Pleads Guilty to Illegally Dealing in Fins from Protected Species

2009-06-13T15:24:00.000-04:00

The Shark Conservation "spotlight" has certainly been on Florida lately. Most of this attention has been brought on by obvious public issues such as Shark Tournaments and the ongoing unsustainable taking of sharks. Here is some good and bad news about Florida sharks. The Good News is that they finally busted this guy, The Bad News is, how long he has been getting away with this and the penalties seem far to lenient.

Southport resident Mark L. Harrison had been running a substantial shark fin industry right in his own backyard. According to the charges and other information presented in court, Harrison allegedly represented himself to be the nation’s largest shark fin buyer, purchasing "millions" of shark fins since he had been in the business, beginning in 1989.

SOURCE U.S. Department of Justice

WASHINGTON—Mark L. Harrison, a resident of Southport, Fla., and Harrison International LLC, a Florida corporation, today pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Atlanta to violating the Lacey Act, a federal fish and wildlife trafficking law, by dealing in shark fins, the landing of which was not reported as required by law, the Justice Department announced today.

In addition, Mark Harrison pleaded guilty to a second charge related to his attempted export of shark fins of species that are prohibited to harvest under laws of the state of Florida. Harrison also pleaded guilty to a third charge related to trading in shark fins that had been prepared, packed or held under insanitary conditions.

According to the charges and other information presented in court, Harrison allegedly represented himself to be the nation’s largest shark fin buyer, purchasing "millions" of shark fins since he had been in the business, beginning in 1989. According to the plea agreements, in February 2005, Harrison purchased shark fins in Florida from an individual fisherman and later resold them in interstate commerce. No report of the landing or sale of those fins was filed with any Florida authorities, as required by law. Accurate reporting statistics of shark harvests are crucial for managing and regulating the populations of the various shark species that occur in U.S. waters.

In August 2007, Harrison attempted to export through Atlanta a shipment of shark fins that included at least 211 fins from Caribbean sharp-nosed sharks, two fins from bignose sharks, and two fins from night sharks, all of which are protected by Florida and/or federal laws due to their low population levels.

Finally, the plea agreements reveal that for almost four years Harrison processed shark fins by drying them on open air racks and/or tarpaulins laid on the ground, outdoors, on his property in Southport. The fins were left out at all times until dry and were exposed to bird droppings and insects. Dogs ran freely among the drying racks. Harrison would then sell the dried fins and ship them in interstate commerce through the Northern District of Georgia.

"Trafficking the fins of these shark species is not a harmless offense," said John C. Cruden, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. "These species are protected in order to ensure their continued sustainability. The Justice Department, along with our partner agencies, will continue to prosecute those who illegally trade in protected shark or other wildlife species."

"We will not tolerate the illegal harvest and sale of protected shark species whose populations continue to diminish in our oceans," said Hal Robbins, Special Agent in Charge for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries Southeast Region. "We are pleased with the apprehension of Mr. Harrison, who is one of the country’s largest commercial shark fin buyers and I applaud the efforts of the prosecutors and Agents involved in this multi-agency federal investigation."

The Lacey Act, enacted in 1900, is the first national wildlife law, and was passed to assist states in enforcing wildlife laws. It provides additional protection to fish, wildlife and plants that were taken, possessed, transported or sold in violation of state, tribal, foreign or U.S. law.

Since 1993, the NOAA Fisheries Service has managed, via federal fishery management plans, the commercial harvest and sale of sharks in or from federal waters of the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea. In 1998, the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization finalized and adopted an "International Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks," recognizing the worldwide pressure being placed on declining shark populations by commercial fishing and the demand for shark fin soup. U.S. management of sharks has included prohibitions against retaining and/or selling particular species, including some in which Harrison was dealing, the populations of which are so reduced that further harvesting cannot be sustained.. There are currently 19 federally protected species of sharks.

David E. Nahmias, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia said, "There is an immense trade in wildlife products. Those who trade in wildlife must comply with federal and state wildlife statutes and regulations. We will support the investigative work of those agencies who identify violations of these laws, and commend the teamwork of the investigators who brought these wildlife violations to our attention."

"We are proud of the coordinated investigative work of our agents with their colleagues from NOAA, Office of Law Enforcement and the Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations," said James Gale, Special Agent in Charge, Southeast Region, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Law Enforcement. "This case is an excellent example of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s commitment to investigate and interdict the commercialization of protected wildlife species."

Harrison is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 19, 2009, at 9:30 a.m., before U.S. Magistrate Judge Russell Vineyard of the Northern District of Georgia. Harrison faces up to one year in federal prison and a fine of up to $100,000. His company faces a fine of $200,000.

This case was investigated by Special Agents of the NOAA Office for Law Enforcement, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement and the Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations.

The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia and the Justice Department’s Environmental Crimes Section.

Great work and thanks to all the agencies involved!

