Sea Stewards: The Sea is our Sanctuary

Support Sharks and urge these Senators to pass the ban unamended.

2011-07-04T10:59:00.000-07:00

The opponents are trying to water down the bill which will allow more sharks to be fished for fins.

California's Shark Fin Ban - AB 376 (Fong/Huffman) - HEARING DATE : 07/11/11

Please CALL members of the Appropriations Committee and urge them to vote YES on AB 376.

Calling is much more effective!

Senator Christine Kehoe (Chair): (916) 651-4039 senator.kehoe@sen.ca.gov

Senator Mimi Walters (Vice Chair): (916) 651-4033 senator.walters@sen.ca.gov

Senator Elaine Alquist: (916) 651-4013 senator.alquist@sen.ca.gov

Senator Bill Emmerson: (916) 651-4037 senator.emmerson@sen.ca.gov

Senator Ted W. Lieu: (916) 651-4028 senator.lieu@sen.ca.gov

Senator Fran Pavley: (916) 651-4023 senator.pavley@sen.ca.gov

Senator Curren Price: (916) 651-4026 senator.price@sen.ca.gov

Senator Sharon Runner: (916) 651-4017 senator.runner@sen.ca.gov

Senator Darrell Steinberg: (916) 651-4006 senator.steinberg@sen.ca.gov

Thank you!

San Francisco Shark Fin Consumption Contributes to Demise of World Shark Population

2011-02-16T15:22:00.000-08:00

http://seastewards.org/san-francisco-shark-fin-consumption-contributes-to-the-decrease-of-world-sharks/

Further updates on our website seastewards.org

Victories for Sharks in 2010 & Work to do

2010-12-28T19:53:00.000-08:00

This year shark victories resounded around the world, including good news here in the USA. Last week the House approved the Shark Conservation Act as amended and passed by the Senate and championed by Senator Kerry and Representative Madeline Bordallo. This bill will close loopholes allowing landing of sharks with fins unattached, and strengthens importation and enforcement of shark fin transportation.
Thanks to the efforts of Senator Clayton Hee, Hawaii is the first state in the nation to ban the sale and possession of shark fins. This team, including WildAid has met with Sea Stewards, Iemanya and other shark conservation groups and we have serious momentum to increase protections in San Francisco and the State of California.

The Raj Ampat region of Indonesia declared a Shark Sanctuary for a vast region of the island waters, and The Maldives Islands recently declared a Shark Sanctuary, joining Palau. There have been similar anti finning law successes in W. Samoa and Senator Hee is also urging the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) to ban finning and the sale of fins.
These successes are resonating with efforts in Central America and Roatan and our own efforts here in San Francisco to establish protected areas for sharks.
On the down side, shark groups in the EU are facing strong opposition to protect several threatened species of sharks and work to list species under CITES has failed. The EU has held fast to the fin ratios that allow for poor reporting and overfishing of sharks for fins. With their own finning loopholes and a heavy shark fishery, there is serious work to be done in the Mediterranean and Eastern Atlantic.
The IUCN has reported that fully one third of the worlds shark species are threatened with extinction.
Finning is a serious threat to sharks world wide, but there is a growing effort to protect sharks in the fisheries and from shark finning. By providing Sanctuary and limiting consumption of fin products, we can make a difference for apex predators like sharks, and the health of the ocean.
Join Sea Stewards and support our shark conservation efforts here at home, and abroad.

Tax deductible donations can be made to Sea Stewards Healthy Oceans Initiative.

Thank you for your support.

David McGuire, MPH
Director SeaStewards.org

Victories for Sharks in 2010 & Work to do

2010-12-28T15:08:00.000-08:00

Give like you love the ocean

2010-12-15T22:31:00.000-08:00

My friend J Nicholls says, "Live like you love the ocean."

But even for surfers, watermen & waterwomen and ocean conservationists, no matter how cautiously we live there is a footprint in the sea. We consume energy, we use boats, we eat fish. The challenge is how we can mitigate our impacts and offset so that we leave a net positive. Like carbon offsets we need a process that will provide an aqua offset. This can be by joining an ocean campaign, working on local clean water efforts like those of Surfrider and advocating ocean sustainability from fishing to consumption.

Sea Stewards has used sharks as symbols of sustainability. Because sharks are the regulators of ecosystems, the presence of sharks is a good indicator that the system is relatively healthy. That is why sharks are such an important focus of our organization. Alternatively, the absence of sharks, and consuming unsustainable products like shark fin are symbols of ocean sickness and unsustainability.

Looking back at the year I can reflect on a number of victories and positive aqua-offsets, but have experienced quite a few challenges and frustrations. Our volunteer fishermen, lead by Master Shark fisherman Steve Shirley, have tagged 70 sevengill sharks and helped us collect tissue for genetics analysis and taken measurements for growth. This team has grown into a movement and with the additional sharks we would like to study, we need a bigger boat!

We initiated our Shark Sanctuary initiative, protecting the health of the San Fracisco Bay, Sharks and People. The Shark Sanctuary is a multi tiered approach to Bay Sustainability, focusing on research, education and shark conservation.

On the negative side, we are experiencing an increase in party boats targeting sharks, with a number of articles in the press featuring the excitement of catching sharks. There are mixed blessings. We did receive a tag return from a fisherman on one of the boats, and he told me he gave it away( a 130 pound female). He gets a hat and tickets to the Cal Academy or the Monterey Bay Aquarium, our research partners. It is also opening a dialogue on how we can support local fishermen and promote catch and release of sharks in the Bay.

On the advocacy front, our local shark fin ban has trudged along for want of leadership willing to take a risk and make a stand for sustainability. Hundreds of letters have reached the Supervisors and Mayor, and a few are testing the waters but what is needed is a strong Chinese American champion. We have thousands of petition signatures and several local Asian Chefs interested in pressing this forward. With the success of the Hawaii bill banning the sale and trade of shark fins, we have met with Senator Clayton Hee and a team of other California non profits to propose similar legislation in the State. We have taken our Assemblyman, Jared Huffman out shark tagging to discuss his role in championing the bill. Jared is an avid fisherman and is also Chair of the water and wildlife committee and is a passionate fisherman and fish advocate.

Like San Francisco, we are fishing for the cultural leader to help diffuse the cultural argument. We will continue to move forward on both fronts and are working with youth to educate the elders like we did in Tiburon with this year's youth Shark Saver Andrei Dolezal.

Our Shark Stewards education program is moving forward with talks and film events at libraries, museums and at the Marine Science Institute Shark Days. Our Sharktoberfest events were a huge success with Farallones trips, a Sharklife at the California Academy of Sciences, a Shark Kidfest at the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary (with a Bay ecosystem and shark painting with Jim Toomey) and a party on the Tiburon Angel Island Ferry. Despite the rain and the Giants, we had a great time, raised a little money and a lot of awareness.

Protecting sharks can be a hard sell. People are attracted to sharks, but they dont necessarily want to protect them. I'm amazed by the number of people making money off sharks, from clothing to adrenaline tours to a Hockey Team are but not giving anything back.

This year we became a project of The Ocean Foundation, affording us non profit status. Now we can write grants and receive tax deductible donations to our shark program via The Ocean Foundation.

This will help with our fundraising, as well as channeling some of our film projects that are difficult to fund by regular broadcast means. Our new film The Shark Hunter of San Francisco is in production and we have a grant pending. It is an exciting fishing story with a conservation message.

We have also partnered with The Ocean Registry. People who want to give the gift of the ocean can sign up for a 100 acres and leave a message on a map, and receive a gift certificate showing their patch. Ideally, patrons will check back and become more involved with their piece of the Bay or ocean. 50% of the proceeds for the San Francisco Bay will go to the Sea Stewards Healthy Oceans Initiative. Also partnering in the Registry is the National Marine Sanctuary Program. These Sanctuaries, like the Gulf of the Farallones and the Cordell Bank are our partners and an important part of the Sea Stewards outreach programs.

"We are all responsible for the future of the ocean and the ocean’s future is our future; now with this ocean registry you can adopt your own piece. It’s a great way to connect to the ocean and pass a “piece of it” on to others, and get all of us focused on what our responsibility is. It’s a great way for people to feel personally invested in the future of our ocean and its resources."

Dan Basta, Director of National Marine Sanctuary Program, NOAA

Whether we support our Sanctuaries directly or indirectly through the Registry, eat sustainable seafood like from our partner FISH of Sausalito, or support shark conservation, we need to leave more aqua credits than we use. frankly, we have to offset the damage done by the rest fo the planet. We can act individually, or collectively, but we need to act now.

The ocean is our mother and is our future. Lets live like we love the ocean, and

Give like we love the ocean.

Overfishing the San Francisco Bay: Are Sharks next?

2010-12-15T22:28:00.000-08:00

It is no secret that more fishermen have been targeting sharks on the San Francisco Bay. Several articles and blogs have reported and Party boat's from Pier 39 and Fishermen's Wharf have shifted focus from the vanishing stocks to the last big, (and poorly managed) fish in the Bay. Sharks.

A recent article in the East Bay Express starts with sharks and goes on to analyze the problem at large, and is pretty well done. However, the author focuses on the overfishing of local stocks and the impacts on our local fleet, but doesn't discuss the history of overfishing sharks, the lack of population data for most species or the absence of a management plan.

What do we think will happen to the sharks as more pier fishermen and party boats like the one mentioned in the article shift their focus to sharks? The article discusses impacts on commercial or commercial party boats- but does not analyze the impacts from the recreational fishery.
Sharks are more vulnerable to overfishing than bony fish. The large sharks like sevengill sharks are poorly managed with no size limit and a year round season.
As a biologist tagging and studying these local sharks, it is possible that the increased pressure will once again fish out our sevengill shark and soupfin sharks before we understand them, or even know their population size.
Sharks are slow growing, late to reproduce (nearly a decade for sevengills), have relatively very few young and can only pup every other year. We know that San Francisco Bay is an important shark nursery.

Sharks are essential for a balanced Bay ecosystem, one as the article implies is increasingly out of whack. Moreover, large sharks are loaded with mercury and there are advisories against eating large sharks.
The proper management of sharks must be considered before the last domino falls.
Unless we follow Fish's Kenny Belov's lead and limit our consumption, and fish sustainably both recreationally and commercially we will lose our entire fish resources including sharks. As local party boat captain Anfinson says "Some people are starting to fish for sharks, but who knows how long that fishery will last."
Will the next article we read be titled San Francisco Bay's Sharks Fished out?
It is the mission of Sea Stewards and other organizations that include fishermen to avoid that. David McGuire, Seastewards.org

Underwater Thrills:Swimming With Sharks: Deadliest Catch - Hooking a Shark in San Francisco Bay

2010-11-03T22:53:00.000-07:00

Underwater Thrills:Swimming With Sharks: Deadliest Catch - Hooking a Shark in San Francisco Bay

To the Editor of Urban Daddy
re: Swimming With Sharks: Deadliest Catch -

Congratulations. I read your story on the local shark fisherman. Your article of shark fishing falls into the same puerile and sensationalist vein as the National Enquirer. As someone working from a perspective of sustainable fisheries and the proper management of the San Francisco Bay writing like this helps reverse years of study and shark conservation. Despite the fact that the writer overlooks that sharks are high in mercury, they are also one of the most important animals in the bay ecosystem.
Sharks cannot sustain a focused fishery. They have late reproductive age, have few young and cannot have many pups in their lifetime.
Having tagged and handled hundreds of these sharks I cant tell you how wrong the assessment is. Although they can bite, these sharks are not dangerous or maneaters.
Millions have swam, surfed, and kayaked in the bay and there has been one recorded shark bite.

I suggest your writers do their homework before running these articles, or should I say ads.

sincerely

Great White Shark Attack and the Devil's Teeth

2010-10-22T14:36:00.000-07:00

Young Surfer dies in Fatal Shark Attack

In grade school we learn to look both ways before crossing the street. We know that we share the ocean with sharks. Why is it such a shock when there is a shark attack when the sharks are frequenting our waters? It’s a risk, a known risk, yet it still stirs something primal when we hear of a white shark encounter.

It’s Sharktober. Surfers in the red triangle have known for decades that the large white sharks visit our California waters every August through September. Over 50% of the shark attacks in California have occurred during these months. Over 50% of the white shark attacks occur in the red triangle, the region encompassing Point Reyes, the Farallon Islands and down to Big Sur.

But statistics don’t ease the actual pain of loss from a shark attack. It is sad that while we are celebrating sharks here in San Francisco a body boarder has just died off the coast north of Point Conception. The waters along that remote shore are turbid, rich with seals and sea lions, and unfortunately, a body boarder looks too much like the natural prey of the ocean’s top predator. Like the great majority of attacks however, the shark bit and did not return to bite again, but the victim died from blood loss and shock before he could get aid. My colleague Dr. John McCosker has recently said to the press- “your best chance of survival is to kayak or dive or surf where others can help you.” That is sound advice, but in this case the surfer's friend could not get aid in time.

Devils Teeth

Ironically, last night I attended the premiere of Bob Talbot’s film on the Farallones, Sanctuary in the Sea featuring white sharks and a man who has likely had more encounters with white sharks than anyone else in history.

A beautiful rendition of the short film The Devils Teeth writ large, this HD production features the career of Pt Reyes diver Ron Elliot and his experience diving at the Farallon Islands. Talbot being Talbot, the film has extraordinary images of wildlife from Common Murres, to Sea Lions to the star, the Great White Shark. Diving alone for sea urchins, Elliot- a local legend- recounts his experiences and his visions of being in the water with white sharks over decades. Also a cameraman, Elliot’s images of the largest white sharks in the world cruising past in the dim obscurity are ghostly, yet strangely peaceful. Accompanied by the surf sounds of the Mermen, this film is dramatic, uplifting and motivates us to appreciate sharks and all the wildlife of the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. The film will be screening regularly at The California Academy of Sciences.

As a shark conservationist associated with the California Academy of Sciences, we have been celebrating sharks in a month long awareness effort called Sharktoberfest. These events have been intended to raise awareness on threats to sharks worldwide from overfishing to shark finning. On average, five people die of shark attacks each year. On average, humans kill one hundred million sharks. Those are odds not very favorable to the sharks.

Statistics are statistics. The odds are we wont be attacked when surfing. The odds are we will survive a white shark attack. But the odds can’t ameliorate the loss of a fellow surfer. My heart goes out to the family and friends of the young man. The ocean can be a dangerous place, and there is something beautiful, even essential about wildness and wild animals. Just like crossing the street, surfers and other water men and women take their risks willingly when they enter the ocean.

As the survivor of a white shark attack, my friend and fellow advocate Jonathan Kathrein has an interesting perspective. “It’s their ocean, we are just visitors.”

Lets visit the ocean with respect and caution, not just during Sharktober, but all year round. Tomorrow night at our shark benefit, we will share a moment of silence for the surfer who was unfortunate to become a statistic.

When a Sanctuary is not a Sanctuary

2010-10-19T11:23:00.000-07:00

When a Sanctuary is not a Sanctuary

We don’t let our kids play on the freeway. We don’t let our friends drive drunk.

Why do we allow our cousins to cross an ocean superhighway and get killed by ships?

This season has been a highly productive year for krill in the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary and whales are gathering by the hundreds. Each year, several thousand of the great whales gather here in our West Coast Sanctuaries and just off the San Francisco coastline to feed and fatten. Thousands of people are fortunate enough to see one of the most rare marine mammals, the Blue Whale. To see a Blue Whale, or any whale for that matter is an experience beyond measure. As a naturalist, I am fortunate to experience the largest animal to ever have lived on the planet up close. This year we have seen Blue Whales every single trip out to the Farallones and scores of Humpbacks feeding and breaching or just resting at the surface.

Our last trip to the Gulf of the Farallones was no exception. Humpbacks gathered in cooperative feeding, concentrating the tiny shrimp into masses of red, before lunging through the mass for a big gulp of protein. One Blue whale swam gently towards our idling vessel as the passengers on the Vessel Outer Limits marveled at the giant. I have seen perhaps a hundred Blue Whales but I have never experienced one this close. The Marine Mammal Protection Act and Sanctuary rules require us to stay 100 yards from a whale, but they don’t tell the whales to stay 100 yards from us. Unthreatened, whales frequently swim very close to vessels.

On our trip, passengers from Iowa, Israel and San Francisco were thrilled at the abundance and diversity of life in our Sanctuary.

But all is not well in the Sanctuary. This summer and fall there have been at least six ship strikes on whales in the Gulf of the Farallones, the Monterey Bay and near the Channel Island National Marine Sanctuaries. A fin whale was recently buried at Ocean Beach, the spine crumpled from a ship strike. In the Port of Oakland, the crew of a ship discovered a dead Minke Whale on the bulb at the bow of the ship. A Blue whale was struck and found dead on the beach with a fetus last week. Another Blue washed ashore to the north and two Humpback Whales were reported dead with propeller scars. While it is uncertain if ships caused the deaths or the whales were struck after death, in several cases there is not a question.

These accidents are occurring for a number of reasons: the convergence of whales feeding and ships entering and exiting one of North America’s busiest seaports. A new California regulation on air quality has lead to increased traffic in the east-west channel so that ships can switch to more polluting fuel outside of state waters, thereby bringing more traffic across the Sanctuary and closer to the islands. On Sunday we viewed several ships from cargo vessels to supertankers, steaming along at twenty five knots mere miles from the Farallones and within a mile of feeding whales. Its not only the whales that are at risk. An oil spill or illegal discharge could conceivably wipe out pelagic bird populations gathering by the thousands to feed and breed in the Sanctuary. Common Murres, now on the rebound after a serious decline are particularly at risk.

We can draw a line around it- but it doesn’t mean it is protected.

We rely on our shipping for goods within the USA and between nations. Shipping is a huge industry in the San Francisco and Oakland Ports. We can’t do without the shipping, so what is the solution to avoid these continued ship strikes?

There is one solution proposed by non profits including a local non- profit Pacific Environment, to slow the passage of ships through the Sanctuary. The slower speeds will allow whales to move from harms way and out of the path of ships. The slower speeds will have an added benefit of reducing the cacophony of propeller and other white noise created by ships, noise which interferes with communication among whales and other marine mammals. Also, the lower speeds will increase fuel efficiency and reduce pollution in the Sanctuary.

It seems like a no-brainer, but shipping companies are complaining of higher costs and slower delivery schedules. Yet reducing speeds from twenty five knots to ten knots in the Sanctuary would add approximately two hours to a voyage that takes days or weeks to traverse.

What is the value of one whale?

On the East Coast, the Northern Right Whales also share the ocean with major shipping lanes, and that whale population has suffered greatly from ship strikes. In fact, the critically endangered Northern Right Whales have been reduced so drastically that NOAA has implemented a whale monitoring and ship advisory system to notify mariners of the presence of whales. Ship’s captains are requested to divert course or slow down to ten knots in the presence of whales- yet the program is voluntary and incidents are still putting these whales at risk.

It is estimated that there may be one percent of the original Blue Whale populations remaining prior to industrial whaling. With less than half that in the northern hemisphere, we are arguably furthering this population towards extinction. Humpbacks, Fin Whales and Blue whales are all endangered. Every single whale counts. The first solution would be to regulate a speed limit in the Sanctuary. The next would be to control traffic in the main shipping lanes to accommodate whales and even resort to a mandatory notification and routing plan for ships. To support the simple solution of reducing the speed of ships near whales and across the Gulf of the Farallones into the San Francisco Bay, we can contact our Sanctuary Superintendent Maria Brown at , including Western Regional Superintendent Bill Douros , and tell them that we are concerned about shipping interactions with whales. Help support our Sanctuaries leaders effort to protect our west coast whales, so that the Sanctuary truly is a Sanctuary for whales.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfNu54GBOHU&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

Divng the Cordell Bank

2010-10-11T16:23:00.001-07:00

Over the past five days I have had the incredible experience of diving on a location few have ever had the opportunity: the Cordell Bank. One of the four California National Marine Sanctuaries, this undersea granite reef southwest of Bodega Bay is frequently washed by huge waves and howling northwest winds. Although it is only 22 miles from Bodega Bay, it feels as if it were a thousand miles from shore. Around us Blackfooted albatross dip and veer, Blue whales spout and Humpback whales breach and lunge feed. The deep green waters are a cornucopia of life and literally squirm with small fish and krill. Below the deck of the rockiing NOAA vessel the Fulmar rests the Cordell Bank, and video camera in hand I was able to assist the team of technical divers from Sanctuaries across the nation.