Help Make the Discovery Channel Shark Safe

2009-06-11T13:50:00.000-04:00

To all of our Shark Safe Friends

Please sign and forward this petition to your friends! It is just a beginning.....but a necessary one. Some of you know that recently our Marine Preserve Shark Park in Fiji was the site of a sensationalized filming project in which our sharks where depicted as blood thirsty maniacal killers! The crew was filming the lead program for Shark Week for Discovery Channel and the program is named "Deadly Waters"! For two years we were able to steer these clowns with a "Jaws" mentality away from this environmental and local economically successful Fijian Marine Preserve however this year they slipped in on a large boat and shot their story board sequences for several days. The "bogus" experiments they set up altered the behavior of the local shark population creating a dangerous situation for future divers in the park, created frenzied artificial feeding scenarios and sensationalized the "blood and horror" image of sharks once again. They dumped thousands of pounds of chum on the site in an attempt to pull to the surface the normally deeper dwelling species of bull and silver tipped sharks in an effort to get footage of sharks tearing into a tuna fish stuffed wetsuit which was portrayed as an unsuspecting diver......!! "Jaws" died decades ago! The sharks and the oceans need our help and in "the day" Discovery set the bar of credibility high in their programing and scientific content. Sadly today it has become a travesty of ratings seeking "fear" mongering. Please sign the petition....forward it to all your friends and encourage Discovery to educate their audience....not "bullshit" them!

Thanks in advance for all your help.

Gary and Brenda Adkison
Directors
Shark Foundation, USA

Attention Florida Shark Fans Florida's sharks need you!

2009-06-08T20:55:00.000-04:00

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has scheduled a series of public workshops this month to receive comments on the management of sharks. The FWC is seeking feedback on options for amending its shark management rules that would comply with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Coastal Sharks.

The Commission wants to hear public comments regarding the recreational and commercial harvest of sharks in state waters of Florida, including possible changes to shark bag and size limits, the prohibited shark species list, and shark landing requirements and gear rules.

The FWC encourages interested persons to participate in the workshops, which will take place from 6-8 p.m. local time, as follows:

Monday, June 15

Gulf Coast Community College

5230 W. U.S. Hwy. 98

Social Science Building, Room #201

Panama City

Monday, June 22

Brevard Agricultural Center

3695 Lake Drive

Cocoa

Tuesday, June 23

IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame and Museum

300 Gulf Stream Way

Dania Beach

Wednesday, June 24

City of Key Colony Beach

City Hall Building

Mile Marker 53.5

600 W. Ocean Drive

Key Colony Beach

Thursday, June 25

Punta Gorda City Hall

326 W. Marion Ave.

Punta Gorda

Anyone requiring special accommodations to participate in the workshops should advise the FWC at least five days prior to the workshop by calling 850-488-6411. If you are hearing- or speech-impaired, contact the FWC using the Florida Relay Service at 800-955-8771 (TDD) or 800-955-8770 (voice).

Come Celebrate with the Shark Safe Team

2009-05-22T15:21:00.000-04:00

We at Shark Safe wish to thank all of you for supporting us in achieving this great victory for sharks in Florida. Many of you had planned on attending the Shark Safe Rally this weekend and perhaps put off other holiday events in doing so. The Shark Safe Team encourages everyone to still come to Fort Myers Beach and spend a few hours with us. We would like to meet all of you and personally thank you for your support. Shark Safe would also like to encourage everyone to patronize the host establishments of Shark Fest 2009. We are NOT going there to gloat but to in fact show to them our gratitude for making the right decision in changing the tournament format to 100% catch and release.

Please Join Us!

Meet at Lynn Hall Park at 11:00

Please do not bring any signs or banners as this is no longer a rally or demonstration.

This is not an organized event. We only would like to meet, greet and discus all things Sharky!

You should anticipate holiday weekend traffic and parking issues. If you arrive late, no worries just look for us at either the Snug Harbor Restaurant or the Smokin Oyster Brewery.

We will be having lunch at the Snug Harbor restaurant and then swinging by the Smokin Oyster Brewery to enjoy a tasty adult beverage.

All are welcome bring the family and your friends!

Thank You All,

The Shark Safe Team

Congratulations from our Peers and Supporters are flowing in

2009-05-22T14:53:00.000-04:00

I want to join the many voices congratulating the Shark Safe Project for a successful outcome! Also, any successful outcome is worthy of in-depth study and analysis: we need to learn what they did right so that we can emulate their success elsewhere!

This successful outcome is a big deal, but it certainly doesn’t mean that we shark conservationists have nothing left to do. There are similar tournaments nationwide and worldwide, as well as numerous other threats to sharks.

Let’s look at how they did it.

1) Nonviolent, non-invasive methods. If they had used Sea Shepherd’s tactics of vandalism, in-your-face protests, destroying fishing boats involved in this tournament, and antagonizing participating fisherman, I don’t believe that there would have been a successful outcome. I believe that we would not only have a shark killing tournament, but would also have a group of people hostile towards shark conservation in general because they have been irritated by extremists. Instead, Shark Safe wrote letters to the editor of newspapers and appeared on news shows, spoke to groups of citizens, and spoke to tournament organizers and local officials.

2) Offering an alternative. Shark Safe organizers didn’t call for the tournament to be canceled, they simply requested a format change from “kill” to “catch-and-release”. If they had taken a more extreme approach, it is extremely unlikely that they would have been successful. Tournament organizers had already spent a great deal of money and time promoting this tournament and would likely have been unwilling to cancel it. All the studies I’ve seen show that sharks suffer no long-term damage from catch-and-release fishing (indeed, that’s how we shark scientists study sharks to begin with). If you tell a fisherman that they can’t fish at all, they’re not going to listen to you. If you explain to a fisherman why it’s a good idea to change their methods (and provide them with an alternative), maybe they’ll listen like they did here.

3) Mobilizing a large group of talented people. Felix at Oceanic dreams has a list of some of the important players involved, but the list includes shark scientists, NGO leaders, and media and public relations experts from around the country. They also recruited passionate locals. It is impossible to know which of these groups was the most helpful, but it is easy to see how leaving out one of these groups could have resulted in an unsuccessful outcome. Scientists provide credibility, and NGOs are experts in organizing and educating, but both groups have had difficulty with the media’s coverage of sharks in the past. These three groups, who came from (and worked from without actually coming to Florida) all over the country might not have been listened to without the participation of locals, because strangers are sometimes not trusted as much as neighbors even if they are experts.

When all of these factors came together, we have a successful outcome, and some sharks in Florida won’t die needlessly this summer.

Congratulations to everyone who helped make this possible. My only regret is that I didn’t help.

~WhySharksMatter

SHARK KILL TOURNAMENT CHANGED TO TOTAL CATCH AND RELEASE!!!!

2009-05-22T13:36:00.000-04:00

On Wednesday May 20 2009 the Ft. Myers Beach Chamber of Commerce and its City Commissioners all voted unanimously to immediately change the upcoming "Are You Man Enough Shark Challenge" to a total Catch and Release tournament with chase boats and live streaming video beamed back to television monitors at the tournament headquarters! There will be no "shark kill" tournament! This came just days before a large organized shark conservation and education protest was scheduled this weekend in front of the tournament headquarters. It has been confirmed that the sponsoring business owners were virtually unanimous in their support as well and actually had decided to make the tournament "catch and release" just hours prior to the commission vote.

Margret Meade once said, "Never doubt that a group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world.......indeed it is the only thing that ever has!" There are many heros in this effort and hundreds of individuals behind the scenes who helped make this environmental victory possible. Those hundreds of you who took the time to write an e mail and voice your concern to the tournament organizers fueled the fire! Penny Miller who networked and boldly wrote Governor Crist's office and the Ft Myers Beach Chamber of Commerce in Florida strongly voicing her anger at this throwback to an African Big Game Hunting mentality! Mary O'Malley and Lupo who were relentless in their pursuit of information on the "toxic" shark meat that was ostensibly being given to the homeless in an effort to "spin" killing sharks into a "positive justification" by the tournament organizers. They uncovered the falsehood that the Salvation Army had not even been contacted at all this year by the tournament organizers as advertised on their web page and they did not even want the meat in the first place....toxic or not! Lawrence Groth who is a tenacious truth seeker that never gave up and pursued sponsors, tournament organizers, wrote blogs and even went "undercover" to film the "secret" shark kill tournament in Sarasota last week and planned the protest event on the Ft Myers side. Neil Hammerschlag whose academic candor roused the environmental spirit of young supporters and helped turn the Commissioners around and to ultimately get the vote in favor of the sharks passed in commission chambers! The scientific intervention by Dr. Sonny Gruber of the Bimini Field Station/University of Miami fame and Dr. Bob Heuter, Director of Mote Marine Lab in Sarasota lent credibility and sound insight to this project's goal and gave the tournament organizers a viable alternative to still making a success of a Catch and Release tournament. And of course....to all the bloggers around the world, Mike Neumann, Patric Douglas, Wolfgang Leander, Heidi Coluzzi and dozens of others on all continents, who raised their voices in protest and demanded environmental reason to prevail.....Thank you one and all!

The sharks won this one today....thanks to a unified effort by everyone. Now with this momentum let us not allow it to fade. Let us all continue to pick the battles and take every opportunity to make a difference for the shark globally. Our children are counting on it....and our planet can not survive without our collective conscience.

The former president of the Nature Conservancy, John Sawhill once said...

"in the end, our society will be defined....not only for what we created....but for what we refused to destroy....!

Respectfully,

Gary and Brenda Adkison

Directors

Shark Foundation, USA

954 554 8918

Victory - Fort Myers Beach Tournament Changed to 100 % Catch & Release

2009-05-20T18:47:00.000-04:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The "Are you Man Enough? Shark Challenge" has just been changed to 100 % catch & release!

The decision came after an on onslaught of public pressure generated by Shark Safe.
For the past weeks, support for changing the tournament from kill to 100 % catch & release was coming from all around including the public, media, and the County Commissioner Ray Judah.

"Today is a victory for sharks" says Lawrence Groth of Shark Safe, "Thanks to all those who showed their support by spreading the word, voting online, contacting tournament organizers and sponsors and speaking with Fort Myers Community Officials."

Shark Safe was planning a rally for May 23 & 24 in Fort Myers Beach with the goals of changing the tournament.

Now - The Shark Conservation Rally is still on in Fort Myers - but the purpose is to celebrate this victory and educate the public at the event about the wonders of and perils faced by sharks!!

DETAILS:

SHARK CONSERVATION RALLY

ONLY SATURDAY MAY 23 (NOT SUNDAY).