First discovered by sailing vessel in 1869 by Edward Cordell, the weathered mountain of granite has been visited only a few times over the decades. The first to dive Cordell was an ad-hoc team of divers and adventurers known as the Cordell Expedition and lead by Dr. Bob Schmieder. Beginning in 1977, this team of intrepid divers made the drop and recorded sea life, sampled the biota and helped map the reef’s surface. This remarkable achievement has lead to important knowledge of the Cordell bank and was instrumental in forming the Sanctuary.

Over several days, Bob and others from the original team have joined us, sharing their first hand perspectives, viewing video footage brought back by the team of divers from the Grays Reef National Marine Sanctuary (NMS), the Thunder Bay NMS, the Monitor NMS and the regional Marine Heritage Office. Bob’s eyes shine and his hands grip the rail and you can feel how badly he wants to join the second team of divers as they plunge in to re-assess the health and make up of the reef system two hundred feet below.

The early divers marvel at the multiple bottles of tri -mix, oxygen and nitrox gases, as well as the sophisticated dive computers and dry suits. Despite the technical advantages, the modern team still has their work cut out for them. Diving into the limited visibility, the cold water and currents is still a challenge, but everyone onboard realizes what a feat it was to first dive the Bank.

The images brought back are extraordinary, and what strikes me most is that these veteran NOAA divers who have dived all over the world, experienced natural beauty and rare submarine artifacts of our maritime heritage are as blown away by the Cordell Bank as the original expeditioneers.

The few specimens brought up are carefully handled by my colleagues at the California Academy of Sciences to describe, and with the originals from the Cordell Expeditions, will become part of the Academy collections. The Bank is covered with bright red Corynactis anemones, purple and red styaster corals, and white sponges. There is not an inch uncovered by life and over the sessile assembly swarms a cloud of rockfish, the juveniles so thick that they nearly black out the camera lens.

In an ocean of change, from overfishing to acidification, the Cordell Bank is a repository of information and a savings account for future fish and invertebrate populations, as well as an assembly point for the krill and whales above. Being able to participate in and document this expedition, to be among these ocean explorers past and present, and to see the richness of ocean life has been one the highlights of my ocean life. We are so fortunate to have the richness and abundance of marine life so close to our shore, and have the wisdom to protect it. With the abundance of high definition footage I have collected, and the tales that have been told, I intend to share this experience with the world, so we can all appreciate the Cordell bank, and support our National Marine Sanctuaries.

White Sharks : There’s a New Sherrif in Town

2010-10-01T10:36:00.000-07:00

Each fall the White Sharks return to the Marin shoreline and the Gulf of the Farallones. These enigmatic apex predators are returning after an epic ocean voyage, the course and destination that only recently have been discovered. We know from biologists stationed on the islands that there is a local seasonal population of sharks at the islands. Photographs of fins have identified individuals returning to the Farallons, some two years apart, some every year. As part of a long term observational and tagging study – the Shark Watch program- conducted by the Point Reyes National Bird Observatory, we know that the white sharks gather in the fall in the Gulf of the Farallones and off Ano Nuevo in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, and then dissapear a few months later. Where do they go? New sattelite tracking data from Stanford’s TOPP program has revealed that each year the sharks leave the Sanctuary and gather at an area thousands of miles away off Hawaii at a location called The White Shark Café. A café is where we come to eat, linger, have a drink and maybe check out the opposite sex. “That’s probably what the sharks are doing,” says Stanford shark specialist Dr. Sal Jorgenson in Sean Aronsen’s documentary The White Shark Café. It makes sense. Like twenty year olds, sharks are either feeding or breeding, and in between sleeping they are looking for one of the two.
Now, thanks to the sattelite tracking, we know where the sharks are going, and we know where they return and when. The question is, why? Altough sharing the waters of the Cafe’, genetics data is also revealing that the sharks of Guadalupe Island Mexico and the Ano Nuevo Group and Farallones Island population are probably distinct sub populations.
They’re back!
This July one of the earliest shark predation events at the Farallones was reported by the Shark Watch program consisting of biologists of the Point Reyes Bird Observatory program located on the island. A few weeks ago, a large white shark nuzzled the bow of a kayaker off of Pigeon Point leaving a few teeth marks and a wide awake paddler. A skipper reported two very large sharks off Duxbury Reef and last week while we were on the opposite side of the Farallones, a white shark was observed feeding.
“Shark feeding on a Sea Lion in Fisherman’s bay!” The VHF radio crackled. The PRBO crew had witnessed the bright spot of blood, the struggling pinniped and then another hit as the shark claimed its victim. Not witnessed by our boat observing whales in Mirounga Bay or by the two cage diving operations anchored in the bay of East Landing, the event gives an example of the randomness and good fortune one has to observe a white shark. A shadow in the water, a splash, a pool of bright red blood, or the occasional shark breach is what little we see or experience of sharks. With the tagging and genetic information we are gathering more insight to population size and dynamics. What this information is not telling us is how many white sharks are being caught on longlines or caught and finned illegaly in their long passage across the ocean.
Searching for Sharks, Seeing Whales & Dolphins
On one of the most fantastic days I have ever experienced on the Gulf, our group spotted our first Humpback whales feeding mid channel in calm sunny weather. The standard surface swimming, followed by predictable shallow dives gave us a view of the twin blow holes, humpy dorsal fin and knobby tail characteristic of this baleen whale we have been seeing on every trip. Motoring on, we were rewarded with two Blue whales lunge feeding, gasping, swimming and luching forward, and later by more Humpbacks to the south of the isalnd. Venturing around the point past the marine terrace, we entered Mirounga Bay, so called for the genus of Elephant seal which is one of the white shark’s favorite meals.
Suddenly there is a splash, and then another and a huge white beast breaks the water. Nearby the ghostly shape of another lurks beneath the boat. Several passengers shriek as the shutters click away. Are they White sharks? No, we are surrounded by a huge school of Rizzo’s dolphins. Also known as Grampus, and considered by old sailors to be ghosts of drowned shipmates, these large blunt-headed whales are scarred and bleached by time. All around us the large Grampus swim and breach, including several young dolphins. Among the Grampus swam Northern Right Whale Dolphins, Pacific White Sided Dolphins and Common Dolphins. Captain Jimmy slowly steams through the middle of the pod and: whale ho! More Humpback whales feeding. We do not see a shark, but we know the sharks are here.
Sharktober
Local surfers call it Sharktober and when there is a shark sighting at Stinson Beach or Bolinas the news station and papers are quick to report it. When there is an attack, like that of local surfer Jonathan Kathrein, the papers and press go into a literal feeding frenzy. Like the recent article in the San Francisco Chronicle, reports are loaded with adjectives like “grisly death”, and “white sharks swarming”. What we don’t hear is the story: Man Bites Shark! For every shark attack on humans, there are hundreds of thousands of sharks killed each year, every year.
We have a misconception of sharks extending from blind fear to the ironic but ignorant symbol of a shark with a red slash though it seen outside a local clothing store or on the bumpers of inlanders. Scientists have demonstrated that sharks play a vital role for a healthy ocean ecosystem. This week another study has been published on the benefit of sharks on Caribbean reefs, further reinforcing the ecological importance of sharks. Sharks are the regulators of fish and marine mammals. They cull the weak, the stupid and the sick, thereby strengthening the remaining population. The kill of the sea lion isnt a sad thing, it is a necessary event to help the population remain robust.
Instead of no sharks, we should be saying Let Sharks Live!
White sharks are protected and the killing of sharks for fins is illegal in US waters. However, there are loopholes in our laws that allow some sharks to be finned and making the anti finning law difficult to enforce. Senator Kerry’s Senate Bill 950 is intended to help resolve these loopholes; a bill held up by one recalcitrant senator from Oklahoma. We can protect our sharks in the Sanctuary, but little can be done when they enter international waters. Supporting our Sanctuaries, strengthening our existing regulations and stopping the consumption of shark products like shark fin soup can all help increase the protection of the pelagic sharks that visit our waters.
This October, Sea Stewards will be celebrating the shark with special shark awareness events including Farallones tours with San Francisco Bay Whale Watching, emphsaizing the importance of sharks to the Bay and Sanctuary, as well as looking at the entire ecosystem of the Gulf of the Farallones from plankton to sharks.
Sea Stewards will be leading several expeditions including Oct 2nd with White shark Advocate and Survivor Jonathan Kathrien, Oct 16th with Leatherback Sea Turtle expert Dr. Chris Pincetech, October 24th with Sherman’s Lagoon creator Jim Toomey, and culminating in a shark Halloween party on October 31st. A percentage of the proceeds will go to Sea Stewards shark conservation and reserach program.
Visit sfwhalewatching.com or www.seastewards.org to find more information.

USF Professor Discover's Shark's Sixth Sense

2010-09-14T13:07:00.001-07:00

There is so much we do not know about these highly adapted creatures. It is now an arms race to protect sharks and understand more before we lose them.

Are sharks gellin’? As it turns out, they are. Hydrogel ensconced in large pores cover many sharks, rays and other elasmobranchs’ snouts and heads acting as antennae for electrical impulses in the surrounding water. The gel allows them to zero in on prey and find potential mates, according to research by Professor of Physics and Director of External Affairs Brandon Brown.

Brown, recently named the winner of USF’s 2010 Distinguished Research Award handed out by USF and the USF Faculty Association, says he stumbled into the field of shark research by accident about a decade ago.

Although he received his doctoral training studying the properties of exotic crystals, he became engrossed with the ocean’s apex predator when a colleague introduced him to the electrical sensory capabilities of hydrogel.

“From there, I turned my full attention to studying the ability of certain animals to detect electricity in their environments,” said Brown, who has published 10 peer-reviewed articles, culminating in significant milestones over the last three years. “It has been an exciting 10-year journey, and I’ve been lucky to find great students and collaborators along the way.”

Sharks and other elasmobranchs use the gel to detect electrical pulses in the water, somewhat comparable to a barn owl detecting the sounds of prey in the darkness, except over longer distances and at minute levels, according to Brown’s research, which was featured as a part of the Discovery Channel's Shark Week in August.

In swimming through these outward spiraling electrical impulses created by the flexing fins of prey or even by the opening and closing of gills, sharks are able to navigate toward the source.

By comparing mathematical models to actual shark behavior, Brown has been able to witness sharks who use their “sixth sense” to make a beeline for the source while some, thought to be less experienced hunters, spiral in toward the source of the electrical impulses. Spiraling allows them to maintain the same orientation to the impulses as they approach, so as not to lose the scent, so to speak.

“Essentially, the gel could act as a thermostat, allowing a shark to detect minute temperature changes – like those produced by prey – by turning those fluctuations into electric signals,” Brown said.

The Blue Ocean Film Festival, The Holy Trinity and the Choir

2010-08-30T13:19:00.000-07:00

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGDvEw-vlIg[/youtube]

Over the past four days I have been immersed in an ocean experience of images, intelligence, inspiration and finally a dive into the real ocean at the Blue Ocean Film festival in Monterey.

This weekend in Monterey, a tidal wave of the glittering ocean illuminati were out in full force, foaming and frothing on subjects from ocean acidification, coral reef destruction and shark finning.

Brilliantly produced films like Disney Oceans splattered across the IMAX screens as ocean champions removed their mantles and rubbed elbows with the planktonic paparazzi at special events and seminars.

Independent films from single-chip student shorts to ocean epic 3D films filled the event. The films were brilliant and too numerous to see. Like a proper Sundance of the Sea, Blue hosted an aquatic ecosystem of divers, photographers, non profits and ocean leaders. Aquatic heroes were in full force including the anointed Julia Packard, Sylvia Earle and Carl Safina touching tentacles with schooling producers, non profits and NGOS. The sundry Bishops, Lords and Ladies bowed and scraped in their regal blue raiment, giving and receiving tribute to the almighty ocean. No festival this side of the Sierra would be worth its salt without a Cousteau and at Blue there were three, the entire Jean Michele clan including Ocean Futures and the accompanying barnacles, coral and crabs,

Festival Director Arlene Burns and Founders Debbie and Charles Kinder worked tirelessly up to and throughout the event in this glorious tribute to the ocean and ocean life. The techie-minded bumped their iPhones at the Google Oceans party and among the ocean baubles and wizardry from a flying sea sub to the latest 3D camera housings. Highlights were a film on a small boy loving whales (Willem and the Whales, the travels of a plastic bag (Festival best, Bag it) and Patagonia ocean adventure 180 South. It was a great festival with fantastic films and extraordinary people.

Among this jubilation, red wine was spilled, the host nibbled and a requiem moaned among the multiple auditoriums and theaters of the venue. So many of the films and information shared were of a common thread: we are losing our ocean health and the life that lives in the sea. Overfishing, shark fining, CO2 rise clamor for our attention. The sea is dying, ocean life is suffering, and we are to blame.

Among all the parties, self congratulations and awards clung a miasma of we are doing too little too late and here we are on our knees paying homage instead of dying fighting. Not only did the Trinity preach to the choir, the choir preached back, and myself among them. Like so many ocean events, this incredibly enjoyable event had the smacking of a big blue masturbation Where are the people we need to reach? A panel and audience of Caucasians discussing shark fin soup, a stage of scientists pondering the impacts of ecotourism, the plaza outside the maritime Museum packed with vintage cars and oglers from the inland empire.

Today I have a big blue hangover. Over stimulated after countless conversations and talks, beautiful films and brilliant people I jumped in for a surf at a local beach. The offshore wind combed the wave's hair back from peeling knee slappers as I knee paddled over a crest into the Monterey Bay. I reflected on all that I had seen and learned A Western Gulf greeted me from above and passed me his card. A boat load of divers steamed from the harbor out to dive the Sanctuary. A plastic bag drifted in the shorebreak

I'm reminded by the closing comments of Sylvia Earle. To paraphrase. "This may be the best of all times to make a difference for the ocean. In the next five to ten years we can make the changes necessary to protect the ocean and ocean life. Its time we stood up and make that change." With hope it will be the films that make a difference in how we treat the ocean: the short sound bites, the imovies and the adventure movies. Perhaps the information and inspiration from Blue will be transmitted like an ocean swell from a hurricane out into the milieu where we need to affect an ocean change. Our ocean tribe must reach beyond these great ocean gatherings, and start singing to the pagans and not just the choir.

For a moment I turned my back on the ocean. I stroked twice and surfed this small blue wave, the crumbling force carrying me to the sand of Monterey. Leaning over, I picked out the plastic bag, and headed home.

Blue is over. Its time to zip up and get to work!

The Making of 180 South and Illegal Shark Fins from Costa Rica

2010-08-19T17:53:00.001-07:00

I was lucky to sail from Mexico to Easter Island in the making of the adventure film 180 South- to be screened on August 28 at the Blue Ocean Film Festival. The film has great climbing and surfing and to sail aboard the SeaBear with Jeff Johnson, Timmy O'Neill and working with the likes of adventure heroes Rick Ridgeway, Yvon Chouniard, Chris Malloy and others was an honor. The film has a significant conservation message around protecting the beautiful Corcovado in Patagonia, protecting the Chilean landscapes from dams and near-shore waters and famous surf break from a pulp mill. What didnt make the cut was the filming under the water at the two marine reserves of the Cocos Islands and the Galapagos Isalnds. On the first dive into the rich green waters the surf housing I was provided with didnt hold up and I had to abort as the lens fogged and before I ruined the camera. These two volcanic islands are rich with diverse marine life, some found nowhere else in the world. But these World Heritage sites are being raped of marine life, and especially sharks.

Yesterday I consulted the National Marine Fisheries import/export web site for shark fin.

Over 30,000 pounds of fresh shark fins were imported from Ecuador and Costa Rica into Los Angeles last year. It is not unlikely that these fins were poached from the Galapagos and Cocos Reserves, laundered through a middleman and imported legally into the United States. Although both countries decry shark finning and have laws to that effect, we know sharks are being finned in these marine reserves and world marine treasures.

When I sailed both island groups in the making of the Patagonia film 180 South, we entered Cocos at night. By radar, we detected five fishing boats within a few miles of the islands. The no fishing protections extend out 25 miles from the islands. The next day as Jeff Johnson and Timmy O'Neill climbed the volcanic faces, I dove with scores of Hammerhead sharks. There is something mysteriouosly spiritual swiming among these silent creatures, as they slowly beat their large tails and mine sweeper heads around the deep pinnacles. Cocos island is rich with sea turtles, large fish and sharks. Later, I boarded a luxury dive boat- the Aggressor- filled with SCUBA divers from Japan, gave a lecture on sharks and screened our shark conservation film Sharks Stewards of the Reef. These divers got the message, but we need to reach more than a score of affluent divers. We need to reach the governments and the consumers of shark fins.

The next evening I patrolled with MARVIVA on a small boat to find the shark fishermen, but the poachers stood offshore with their larger vessels and we could make no contact with them. With their superior radar and larger range, it was easy for them to avoid us.

Sailing on the Sea Bear enroute to the Galapagos we witnessed illegal longlines and longliners setting hooks for sharks between the island groups, essentially laying a curtain of death for sharks whom we now know migrate between the island groups. At the port on Santa Cruz I witnessed longlines on small pangas and when I interviewed the local Wild Aid representative I was told these were shark fishermen. The inspectors turn a blind eye, or are bribed to ignore the illegal shark fin, sea cucumber and other trade in illegal wildlife. There is essentially no enforcement against shark finning in this shark- rich region and there is no economic incentive for the governments or resources available to enforce the finning laws.

Despite US laws against finning and CITES protections, shark fins are entering our country and freely traded.

The NMFS site also indicates over 40,000 kilos were exported last year from LA, mainly to Hong Kong. San Francisco and other US ports are also importing and exporting fins.

Despite our laws, the US is actively involved in the erasure of sharks from marine reserves and the high seas.

In addition to tightening US regulations and helping our Central American neighbors enforce theirs, this is further evidence that we must stop the trade of shark fins. Shark fins are freely, and apparently legally traded through our major ports.

Go to the Sea Stewards web site and take action. Click Here: Its time to ban the fin.

From our friends at PRETOMA

More evidence that shark finning happens everyday in Costa Rica
According to the Ecuadorian press, the captain and crew of the Costa Rican fishing boat Rosa 1 were arrested last week for illegal fishing activities in the Galapagos Island Marine Reserve, Ecuador. Ecuadorian officials announced that the boat was carrying no less than 75 "finned" sharks. Costa Rican fishing law states that all sharks must be landed with their fins naturally attached to their bodies. Since the boat is Costa Rican, it's logical to assume that it will eventually land its cargo in Puntarenas. Costa Rica's Fisheries Institute, Incopesca, assures that it inspects 100% of fisheries landings as a way to prevent shark finning from happening in this country. But how effective is Incopesca's system of inspection?
Other related cases:
In 2008, sacks of shark fins were found aboard the Kendy and the Franju III after they were spotted illegally fishing in the Cocos Island National Park's Marine Protected Area. When the two boats arrived in Puntarenas the fins were no longer onboard. As the law only stipulates that fins be attached to the shark's body when they are landed, and it does not prohibit the transportation of fins separated from bodies, no legal action was taken.
Indonesian/Costa Rican citizens Dian (23) and Fajar (36), international fishing vessel slaves that were freed by Costa Rican authorities at the Imperio Pesquero del Pacífico dock, explained to the Tico Times newspaper on June 4, 2010 that fishing crews routinely fin sharks as the product represents and pay bonus for the crew. The fishermen even showed a personal video to the press of crew members finning the animals.
Shark finning happens day in and day out in Costa Rica. Quite simply, Incopesca lacks the initiative to enforce the law. In fact, fisheries inspectors do not even have the authority to implement fishing regulations as they must first ask permission from the private dock owners before performing their inspections.
For more information:
Pretoma
Tel (506) 2241 5227
Fax (506) 2236 6017
email: andy@pretoma.org
website: www.pretoma.org

A Voyage Among Whales and Wildlife

2010-08-16T22:35:00.000-07:00

August 15th,

It was another incredible weekend out in the Gulf of the Farallones. The prevailing weather pattern bringing the heavy fogs over the coastal zone this summer is also rewarding us with light winds and excellent conditions offshore. Sunday was no exception with light winds and very little swell. Even in rough weather the sturdy aluminum Catamaran is a stable ride but today the Outer Limits flew up the coast searching for our resident Grey whale that has been lingering around Duxbury reef.
We missed him this trip, or perhaps it was the Grey whale we sighted near the South anchorage at the island; our first whale of many to come that day. It appeared that the whale is feeding with the typical pattern of flukes up, dive down for 3 minutes and breathing at the surface for another five or six before repeating. This whale and a couple others have decided to sit out the annual migration north to the Aleutians from Baja this summer in preference to our San Francisco Metro feeding zone in the Sanctuary. Good choice!
The Common Murres were out in force, father and chick, paddling around the island or perched up on Sugar top.
It was a birders delight and our two guests from London were delighted to observe over 30 species of pelagic and coastal birds from all three species of Cormorrant to Phalaropes to at least four different Black Footed Albatross. Each time I visit the island I'm truly amazed at the abundance and diversity of bird life. Rounding out the repertoire were the comical Puffins with their remarkable plumage and orange bill and feet. Captain Jimmy and deckhand Joe really know their birds and the locations of all the best sea life and their expertise did not disappoint the passengers.
The large pod of Rizzo’s dolphins (also known as Grampus) was on station south of the South East Farallon Island. The pods I have observed in the Monterey Bay are normally shy but these are curious and swam close to the boat as we idled along, revealing their tell- tale scarring and pale complexion.
There were two birthdays aboard and Vern, the owner of San Francisco Whale Watch Tours brought his famous home made brownies.
The sea was so flat we steamed north past Middle Rock and towards the North Islands in search of whales. We were soon rewarded with a two groups of 2-3 Humpback Whales, finning, feeding, lob tailing and even some spectacular breaches. One whale I recognized from two weeks ago by its deformed dorsal fin and wheezy blow. Maybe I’ll call him Wheezy. A highlight of any visit is the Blue Whales and this trip we spotted two.
The strong spring westerly winds lead to significant upwelling and an abundance of krill, the tiny shrimp the whales feed on. It is remarkable that something so large- the largest animal ever to live on the planet- can live on something so small. One of our youngest passengers, Luke, thought that the Blue whales were the coolest thing he had ever seen. A Sausalito resident, this was his first visit to the islands and these was his were the first whales. Luke, that’s a hard act to follow. The world population of these beautiful whales is thought to have been reduced to less than ten percent of their original numbers before whaling. It is incumbent on us to protect these majestic animals so future Luke’s can enjoy the wildness of the ocean. In all we spotted 11 whales of three species, Harbor porpoises, sea lions, harbor seals and the Grampus: quite a day for marine mammals.
We are extremely fortunate to live in such close proximity to three National Marine Sanctuaries with such amazing sea life. Its up to all of us to support NOAA and the Sanctuaries so we can continue to enjoy the wonders of the Farallones.
Im looking forward to Sharktober when our fanous White Sharks return from the White Shark Cafe to lurk along the rocky shoreline of the Devil's Teeth.

Tagging White Sharks: Comments to The Gulf of Farallones Sanctuary Adviosoy Committee

2010-08-12T09:41:00.000-07:00

My name is David McGuire. Im the Director of Sea Stewards, a non profit shark conservation and documentary film organization. I work as a naturalist in the Gulf of the Farallones and conduct a shark tagging program in the San Francisco Bay with the California Academy of Sciences.
Thank you to the Sanctuary Advisory Team for this opportunity to comment on Dr. Michael Domeier’s proposal to extend his scientific use permit another year in the Sanctuary.
Dr. Domeier is a very smart man. He has a credible record tagging and tracking wildlife and publishing as a fisheries biologist. He is creative in his science and developing new methodologies. In this tough funding period he has garnered research support through the National Geographic Channel. He knows a good story.
It might be telling that it is the TV channel and not the Nat Geo Committee for Science and Exploration is funding his research. The Great White Shark Expedition is a Great White Fishing story.

Concern has been expressed that methods developed by trial and error in Guadalupe may have lead to shark mortalities. In the first year, of five sharks tagged, four did not transmit data. This was blamed on the tags, but it has been suggested that the sharks never resurfaced.

Dr. Domeier observed in the feature that an N of 1 makes good TV but not good science. In statistics an N, or sample size of 30 is generally accepted a priori as the minimum needed to make conclusions with confidence.
Sea Steward’s concern is that to achieve statistical power nearly 20% of our local shark population would need to be sampled in the invasive methodologies employed by the Domeier team.

I attended the White Shark Stewardship presentation where Dr Domeier and Dr Salvador Jorgensen of Stanford’s TOPP program presented their data. Aside from the sharks tagged by Domeier showing the sharks returning to the home islands after the TOPP team tags have fallen off, little new scientific data has been produced from the SPOT tags.
We know from the TOPP efforts, and even the Shark Watch program predating that research effort, that the White Sharks are returning to the Sanctuary after visiting the Café offshore.

Although insightful and intriguing, I challenge that the new diving information and longer tag life is adding to white shark conservation.
At question is does the data provided by this method justify the significant energy expenditures and behavior modification of the sharks leading to potential morbidity, mortality and loss of fitness in an endangered population. Most creditable universities and museums have an animal care and use committee composed of peer researchers who evaluate experimental methodologies on animals before approval. I request that the Sanctuary employ this.
If we want to protect sharks we should be considering the protections from longliners and shark finning beyond the Farallones border and beyond the enforceable 200 mile limit. If we want to protect sharks we need to consider how the public who funds this stewardship perceives management practices.

In conclusion, the concern is not just for the white sharks, but also for the safety of the team handling the sharks and for the credibility and public perception of the management of the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. The world is watching and this is not just another fish story.

World's First Ban on Shark Fin Makes Hawaii Global Leader in Shark Conservation

2010-07-13T14:44:00.000-07:00

Sea Stewards produced a film on shark threats and finning in 2006 with WildAid's Peter Knights titled Sharks Stewards of the Reef. This film has been screened in hearings and events supporting shark conservation and banning finning. We are proud to continue our partnership with Wild Aid in the new campaign on the mainland.

HONOLULU, June 30

HONOLULU, June 30 /PRNewswire/ -- On the eve of the State of Hawaii becoming the first jurisdiction to ban sales of shark fin soup, local and international conservation groups praised the ground-breaking move as a first step to halting the decimation of global shark stocks.

Fins from up to 70 million sharks a year are used for shark fin soup often with the bodies of the animal dumped overboard dead or alive. In a recent study the world's top shark scientists (IUCN Shark Specialist Group) reported that of 64 species of open ocean sharks and rays 32% are "threatened with extinction," primarily due to overfishing. In addition, 24% were "near threatened," while another 25% could not be assessed due to lack of data. Yet only 3 species have any kind of international protection and the UN CITES convention recently declined to take any action due to opposition led by Japan.

Champion of the Bill Senator Clayton Hee stated, "Hawaii is proud to be at the forefront of the movement to save threatened sharks. For native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders sharks are revered, because we recognize their ecological importance, but we have been silent for too long on the decimation of shark stocks globally." Â

Stefanie Brendl of Shark Allies said, "Globally shark catches are unregulated and unsustainable. The shark fin trade is completely unregulated worldwide. This is a first step in giving sharks a future."

"Sharks have been around for nearly 400 million years playing vital roles in marine ecosystems, but at the current rate of overfishing driven by the demand for shark fin soup they could be wiped out in a single human generation," said WildAid director Peter Knights.

International conservation group WildAid released dramatic new evidence that proves that sharks are being finned alive for soup sold in the United States. Footage shot by WildAid shows a live tawny nurse shark dumped on an Indonesian reef with its fins removed. The film is being used in a new public service announcement for global broadcast from NBA player Yao Ming, China's most popular star. Most Americans are unaware of the damage caused by the shark fin industry and that shark fin soup is widely available from Chinese restaurants in the U.S. WildAid's recent survey found one third of Chinese restaurants in San Francisco serving the dish priced from $6.95 to $85 a bowl.

This unprecedented law makes it illegal to sell, possess or distribute shark fins without a permit issued by the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources for shark research or educational purposes or the Hawaii Department of Health, for restaurants possessing fins prepared for consumption by July 1, 2010. Effective July 1, 2011, it will be illegal for these restaurants or retailers to sell or possess fins for shark-fin soup or other shark fin products.

The US Congress is considering the Shark Conservation Act of 2009 that would close a major enforcement loophole by requiring that the fins of sharks caught in federal waters remain naturally attached to the shark. Passage of the federal law would further strengthen and complement Hawaii's new shark protection law.

In China, the largest market for shark fin soup there is a growing groundswell of opposition to shark fin. NBA star and China's most popular figure, Yao Ming and other Chinese sporting and movie icons, as well as leading businessmen, are taking a stand by refusing to eat shark fin soup. Li Ning, who lit the Olympic torch and Liu Huan, who sang in the Beijing Opening ceremony, and a number of gold medal Olympians, including Americans Tara Kirk and Amanda Beard, have pledged not to eat shark fin soup and have recorded public service announcements, which have reached hundreds of millions of Chinese. The campaign has been featured on China's CCTV networks featuring 20 Olympic gold medalists. Last month, 100 Chinese business leaders joined the pledge and Chinese eBay equivalent Alibaba stopped allowing sales of shark fin through their site.

Footage and stills available.

http://www.youtube.com/wildaid

http://www.wildaid.org

United Nations Meeting Takes Historic Step to Ban Shark Finning

2010-07-12T08:52:00.001-07:00

United Nations Meeting Takes Historic Step to Ban Shark Finning Ruling Signals a Turning Point for Endangered Sharks

NEW YORK, NY - In an historic step, delegates to the Fish Stocks Conference at the United Nations voted unanimously to end shark finning at sea.

The 77 nations that are Parties to the Fish Stocks Agreement mandated that sharks must now: "be landed with their fins naturally attached or through different means that are equally effective and enforceable."

The action was required to stop the slaughter of up to 73 million sharks a year, principally to make shark fin soup. Shark finning - catching sharks, cutting off the fins, and throwing them back into the sea to drown - has been compared to the killing of elephants for their tusks in its wanton cruelty. It has continued under a system in which powerful fishing nations have failed to protect the oceans they harvest, and has brought entire shark species to the brink of extinction.

Palau's Ambassador to the United Nations, Stuart Beck, said: "This ruling promises to be the beginning of the end for this murderous trade, but only strict enforcement by a determined international community will do the job. Time is running out, and this is an opportunity that must be seized."

Delegates to the meeting also adopted language to enhance the ability of small island nations to play a proactive role in future deliberations of the Regional Fisheries Management Organizations, which have responsibility for preserving the health of shark stocks. This is necessary and appropriate because the decline in shark populations will ultimately destroy the coral reefs on which they rely for their continued existence. Nations with distant water fishing fleets have traditionally dominated these organizations. The actions of the Conference will be the subject of review and adoption by the General Assembly in the fall.

Over one third of the world's shark and ray species are considered threatened or near threatened with extinction, and virtually all shark stocks are under pressure. Given this emergency, President Johnson Toribiong recently declared Palau's waters the world's first national shark sanctuary. Many other countries, including the Maldives, Australia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Egypt, Israel, Honduras, Monaco and the United States have taken steps to protect sharks, and now the State of Hawaii has joined in this growing effort to conserve the species.

Ambassador Beck said: "Through hard bargaining amongst countries a new international standard has been adopted. As the world rose up in revulsion in 1989 to avert the extinction of elephants, it once again looks to the United Nations and those who execute its mandate around the world to end the slaughter of sharks for their fins."

A major part of the effort will be to gain meaningful access to the often opaque deliberations of Regional Fisheries Management Organizations to insure their compliance with the finning ban.

The practice of shark finning, and recent seizures of contraband in Palauan waters were the subject of a Photo Exhibition titled "Sharks Attacked: The Ongoing Scandal of Shark -Finning." at the UN during the Fish Stocks meeting.

Blue Frontier's Peter Benchley Awards

2010-06-27T12:26:00.000-07:00

For a slide show go to Seastewards.org

On Friday June 25th ocean author and champion David Helvarg convened the 3rd Blue Frontier Peter Benchley Awards at the California Academy of Sciences. Emceed by Phillipe Cousteau, the awards recognized top Oil Disaster Responders including Dr. Jane Lubchenco, Cynthia Sarthou and Philippe Cousteau.

Also celebrated were some of the world’s top Ocean Explorers and Marine Conservationists including life long explorer Don Walsh (USN Ret.), the only person alive who has been to the deepest part of the Ocean (50 years ago this year aboard the Bathysphere Trieste), Louie Psihoyos, Director of the 2010 Academy Award winning documentary, ‘The Cove’, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation whose work on ‘Marine Spatial Planning’ has been promoted by President Obama, Jesse Ausubel, program director for the Census of Marine Life, a decade-long global scientific collaboration, concluding this year and Kyle Thiermann, a 20-year-old surfer and activist based in Santa Cruz, California. This year's Manta Award donated by Wyland are designed to celebrate the legacy of ‘Jaws’ Author, writer, filmmaker and marine conservationist Peter Benchley.

Following the huge impact and hysteria generated by the film JAWS, Peter Benchley devoted the rest of his life to shark conservation.

Blue Frontier Campaign’s mission to “promote unity, provide tools to and raise awareness of the solution-oriented seaweed (marine grassroots) community,” and the gathering of ocean champions at the evening's events were a veritable who's-who of ocean activists, scientists, policy makers and advocates.

The first Blue Frontier Awards were given at the 2004 Blue Vision Conference in Washington D.C. where Peter Benchley gave the Keynote speech. After he passed away, his wife Wendy Benchley agreed to let Blue Frontier title the next awards in his honor. Wendy has been a grass roots environmental activist for many years and she and Peter worked together for most of their 43 years of marriage on ocean conservation issues.

The 2010 Blue Frontier Campaign / Peter Benchley Awards Recipients

Science – Jesse Ausubel – Program Director, Decade long Census of Marine Life completing in 2010

Policy – Dr. Jane Lubchenco – Administrator, NOAA

Media – Louie Psihoyos – Director, The Cove (2010 Academy Award Winner)

Hero of the Seas – Cynthia Sarthou – Gulf Restoration Network

Foundation Spirit Award – Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation

Explorer – Don Walsh – Lifelong explorer and one of only two people ever to go to bottom of the ocean aboard the Trieste in 1960 (50th anniversary)

Youth – Kyle Thiermann – Surfer, Activist – ClaimYourChange.org

Support the Blue Frontier Campaign at http://www.bluefront.org/

Why Sharks?

2010-06-23T09:55:00.001-07:00

Sharks are Symbols of a Healthy Ocean

Why sharks? Sharks swim in our psyche. There is something mysterious, enigmatic and even deeply atavistic about sharks, The unmistakable shape of a shark, the open jaws lined with serrated teeth, and the shark fin is imprinted throughout human history up to modern times.

From petroglyphs in European caves, carvings in Pacific Island volcanic rocks to shark masks in a West African dance, the image of the ocean's apex predator inspires power, fear and even virility. Cultures the world over have created myths and cults around sharks, deifying them and demonizing them. The Greek goddess Lamia was a daughter of the god Poseidon, a devourer of children and the mother of the sea-monsters Skylla and Akheilos. The Australian Aborigines have an oral history of Bangudja, the tiger-shark, which attacked the dolphin man in the Gulf of Carpentaria, leaving behind a large red spot on the rocks of Chasm Island. The Pacific Island peoples who live in close connection to sharks have elevated sharks to a God-like status. The Hawaiian amuakua symbolizes an ancestor in the form of a shark and countless Hawaiian myths refer to the shark god Kamohoali’i serving as protector of fishermen, and guider of lost canoes. The Indigenous people of Solomon believe that the bodies of sharks are inhabited by the souls of the dead people.

In modern cultures, we continue to symbolize sharks: the ruthless lawyer; a cool calculating professional golfer; a quick and dangerous professional hockey team. Until recent times shark encounters did not spread beyond local beach or fish communities, but with modern media, and the immeasurable psychological impact of a Hollywood film sharks rose from the subliminal depths into the forefront of our collective fear.

The wave of horror sparked by jaws continues today, news stories of a single shark attack spread beyond proportion, when the true story should be man bites shark. The fact is we are removing all large predatory fish from the world ocean at an unsustainable rate. As the consummate oceanic predator, sharks are especially vulnerable to overfishing and are increasingly being wiped out for products like shark fin for soup. Man bites shark at the rate of millions to one. In this respect man is winning, but in reality we are all losing. It has been demonstrated that sharks are essential members for a healthy ecosystem and removing them is causing an imbalance, even a collapse of complex marine communities. Why sharks? Sharks are a symbol of what is going wrong with the oceans and what can be right. Sharks are symbols of ocean health. Its time to put away the myths, push back the soup bowl and start protecting sharks for a healthy ocean and healthy humans. Its time think like a Sea Steward for all ocean life, including the shark. This is why sharks are the Sea Stewards symbol and the motivation behind the Shark Sanctuary Initiative.

Take Action for Sharks

2010-06-16T10:41:00.001-07:00

While States like Hawaii and Cities like San Francisco are taking steps to stop the shark fin trade and consumption in the USA, we still have serious loopholes that need be addressed in our own laws that impact national and international shark fishing, including the fin trade. We can act locally and we can act nationally, but we have to act to support a healthy marine ecosytem- and that starts with sharks.

Global demand for shark fin soup has pushed several shark populations to the brink of collapse. Shark finning is the cruel and wasteful practice of hacking off fins from live sharks, tossing the dead or dying animal overboard.

We know that sharks are vitally important to the health of the ocean helping balance marine ecosystems in their role as apex predators. Yet each year, tens of millions of sharks are being killed just for their fins.

The US Senate is poised to take action on a bill, the Shark Conservation Act, that would end shark finning in US waters and make us world leaders in shark conservation.

Tell your Senators TODAY that you demand shark protections and the passage of the Shark Conservation Act Click the link below.

Tell Your Senators to End Shark Finning and support the Shark Conservation Act.
There is only a short time left in this Congressional session. This bill has been stalled too long.

Finning complicates fishery management since differentiating shark species is difficult once the fins are removed and it makes a proper count of species impossible. The Shark Conservation Act would end this practice in US waters and improve our shark fishery management and conservation efforts.

Contact your Senators today in support of the Shark Conservation Act. The future of the oceans and sharks depends on all of us.

Join the Oceana effort and contact your senator now. Join Sea Stewards in our local Shark Sanctuary campaign.

Ocean Voices and Plastics Century Premiere at the California Academy of Sciences

2010-06-07T15:57:00.000-07:00

What would the world be like without the ocean? A world without oxygen, a planet without climate, a life without the beauty and power and majesty of the sea and many other things. These are some of the questions and responses recorded in Ocean Voices. On June 3rd sound artist Halsey Bergund premiered his new piece Ocean Voices, an auditory and visual exploration into a musical work of art what we think of the ocean. Sound artist and performer Halsey Burgund and marine biologist Dr. Wallace J. Nichols joined forces to collect the voices of people around the world recounting their personal experiences with the ocean. "We are collecting voices from as wide an array of people from all around the world recounting personal experiences about the ocean, their feelings about the ocean their thoughts about the ocean, their feelings.." Bergund explained in an NPR interview. Using web recordings from voices recorded over the web at oceanvoices.org, Bergund collected answers to such questions as: Describe the world without an ocean; How does the ocean affect you on a daily basis; what is your first experience in the ocean; and where did the ocean come from? Into the mix are children, scientists, teachers and the voices of Celine and Fabien Cousteau, grandchildren to the Jacques Cousteau. Haunting electronic melodies, symphonic strings and Bergund's atonal vocals enter the melange in the Morrison Planetarium, with images of the undersea world cast overhead onto the dome. Last week's launch coincided with the 100th anniversary of the famed ocean explorer and the two Cousteau's were present at the launch with Halsey and Dr Nichols. Also on exhibit on the public floor is a new look at plastics and how they impact our lives and the ocean in an installation entitled Plastic Century. In an aquatic exploration of their own, Plastic Centuryis a display that dives into our relationship with plastic and the environment. Designed by artist Sarah Kornfeld, Wallace J. Nichols, and futurists Stuart Candy and Jake Dunagan, guests are invited to drink water from four different coolers, each filled with piles of plastic represented to be proportionate to that in the sea over a span of a century. Beginning in 1910 in a world empty of plastic to 1960 when Jacques Cousteau explained the ocean world and the endurable material first hit ocean shores, the exhibit projects into a plastic clotted jug of 2030: an unsightly mass representing the future if we continue producing, and discarding at the current rate. The strangely beautiful jars of brightly colored plastic reminds one of the interior of an albatross or the gut of a dead whale glutted on our refuse. In a separate exhibit a replica of a giant Leatherback Sea turtle hangs among a hundred plastic bags above a video recorded on a crittercam of a live leatherback gobbling jellyfish. Is this the future? Its not 2030 yet and with hope, exhibits like Ocean Voices and Plastics Future will stimulate thought and invoke action to turn off the plastic tap, ban the bag and protect our world ocean's beauty and wildness. In celebration of World Oceans Day, an additional opportunity to experience Plastic Century will be available Thursday June 10th at the California Academy of Sciences.