Meeting Location: Lynn Hall Park in Fort Myers Beach (walking distance from Snug Harbor where the tournament will be held).

Shark Safe is already beginning working on plans for next years tournament to help promote shark conservation and establish a tag and release program.

Please Join Shark Safe on Saturday May 23 to celebrate this victory and educate the public!!

Contact: 510-701-9084

Your YES Vote will stop the Killing

2009-05-19T23:17:00.000-04:00

We are bringing on the pressure HARD! We are fighting the good fight and we are winning!

We need your help to END the KILLING NOW

Please Vote Yes to change the Are You Man Enough Shark Challenge from a Kill tournament to a 100% Catch and Release tournament.

"Shark Fest" competition draws criticism

Should the county step in? Vote in our poll!

We need your support! Please take a moment to vote YES to stop the killing.

Shark Safe Rally for Shark Conservation

2009-05-17T01:58:00.000-04:00

On May 23 and 24, 2009, Shark Safe will be hosting a public Shark Conservation Rally to effect change in the upcoming “Are You Man Enough Shark Challenge” (AYMESC) shark tournament. Our goal is to convince the AYMESC officials to change the current tournament format from kill to 100% catch-and-release.

The Shark Safe Rally will involve many participants from all over Florida and the US. Our message to the local community is that live sharks are much more valuable than dead sharks. We also want to educate the public on plight of sharks and why they are so vital in our delicate ecosystem. Shark Safe and our many supporters believe that an event called “Shark Fest” should in fact celebrate sharks and that no event should slaughter sharks for the sole purpose of competition.

Sharks play important structuring roles as the top predators in the ocean. In today’s world there is no room for such wasteful and needless practices such as this shark kill tournament. Sharks are slow to mature, reproduce and have low reproductive output. The AYMESC is specifically only killing the largest sharks, which are the sexually mature and pregnant animals sustaining the population. So, even killing a few can have a large effect on the population. Unnecessarily killing sharks also will also translate into fewer sharks for our future generations to enjoy, catch and release. A simple format change will still enable fisherman to enjoy the sport of it, while also contributing to the wellness of the planet.

For those who wish to participate in the Shark Safe Rally for Shark Conservation, it will be held in Fort Myers Beach, May 23 and 24, 2009 meet at 11:00 AM at Lynn Hall Park. The local authorities are aware of our rally and are not against it.

Some suggested sign slogans:
Celebrate Sharks! Do Not Slaughter them!
Protecting Sharks means protecting our Planet
We need Oceans, Oceans need sharks
Are you man enough to save our planet? Stop killing sharks!

100 % Catch & Release

The AYMESC is scheduled to take place June 6 and 7, 2009, as part of a large scale street fair and boat show called “Shark Fest 2009” in Fort Myers Beach, FL. For information on the shark tournament, go to this link: http://www.areyoumanenoughsharkchallenge.com/

Feel free to contact the sponsors to enlighten them on the real shark story.

Please RSVP if you are planning to attend the Rally on May 23-24 2009

email: sharksafe@comcast.net

Shark Safe Marinas Initiative

2009-05-07T11:58:00.000-04:00

The purpose of the initiative is to educate the public about the importance of sharks in our marine eco-systems and promote 'Catch & Release' practices throughout the coastal waters of the US and beyond.
We feel that the harvesting of sharks for photo images or trophies is not in the best interests of the US or worldwide tourism. By asking marinas to prohibit vessels from arriving at their facilities with captured or deceased sharks, we hope to encourage responsible sport fishing, thereby ensuring a lasting and healthy population of sharks in the US and international waters for future generations and contributing to the overall health of the worlds oceans.

The decision by the marina's management to support this initiative should be based on the best available science that proves that sharks play a critical role in balancing the health of the ocean and, in fact, pose very little threat to people.

Shark Safe asks for your support in ensuring that the worlds oceans stay healthy, clean and teeming with fish for generations to come.

For more information about the Shark Safe Marinas Initiative,
contact: sharksafe@comcast.net

Shark Kill Tournament Protest Demonstration in Fort Myers Beach FL.

2009-05-06T17:08:00.000-04:00

Over the past few weeks the Shark Safe Team has been voicing its opposition to a shark fishing tournament scheduled to take place June 6-7 in Fort Myers Florida. The tournament allows killing sharks rather than 100% catch-and-release. All of our attempts to overturn this practice have failed.

So now we need your help!

Shark Safe is organizing a protest demonstration against the “Are You Man Enough Shark Challenge” in Fort Myers, Florida. This shark tournament is boasting catch and release, as well as “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.

If that information does not get your blood boiling CHECK THIS OUT!!!

The “Are You Man Enough Shark Challenge” website had a page, "Who Benefits", which stated
that “the meat from the sharks harvested will be donated to the Fort Myers Chapter Salvation
Army Homeless Center”, and that "The Center is thrilled at the prospect of receiving such a
donation of food for those who will appreciate it most."

However we at Shark Safe along with some of our supporters have contacted the people from the Fort Myers Salvation Army and the Fort Myers Rescue Mission (the organization that reportedly received the shark meat donated from the tournament last year after the Salvation Army turned it down), and it appears that neither Jack Donlon nor any other tournament official has even contacted them yet about donating shark meat from this year's tournament. So we called to ask Mr. Donlon why the website says "the center is thrilled"? Mr. Donlon responded that “I was wasting his phone minutes” and hung up. And since that call they have removed that page and posted a "Our ECO-Outlook" page. Seems like they may be in fact feeling a little pressure!! Squirm, Mr. Donlon, Squirm!!!

I wanted to also ask Mr. Donlon why he didn't just make a donation to the two organizations with the tournament proceeds if he wanted to project the kills in a positive light. Or why not ask the participants and/or visitors to bring food or other donations to the event? How is offering toxic shark meat to the homeless giving back to the community? It should be a crime!

We now have sent both of these organizations the following information regarding meat from
sharks caught in Florida coastal waters. This 2008 publication from the FL Dept. of
Health titled "Your Guide to Eating Fish Caught in Florida" says the following with
regard to sharks (page 21):

For all Florida coastal waters, all shark species:

Sharks less than 43 inches -- Women of child bearing age and young children - DO NOT EAT
; Everyone else - Limit to one serving per month
Sharks 43 inches or more -- Women of child bearing age and young children - DO NOT EAT;
Everyone else - DO NOT EAT

Since all of the sharks targeted in the tournament will be well over 43 inches, and those
brought in for the weigh-in will most likely be at least double that size, all
of the shark meat that the event officials plan to donate will be in the DO NOT EAT category for EVERYONE.

Here's a link to the full report:

http://www.doh.state.fl.us/environment/medicine/fishconsumptionadvisories/fish_eating_guide_eng.pdf

We would like Mr. Donlon to know that most shark tournaments today are going to catch-and-release only, and these tournaments are very successful. Switching to catch-and-release will not take away from any financial benefit that this event might bring to the community. On the contrary, it will
make the event more sustainable. A catch-and-release or tag-and-release tournament can
send a positive conservation message to the community and cast sport fishermen in a
positive light. A wasteful, bloody spectacle, however, will only generate negative
press, and we hope jeopardize the prospects for continuing this tournament in
the future.

The Protest Demonstration will be held May 23 and 24 2009 in Fort Myers Beach, Florida,
Participants will meet at
View Map Lynn Hall Park at 11:00 AM. Please bring a sign or banner to get your message out.

Save Our Sharks!! We need your support. Please attend if at all possible.
These types of events must end NOW!

May the Sharks be with you,
The Shark Safe Team

Shark Kill Tournament Organizers and Sponsors

2009-05-06T16:08:00.000-04:00

Here are a list of Sponsors of the "Are You Man Enough Shark Challenge".

Please contact them and explain to them your views and concerns regarding the killing of sharks in this tournament.
When contacting the sponsor establishment please be polite and just voice your opinion. Please do not make any type of threats. Remember you are probably only going to get an employee that does not have any control over the establishments policies, You should ask to speak to a manager.

The Are You Man Enough Shark Challenge Director:

Jack Donlon (239) 443-6509 SharkChallenge@aol.com 1443 Windsor Ct. Cape Coral, Fl 33904

SPONSORS and SUPPORTERS

HOST Establishment: The Snug Harbor Restaurant 239-463-8077

The Crane Company that has donated the Giant Crane to hoist the BIG Monsters up :
Cape Dock Supply 239-283-4287

Land Shark Lager

Matanzas Marine
 Phone: (239) 277-7335  info@matanzasmarine.com

Yucatan Beach Stand
239.333.4FUN (4386)

Smokin Oyster Brewery 239-463-3474

Matanzas Inn Restaurant (239) 463-3838

Matanzas INN 800-462-9258 OR 239-463-9258

THE BOAT PLACE
Fort Myers Location 239-415-6400 Toll Free: 866-488-5147
Naples Location 239-793-8040 Toll Free: 866-416-5625

We are Back!

2009-05-06T15:27:00.000-04:00

Dear Shark Safe Supporters
We apologize for our brief absence. We are back online and ready to continue with the Shark Safe Project Action Plan.
We currently have several projects in the works.

#1 We are organizing a Protest Demonstration targeting a Shark Tournament in Fort Myers Florida. The (get this)"Are You Man Enough Shark Challenge" is scheduled to take place June 6-7 2009 in Fort Myers Beach, Florida. The Protest Demonstration will take place May 23-24 2009. Stand By for details.

#2 We are establishing a Shark Safe Marina Initiative in the US, begining in Florida. (You know us! Just jump in the flames were the fire is the hottest!)

#3 We are returning to San Francisco's Chinatown and meeting with several prominent local Chefs to begin a major campaign to have Shark Fin Soup removed from restaurants.

More details to follow soon!

May the Sharks be with you,
The Shark Safe Team

There is Hope!

2009-01-27T09:04:00.000-05:00

Lawrence Groth and Christopher Chin chat with Peter Knights from WildAid

There is no light at the end of the tunnel yet.
But there is definitely hope.

When we were planning this event, we never expected any of these establishments to throw down their soup pots and surrender without a fight.
But we did get one after all.

We had a fantastic weekend.