Collage and slide show from San Francisco World Oceans Day

2010-06-06T14:26:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Senator Yee, and all the shark heroes for attending World Oceans Day! We cleaned up some plastics, rasied awareness on the Shark Sanctuary and had a great time. Who said conservation cant be fun.

Senator Leland Yee given Blue Marble on World Oceans Day

2010-06-06T12:57:00.000-07:00

Celebrating the Ocean and San Francisco Bay World Oceans Day 2010

On June 5th ocean lovers from the San Francisco Bay Area(and beyond) attended Sea Stewards World Oceans Day for sharks event. Not only celebrating what we love about the ocean, but raising awareness and taking actions for a healthy Bay and World Ocean, the event focused on what goes in and what comes out: plastics and shark fins.
We are using the Golden Gate literally as the place where the plastic must stop entering the ocean and the shark fins cannot come into San Francisco. On an epic San Francisco Day, volunteers conducted a beach clean up yielding several bags of trash: mostly cigarette butts and plastics. After, ocean lovers attended a party at the Sports Basement rocking to the live tunes of My Peoples, swilling Sierra Nevada and watching short films on plastics and sharks.
Jonathan Kathrein, White Shark survivor and advocate spoke of his experiences and our misconceptions of the ocean's greatest predator.
As organizer, it was my great pleasure and privilege to present Senator Leland Yee (CA, 8th District) and hear him discuss his efforts on protecting water quality and oil pollution prevention in the San Francisco Bay. Of course we couldnt let the opportunity slide to encourage his support in educating our local community on the harm shark fin consumption is having on world shark populations, and to help support the Shark Sanctuary Initiative.
Thanks to our partners the Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association, the Surfrider Foundation and all the volunteers, supporters, sponsors and especially the ocean for making this a great celebration. This year Sea stewards is redoubling our efforts to protect local and world sharks and to help maintain the health of the San Francisco Bay and Ocean.
We gather next at Sharktoberfest October 21st-23rd with the California Academy of Sciences and the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary.

For a healthy ocean,

Hawaii Passes Shark Protection Bill

2010-05-29T12:38:00.000-07:00

Hawaii is now the first state in the nation to ban the sale possession or trade of shark fins. In a bill championed by Senator Clayton Hee and supported by the Shark Safe and shark finatic Stefani Brendl, the bill passed through the house unanimously and through the Senate with one nay. Hawaii has taken a stand that sharks are important and shark finning, and unsustaianble practice such as the consumption of shark fin soup is intolerable.
Governor Linda Lingle signed the bill Friday morning.

The bill prohibits the possession, sale, trade or distribution of shark fins, which are used in the Chinese delicacy shark fin soup. This law is designed to prevent over fishing that is causing the extinction of sharks.

We hope the new law will help prevent the overfishing and extinction of sharks harvested for their fins.

San Francisco, California and the Nation can take a lesson from our island state and recognize that unsustainable practices and consumption is harmful to humans and the ocean. Sea Stewards is initiating a Shark Sanctuary campaign to raise awareness on the importance of sharks and educate consumers and fishermen that sharks are important for a healthy San Francisco Bay and Wolrd Ocean. Lets bring it home and Let Sharks Live.

Celebrate the Shark.

Surfing with sharks

2010-05-29T11:32:00.000-07:00

I surf the red triangle. It is a geographical area bounded by the points just south of Monterey, out to the Farallones Islands and up to Bodega Bay. Its the home waters of the White shark, and its the area where more fatalities of humans have been recorded than any other region its size in the world: nearly 40%. Big Deal.
Sitting solo on a peak, feet dangling in the green water while waiting for the next the my mind wanders. A splash, a shadow, a surge of water beneath the surface reminds me that the ocean is alive. A lone pelagic cormorant stork es by purposely west to the Farallones. The Devils Teeth pierce the sea 28 miles out. I cant see them in the mist, but I know they are there, and around them swim the white sharks who live in these waters, just as I do. Sometimes we live there together.
I surf alone if I can. There is something so spiritual about surfing and nothing so powerful than riding a spinning wall of water unseen but by the birds and the fish. And possibly the white sharks.
Sometime the water has a different feel. Surfers call it sharky. You feel the energy, and I feel it right now. A friend of mine was attacked by a shark near here while surfing. He still surfs.

There has recently been some filming reenacting a shark attack for the Discovery Channel's Shark Week. Referred by a LA Director of Photography who I worked with on the film A Beautiful Wave- the Director of the TV show called me from England to interview me to help shoot the program. Seeing the direction the piece was going- another shark attack story, more banal blood and adrenaline- I tried to persuade him to make a film on the beauty of white sharks, their importance for the ocean and not the fear factor, and that sharks are being destroyed for their fins. I didnt get the job.

A grey wave separates from the grey horizon and as I swing my board to paddle, I detect a shape in my peripheral vision, a large, pale shape. I catch the wave and riding towards the shore I reflect on my role in the ocean. After decades of surfing and diving and filming sharks, I know what a shark looks like and there are few things in the ocean that resemble a white shark. The section stacks on the shallows and the wave closes out and I straighten my board towards the shore that looks so far away.
I wonder how many sharks have seen me that I have not seen and I think it is many. We are the visitors.
The wave fades from shallow sandbar into the deep trough carved by the escaping rip current nearshore and I prone out and paddle the final thirty feet, feeling my toes, feeling my fingers dipping the water stroke by steady stroke.

Exiting the water I carry my longboard to the edge where wet sand meets dry, and turning I watch a perfect left spin unridden across the shallows. The fat white gull lifts and dips, the whitewater streams to the sand and there is no sign of a fin or a shark. Miles away in the mist the Farallones rise from the sea and in between is shark water. A kid is waxing his board on the sand. "I think I just saw a shark." He looks up, brushing long hair from his eyes. He shrugs and continues waxing.
A brother in sharks.
Maybe surfers get it more than most. The ocean is alive and we are just one small part of it. Sharks are important, perhaps more important than we are and they deserve to live, to be, to do what they do. We can no longer ignore the fact that more sharks are being killed than humans at a ratio of a tens of thousands to one each year. We can live with sharks but sharks cant live with us unless we recognize their importance. Its time to put away the fear and Let Sharks Live.

My Birthday wish for the Sea

2010-05-23T12:36:00.000-07:00

You should have been here yesterday." That's what a diver told me as we suited up to film and dive in La Jolla Cove. Like surfers seeking the perfect wave out of the Endless Summer I have been in quest for the prefect conditions to film sevengill sharks in clear water. We know that hundreds of these animals visit and live in the San Francisco Bay but trying to film sharks in the San Francisco Bay is like filming in a cup of coffee. I know because I have been filming sharks locally for the past two years while tagging them with Team Fish Finder and the San Francisco Aquarium of the Bay. In fact, to get good enough images for the documentary City of the Shark, I had to dive in the aquarium to get nice Sevengill, Soupfin shark, Smoothound, Spiny Dogfish and leopard shark images.

To me, the ocean is as inseparable as breathing. It is my breath, my energy, my spiritual being. I give everything to be part of it, and will continue to give everything to perpetuate the health of the sea.

White Sharks are Here
The evening before a Scripps Institute of Oceanography grad student friend had reported seeing a fifteen foot Great White Shark the day before, and given the level of experience and scientific training its hard to disbelieve the report. Thus, we had even more inspiration to film with hopes of finding sharks. Unfortuantely the conditions deteriorated from the day before with a building south and northwest swell and strong NW winds. "This is the worst conditions Ive dived in all year. And I dive here every day." The dive instructor told us as we prepared to walk down the stairway to the cove. "You might get some visibility out by Buoy C. I wouldnt drag that big camera all the way out there." I looked at the yellow spar a half mile offshore, and the building shorebreak sweeping across the cove. I shrugged and looked at my buddy Kevin. "We are suited up, might as well get in."
The water of San Diego is warm, calm by Monterey or San Francisco standards, but the idea is to capture the smile of a sevengill in optimal conditions and the dream is to get the white shark among the kelp beds.
We enter, we kick past two foot waves and we dive in conditions that are better than average by North coast standards. There is a surge from the south and a glaze of disintegrated algae at ten feet but below the kelp is clear and thriving. New tips of fronds swirl at the apical meristem like the vortex symbol of the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Variegated kelp bass hang along the stems rising and dipping in the swell like the kelp it hides among. We do not see a shark, we dont see a black Sea Bass among the eelgrass, but it is diving among the rain forest of the sea and it is the salty and glorious ocean.
Anytime in the water is a good thing and I am thankful for the opportunity to try to film sharks. Perhaps it is better to miss these sharks once again just to have the hope and the anticipation to dive and search for the sharks.
Some days are better for surfing and others for diving. "You should have here yesterday." I hear you, but in life you cant look backwards, trying to rectify lost opportunities not in our control.
I was not here yesterday, I am here today, and with luck, I'll be here tomorrow, searching for sharks, getting wet and trying to save our ocean life. I am grateful for the opportunity. Let Sharks Live. Sea Stewards for a Healthy Ocean.

Join Hawaii's fin ban and local Shark Stewardship

2010-04-28T14:17:00.001-07:00

Two shark-related bills won final passage Tuesday.

One toughens the law against shark-finning by making it illegal to possess fins in Hawaii.
The other allows boats to be taken away if the owners are caught chumming the water to attract sharks.

The last bill is aimed at shark-tour companies that critics accuse of engaging in the practice.
The vote for the shark finning Bill was a unanimous "Yes" in the Senate with one dissent in the House. The Bill has now moved to the Governor's office for her signature.

Whats so impressive is that this is a grass roots effort initiated by shark advocates with support by shark ecotourism operations, and the entire initiative took less than a year.

This effort paves the way for other cities and states to make a public stance condemning shark finning and banning unsustainable products and practices.
The Shark Sanctuary San Francisco initiative is a multi faceted approach combining shark research, education and conservation. One major component is the Shark Stewardship Program banning unsustainable fin sales and fin products that in the City and County of San Francisco.
We have collected several hundred signatures and now are moving forward with an awareness event with an invitation to the Supervisors for World Ocean Day in June.
Follow us and join Sea Stewards Shark Stewardship program in June.

Congratulation shark champions in Hawaii and across the world.

Support the Hawaii Fin Ban and Bring it to San Francisco

2010-04-20T13:40:00.001-07:00

Sharks: Stewards of the Reef from David McGuire on Vimeo.

This week the state of Hawaii is ever closer toward becoming the only state in the U.S. to ban the sale and possession of shark fins. Despite languishing in committees and on desks, Senate Bill 2169, sponsored by state Sen. Clayton Hee has been forwarded to a vote this week.
Shark advocates Stefani Brendl, Shark Allies ,the Humane Society and others have fought long and hard to make this precedent setting shark protection bill a reality.
Like California, shark-finning is banned in Hawaiian waters but the practice is widespread in international waters and there is no real policing of fins once dried and treated.
The object of SB 2169, and the Shark Sanctuary San Francisco initiative is to remove the market for a product that is leading to the decimation of shark species worldwide. The Hawaii fin ban would be a significant victory toward shark conservation and paves the way for the Shark Sanctuary San Francisco Campaign.

This week Senator Hee urged lawmakers to push the measure through a conference committee before Thursday's deadline, and ultimately to vote the bill into law. There has been more support than opposition, however one Representative Jon Riki Karamatsu- reputedly supported in his bid for Lieutenant Governor by the shark fin industry- is in strong opposition.

Getting the bill scheduled for a vote in the Legislature before Thursday's deadline is critical.

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.

Urge them to support the bill. Email addresses are included below

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

About Shark Finning
Shark-finning is the practice of slicing fins from live sharks and dumping their bodies overboard. Once caught as bycatch and released in longlines, sharks are being killed to supply the fin demand, and whole fisheries have grown to support the trade. Shark fins are used for making sharkfin soup, considered a delicacy in Asian communities, particularly Chinese markets. The highest priced seafood by weight, single fin can fetch $1,000 or more, and a bowl of shark-fin soup in our Chinatown sells for $25 to as much as $75 a bowl.

About Sharks
As many as 70 million sharks worldwide are killed annually for their fins. Sharks are a critical component in the marine ecosystem and removing them has a deleterious impact on the food web. Sharks are especially vulnerable to overfishing. Sharks have few young, long gestation periods and cannot reproduce fast enough to sustain a concentrated fishing effort.

Support our colleagues in Hawaii and bring the shark fin ban to San Francisco. Let our lawmakers and consumers know that sharks are important for a healthy ocean.

CITES rejects shark protections.

2010-03-24T09:09:00.000-07:00

The positions of the powerful and profiteers continue to reign over marine protection.
This point of view is not just towards sharks but all economically important marine species. Its obvious that most regional management and failed and an international control is necessary, yet the same nations continue to align themselves with the powerful nations controlling the high seas fisheries.

From my friend and fellow shark warrior, Lesley Rochat (Manager and Director of Education Save Our Seas
Foundation) reports the decision taken at CITES today:

The hammerhead proposal has been rejected and so has the oceanic
whitetip. The secret vote results for the hammerhead are: for:75,
against:45, abstentions:14 (missed by 5 votes) and the oceanic
whitetip are for:75, against:51, abstentions:16.

This defeat is a massive blow for shark conservation as we had hoped
that by listing them onto CITES Appendix II, which would not have
prohibited trading but rather provided international control and
management of trade, while working with the RFMOs such as ICCAT.
Scientific evidence, FAO and IUCN, supports the drastic decline of
these species by over 90% in some areas, and which are targeted
primarily for their fins.

Amongst those against the proposal who intervened was Japan, China,
Korea, Cuba, Senegal, Venezuela, Singapore and Indonesia who argued
that sharks, and all other marine species, should not be on CITES as
they are the responsibility of the RFMOs (Regional Fishery Management
Organisations).

ICCAT, one of these RFMOs, admitted however during the debate that
they do not have enough data - it is a given fact that ICCAT has not
managed shark catches and that unregulated, unreported and illegal
fishing is draining the oceans of sharks worldwide. Socia-economic
issues, as well as inability to identify different species fins, as
well be necessary in the control of trade, was used in favour of not
supporting the proposals by these countries.

Spain and the EU supported, along with Monaco, UAE, Columbia, Palau,
Qatar, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Australia, New Zealand, Norway,Croatia,
Argentina. South Africa's intervention was ambiguous, stressing the
need for RFMOs and CITES to work together if the proposal (the
oceanic) was accepted.

After lunch the last two shark proposals, the spiny dogfish and
porbeagle, will be voted on but these first two species were the most
likely of being supported.

I will blog later again, but feel decidedly depressed, the time was
now to act in order to save these species. With the defeat comes a
sense of hopelessness, which I find difficult not to feel at this
moment.

Blog here: http://www.lesleyrochat.com/news-and-blog/

Sharks: real or Hypereal?

2010-03-21T12:17:00.000-07:00

Sharks are in our collective psyche, but all too often they enter through the dark pathways of our minds, the centers of terror and fear. Perhaps in a new paradigm, sharks can be used to explain, to purge irrational views and to help define what is real, not phantasms or electronic myths.
In an exciting collaboration with visual and performance art, shark images are entering the collective conscious from an angle I never perceived while tracking a shark with underwater camera. On Thursday these shark images screened in the premiere performance of Hyperreal, a new show by Visual and Performance artist Sara Kraft at the Yerba Buena Theater in San Francisco. Sara combines dance movement, voice and technology from shark images taken at Palmyra Atoll to live video cams, split screens and web cams.
Hyperreality is used in semiotics and postmodern philosophy to describe a hypothetical inability of consciousness to distinguish reality from fantasy, especially in technologically advanced postmodern cultures. Hyperreality is a means to characterize the way consciousness defines what is actually "real" in a world where a multitude of media can radically shape and filter an original event or experience. Some famous theorists of hyperreality include Jean Baudrillard, Albert Borgmann, Daniel Boorstin, and Umberto Eco.

Influenced by Jaws at the age of four, and then subjected to the Universal Studios mechanical beast, sharks entered Kraft's psyche just as it did for millions of people fro colorado to the sea. What Sara does is take the shark myths to new levels of what is real, and how does technology isolate us, define us and what is real, or hyper real.

What is reality, what are our perceptions and what are the events that shape our reality are all questions Kraft addresses in this two hour performance.

The show will be traveling to other venues. Watch for more work from this innovative and intelligent artist. http://www.ybca.org/tickets/production/view.aspx?id=9145

2010-03-13T13:30:00.001-08:00

Support sharks and help ensure these eight species get listed. Although not the entire solution, making transport of body parts such as fins will help limit the distribution of fin products from these sharks. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) was created in 1973 to protect species from over-exploitation by international trade. Species that are threatened with extinction and that are, or may be, affected by trade are listed on Appendix I, whereas species that may become threatened if such trade is not properly controlled are listed on Appendix II. As of October 1995, 130 countries are Parties to CITES.

Of the over 400 species of sharks in the world, about 100 species are exploited for the global shark trade. TRAFFIC (the wildlife trade monitoring programme of WWF and IUCN) has reported that international shark fin exports doubled between 1980 and 1990. The rapid growth in shark fisheries has been driven primarily by the Asian demand for fins, but sharks are increasingly exploited for their cartilage and meat as well.

Shark to be on the table at CITES conference
Whether to protect eight shark species that are vulnerable to international trade will be a question to be debated at the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), scheduled in Doha from March 13 to 25.
The shark species in question are spiny dogfish, porbeagle, oceanic whitetip, scalloped hammerhead, great hammerhead, smooth hammerhead, dusky and sandbar sharks.
The Shark Alliance has called on delegates from the 175 governments that will attend the meeting to list these threatened shark species under CITES Appendix II.
Such action would require export permits for all international trade and a determination that trade is legal and not detrimental to the species’ survival.
The Shark Alliance is a coalition of 83 conservation, scientific and recreational organisations dedicated to restoring and conserving shark populations by improving shark conservation policies.
Most sharks are exceptionally susceptible to overfishing because they grow slowly, mature late, and produce few young.
For example, spiny dogfish are pregnant for nearly two years, and porbeagles only give birth to about four young per brood.
“Sharks are exceptionally vulnerable animals and the species proposed for CITES listing have been hit especially hard by international trade,” said Heike Zidowitz, chair of Germany’s shark science society, who will head the Shark Alliance delegation to the CITES meeting.
“It’s high time to view sharks not just as commodities, but as wildlife, and to use this wildlife treaty to control the lucrative shark trade,” he added.
Spearheaded by Germany, proposals to list porbeagle and spiny dogfish have been formally introduced by Sweden, supported by the other member-states of the European Community, and co-sponsored by the Pacific island nation of Palau.
Porbeagle and spiny dogfish, classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as endangered in the Northwest Atlantic and globally as vulnerable, are at risk primarily due to demand for their meat, which drives international trade.
In Europe, porbeagle meat is among the most valuable shark meat, particularly in France; spiny dogfish meat is more widely popular, found regularly in UK fish and chip shops.
The US and Palau are proposing CITES listing for the oceanic whitetip shark, categorised by IUCN as globally vulnerable and the scalloped hammerhead, listed as globally endangered.
The great hammerhead, smooth hammerhead, sandbar and dusky shark have been added to the latter proposal because the fins of these species closely resemble those of scalloped hammerheads.
Hammerhead shark fins are highly sought for use in the traditional, Asian delicacy “shark fin soup.” Because their meat is generally considered unpalatable, hammerhead sharks too often fall victim to “finning” (slicing off a shark’s fins and discarding the body at sea). Strong demand for fins is also a driving force behind the depletion of oceanic whitetip sharks.
“We call on all other CITES parties to support the proposed Appendix II listings for these eight shark species before it’s too late,” Shark Alliance co-ordinator and director of Global Shark Conservation for the Pew Environment Group, Matt Rand added.