On Saturday, Lawrence Groth and Bob Mc Nerney from Shark Safe and Christopher Chin from COARE joined forces. As a team we went into Chinatown together, we verified several restaurants that serve shark fin soup, and identified a number of markets that sell fins. We provided information in English and Chinese to each of these proprietors, and engaged in some friendly discussion. In all but a few cases, we were treated with respect, and number of restaurateurs seemed quite interested and said they would consider removing shark fin soup from their menus.

We also ran into two restaurant owners who were very much opposed to shark fin soup (one of which was previously and mistakenly noted as offering the soup). We will be working with these two restaurants to help set an example and encourage others to follow the same path.

Sitting down with a map and our notes from the day, we decided upon the most effective approach and prioritized locations to picket the next day.

Sunday's healthy turnout was welcomed by a warm sunny morning at Portsmouth Square.
After everyone signed in, we gave a briefing and then led several groups up to start with the markets. We were cheered on by passersby, cars honked in support, and even a few of the bus drivers shouted kudos. Our next wave placed participants in carefully selected locations near popular restaurants serving the soup. At the end of the day, we had one restaurant agree to remove it from their menu, and another offered to stop serving it if we would help with the costs of reprinting the menus. We'll be following up with both, and will report back.

Among the participants were one couple Kevin and Liz who flew up from LA to be there and also four young men from LA who drove all night to be there and join the protest. The rest were mostly all from the Bay Area and all were enthusiastic. It was a great group of shark people.
Among the visitors to the Shark Safe HQ set up at Portsmouth Square was Peter Knight the executive director of Wildaid. Peter was feeling under the weather and could not stay out in the cold but he did offer some great suggestions and support for future events.

While we were making plans for this weekend's events, it came to our attention that other groups were working on similar programs in the area. WildAid and COARE teamed up to create the Shark-friendly Communities project a few years ago. But has not been active in any efforts recently. In fact a little over a year ago Wildaid had mailed a letter very similar to the letter that we hand delivered on Saturday to every restaurant in SF that served shark fin soup asking the owners of these restaurants to open a dialog with Wildaid regarding the shark finning issue. They sadly received absolutely NO response.

COARE has planned to start a similar campaign to the successful "Dolphin Safe" campaign of the 1980's. We also modeled our "Shark Safe"organization after the same. With two organizations with the same ideas and the same goals, great things can happen!
We found that we're all pointed in the same direction, and we're combining our forces - our resources, energy, enthusiasm, and our supporters, to have a greater impact in San Francisco and around the world.

Stay tuned for new developments.

To all participants planning to join the Shark Fin Soup Protest in SF Chinatown

2009-01-22T21:51:00.000-05:00

Recently there have been shark finning demonstrations in other cities. Some of these events involved participants marching down the street chanting slogans. This may be an effective tactic in those cities, but our event in San Francisco’s Chinatown will use a different approach or tactic. We will not march down the street chanting.

We hope for positive results wherever anti-shark-finning movements are held, and ours will be non-confrontational. San Francisco’s Chinatown is a unique and complex community. Marching and shouting will have little or no effect in this community. It would be perceived as nothing more than a mere nuisance and ignored.

The San Francisco protest will involve strategic placement of small groups of protesters at specifically targeted locations. We will have as many groups as possible spread out to these various locations to maximize the possibility of accomplishing our goal for this event.
Our goal is to educate the public about the health hazards involved and the devastating effects that Shark Fin Soup consumption is having on the environment. We will attempt to convince people to not order or make shark fin soup. We will also try to persuade restaurants to stop offering shark fin soup to their patrons.
We will do this by having our small groups stand in front of the targeted locations holding signs with that message. We will be handing out informational leaflets (written in English and Chinese) detailing the issues connected to shark fin soup consumption. We will use courtesy and respect to convey our message.
We understand that many shark advocates are very passionate about their beliefs. We want to invite the Chinatown community to understand and share our passion and receive our message clearly.

Code of Conduct for Participants in the
SF Chinatown Shark Fin Soup Protest Demonstration

All participants will conduct themselves in a peaceful and respectful manner.
Participants shall not make any racial or derogatory remarks towards any person.
Participants shall not enter any establishment that is being boycotted or picketed.
Participants shall not block any persons from entering or exiting any building or structure.
Participants shall not purposely disrupt vehicle or pedestrian traffic.
NO violence of any kind will be tolerated.

Participants will be required to check in at Portsmouth Square before joining the demonstration.

See you there!

Thank you all ! For the tremendous outpouring of support.

2009-01-22T13:21:00.000-05:00

Since announcing the Shark Safe Project and the upcoming event in San Francisco’s Chinatown we have received hundreds of emails from concerned shark lovers and supporters from all over the US and from around the world.
Many people have expressed a sincere interest in starting a similar effort in their own home city. We will do everything we possibly can to continue this effort and provide support for these future efforts.

You all can start now to begin preparing for a successful campaign in your area.

Reach out to the Chinese and Asian community by contacting schools and various youth groups such as Boy Scout troops, Church groups, sport clubs, schools, etc…
Offer to speak at group meetings and events about scuba diving and the ocean environment.

Focus on educational aspects about sharks. It would be great to show slide shows and or videos showing the beauty of sharks. Make your presentation educational. Concentrate on educating these groups about the importance of sharks in the marine environment. Speak about how sharks are at risk of extinction due to over fishing and the demand for shark fin soup. Inspire your audience to be passionate about the marine environment and convince them that they can be active in their own community and promote the protection of sharks.