Maldives Announces Shark Sanctuary, Tell San Francisco to Support our Shark Sanctuary

2010-03-10T15:15:00.000-08:00

Small countries are realizing that the economic benefits of shark tourism (and perhaps sharks long term ecological value) are outweighing the value of a one time sale of fins. The Maldives follow Palau in forming a shark sanctuary. Although enforcement is difficult, it makes a strong statement for sharks. Supporting tourism in areas that support sharks
Here in the west, we can help support sharks by calling on our leadership to support the fin loophole bill in our own Senate (still in Committee, the finning regulations proposed for the State of Hawaii, and in cities like San Francisco who allow blatant consumption of shark fin and shark products without any sourcing towards sustainability.

Join the Shark Sanctuary San Francisco movement and tell our city leadership to take a stand and ban unsustainable products. Our actions on land helps sharks at sea.

Sign the petition:seastewards.org/sharks

From the New York Times

By DAVID JOLLY
Published: March 9, 2010
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/10/world/asia/10iht-shark.html
PARIS — The Maldives will make its territorial waters into a shark sanctuary, a government official said Tuesday, lending momentum to efforts to protect the fish at a United Nations endangered species conference that begins this week.

“We’ve decided to go ahead with a shark fishing ban,” Ibrahim Didi, the fisheries and agriculture minister of the Maldives, said by telephone from Male, the capital. “Beginning July 1 there will be a total ban on exports.”

Maldives becomes the second nation to announce blanket protection for its sharks. Palau, a tiny Micronesian state, in September announced a ban on shark fishing. Like the Maldives, Palau is regarded as one of the world’s top scuba-diving destinations.

The Maldives exclusive economic zone covers about 90,000 square kilometers, or 35,000 square miles, roughly equivalent to the land area of Portugal.

In one sense, the bans represent pure economic logic. Researchers from James Cook University in Australia last year estimated that a single gray reef shark was worth $3,300 a year to the Maldivian tourism industry, compared with the one-time value of $32 that a fisherman would get from the same shark. They found a similar dynamic with regard to sharks on the Great Barrier Reef.

The Cove Speech: What Louie would have said

2010-03-08T16:41:00.001-08:00

Before the Oscars, We awarded The Cove Best Conservation Film at the San Francisco Ocean Film festival. Slide show from after party: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgZiwB1EJ5A.
Support the Cove campaign. http://www.takepart.com/thecove/

Below is what Louie would have said.

The Oscar speech 'The Cove' director Louie Psihoyos would have given last night
by Missy Schwartz

Though Fisher Stevens, producer of Best Documentary winner The Cove, kept his remarks well under the suggested 45-second limit, the orchestra played off director Louie Psihoyos just as he was approaching the microphone. “Fisher and I had this timed perfectly, with military precision, to 45 seconds, not a second longer,” says Psihoyos . “We actually got it down to 44 seconds.” Laughing, he added, “I’d spent about a week preparing and fretting over this. I would have enjoyed last week a lot more if I’d known I wasn’t going to get to speak!” (Psihoyos — whose last name rhymes with “sequoias” — wonders if the show’s producers got spooked when activist/main Cove protagonist Ric O’Barry held up the “Text DOLPHIN to 44144″ sign you see here. The Academy did not immediately respond to EW’s calls for comment.)

In any case, Psihoyos sent us what he planned on saying. Here it is, straight from his email.

The Long version of the world’s Shortest Oscar acceptance speech
By Louie Psihoyos, director of The Cove

- We made this film to give the oceans a voice.

- We told the story of The Cove because we witnessed a crime. Not just a
crime against nature, but a crime against humanity.

- We made this movie because through plundering, pollution and acidification
from burning fossil fuels, ALL ocean life is in peril, from the great whales
to plankton which, incidentally, is responsible for half the oxygen in this
theater.

- Thank you, Black OPS Team for risking your lives in Japan — and thank
you Academy for shining the brightest lights in the world on THE COVE……

Support shark fin ban in Hawaii

2010-03-07T11:03:00.001-08:00

Our island state is the first to take and close loopholes in our finning regulations. Sharks are legally landed without fins attached in Hawaii and fins are processed and exported to the east. In the process, fins are mixed with other potentially illegally caught and finned sharks. Fin/ body ratios by weight allow more sharks, and different sharks to be landed than are reported. This leads to more sharks killed for their fins alone. Fining and the loopholes allowing finning is an unsustainable practice. The public comment period closes tomorrow. Write ebmtestimony@capitol.hawaii.gov in support of SB 2169.

HAWAII PUBLIC COMMENT SESSION ENDS Monday 8 a.m. Hawaii time.
COMMENTS NEEDED on Proposed ban of Sale of Shark Fins.....

The government of Hawaii has proposed a bill banning the sale of shark fins within their state. It currently has the catchy title of "SB 2169: A bill for an act relating to shark fins", and you can read it at: http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session2010/Bills/SB2169_sd1_.pdf

This bill is progressing much faster than my shark conservation friends working in Hawaii suspected.
The public comment period closes Monday at 8:00 a.m. Hawaii time!
If you have something you'd like to say about this bill, please do it soon.
You do not need to be a Hawaii resident to submit a comment! Here's how to submit a comment:

E-mail your statement to ebmtestimony@capitol.hawaii.gov.

If you don't include the following information at the top of your statement, it may not get to the right people.
"-(your name with position/title and organization)
TO: Committee on Economic Revitalization, Business & Military Affairs
Chairman Angus L.K. McKelvey
Hearing on Tuesday, March 9, 2010, 8am
MEASURE SB2169, SD2 IN SUPPORT"

Talking points.
-Sharks are slow growing and have few young, which makes them particularly vulnerable to overfishing.
-Shark finning is a brutal and wasteful fishery in which the fins (less than 5% of the weight of the animal) are removed while the shark is still alive, and the less-valuable rest of the shark is dumped overboard to bleed to death or drown.
-The shark fin itself is made of cartilage and adds no flavor whatsoever to the soup. It only adds texture, and may pose a health hazard because of its high methyl-mercury content.
-Shark finning results in the deaths of as many as 70 million sharks a year, which is unsustainable.

Thanks to our friends at SRI and Stefani Brendl for their efforts.

Support Critical Ocean Habitat for Sea Turtles

2010-03-01T11:53:00.000-08:00

In order to protect species such as sharks and sea turtles crossing open waters and exposed to pelagic fisheries such as longliners, gill netters and seiners we need to regulate fisheries as well as set aside areas of water for critical habitat. Species like Leatherbacks whiich cross thousands of miles of ocean are extremely vulnerable to impacts from fisheries.
Support this effort to protect critical habitat off our coasts. Its a vast sea and the animals require some of it for safe passage to migrate. Supporting this first ever effort will pave the way to protect other areas of open ocean, and may just save endangered species like Leatherback Sea Turtles.

Act now- send this letter to National Marine Fisheries:
http:\\salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2167/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=2003
In response to longstanding efforts by the Center for Biological Diversity and allies, the National Marine Fisheries Service has proposed to protect more than 70,000 square miles of ocean waters off the coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington as "critical habitat" for the endangered Pacific leatherback sea turtle. This proposal is the first-ever to designate open ocean critical habitat for sea turtles in the continental United States and it represents a major step forward in pulling this majestic species back from the brink of extinction. But more needs to be done if we're to save leatherbacks.
These ocean-going giants encounter a gauntlet of deadly longlines and gillnets on their journey across the Pacific, making entanglement and drowning in commercial fishing gear one of the primary causes of the leatherback mortality. Those that survive the journey need and deserve strong protection from such threats when they reach our waters to feed.
The Fisheries Service's current proposal excludes consideration of commercial fishing gear as a threat to safe migration and feeding by turtles -- even though entanglement and drowning in commercial fishing gear is a leading cause of mortality for leatherbacks and other sea turtles.
Please take action today to tell the Fisheries Service to strengthen its proposed critical habitat protection by addressing fishing gear as well as including all necessary migratory and feeding areas.

Support CITES proposal to list hammerheads, other species

2010-02-25T13:07:00.000-08:00

Sharks need our protection. Of the greater than 450 species of sharks, almost a quarter are threatened or endangered. Protecting sharks like Great Hammerheads and other species already reduced to a remnant of their original population from trading parts, including fins may help save these important animals.
On March 13th, the UNEP Cites committee will meet in Doha to vote to put 8 sharks on the CITES endangered species list. Thanks to our friends at the Hong Kong Shark Foundation, located in the heart of the world's global shark fin trade.

Stand up for sharks and Let Sharks Live.

Monterey Bay Aquarium will attempt to demystify the world of sharks this weekend - MontereyHerald.com :

2010-02-18T17:25:00.000-08:00

Monterey Bay Aquarium will attempt to demystify the world of sharks this weekend - MontereyHerald.com :

This weekend we will be participating at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Shark Days with our friend Jim Toomey talking sharks. We know so little about shark unless they are at the end of a hook, on the plate or misrepresented.
Join us!

Rise Above Plastics

2010-02-10T14:38:00.000-08:00

http://www.riseaboveplastics.org/

On a recent rainy day, I walked along the shore, considering the surf as Pele ran along the cobbled slope. The waves broke in a muddy churn tossing driftwood and flotsam onto the shore. Among the interwoven egregia and macroscsytis torn from the bottom by the storm and thrown upon the shore, a stripe of color joined the necklace of kelp. Unnatural reds and greens and blues of plastic were interwoven in an obscene kind of tapestry.
Its not unusual to see plastics, and we hold beach clean ups to remove this non degradable source of pollution to our ocean, but it struck me on this clean marin beach without an effluent source that most of the plastic came from the San Francisco Bay and found its way here, north along the coast.
I collected shotgun shell casings (11) bottle caps (41), straws (4.5), plastic cigar tips ( 11), cigarette butts (7), candy wrappers (9), plastic bags (5) styrofom (uncountable) and other random pieces from toys to parts on a small strip of littoral.
Plastics are harming our marine life.
We have to stop plastics at the source.
Join our program at Surfrider Marin or National. Rise Above Plastics.

Banning fin products in Hawaii and San Francisco

2010-02-10T09:28:00.000-08:00

With a bill proposed before the Honolulu is taking a great stride towards protecting sharks. In 2007 while filming our shark conservation documentary Sharks Stewards of the Reef, I attempted to film a shark fin processing plant on the docks of Honolulu harbor. Before I was quickly and not too gently ejected, I saw piles of fins and containers in the warehouse amounting to thousands of sharks. Nominally caught in a legal fishery, since the US has had a ban on the practice of finning since 2000 - a loophole allows sharks to be landed sans fins on a weight ratio has allowed more sharks, and different species of sharks to be killed than the law should allow. This is one of the loopholes to be closed in SB 951 in the US Congress.
Once the fin has been treated, it is highly likely that these fins come here to San Francisco, and are blended in with other shipments of fins from Hong Kong that have not had any protection from shark finning.

Hawaii has a rich tradition with her sharks from the Kumulipo (the creation chant) to aumakua (ancestral beings in shark form). San Francisco should support her fellow Pacific Rim state and city, and follow suit, banning unsustainable shark fin products. This is the path we must take towards sustainable seafood products, starting with shark protections, controlling the fin trade.

SB2169 "Prohibits the sale and distribution of shark fins in the State"

Step one has been accomplished. The bill was introduced and it has been
heard by the first committee.
This bill will close some of the loop holes that allow container loads
of fins to be sold and transshipped in honolulu harbor.
It should also prohibit the sale of shark fin soup, if the
language of the bill slightly changed to include "shark fin products".

Support our sister City of the Shark.

KFOG shark files

2010-02-08T14:27:00.000-08:00

Peter Finch interviews Sea Stewards Director David McGuire on local sharks and our perceptions.

www.kfog.com/Community/Fogfiles.aspx

Sea Stewards White sharks

2010-02-08T14:05:00.000-08:00

B roll from Isla Guadalupe, on a Shark Diver trip on the Horizon.
Sharks are important for a healthy ocean and San Francisco Bay. Become a Shark Steward and join our new Shark Sanctuary San Francisco Campaign. seastewards.org/sharks

Party with the Sharks at the 7th Annual San Francisco Ocean Film Festival

2010-02-08T13:02:00.000-08:00

Highlights from the 7th Annual San Francisco Ocean Film Festival, including the Cove, after party at the Wipeout Bat and Grill with Louie and Ric, Aquarium of the Bay staffers. sustainable seafood panelists, Kenny Belov of fish, surfband The El Dorados, a a film we helped make: Sea Horse Sleuth and Dr Healy Hamilton of the California Academy of Sciences with Doug McConnell, CAS star Kati Koontz, White Shark Cafe Director Sean Aronson, Chairman Krist Jake tipping one with Board Member John Racanelli and other ocean lovers.

Support your local filmmakers and the Ocean film festival. The ocean is in need of our help- lets spread the message, celebrate, educate and motivate for a healthy ocean.

Support our Oceans

2010-02-08T12:10:00.000-08:00

Protect and Support our Oceans
President Obama's Ocean Policy Task Force has a new plan for protecting,
Sponsored by: Marine Conservation Biology Institute
President Obama's Ocean Policy Task Force has a new plan for protecting, recovering and sustainably using the USA's ailing oceans.

The plan would usher in a new era of ocean stewardship, both protecting our oceans while meeting the needs of commercial and recreational users today and in the future.

Our country needs comprehensive, ecosystem-based marine spatial planning to protect our oceans for us and for future generations.

I support the new framework for managing our coastal and marine ecosystems, and am glad to see that it is designed to protect and maintain healthy oceans. I hope that you will make conservation and wise stewardship the primary goals of our new national coastal and marine spatial planning efforts, and require federal agencies to comply with final ocean plans.

Join us and become a sea steward!

The comment period for the plan ends on February 12th though, so show your support right now!

Tell the White House and the Ocean Policy Task Force that you want conservation and good stewardship to be the foundation of our new national coastal and marine spatial planning efforts

2010-02-07T10:28:00.000-08:00

Sea Stewards hosted the Cove Director Louie Psihoyos and Activist Ric O'Barry for a screening at the 7th Annual San Francisco Ocean Film Festival. Afterwards we had a party and DVD/ poster signing at the Wipeout Bar and Grill.
This important film reveals a practice that is unsustainable and unethical. The Japanese people are unaware of this annual dolphin massacre and are blind to the whaling on the high seas. The Japanese government, no government has the right to destroy cetaceans. These are sentient, highly evolved beings and most species are on the verge of extinction.
Ocean activists can help by translating information into Japanese, helping promote screenings and wake the people up. They will not stand for this brutal and unsustainable practice.

Sharks and Sustainability: Films and Discussion 2/6

2010-02-05T15:44:00.000-08:00

February 6th Sea Stewards will be moderating Shark Films at the 7th annual San Francisco Ocean Film festival, hosting a panel and Discussion on Sustainability and initiating the Shark Sanctuary San Francisco Initiative seastewards.org/sharks/html

This year we are supporting sustainable oceans and helping promote these events

Shark Films Saturday, Feb. 06, 2010 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM Sea
Stewards is coordinating another block of shark films including a
question & answer with Directors: Sean Aronson, Andy Casagrande and
Kip Evans.
Films Include:
In Awe of the Shark (UK), Caroline Brett
The Great White Shark Song (US), Andy Brandy Casagrande, IV
Save Our Sharks (UK), Caroline Brett,
Whale Shark Island/Isla Holbox Kip Evans,
White Shark Café Sean Aronson,
Requiem Bryce Groark

Sustainability Discussion at Aquarium of the Bay: 12:15pm
Following the shark film program, Sea Stewards Director David McGuire
is facilitating a panel discussion on ocean sustainability, from
fishing to consumption.

The discussion will be held in the Farallons Room at the Aquarium of
the Bay and will feature panelists including:
Casson Trenor, author, sustainability guru and consultant to Tataki
Sushi & Sake Bar
Kenny Belov, owner of Fish. Restaurant and founder of Fish or Cut Bait and "two by sea"
Crystal Sanders, fisheries biologist and conservation coordinator for
Aquarium of the Bay
Paul Johnson, author and owner of Monterey Fish Company
Christopher Chin, Executive Director and Founder of COARE (the Center
for Oceanic Awareness, Research, and Education)

The discussion is open to shark film program ticket holders, festival
pass holders and festival attendees with an Aquarium voucher. Learn
about our San Francisco Shark Sanctuary Initiative

The Cove Event at the San Francisco Ocean Film Festival

2010-02-05T13:24:00.000-08:00

Last night Sea Steward's sponsored the Cove with Filmmakers Louie Psihoyos and Activist Ric O'Barry at the 7th annual San Francisco Ocean Film Festival. This important documentary on the Taiji dolphin harvest adn Japan whaling has just been nominated for an Academy Award.
The filmmakers fielded questions to a sold out audience at Theater 39 in San Francisco.
Afterwards the filmmakers and over 70 supporters joined us at the Wipe Out Bar and Grill to

Thanks to the San Francisco Ocean Film Festival and Co Sponsor the Aquarium of the Bay for supporting this event.

Toro & Shark Fin: cousins in extinction?

2010-01-24T23:33:00.000-08:00

How is a pelagic shark like a Bluefin tuna? They swim in the same waters, they share the same ecosystems, crossing vast swaths of the world ocean, feeding on aggregations of herring and mackerel and other prey, playing a vital role as apex predators.
How are sharks not like Bluefin tuna? But for the fins, the meat is not as desirable, the cultural association is less tenable, and most importantly the economic forces are focusing less on their extinction in the near term. How are they alike? The impacts of fishing and finning are causing pelagic sharks to decline along with their more palatable brethren.
Bluefin are being hunted and stored in warehouses by the Japanese for future market profit, in speculation like gold futures, only there will be no more blue gold in the waters once the chips have been cashed in. The EU is allowing 10 times the catch that biologists and fisheries managers have determined is sustainable for a stable population. But, the IUCN may just be able to red list them after the Atlantic Bluefin achieve that dubious distinction.
How is a pelagic shark not like a Bluefin Tuna? They may not be preserved because there is less concern, there is less economic value for the species as a whole, and there is less information. Thus, hammerheads, oceanic White tip sharks, dusky sharks and Sandbar sharks will be delayed for 18 months before their consideration, while their numbers decline to less than 10% of their pre-industrial fishing populations.
While the politicians and the lawyers wrangle over the last choice slice of Maguro fifty years from now, sharks are getting served up, fins in the soup, body on the bottom, and invisible in the world's eye.

Lets open the eyes up for all species, before they have to get to this deplorable political stage, ignoring the science and letting the industry profit from Our ocean.
Wake up, and let sharks live.

* IUCN / TRAFFIC Analyses of the Proposals

IUCN / TRAFFIC Analyses of the Proposals for CITES CoP15

In preparation for the upcoming CITES CoP15 meeting that will take place March 13 – 25, 2010 in Doha, Qatar, IUCN and TRAFFIC are releasing the results of the Analyses of the Proposals to Amend the Appendices. In this table, you can see each CoP15 proposal and will be able to view the Analyses as they are posted. If you have questions on how the Analyses was conducted or how IUCN is preparing for CITES CoP15, please contact Dena Cator at dena.cator@iucn.org .

The compilation of the IUCN-TRAFFIC Analyses was made possible thanks to the support of the following governmental agencies:

European, Commission, USA,France, Sweden, Germany, Switzerland, Netherlands,Monaco, Belgium, Finland,Denmark

Higher taxa Species Proposal number and proponent ProposalAnalysis by TRAFFIC and IUCN
Recommendation from TRAFFIC

F A U N A
CHORDATA

ELASMOBRANCHII

CARCHARHINIFORMES

Sphyrnidae/
Carcharhinidae

Sphyrna lewini, S. mokarran, S. zygaena, Carcharhinus plumbeus, C. obscurus

CoP15 Prop. 15

Palau and United States of America

Inclusion in Appendix II with the following annotation:

"The entry into effect of the inclusion of these species in Appendix II of CITES will be delayed by 18 months to enable Parties to resolve the related technical and administrative issues."
Prop. 15 Analysis

Carcharhinidae

Carcharhinus longimanus

CoP15 Prop. 16

Palau and United States of America

Inclusion of in Appendix II with the following annotation:

"The entry into effect of the inclusion of Carcharhinus longimanus in Appendix II of CITES will be delayed by 18 months to enable Parties to resolve the related technical and administrative issues."
Prop. 16 Analysis

LAMNIFORMES

Lamnidae

Lamna nasus

CoP15 Prop. 17 Annex

Palau and Sweden*

Inclusion in Appendix II with the following annotation:

"The entry into effect of the inclusion of Lamna nasus in Appendix II of CITES will be delayed by 18 months to enable Parties to resolve related technical and administrative issues, such as the possible designation of an additional Management Authority and adoption of Customs codes."
Prop. 17 Analysis

SQUALIFORMES

Squalidae

Squalus acanthias

CoP15 Prop. 18

Palau and Sweden*

Inclusion in Appendix II with the following annotation:

"The entry into effect of the inclusion of Squalus acanthias in Appendix II of CITES will be delayed by 18 months to enable Parties to resolve related technical and administrative issues, such as the development of stock assessments and collaborative management agreements for shared stocks and the possible designation of an additional Scientific or Management Authority."
Prop. 18 Analysis

ACTINOPTERYGII
PERCIFORMES

Scombridae

Thunnus thynnus

CoP15 Prop. 19

Monaco

Inclusion in Appendix I

Help Support Leatherback Habitat and Protections at Sea

2010-01-19T15:03:00.000-08:00

Few people realize that we have Sea Turtles in the waters off the Golden Gate, but Leatherbacks do forage in the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary and adjacent waters. Now a remnant of their earlier population, these ancient ambassadors of the deep need protections from longliners and other fishing methods that are endangering their already heavily impacted populations. Join Sea Stewards in a letter by the Center for Biological Diversity and tell the National Marine Fisheries that you care about protecting sea turtles and their habitat and support sustainable fishing methods.

In response to years of work by the Center for Biological Diversity and our allies, the National Marine Fisheries Service has now proposed to protect more than 70,000 square miles of ocean waters off the coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington as critical habitat for the endangered Pacific leatherback sea turtle. If the proposal is finalized, it would be the first critical habitat ever designated for sea turtles in open ocean waters off the continental United States. This proposal is great news -- a major step forward in pulling this species back from the brink of extinction. Still, more needs to be done if we are to save the leatherback. The Service's proposal irrationally excludes key areas of ocean habitat and overlooks commercial fishing gear as a threat to the turtle's survival. Act now to support strong, comprehensive habitat protections for the leatherback sea turtle by sending a letter to the National Fisheries Service.
Click here to find out more and take action. If you have trouble following the link, go to http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2167/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=2003

Sample letter: Subject: Protect Sea Turtle Habitat - RIN 0648-AX06 I am writing to support the National Marine Fisheries Service's proposed designation of over 70,000 square miles critical habitat for leatherback sea turtles off the coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington. I also urge the Fisheries Service to strengthen this proposal by addressing the very real threat that commercial fishing gear poses to the habitat's value for safe passage and feeding, and expanding the areas included in the designation. I applaud the decision to designate the first expanse of open-water critical habitat for sea turtles. The best available science shows that the waters off the United States' west coast provide crucial foraging habitat and migratory corridors for the critically endangered Pacific leatherback sea turtle. Providing strong, expansive protection for this area is necessary to ensure the species' survival and recovery. While I support the proposed rule designating critical habitat for the Pacific leatherback, the rule needs strengthening to eliminate loopholes that endanger sea turtles. The Fisheries Service must address the threat that commercial fishing gear, which entangles and kills turtles, poses to critical habitat and safe passage. Additionally, the rule should include the entire expanse of the Leatherback Conservation Area and eliminate exclusions of important foraging and migratory areas. The Pacific leatherback needs the strongest protection possible if the species is to survive and recover. Thank you for your consideration.

San Francisco Wears Blue for the Ocean

2010-01-15T13:52:00.000-08:00

Celebrate the Oceans and support a comprehensive national ocean policy. Tell our leaders to streamline and optimize ocean policy. January 13th ocean lovers convened on the steps of city hall to say we care. Join the ocean revolution.

Wear Blue for the Oceans: San Francisco from David McGuire on Vimeo.

Tell Obama: No on longlining

2009-12-30T23:41:00.000-08:00

Industrial longlining is an unsustainable method of fishing. Studies performed by the R. Myers lab and others has demonstrated that this and other industrial fishing methods are fishing the seas out of all large pelagic fish, and along the way sea turtles, albatross , sharks and marine mammals are suffering an ignominious spiral towards extinction.
The US should be the leader in sustainable methods and our regulations protecting threatened species must supercede cheaper tuna fish.

Please send a letter to President Obama urging him to reverse his decision to increase sea turtle killings in Hawaii and the Gulf of Mexico.
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2167/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=1966

The Obama administration recently moved to triple the number of endangered sea turtles that can be caught by industrial fishing fleets off the Hawaiian coast. In the Gulf of Mexico, sea turtle bycatch will increase by 700 percent.

The turtles will be brutally snagged on thousands of hooks attached to miles-long cables dragged through the ocean by massive fishing vessels. Worldwide, 200,000 loggerhead and 50,000 leatherback sea turtles are caught this way each year.

Sea turtles can't survive this level of entanglement and killing. Just months ago, federal scientists declared that loggerhead and leatherback sea turtles are declining toward extinction due to industrial fishing bycatch. In addition to sea turtles, thousands of whales, sharks, sea otters, and sea birds are caught by the same outdated longline fishing practices.

Speak up for endangered sea turtles by sending a letter to President Obama today.
SAMPLE LETTER
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Subject: Save Sea Turtles from Longline Fishing

Dear President Obama:

Recently the National Marine Fisheries Service issued a biological opinion under the Endangered Species Act authorizing longline fishing fleets in Hawaii to hook three times as many loggerhead sea turtles as was previously allowed. In the Gulf of Mexico, the Service issued a biological opinion that reversed an emergency closure and increased the allowable hooking of loggerheads to 700 percent above the level allowed before the closure.

I respectfully ask you to withdraw these decisions. Loggerhead and leatherback sea turtles are endangered species. Federal scientists just months ago declared that both species will go extinct if their current downward population trend continues. These turtles simply can not sustain increased levels of take by longline fishing fleets.

Please instruct the National Marine Fisheries Service to decrease -- rather than increase -- the take of sea turtles by requiring the use of advanced fishing practices proven to catch fewer sea turtles and do less harm to those that are captured. By decreasing the recent take level, the federal government can facilitate the recovery of these species rather than hasten their decline.

Thank you.

Establishing our new Marine National Monuments with MCBI

2009-12-12T15:41:00.000-08:00

MCBI: Helping Establish and Promote Pacific Marine National Monuments from David McGuire on Vimeo.

Beginning in 2007, the Marine Conservation Biology Institute helped establish the Papahanaumokuakea, the first Marine National Monument in US waters.
In 2009 their continued efforts resulted in the Pacific Marine Island Marine National Monuments (including Palmyra Atoll, Kingman Reef, Howland, Baker, Wake and Jarvis Islands and Johnston Atoll); the Rose Atoll National Marine Monument; and the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument. Join Dr. Sylvia Earle, and Dr Lance Morgan of MCBI in a tour of our new marine monuments.

Together this act has established 355,000 miles of islands and surrounding waters, protecting fish, coral reefs and other significant wildlife from threats ranging from over fishing to climate change.

Shark Sanctuary San Francisco- Stop the Sale of Shark Fins and Products.

2009-12-05T13:38:00.000-08:00

San Francisco. We are fortunate enough to live near one of the richest ocean systems in the world. Just offshore, we have Blue whales, rare oceanic seabirds and white sharks. Our waters wash through and past three National marine Sanctuaries including the Gulf of the Farallones just outside the Golden Gate. In the San Francisco Bay there are numerous sharks filling important ecological roles. San Franciscans and Bay Area residents appreciate the ocean and ocean life along our shorelines, but our City is supporting the eradication of sharks. In the bowels of our city and Oakland are epicenters of shark fin consumption. Shark fin soup served throughout our Chinatowns and elsewhere, dried shark fin and products made from shark fins are supporting the practice of shark finning, and the loss of sharks as bycatch. To protect sharks we must make a statement to the world and provide sanctuary to sharks.

Join Sea Stewards and help support a shark sanctuary

Until we can find a sustainable source, the consumption must stop.
Sign the petition http://www.seastewards.org/sharks.html
Help support sharks and a sustainable fishery through sane consumption practices. Ask our San Francisco leadership to speak out for sharks and stop the sale of shark fins and fin products until fins are obtained through a sustainable and certified source that does not kill sharks for fins alone. Help us educate the consumers and let the community know that sharks are important for a healthy San Francisco Bay and World Ocean.

Saving Sea Turtles, Protecting Sharks: a support for Sanctuary

2009-12-04T21:46:00.000-08:00

Holding a Loggerhead skull at the See turtles booth with California Academy of Sciences staff Barbara Andrews, Mayor Newsom asked me: "more sharks or less?' referring to our work investigating shark populations with Team Fish Finder in the San Franciso Bay and along the Pacific Coastline.
The answer is- we dont know. Conservationists have a good estimate of how far sea turtle populations have fallen in the past century, but sharks? Sharks dont come ashore and lay eggs, sharks are shy, sharks are genreally not a reportable bycatch as a species in most fisheries, sharks dont leave skulls like the one Mayor Newsom is holding, but the absence of sharks may ring a toll in the vacuum far more resonant than the grunts of a dying sea turtle caught in a net, or the waning laments of the hunted Minke for "scientific" purposes. Like sea turtles, whales and all ocean life, it is time for a balance. Its time for an ocean rationalism. Its time for smart politicians like Mayor Newsom to become aware of an ocean ethic that translates into a healthy human policy for the San Francisco Bay and beyond. Our remnant Leatherback sea turtles are protected in our national marine sanctuary. Enlisted as endangered, turtles are protected internationally. But sharks?
Its time for a Shark Sanctuary San Francisco.

Join the movement. Sea Stewards.org

Sea Stewards

Shark fins traced to endangered populations

2009-12-04T18:58:00.000-08:00

Diving with sharks can be one of the most incredible experiences a person can have in the ocean. A lone silhouette slicing across the sun a hundred feet above, or a swirl of Hammerheads cycling around a pinnacle on the Revillagigedos: these are imprinted upon my mind. The wag of the scimitar shaped mouth, the protruding eye staring, sweeping and returning, the switch of a tail into infinity. Now these sharks, these gentle creatures are being served up in an ignoble and glutinous mass. Its time sharks had recognition that they are not a commodity but a keystone in the arch of the ocean of life. Its time we made a stand for a shark sanctuary. San Francisco: stop serving shark fin soup and other products. Make a statement that we care, and send that shot around the world. Sign the petition on the sharks page of Seastewards.org and attend the shark discussion at the San Francisco Ocean Film Festival. Celebrate, Educate and Motivate for a Healthy Ocean.

Delicacy from hammerheads of U.S. coastlines ending up in China markets
By Jennifer Viegas

updated 11:21 a.m. PT, Tues., Dec . 1, 2009
For the first time, DNA tools have successfully pinpointed the geographic origin of shark fins sold dried in markets to satisfy the demand for shark fin soup, a Chinese delicacy.

Using CSI-like genetic methods, scientists have traced scalloped hammerhead shark fins from a burgeoning Hong Kong fish market to the sharks' original populations, some of which are endangered and located in waters thousands of miles away, according to a new study published in the journal Endangered Species Research.

"Shark fins are popular because serving fin soup at important events, such as weddings and banquets, is a sign of wealth and status," lead author Demian Chapman told Discovery News. "Think of it as a Lexus in a bowl."

For full article go to: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34225165/ns/technology_and_science-

SEE Turtles in Bahia Magdalena

2009-11-20T12:59:00.000-08:00

Ive just returned from Magdalena Bay, Baja California filming and participating in a new effort linking eco tourists with local people who are working in a grass roots conservation efforts. Matching gringos with local pangeros, SEE Turtles is introducing resources, enthusiasm and attention on the plight of declining sea turtle populations and degradation of the Bahia. Home to turtles, mangroves and visting Gray Whales, the bay is experiencing increasing human impacts both from industrial outfall and from increased fishing pressure from areas that have been exhausted.
To counter these impacts, local fisherman Julio Solis and his Vigilante Bahia Magdalena- a part of the International Waterkeepers Alliance - are raising local awareness on the beauty and fragility of the Bay. The VBM efforts include water sampling, public awareness and advocacy and helping protect the turtles, mangroves and others sensitive wildlife of this ecologically significant bay.
A slide show on part of the expedition.

For more information go to SEEturtles.org & Magdalena Bay Keepers
http://www.propeninsula.org/window/1/8.html

Videos will soon be up on seastewards.org

LA Times: Is Scientist taking great white shark research too far?

2009-11-19T20:01:00.000-08:00

The first question is why is this in the sports section??

The answer is yes! Media is useful and even essential for funding research, but not when it places endangered species in a Sanctuary at risk. As Peter Klimley says "the benefit exceeds the risk." With a career of working with sharks, he should know.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/outposts/2009/11/great-white-shark-research.html

Tell Your Senator to Protect Sharks!

2009-11-18T18:53:00.000-08:00

Shark populations are crashing around the world. Help protect sharks before it's too late.

Tomorrow at 10am, the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee will vote on the Shark Conservation Act of 2009 - a bill that would end the barbaric practice of finning sharks in U.S. waters. Urge your Senator, a key member of this committee, to support the bill.Urge Your Senator to Protect Sharks »
Tell your Senator to support the Shark Conservation Act of 2009 and end shark finning in US waters.

http://takeaction.oceana.org/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=23
Take action now and tell your Senator to pass the Shark Conservation Act of 2009 »
Sharks have been swimming in the world's oceans for more than 400 million years. And, some shark populations have now declined by as much as 99% in the past 35 years.

This spells trouble for our oceans because many shark species are apex predators and help keep our seas in balance. The oceans would just not be the same without sharks.
Ask your Senator to vote yes on the Shark Conservation Act »

The Shark Conservation Act, which passed the House of Representatives earlier this year, will put a stop to shark finning in U.S. waters by requiring that sharks be landed with their fins attached. The committee votes on the bill tomorrow at 10am and it's vital that your Senator support the bill in order to keep shark populations healthy for generations to come.

Tell your Senator that you won't stand for anything less than full protections for sharks »

PS. Once you've taken action, make sure to pass the link along to your friends and family.

Letter to the Santuary Managers Protesting MCSI Methods

2009-11-17T16:05:00.000-08:00

To Irina Kogan,
Permit Manager
Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary

Im writing regarding the recent collecting and tagging of white sharks in Sanctuary waters by Dr. Michael Domeier and his team.
As a strong supporter of the Sanctuary and white sharks, I believe that research is important for understanding and managing sharks. Thanks to satellite tagging efforts, we are discovering that these sharks are traveling thousands of miles and back again, crossing borders and international waters, aggregating with Guadalupe sharks at an offshore location and performing remarkably deep dives.
Tagging white sharks is exciting work and makes for good film, but is the method employed by Michael Domeier by hooking white sharks, fighting them to fatigue them and then pulling them aboard harming the sharks more than revealing anything more than the standard tagging methods? Capturing a large shark on a hook and line is stressful to the shark, and it is unknown what the adverse effects of this are on the animal. A 4000 pound shark is not a striped sea bass or even a marlin and likening the impacts as analogous is specious. Aquatic animals like sharks and whales are evolved to have their bodies supported by a fluid medium. Transferring an unsupported aquatic animal to a ship puts stress on internal organs and the animal itself.
We know that there are pregnant white sharks at the Farallones and that placing an endangered animal at risk while pregnant is not a responsible management practice.
Using standard tagging methods such as those used at Guadalupe Island by Dr. Domeier and MCSI has contributed to our understanding of sharks. Why alter an accepted methodology to hook a shark and pull it aboard? Does the improved tagging and work up really benefit science or is it harming the sharks the Sanctuary is charged to protect?
The National Geographic TV team makes for exciting media. Speaking as a shark conservationist and filmmaker this smells like more like media promotion than pragmatic scientific methodology.
The efforts of local researchers such as Scot Anderson and Salvador Jorgensen at the Farallones, Peter Klimley's Lab at Tomales and the Block Lab and Sean Van Somerman at al of PSRF at Ano Nuevo have revealed important new information regarding the movements of these mysterious predators. The tagging methodology employed by these investigators does not create the stresses or risk of physical harm faced under the new methods employed by Dourmeir et al.
It is disturbing to learn that part of a hook has been left in one shark, and one of the tagged sharks has left the island after being released.
In the first year of implementing new rules to protect white sharks in our National Marine Sanctuary it is difficult to understand how this researcher employing a methodology beyond the normally accepted practices received a permit without the peer review of researchers who have studied this population for 15 years.
Sea Stewards is appealing to the Gulf of the Farallones Sanctuary to suspend the permit and discontinue this activity until a proper assessment of the hooking, capture and onboard work ups of white sharks is made, or that best acceptable practices are agreed upon in advance of permitting.

Thank you for your consideration,

Shark is the New Dolphin

2009-11-17T11:13:00.000-08:00

A Huffington Report blog by friend and Colleague David Helvarg

Tuesday, October 27, 2009, 12:24:29 PM | David Helvarg
I recently attended a "Sharktober Fest" at San Francisco's Aquarium of the Bay where Sherman's Lagoon cartoonist Jim Toomey was given a shark protector award. Groups in attendance included the pro-shark 'Sea Stewards' and 'Dorsal Friends.' Last month, the President of the Pacific island nation of Palau went in front of the U.N. to announce the creation of the world's first "shark sanctuary," banning all commercial shark fishing in its 230,000 square miles of water, an area about the size of France.

CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, has given protection to three species of shark: Great Whites, Whale Sharks and Basking Sharks and will consider six more, including the less charismatically named Spiny Dogfish at its meeting next year. In February 2010, the U.N. Convention on Migratory Species will be sponsoring a gathering in the Philippines aimed at establishing a global agreement on the conservation of sharks. And just as environmentalists campaigned in the 1990s to guarantee dolphin safe tuna, two groups recently formed to certify "shark safe" restaurants that can still serve tuna as long as they leave sharks unharmed.

In the midst of this new shark makeover I've even seen footage of two advocates who free dive, touch and ride tiger sharks and white sharks to demonstrate that they aren't really "man-eaters." Since one of them is a woman even if she's eaten her supporters might still argue sharks aren't "man-eaters."

Having swum with bull sharks, hammerheads and other big predators, I tend towards the more cautious advocacy of naturalist author Ed Abbey who used to say, "If there's not something bigger and meaner than you out there it's not really wilderness." Of course the odds are unfairly stacked. Every year some five to eight humans are killed by sharks, worldwide, while we kill 100 million of these sleek, slow-growing carnivores emptying the seas of sharks just as we once emptied our terrestrial frontier of wolves and bears.

Going back over 450 million years sharks were well established when dinosaurs were still the coming thing. And yet in the last fifty years about half the world's shark species have become endangered at the hands, nets and hooks of humans -- even as science is discovering that, like the big land predators, sharks tend to act as keystone species for maintaining the balance of life in a range of ocean habitats.

Much of today's commercial killing is for shark fin soup, a tasteless cartilage dish flavored with chicken broth and seasoning and popular among China's expanding middle-class as a status symbol of wealth. Its served at weddings and other special occasions and often goes for $150 a bowl or more.

The late "Jaws" author Peter Benchley, who went on to become a shark conservationist, once contrasted his youth on Nantucket Island, when you couldn't haul in a swordfish without a shark taking a chunk out of it, with today's rapid decline of the large predators. He recalled a dive off Costa Rica where he found the bottom littered with dead sharks whose fins had been cut off to sell for soup.

Sharks are also killed for meat and shark liver oil, although you can get the same health benefits by listening to your mother and eating your dark green vegetables. So while I believe a global moratorium on commercial shark fishing would be both right and justified in terms of maintaining marine diversity and ocean health, I'm opposed to anthropomorphizing sharks as sleek but harmless swimming buddies, a misunderstood breed of toothsome Flippers.

Unfortunately that boat may have already left the dock as I discovered some years ago. I was helping release a pair of relatively docile nurse sharks off Key Largo that had been raised in a Chicago pet shop until they grew too large for their tank. Having been flown cross-country in large coolers we had to form a circle in the near shore water to revive them before their release from a dive boat.

As I guided the first shark through the water, I noticed its skin felt more like raw silk than sandpaper and could feel its jet-lagged muscles beginning to work beneath the skin as it tried to move away from the circle. I firmly directed it back along the line. Shark wrangling could seem Macho I thought except for the fact that Sky, a 7-year-old blond pixie in a blue wetsuit was now hugging the other animal. "No hugging the shark, you have to pass her along," the girl's mother gently chided her.

Like I said, Shark is the new Dolphin.