Create a contact list from your audiences and offer to invite them to future events in their local area.

If you start working on this soon you will have created a wonderful, educated and dedicated group of young people to participate in the “Shark Safe” campaign in your area.

We will soon be announcing future “Shark Safe” campaigns in cities such as New York, Miami, Seattle and Los Angeles. If you live near these cities please start preparing in your area.

Shark Safe Project will soon be able to support you further from our website which is currently under construction.

Thank you all.

Yours in sharks,
The Shark Safe Team

30 More Shark Fin Soup Restaurants in San Francisco

2009-01-17T08:44:00.000-05:00

Here (sadly) are 30 more restaurants that serve shark fin soup or offer shark fin soup on their menu. Please contact them and voice your opinions. Politely request that they remove shark products from their menus permanently and never serve shark again.
Remember that these are just the restaurants that serve shark fin soup.

Soon we will be posting actual markets that retail shark fins in San Francisco.

8 Immortals Seafood Restaurant
1433 Taraval St San Francisco, CA 94116 (415) 731-5515

Bay Fung Tong Seafood Tea House
 327 Balboa St San Francisco 94118 (415) 221-8498

Dol Ho  
808 Pacific Ave  San Francisco 94133 (415) 392-2828

Dragon River 
5045 Geary Blvd  San Francisco, CA 94118  (415) 387-8512

Emmy's Restaurant 
1923 Ocean Ave  San Francisco, CA 94127  (415) 585-9880

Four Seas Restaurant 
731 Grant Ave  San Francisco, CA 94108  (415) 989-8188

Go Go Cafe & Restaurant
1830 Irving St  San Francisco, CA 94122  (415) 661-4289

Han Goeng Restaurant
1935 Taraval St  San Francisco, CA 94116  (415) 682-8938

Happy Garden Restaurant 
815 Clement St  San Francisco, CA 94118  (415) 387-4011

Hong Kong Restaurant 
2588 Noriega St  San Francisco, CA 94122  (415) 665-8338

Joy Luck Place 
88 East 4th Ave.  San Mateo, CA 94401 (650) 343-6988

Jumbo Seafood Restaurant 
1532 Noriega St  San Francisco, CA 94122  (415) 681-1800

Kirin Restaurant 
6135 Geary Blvd  San Francisco, CA 94121  (415) 752-2268

Lee Hou Restaurant
332 Clement Street San Francisco, CA 94118 (415) 668-8070

Lichee Garden Restaurant 
1416 Powell St  San Francisco, CA 94133  (415) 397-2290

Louie's California Chinese Cuisine 
646 Washington St  San Francisco, CA 94111  (415) 291-8038

Mayflower Restaurant 
6255 Geary Blvd  San Francisco, CA 94121  (415) 387-8338

Ocean Restaurant 
726 Clement St  San Francisco, CA 94118  (415) 668-8896

Parc Hong Kong  
5322 Geary Blvd  San Francisco, CA 94121  (415) 668-8998

San Wong Restaurant 
1682 Post St  San Francisco, CA 94115  (415) 921-1453

Shanghai 1930 
133 Steuart St. San Francisco, CA 94105 (415) 896-5600
info@shanghai1930.com

South Sea Seafood Village Restaurant 
1420 Irving St  San Francisco, CA 94122  (415) 665-8210

Szechuan Second Restaurant 
655 Ellis St  San Francisco, CA 94109  (415) 346-2823

Taipan Restaurant 
560 Waverley St  Palo Alto, CA 94301  (650) 329-9168

Taipei Chinese Restaurant 
2666 Ocean Ave  San Francisco, CA 94132  (415) 753-3338

Tian Sing Restaurant 
138 Cyril Magnin St  San Francisco, CA 94102  (415) 398-1338

Kay Cheung Restaurant 
615 Jackson St San Francisco 94133 (415) 989-6838

Y. Ben House Restaurant  
835 Pacific Ave  San Francisco 94133 (415) 397-3168

Yet Wah Restaurant  
5238 Diamond Heights Blvd  San Francisco 94131 (415) 282-0788

Happy Bakery  
2253 Irving St  San Francisco 94122 (415) 661-8261

Shark Finning Protest Demonstration in San Francisco's Chinatown

2009-01-14T10:37:00.000-05:00

The Shark Safe protest demonstration in San Francisco’s Chinatown will be on
Sunday January 25th at 12:00 noon.
(No football games that day so no excuses!)

Participants will meet at Portsmouth Square San Francisco.
The square is centrally located in Chinatown and a great place to meet. There will be a Shark Safe representative there at all times to meet and greet participants. Picket location assignments and supplies will be distributed from Portsmouth Square.

We have 100 picket signs and stacks of leaflets to be handed out. If you could make a personal banner and/or sign please do so and bring them with you.
We will send groups of 3 or more protesters to targeted restaurant and market locations. There are many locations we wish to picket so we will hit as many as we can as time and attendance allows.

The protest will continue until approximately 7:00 pm. It could be a long day so please bring water and snacks with you. In case of inclement weather please bring a coat and or umbrella.