Hooking White sharks at the Farallones Responsible Science?

2009-11-17T08:52:00.001-08:00

White sharks are controversial. Some people hate them, many who will never have any contact with a shark have an irrational fear while others are feral about protecting white sharks. Studying sharks is not simple, especially large sharks like the white shark. The efforts of local researchers such as Scot Anderson with PSRF at the Farallons, Peter Klimley's Lab at Tomales and the Block Lab and PSRF at Ano Nuevo have revealed important new information regarding the movements of these mysterious predators. Thanks to sattelite tagging efforts, we are finding that these sharks are traveling thousands of miles and back again, crossing borders and international waters, aggregating with Guadalupe sharks at an offshore location and performing remarkably deep dives.
Gone is the illusion that white sharks are local.
A new controversy has risen from the depths of our misunderstanding and its likely that the blood slick created by media hype will cloud our reason. Tagging white sharks is exciting work and makes good film but is the method employed by Michael Doumeier by hooking white sharks, fighting them to fatigue them and then pulling them aboard harming the sharks more than revealing anything new using the methods of tagging the shark in the water? The marine mammal world knows that pulling animals from their medium stresses them. Aquatic animals like sharks and whales are evolved to have their bodies supported by a fluid medium. Playing a shark on a hook and line is stressful to a shark, and it is unknown what the adverse effects of this are on the animal. A 5000 pound shark is not a striped sea bass or even a marlin and likening the impacts as analogous is specious.
We know that there are pregnant white sharks at the Farallones and that placing an endangered animal at risk when pregnant is not a responsible management practice.
Using similar tagging methods as the aforementioned researchers at Guadalupe Island Michael Doumier and MCSI has contributed to our understanding of sharks. Why alter the methodology to hook a shark and pull it aboard? Does the improved tagging and work up really benefit science or is it harming the sharks ther Sanctuary is trying to protect?
Accompanied by a National Geographic TV team the activity makes an exciting story. Speaking as a shark conservationist and filmmaker this smells like more like media hype than pragmatic scientific methodology.
In the first year of implementing new rules to protect white sharks in the National Marine Sanctuary it is difficult to understand how this activity received a permit without the peer review of reserchers who have studied this population for 15 years.
Sea Stewards is appealing to the Gulf of the Farallones Sanctuary Managers to discontinue this activity until a proper assesment of the hooking of white sharks is made.
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/iteam&id=7122288

Got Fish? California- Fish Need Fresh Water.

2009-11-02T12:08:00.000-08:00

Call Your Assembly Member and State Senator Today

After two incomplete hearings in which the majority of the proposed 14 bills covering Delta legislation were not publicly vetted (or later ammendments) , Restore the Delta has learned that the State Assembly and Senate may be calling for votes on the Delta water package and Delta water bonds on Monday, November 2, 2009.

We need you to call your Assembly and Senate Representatives first thing Monday morning to express your opposition to the proposed legislation. (You can look up their phone numbers this weekend and call them on your way to work Monday).

Here are 10 reasons why your representative should oppose the Steingberg Water Package, and all its potential ancillary bills, as well as the bond proposals.

1) The purported environmental benefits in SB x7 1 and SBx7 4 hinge on unfunded programs and unstaffed planning processes. There is no identified funding for the Delta Conservancy or the Delta Protection Council. Without identified funding, the restoration projects and consistency processes intended for Delta health will fall
behind the construction of facilities in the Delta paid for by beneficiaries. This repeats a cornerstone failure of CalFed. This creates a real risk of the infrastructure and water supply projects proceeding without environmental gains.

2)There is no assurance that a permit for any future Delta facility will accommodate the instream flow needs of fish. Public trust criteria are not proven tool for ensuring dedicated water for the environment Experienced water lawyers disagree whether the creation of public trust criteria compel the State Board to base apermit for a future Delta project on the public trust.

3)The bond allows public funds to be spent on required mitigation or necessary compliance with environmental regulation. Existing law requires beneficiaries to pay for those activities. This is a massive cost shift to taxpayers.

4) The Delta Stewardship Council holds no fee authority to carry out its mandate. Delta communities, most impacted by this legislation, would not have adequate representation.

5)The Delta Plan is not required to reduce state dependence on the Delta. The objectives for the Delta Plan do not include reducing state reliance on Delta exports. SB x7 1 only states that it's an intent of the state to reduce dependency.

6) The bill lacks sufficient oversight of the BDCP. The Council lacks the authority to ensure the project does not cause greater harm to the fragile Delta ecosystem.

7) One-third ($3 billion) of the SB 7x 2 funds above-ground storage, which is the least efficient way to increase water supplies.

8) Less than 3% of the funds in the bond would be dedicated to disadvantaged communities most in need of safe drinking water.

9) The proposed water conservation package lacks the enforceable goals needed to achieve 20% conservation by 2020.

10) A $9 billion bond will cost taxpayers about $600 million a year for 30 years. The state's debt service on bonds already authorized by the voters will grow to about 10% of the state's budget and will contribute to more state funding cuts for public safety, health, education, and environmental protection have been slashed to the bone. And the Legislative Analyst's Office estimates that the state will see $10 to $15 billion deficits each year until 2014. Even if a bond is delayed until 2015, we will just be at the beginning of financial recover and should not be piling up more debt.

There is one bill they should vote for however!

Delta Area Assembly Member Alsyon Huber, along with co-sponsor Senator Lois Wolk, have introduced AB 13 7x. This bill would require lawmakers to sign off on any canal, and it would require the Legislature's nonpartisan fiscal adviser, the Legislative Analyst, to put together an economic feasibility study of the potential project. We commend Assembly Member Huber and Senator Wolk for pulling this piece of legislation together.

Tell your representatives to support AB 13 7x.

San Francisco Sharktoberfest a Wrap!

2009-10-27T10:04:00.000-07:00

Dear Shark Friends,

The first Sea Steward's San Francisco Sharktoberfest was a great success in raising awareness on the plight of sharks, and celebrating the sharks that live in the San Francisco Bay year round, and the White sharks returning to our Sanctuary.
The event launched Sea Steward's and partners Shark Sanctuary San Francisco awareness effort. http://www.seastewards.org/sharks.html

On Friday night 350 people partied with the seven gill sharks at the Aquarium of the Bay, San Francisco, listened to live Hawaiian music and watched Sherman's Lagoon creator Jim Toomey receive the Sharksaver Award for his efforts raising awareness for sharks and educating youth. Sharktrust wines and wine by Barefoot, De Loach, and White Shark ale helped the party flow. The silent auction including tours to the Farallones Islands, home of our White Sharks, Scuba lessons, sailing and kayak trips helped raise funds for our sevengill project.
On Saturday Dr. Wallace J Nicholls gave a keynote on Where the Wild Things Are, a riveting analysis on sea turtles, sharks and why we need our wild things in the sea. The audience enjoyed several shark films including City of the Shark, White Shark Cafe, and Sharks Stewards of the Reef . The films were followed by a presentation of what inspires Sherman the Shark's creator Jim Toomey, a presentation by White shark Survivor and motivational speaker Jonathan Kathrein, and a discussion on the new White shark regulations at the Farallones Islands by Maria Brown, Superintendent of the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary.
TOPP White shark researcher Dr. Sal Jorgenson was planning to attend but the weather was right and he tagged 8 white sharks over the weekend.

Thanks to our partners the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, the San Francisco Ocean Film Festival, Surfrider Foundation Marin Chapter, COARE, Iemanya Oceanica and Dorsal Friends for their participation and support, and to the Aquarium of the Bay for co- sponsoring the event.

Look for San Francisco Sharktoberfest 2 next year in October.

Pictures are on Facebook and will be on the seastewards.org website soon.

Let sharks live

First Rain: surfers beware

2009-10-19T11:24:00.000-07:00

This week there are advisory postings at the following beaches (14 total):
· Lawson’s Landing
· Millerton Point
· Shell Beach
· Samuel P. Taylor
· Miller Park
· Green Bridge
· Inkwells
· Drake’s Estero
· Horseshoe Cove NW
· Muir Beach Central
· Rodeo Beach Central
· Rodeo Beach North
· Stinson Beach Central
· Stinson Beach North

Are there really sharks in the San Francisco Bay?

2009-10-12T09:37:00.000-07:00

Find out at Sharktoberfest seasteward.org/partners

An interview on our Sharktoberfest event and the sharks of San Francisco with The View from the Bat on Sharktobefest Oct 16 and 17 at the Aquarium of the Bay.

It’s Sharktober at The Bay Institute/Aquarium of the Bay

2009-10-10T16:37:00.000-07:00

It’s Sharktober at The Bay Institute/Aquarium of the Bay

Leave the fins on the shark

2009-10-04T11:36:00.001-07:00

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/01/january-jones-and-john-mc_n_305952.html

Sex sells. Now we need to get the message to the Asian community, not conservative senators.
Leave the fins on!

Photo Sharkfin soup bar, Bangkok, courtesy Mike Gibbons. Whale shark fin, an IUCN listed species with protected, endangered status.

January Jones And John McCain: Mad Men Star Goes To Washington To Talk Shark Finning

Huffington Post
First Posted: 10- 1-09 08:22 AM | Updated: 10- 1-09 12:29 PM

January Jones, who plays the character Betty Draper on the TV show Mad Men went to Washington DC to talk to legislators about her favorite cause: ending shark finning. Shark finning is a practice where fishermen cut off a shark's fin and throw the shark back into the water, often while it's still alive. Though illegal, there are loopholes -- and Jones showed up in DC to lobby for legislation that would strengthen the law.

Several Senators made time to talk to the star about the issue, including New Jersey's Frank Lautenberg and South Dakota's Tim Johnson. She also got a meeting with former presidential candidate John McCain, who tweeted afterward:

"Great meeting and tour of the Capitol with January Jones, who is an advocate for sharks. I'm a huge fan of Mad Men!"

Palau creates world's first shark sanctuary

2009-09-26T13:55:00.000-07:00

AP: Palau creates world's first shark sanctuary

In 2006 Sea Stewards helped make a film: Sharks Stewards of the Reef analyzing threats to sharks including shark finning, and proposed solutions such as shark ecotourism, using Palau as an example- and establishing marine protected areas. Congratulations to Palau in taking an international stance for sharks. seastewards.org

By JOHN HEILPRIN (AP) – 1 day ago
UNITED NATIONS — The tiny Pacific nation of Palau is creating the world's first shark sanctuary, a biological hotspot to protect great hammerheads, leopard sharks, oceanic whitetip sharks and more than 130 other species fighting extinction in the Pacific Ocean.
But with only one boat to patrol 240,000 square miles (621,600 square kilometers) of Palau's newly protected waters — including its exclusive economic zone, or EEZ, that extends 200 miles (320 kilometers) from its coastline — enforcement of the new measure could be almost like swimming against the tide.
Palau's president, who is to announce the news to the United Nations General Assembly on Friday, acknowledges the difficulty of patrolling ocean waters nearly the size of Texas or France with a single boat. But he hopes others will respect Palauan territorial waters — and that the shark haven inspires more such conservation efforts globally.
"Palau will declare its territorial waters and extended economic zone to be the first officially recognized sanctuary for sharks," Palauan President Johnson Toribiong told the Associated Press in an interview Thursday.
Shark fishing has grown rapidly since the mid-1980s, driven by a rising demand — mainly in China — for shark fin soup, a highly prized symbol of wealth. Because of their long life spans and low fertility rates, sharks are vulnerable to overfishing.
Within its EEZ, a nation may regulate fisheries and scientific research and develop other economic efforts. The U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization estimates more than half of highly migratory sharks are overexploited or depleted.
Toribiong said a recent flyover by Australian aircraft showed more than 70 vessels fishing Palau's waters, many of them illegally.
"We'll do the very best we can, given our resources," he said. "The purpose of this is to call attention to the world to the killing of sharks for commercial purposes, including to get the fins to make shark fin soups, and then they throw the bodies in the water."
Tourists go to Palau for its spectacular diving in the tropical waters, dramatic coral and rich marine life. The remote Pacific nation recently made global headlines when it agreed to President Barack Obama's request to take a group of Uighurs — Turkic Muslims from China's far western Xinjiang region — as part of plans to close the Guantanamo Bay detention center.
Palau is one of the world's smallest countries, with some 20,000 people scattered over 190-square mile (490-square kilometer) archipelago of lush tropical landscapes in the Western Pacific.
Its shark sanctuary will shelter more than 135 Western Pacific species of sharks and rays considered endangered or vulnerable, or for which there is not enough data to determine how the species is faring.
"Palau has basically raised the bar for the rest of the world for shark conservation," said Matt Rand, director for global shark conservation for Washington-based Pew Environment Group, an advocacy organization.
Elsewhere, Europe is trying to crack down on shark fishing in its waters.
In February, the European Commission proposed its first-ever shark conservation rules for European waters. EU countries account for a third of shark meat exports globally, and shark steaks are increasingly served in restaurants, replacing pricier swordfish steaks, and shark products are also finding their way into lotions and leather sports shoes.
Toribiong said he also will call for a global moratorium on "shark finning" — the practice of hacking off shark fins and throwing the body back into the sea — and an end to unregulated and destructive bottom trawling on the high seas.
Palau is among 20 seafaring nations that already have voluntary agreed to end bottom trawling, which involves fishing boats that drag giant nets along the sea floor.
Enormously effective at catching fish, the nets from bottom trawling also wipe out almost everything in their path, smash coral and stir clouds of sediment that smother sea life, marine experts say.
The U.N. has called bottom trawling a danger to unique and unexplored ecological systems and said slightly more than half the underwater mountain and coral ecosystems in the world can be found beyond the protection of national boundaries.

Top Chefs Shun Shark Fin Soup, But You Can Still Get it Anyway

2009-09-23T08:27:00.000-07:00

animaltourism.blogspot.com

San Francisco is the next target for the shark fin soup awareness movement.

We've just had a couple big foot chefs--Alice Waters and Scott Boswell-- shun shark fin soup, but a quick check around shows it's still common in most American cities. Shame works when a celebrity chef gets linked with shark finning, the hideous way fins are hacked off a live shark, which is then thrown back to die, decimating shark populations worldwide. But what about the 56 restaurants in New York City that still serve shark fin? Or San Francisco's 69 shark fin restaurants?

A search on New York Magazine's Menu Pages reveals how easy it is to find shark fin soup around the country. New York City has 56 restaurants serving shark fin. 35 restaurants serve shark fin soup. Three are vegetarian--meaning it's mock shark fin soup.

Not surprisingly, the biggest hunk--20--are in Chinatown.But they're all over the city, not just in restaurants only frequented by Chinese diners. Shanghai, near Macy's, serves five versions ranging from $33-$41. The Upper East Side's Our Place has a bowl for $12. A place near China Town sells it by the quart for take-out. >In Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, East Harbor Seafood Palace features a whole shark-fin soup category on its menu, with options from $55-$75.

San Francisco: 69 restaurants serving shark fin, 4 vegetarian
Los Angeles: 31 shark fin-serving restaurants. (The swanky Mr. Chow in Beverly Hills has imitation shark. Pacific Coast Highway Chinese Restaurant has a whole menu division of the real thing.)
Philadelphia: 11 shark fin purveyors, 4 vegetarian
Boston: 9 shark fin restaurants
Chicago: 10 shark fin restaurants, including Young's Restaurant in Wrigleyville
Washington, D.C.: 10 shark fin restaurants, including downtown's expensive Tony Cheng's and Wu's Garden in Vienna, which bills it as "a soup for special occasions."
South Florida: 6, including 2 in South Beach

Here's how the vow to eschew shark fin soup usually comes about. A famous chef or restaurant gets tied to shark fin soup. Chez Panisse's Alice Waters mentioned she'd want it as her last meal. A story about Stella! in New Orleans cites the dish. Disgust ensues. Suddenly the chef reads up on finning--the way fins are chopped off from live shark, wasting 95% of its body and contributing to the slaughter of about 100 million sharks a year. Some Atlantic populations are down 80% in the last 15 years, according to Shark Trust.

There are movements to ban shark finning internationally--making fishermen bring the whole shark to shore. The House passed a bill tightening U.S. restrictions, but it's waiting for the Senate. But that makes shark fishing more difficult and soup more expensive. But what will lower the demand?

Tell your Senator you want to stop shark finning
Support responsible animal tourism groups so shark-watching becomes more financially powerful than shark finning.

Sharktober! A month long Celebration of sharks in San Francisco

2009-09-16T13:12:00.000-07:00

Join Sea Stewards, the San Francisco Aquarium of the Bay and the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary in a month long celebration of our local sharks.
From the Leopard sharks that live in the wetlands to the White sharks that visit the Sanctuary offshore, learn and experience sharks in art, film and the real thing.

Celebrate Sharks with Sherman's Lagoon Creator Jim Toomey, eat sustainable sea food, enjoy shark beer and wine and live Hawaiian Music from the Ukulele Friends Ohana and party with the sharks Oct 16.

Watch shark films and learn about sharks from experts October 17.
For event schedule see:
seastewards.org/partners

Ocean Task Force Public Meeting in San Francisco 9/17

2009-09-15T15:34:00.000-07:00

Make yur voice heard for a healthy ocean. Please attend Thursday's Ocean Task Force Public Meeting in San Francisco. The aim of President Obama's Task Force is to establish a new national ocean policy for the United States. In the next day or two they'll announce the outline of this policy that we hope and believe will be based on a precautionary approach that recognizes restoring healthy seas also contributes to our economy, security and communities as well as our environment.

A coalition of ocean lovers and activists will be holding a pre-meeting Ocean Party for seaweed (marine grassroots) types Wed. Starting at 5PM at the Baobab Village at 19th St. between Mission & Capp in SF Please join us.

There will be a pre-hearing rally with costumed ocean critters starting at 1:30 PM in front of the Hyatt Regency at Embarcadero Center organized by the Turtle Island Restoration Network. The Hearing itself will go from 2:30-6:00PM and opportunities to speak to the panel that will include White House Council on Environmental Quality Chair Nancy Sutley and NOAA Chief Jane Lubchenco will be on a first-come, first register to speak basis (3 min. each).

Come to speak or just to show your support for a living ocean. Again it will be at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco, 5 Embarcadero Center in SF starting at 2:30

Any questions feel free to call me: 510-778-8470 or Laura Pagano at NRDC at 415-875-6100

Celebrate the Shark: Sharktoberfest Oct 16 & 17

2009-09-15T09:41:00.000-07:00

Sharktoberfest: A Celebration of the Shark Enjoy music, shark art, sustainable seafood and live local sharks at the Aquarium of the Bay.
See shark films and learn about our local sharks and the white sharks that swim across entire oceans and back again.

Hear from shark biologists and shark experts and learn why sharks matter. Sponsored by Sea Stewards and the San Francisco Aquarium of the Bay, at the Embarcadero, San Francisco Co Sponsored by the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary Association and the San Francisco Ocean Film Festival.

All events include access to the San Francisco Aquarium of the Bay.

Event Schedule Friday Oct 16, 6:30-10:00 PM $25.00 Sharktoberfest Benefit Party Music, Sustainable seafood, wines and shark beer. Prizes Best shark and shark prey costume contest Sharksaver Award to Jim Toomey, Creator: Sherman’s Lagoon Silent Auction to benefit Shark tagging and Shark media outreach program.

Saturday Oct 17, 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM $17.00 Science, Films & Sharks! Keynote Speech Where the Wild Things Aren't Wallace J Nicholls, PhD

Films
Rethink the Shark, Save Our Seas Foundation
City of the Shark, David McGuire
Requeim, Bryce Groark
Sharks: Stewards of the Reef, Holiday Johnson
White Shark Café, Sean Aronson
Discussion and audience participation

Presenters: Jim Toomey, Author Sherman’s Lagoon
Maria Brown, Superintendent, GFNMS
Sal Jorgenson, PhD Hopkins Marine Station
Jonathan Kathrein, Founder, Future Leaders for Peace -

Partners
Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary
Farallones National Marine Sanctuary Association San Francisco Ocean Film Festival Ocean Health
Dorsal Fin Friends
Surfrider Foundation, Marin and San Francisco Chapters
Shark Research Institute
Iemanya

For tickets and event information www.seastewards.org/partner

Take Action Fror Sharks- Support CITES proposals

2009-09-10T15:54:00.001-07:00

Did you know that sharks have existed for hundreds of millions of years? But, now, because of unregulated fishing for their meat and fins, many shark populations are declining.