The San Francisco Police department has been very helpful. They have suggested some rules of conduct that all participants should follow.

Rules of engagement are as follows:

At no time should any participant block or disrupt street vehicle traffic.
At no time shall an entrance or exit to any establishment be blocked or barriers of any type be erected that would impede persons from escaping the establishment in case of emergency such as fire or earthquake.
At no time shall a participant deface any private or public property.
Loud speakers over 10 dcb are not allowed.
No violence will be tolerated.
For emergencies dial 911

Everyone has the right to FREE SPEECH and we are welcome by the city of San Francisco as long as we do not break the law!

Protesters will stand in front of targeted restaurants and shark fin market locations holding signs and banners. Leaflets will be distributed to pedestrians passing by or entering the picket locations. Our goal is to convince patrons to stop patronizing the restaurants that serve shark fin soup and to encourage them to patronize the establishments that do not serve shark fin soup (SHARK SAFE) instead.

Keep it simple!

For questions or more info email us at sharksafe@comcast.net

First Target Assignments for Operation Shark Safe SF 2009

2009-01-02T19:05:00.000-05:00

A-1 Cafe Restaurant 779 Clay St (415) 398-3691
Broadway Dim Sum Cafe 684 Broadway (415) 989-2038
Capital Restaurant 839 Clay St (415) 397-6269
Cathay House 718 California St (415) 982-3388
Chinatown Restaurant 744 Washington St (415) 392-7958
Chung King Restaurant 606 Jackson St (415) 986-3899
Empress Of China 838 Grant Ave (415) 434-1345
Far East Cafe 631 Grant Ave (415) 982-3245
Four Seas Restaurant 731 Grant Ave (415) 989-8188
Garden Restaurant The 716 Kearny St (415) 956-2480
Gold Mountain Restaurant 644 Broadway (415) 296-7733
Grand Palace Restaurant 950 Grant Ave (415) 982-3705
Great Eastern Restaurant 649 Jackson St (415) 986-2500
Great Oriental Restaurant 848 Washington St (415) 398-3691
Hong Kong Clay Pot City Restaurant 960 Grant Ave (415) 989-2638
Hunan Homes Restaurant 622 Jackson St (415) 982-2844
Kam Lok Restaurant 834 Washington St (415) 421-8102
Kan's Restaurant 708 Grant Ave (415) 362-5267
Lichee Garden Restaurant 1416 Powell St (415) 397-2290
Ming Seafood Garden 839 Kearny St (415) 956-7868
New Hong Kong Menu 667 Commercial St (415) 391-3677
New Woey Loy Goey Restaurant 699 Jackson St (415) 399-0733
Ocean Pearl Restaurant 781 Broadway (415) 397-5799
Oriental Pearl Restaurant 760 Clay St (415) 433-1817
Pearl City Seafood Restaurant 641 Jackson St (415) 398-8383
R & G Lounge 631 Kearny St (415) 982-7877
Sam Lok Restaurant 655 Jackson St (415) 981-8988
Silver Restaurant 737 Washington St (415) 434-4998
Yee's Restaurant 1131 Grant Ave (415) 576-1818
Young's Cafe 601 Kearny St (415) 397-3455

Here are the first 30 targets. All of the above SF Chinatown restaurants serve shark fin soup and have been confirmed by our team.

San Francisco Chinatown Protest

2009-01-02T14:37:00.000-05:00

The Shark Safe Project is starting 2009 “The Year of the Shark” with a protest demonstration in San Francisco’s Chinatown on January 25th and 26th (Chinese New Year).
Please join us as we will be picketing several establishments including restaurants that serve shark fin soup and shark fin markets.

This is intended to be a peaceful demonstration yet an aggressive protest to convince these establishments to cease offering all shark products.

We will be carrying signs and handing out leaflets (written in English and Chinese). Our immediate goal is to educate the local population of the dangers of consuming shark fins and the devastation that shark fining is causing to our oceans. Hopefully convincing many local citizens to stop consuming shark fin soup and other shark products and to stop patronizing establishments that offer such products. Our long-term goal will be to have city ordinances passed to prohibit the import and distribution of all shark products in the city of San Francisco. Making San Francisco the first “Shark Safe” city in the USA.

Those of you that cannot attend the demonstration can still participate by calling the restaurants listed above. You may call each restaurant and voice your concerns about their serving shark fin soup and or make a reservation for a small party for dinner at a certain time. Then call back 10 minutes before your reservation time and cancel your reservation and explain that you are doing so because that establishment chooses to serve shark fin soup and that you will be patronizing a different establishment that does not serve shark fin soup.

When calling these restaurants please be firm but polite and simply voice your opinions. Please do not make any threats or speak harshly to the employee that answers the phone, as they more than likely are not the actual proprietor who makes up the menu or purchases the supplies for the restaurant. Being rash or vulgar will not do our cause any good and in fact would be detrimental to our cause.

Shark Safe Project’s intention is to seriously decrease if not eliminate the demand for shark fins globally. It may take one person at a time, one store at a time, one street at a time, one city at a time but we must start somewhere! We are choosing San Francisco as it is home of the largest Chinatown outside of Asia.

PLEASE JOIN US!