I just took action online to ask the U.S. government to submit proposals to the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP) to the Convention on the International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES), to increase protection for additional shark species.

Three species of sharks -- great white, basking and whale sharks -- are currently listed under Appendix II under CITES, meaning that trade in their parts is regulated. Other species -- including hammerheads, oceanic whitetip, dusky and sandbar sharks -- desperately need the same protection. The U.S. is currently considering submitting proposals to add additional species to the list of sharks protected by CITES.

The shark species that the United States is considering for possible CITES proposals are prominent in the international fin trade and, therefore, likely to be a target of the brutal practice of shark finning. They are also threatened by commercial fishing for their meat and by being caught and killed accidentally in commercial fisheries for other species, such as swordfish and tuna.

Please ask the U.S. to go forward with these proposals. The deadline for comments is September 11. Please help -- it will only take a minute!

To take action on this issue, click on the link below:
https://secure.humanesociety.org/site/Advocacy?s_oo=qmdXeEBOgtq7EcHcPRBHGQ..&id=4183
If the text above does not appear as a link or it wraps across multiple lines, then copy and paste it into the address area of your browser.

Europe backs ban on tuna fishing as bluefin comes under threat - Times Online

2009-09-10T14:40:00.001-07:00

Europe backs ban on tuna fishing as bluefin comes under threat - Times Online

Shared via AddThis

Ocean Policy Task Force in San Francisco 9/17

2009-09-09T18:07:00.000-07:00

September 1, 2009
Obama Administration Officials to Hold Ocean Policy Task Force Public
Meeting in San Francisco on September 17, 2009
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Obama Administration officials will hold their second Ocean Policy Task
Force Public Meeting in San Francisco, California on September 17, 2009. The Interagency Ocean
Policy Task Force, led by White House Council on Environmental Quality Chair Nancy Sutley,
consists of senior-level officials from Administration agencies, departments, and offices.
The Task Force is charged with developing a recommendation for a national policy that ensures
protection, maintenance, and restoration of oceans, our coasts and the Great Lakes. It will also
recommend a framework for improved stewardship, and effective coastal and marine spatial
planning. The public is encouraged to attend and an opportunity for public comment will be
provided.
Who:
Nancy Sutley, Chair, White House Council on Environmental Quality
Dr. Jane Lubchenco, Administrator, National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
Peter Silva, Assistant Administrator for Water, Environmental Protection Agency
Kit Batten, Science Advisor to the Deputy Secretary, Department of Interior
U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Herman Shelanski, Director for the Chief of Naval
Operations Environmental Readiness Division
What:
Ocean Policy Task Force Public Meeting
When:
Thursday, September 17, 2:30 – 6:00 p.m.
Where:
Hyatt Regency San Francisco at Embarcadero Center, Ballroom A
5 Embarcadero Center
San Francisco, CA 94111
(near BART and MUNI Embarcadero Station)
Note:
Public comment can also be submitted online at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/oceans
###

Support water for fish

2009-09-09T17:31:00.000-07:00

Stop the Governor's Big Ditch

The state legislature is currently considering legislation that serves as a road map to constructing the controversial "peripheral canal" and includes funding for new dams. California already diverts more than 6 million acre-feet of freshwater from the Delta annually and has more than 1,400 major dams blocking our rivers. The state has issued water-rights permits for more than five times the average annual water flow in all of California's rivers and streams. And an economic report released to the legislature last week reveals that the governor's proposed canal could cost a staggering $54 billion.

Does any aspect of this project make sense at a time when native fish populations have collapsed due to unsustainable water diversions and state parks are being closed by budget problems? After three decades of failing to solve the fisheries and water-quality issues in the Delta, lawmakers are now rushing to approve a patchwork package of misguided bills in the last weeks of this legislative session -- with no public input.

Though the sponsors of the legislation claim they are not authorizing a peripheral canal, the legislation would give a governor who has declared his intent to build it the majority of votes on a council that would have the authority to fund and construct it. Such a canal would facilitate the demise of Central Valley salmon and other native delta fish.

Take action to save the Delta today. Please contact your state assembly and senate representatives immediately and urge them to vote down the Delta bill package.

Copy This Letter and Send to Your State Representative

I am writing to express my strong opposition to the Delta Bill Package that is being rushed through the legislature. I urge you to vote no on the Delta Bill Package since it would devastate the Bay-Delta ecosystem and its native fisheries and facilitate the building of an expensive and destructive peripheral canal.

California simply cannot afford the estimated $54 billion price tag for this canal. The Bay-Delta ecosystem and California's salmon fishing industry cannot withstand the impacts of a new peripheral canal and construction of additional dams. There are better and more cost-effective ways to provide for the restoration of the Delta and water for Californians.

Please reject the Delta Bill Package and instead initiate a comprehensive approach to address our state's water supply and water-quality needs in 2010. Solutions must include fiscally and environmentally sound projects that will capture, recycle, and treat water while safeguarding the Bay-Delta ecosystem and our fisheries. Management of the Delta must be based on providing for the freshwater needs of the Delta ecosystem and enforcing existing environmental laws.

Longlining is not sustainable

2009-09-02T10:53:00.000-07:00

Besides the large amount of bykill associated with longliners, swordfish populations are still highly reduced in the Atlantic. The hand held harpoon fishery has proven a sustainable way to catch swordfish because of the difficulty and the selectivity of the procedure- but this is only a percentage of the fishery. It is highly unlikely that the Canadian Fishery has reduced sharks killed as bycatch to 10%, and no turtles killed in a decade as the industry spokesman claims. As Dr. Boris Worm states, observers would need to be posted on the fleet to obtain accurrate statistics.
In the meantime, the Give the Swordfish a Break Campaign should continue, the Marine Stewardship Council should hold fast and East Coast US Restaurants and consumers should not eat swordfish.

Canadian swordfish associations seek sustainable certification.

September 1, 2009, by Larry Lack.

Two Nova Scotia based swordfishing organizations have asked the Marine
Stewardship Council (MSC) to certify their catch as sustainable, but
questions have been raised about bycatch species that may be harmed by
swordfish long lining.

In any given year several hundred boats from Canada, the United States,
Japan, Portugal and Spain take swordfish, mostly on long lines, from a vast,
far offshore area of the North Atlantic stretching from the Hague line on
Georges Bank to the Flemish Cap.

About 10 percent of North Atlantic swordfish are harpooned, mostly from
lobster boats based in southwest Nova Scotia. The other 90 per cent are
caught on long lines, many of which are set by large lobster boats that
venture as far as 700 miles from home ports in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick,
Newfoundland and New England.

Figures from the industry and the International Convention of Atlantic Tuna
(ICAT), which oversees stocks of tuna and "tuna like species," show that
over the last four years Canadian vessels have landed some 1,348 metric tons
of swordfish. Estimates of the fishery's value over this period range
between ten and sixteen million dollars per year.

Nearly all the swordfish landed by Canadian and U.S. vessels is sold to
restaurants, fish markets and other outlets in U.S. east coast states.

Troy Atkinson of Halifax is president of the Nova Scotia Sword Fishermen's
Association. Atkinson sells swordfishing gear and works on behalf of
Canadian swordfishermen who take the iconic long billed fish on long lines.
Atkinson and his counterpart Dale Richardson, vice-president of the
Lockport, Nova Scotia-based Swordfish Harpoon Association, say efforts to
conserve swordfish stocks over the last decade have paid off in a nearly
full recovery of swordfish stocks.

Atkinson also says endangered sharks and sea turtles accidentally hooked on
swordfish long lines are now adequately protected by on-board observer
reporting and the use of line cutting and de-hooking equipment which,
according to Atkinson, has reduced shark deaths from swordfish long lines to
about 10 percent of what it was a decade ago. "Now 90 per cent of the sharks
caught on swordfish long lines are returned to the sea alive," he says, "and
there have been no sea turtle fatalities reported in our fishery in 10 years."

In Atkinson's opinion the international "Give Swordfish a Break" campaign
that ran from 1999 through 2006 and included seafood chefs as well as
conservationists was "very successful and has met its goals." Reduced
swordfish quotas and voluntary cutbacks by fishermen during that campaign
"have helped the stocks rebound to sustainable levels," he says, "and this
is what we'd like Marine Stewardship Council to recognize by certifying our
fishery as sustainable."

But Dr. Boris Worm, a professor of marine biology at Dalhousie University in
Halifax says he "hopes the MSC will impose clear and effective conditions to
protect the endangered species" that long line swordfishing unintentionally
snares. "The most effective, and by far the surest way to protect that
endangered bycatch," Worm says, "would be requiring a qualified observer on
every swordfish boat."

Atkinson estimates that currently observers are posted on "anywhere from
five to 25 percent of swordfishing boats." Onboard observers, who report to
the department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, are paid by sword fishermen
with funds that are collected by the fishing associations.

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), because it is a
top predator, the flesh of swordfish, like that of shark and king mackerel,
is very high in mercury. At 0.976 parts per million, swordfish is more than
eight times higher in mercury than tuna and has more than a hundred times
more mercury than do species like haddock and flatfish that are lower on the
ocean food chain. FDA's advice to consumers is that women of childbearing
age and young children should avoid eating swordfish.

Asked about the mercury content of the fish his members take, Atkinson says
"I eat it, my kids eat it, so do a lot of other people I know, and I've
never heard about any health effects that could possibly be blamed on eating
swordfish. From what I understand you'd have to eat large amounts of it to
cause any health problems. Let's face it, swordfish is definitely a high-end
menu item, not something that people eat that frequently."

Atkinson points to recent studies showing that, along with mercury, the
flesh of swordfish and that of many other species of fish also contains the
element selenium. Several of these studies, he says, suggest that the
selenium binds with mercury, making the mercury biologically unavailable
and, therefore, harmless to people who consume these fish despite their high
mercury content.

Swordfish Harpoon Association spokesman Dale Richardson thinks "there's a
sort of paranoia out there" about mercury in swordfish. "You'd have to eat
at least several pounds of it two or three times a week to be in any danger
of it causing any health problems," Richardson says. His association
represents harvesters from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Newfoundland. He
defends the harpoon swordfishery as "truly sustainable and responsible,
because it's so selective. You have to clearly see the fish before you
throw, so there's no concern about effects on bycatch because when you use a
harpoon there is no bycatch."

By sometime early in 2010 the Marine Stewardship Council is expected to
decide whether to certify North Atlantic swordfish as sustainable. MSC could
set additional requirements for protecting endangered bycatch as conditions
for awarding the sustainability certification that the swordfish
associations are seeking.

http://www.workingwaterfront.com/articles/Canadian-swordfish-associations-seek-sustainable-certification/13340/

Support Sharks: Support the Shark Conservation Act 2009

2009-08-28T11:31:00.000-07:00

Help Oceana help sharks.

This act will close our own loopholes and help the US enforce anti finning laws abroad.
We have to start at home. I urge you to write your Senators!

The U.S. Senate's recess ends in a week and we need your help to ensure quick passage of a bill that would end shark finning in U.S. waters. The Shark Conservation Act of 2009, introduced by Senator John Kerry (D-MA) on Earth Day, would end shark finning by requiring that sharks be landed whole with their fins still attached to their bodies.

Shark finning is the gruesome practice of slicing the fins off and then throwing the shark overboard to die. The fins are often used to make the Asian delicacy shark fin soup.

Take Action! Tell your Senators to Protect Sharks NOW »
//takeaction.oceana.org/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=25204
Scared FOR Sharks »
Please ask your Senators to pass the Shark Conservation Act of 2009!

Take Action
The Senate has a long list of issues to tackle this year and we need you to tell your Senator to put saving sharks is on that list. The Shark Conservation Act already passed the House of Representatives and if it is passed by the Senate, Oceana is confident this bill will be signed by the President and become law!

Along with ending shark finning in U.S. waters, The Shark Conservation Act of 2009 would also allow the U.S. to take action against countries whose shark finning requirements are not consistent with those in the United States. With many shark populations crashing because of commercial fishing practices, now is the time to act to protect these ancient creatures.

You helped Oceana convince the House of Representatives to pass its bill earlier this year, now let's get the Senate to do the same »

F
PS: Your voice can help save vulnerable sharks before it's too late

Cleaning up plastics in the oceans starts at home

2009-08-24T11:47:00.000-07:00

I have crossed the Pacific Gyre several times under sail, as well as the smaller gyres in the South Pacific. Floats, vessel debris, plastic bottles and other trash aggregate in the physical phenomena created by wind, currents and the Coriolos effect. Half the trash is ours, half is Asia's coming our way.

Humans are the only animal that produces a waste that cannot biodegrade and we are creating a serious hazard to wildlife and human health.
We can start at home. Encouraging our ;leaders to ban styrofoam and plastic bags like Santa Cruz has done will make a significant impact on reducing what goes in, while we try to determine how to clean up what is there.

http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2009/08/20/plastic-ocean-decompose.html

Aug. 20, 2009 -- Amidst waves and wildlife in the world's oceans, billions of pounds of Styrofoam, water bottles, fishing wire and other plastic products float in endless circles.

This bobbing pollution is more than just an eyesore or a choking hazard for birds. According to a new study, plastic in the oceans can decompose in as little as a year, leaching chemical compounds into the water that may harm the health of animals and possibly even people.

"Most people in the world believe that this plastic is indestructible for a very long time," said Katsuhiko Saido, a chemist at Nihon University in Chiba, Japan. He spoke this week at a meeting of the American Chemical Society in Washington, D.C.

"We are now concerned that plastic pollution is caused by invisible materials," Saido said through an interpreter. "This will have a great effect on marine life."

Patterns in ocean currents create conglomerations of swirling trash that have received a burst of attention recently. The so-called Great Pacific Garbage Patch, for one, is a mound of waste, mostly plastic, that's about twice the size of Texas. It lies some 1,000 miles off the west coast between California and Hawaii.

In Japan, Saido said, up to 150,000 tons of plastic wash on shore each year. Much of it is Styrofoam, a type of polystyrene plastic.

In their lab, Saido and colleagues used a new chemical technique to simulate the decomposition of polystyrene plastic in the oceans at 30 degrees Celsius (86 Fahrenheit). The process produced some potentially toxic chemicals, including bisphenol A (BPA) and PS oligomer.

"Evan at 30 degrees Celsius, it decomposes," said Saido's colleague Yoichi Kodera, who also spoke at the conference. "In natural conditions, the tide comes in and sunlight heats the plastics," he said, which should only enhance degradation.

When the scientists analyzed samples of ocean water from the United States, Japan, India, Europe and elsewhere, they found traces of these and other plastic degradation byproducts, including styrene monomer (SM), styrene dimer (SD) and styrene trimer (ST) -- none of which are found normally in nature.

"Dr. Saido's study means that marine plastic debris could be the dominant source of degradation products, such as styrenes and BPA in remote coasts and the open ocean," said Hideshige Takada, of the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology. In urban areas, he said, there are other potential sources of these chemicals.

Previous experiments have shown that, when heated in the microwave or under other conditions, plastics leach BPA and other compouds, said John Meeker, an epidemiologist at the University of Michigan School of Public Health in Ann Arbor. So, it's not surprising that the same thing might happen in the ocean.

Still, he added, scientists don't yet know how degradation of plastic in the oceans might affect the health of animals or people. PS oligomer and BPA have both produced hormone-disrupting effects and reproductive problems at low levels in animals, but the possible effect on humans is still controversial.

"At this point, we're likely to have more intense exposures in our own homes and daily lives than from ocean water," Meeker said. "If this type of thing could happen in landfills and rivers and places that are closer to our drinking water, there could be an issue of human exposure."

Protecting Marine Mammals from Vessel Noise and Traffic in the Sanctuary

2009-08-20T14:06:00.000-07:00

If you have seen the Cove, you know that marine mammals are being hunted on the open sea and slaughtered for school lunches in Japan, or captured for public dolphinariums. Here on the west coast we are fortunate enough to have many species of cetaceans, pinnipeds and other marine mammals, and they are protected. However, we are not protecting our marine mammals from the adverse imapacts of vessel traffic, naval testing and other marine noise pollution. In 2007 three Blue Whales were killed by ship strike in the Santa Barbara Channel. But we are also harming these majestic sea animals indirectly.
Vessel traffic and the associated vessel noise is interfering and drowning out marine mammals and other marine life's undersurface communication. The channels that these animals are using to communicate are being turned off one by one. If you are a Blue whale looking for a mate, and there are only a few thousand of you in the vast sea, removing the ability to reach one another adds a real threat to an already threatened population.

Last weekend I visited the Farallons Islands off San Francisco as part of Pacific Environment's Vessel Watch Program. Onboard the vessel Kitty Kat chartered through San Francisco Bay Whale Watch Tours, we saw Blue, Humpback and Grey whales, and listened to ocean noise pollution in our Sanctuary.

We also observed two tankers traveling within 4 miles of the SE Farallon Island, the largest bird breeding site in contiguous North America, as well as an important breeding colony for Elephant seals and Sea Lions. Other threatened and endangered species live and visit these islands including Fur Seals, Stellars Sea Lions and the White Sharks.

An oil spill or grounding near these islands would be devastating. We speculated that the ships are responding to new CA air quality regulations, rerouting out past the state limit to burn their dirty sulfur rich fuel. This kind of loophole is creating a great risk to our Sanctuary, and the islands in particular.

Pacific Environment is attempting to lobby lawmakers to reduce shipping speeds down to 10 knots in our National Marine Sanctuaries. This would reduce the risk of ship strike, reduce marine noise pollution and have the benefits of decreased air pollution in the Sanctuary. Additional regulations to eliminated shipping within 10 miles of the Farallons Islands should be supported.

Take advantage of our Marine Sanctuaries and the incredibly diverse marine and bird life nearshore. Experience the beauty of our Sanctuaries, and help protect them by supporting Vessel Watch and other conservation programs.

China must adapt to EU rules on fishing, says study.

2009-08-20T10:23:00.000-07:00

http://www.mnn.com/food/markets-groceries/stories/china-must-adapt-to-eu-rules-on-fishing-says-study#

As the gigantic economic force, China is one of the growing consumers and harvesters of the sea.
Fish caught by the US and marketed to China are being reprocessed and exported back to the US and elsewhere. Unidentifiable fish and sources are leaving the oceans vulnerable to poaching protected species, over harvesting and fishing previously untapped species without regard to sustainability. All nations must approach the sea as a vital resource that must be conserved.

Report indicates that poorly regulated Chinese fishing industry may have
trouble adhering to new EU standards.

Mon, Aug 17 2009 at 8:00 PM EST.
By Agence France-Presse.

China, the world's leading exporter of marine fish products, needs to adapt
its fisheries if it is to meet new EU regulations to combat illegal fishing,
according to a report released on Monday.

Under the legislation which comes into force in January 2010, all fish
materials imported into the European Union will have to be accompanied by
catch certificates validated by the nation under whose flag the fishing
vessel sails.

The move is aimed at combating illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU)
fishing, wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC said in its report titled
"Understanding China's Fish Trade and Traceability."

"The ability of China, as the leading exporter of marine fish products and
the world's fastest growing major economy, to meet such requirements is
regarded as vital in the process to curb IUU fishing worldwide," TRAFFIC
said.

The report funded by the British government examines whether the systems
used by Chinese fisheries to trace the origins of catches will be able to
cope with the new EU requirements.

"By illuminating the role China plays in fish reprocessing, the report
highlights the extent to which China must be involved in solutions to the
problems of overfishing and IUU catches," the report's author Shelley Clarke
said.

China's fish processing industry has grown rapidly from 2.8 million tons in
1993 to 9.3 million tons in 2006, TRAFFIC said, with about 9,000
reprocessing plants in operation.

Despite the statistics, a lack of publicly available data has resulted in
misperceptions about China's reprocessing industry.

TRAFFIC cited a recent U.S. government report which appeared "to have been
motivated by a desire to explore a booming market for U.S. seafood in China,
only to conclude that more than 90 percent of U.S. seafood exports to China
are re-exported by China for consumption elsewhere, often back to the U.S."

Customs systems in China and some importing countries lack the detail to
determine the quantities of species of fish being reprocessed and usually do
not check whether fish imports are properly classified, the report found.

Tracing catches was complicated by the fact that fish may legally change
hands several times while in China, it said.

The report recommended China streamline its monitoring systems into a
single, integrated system and develop formal requirements to certify and
document catches.

It also recommended additional help from the EU and others to help China
comply with the new legislation and to provide intelligence for fisheries
enforcement in countries which may be the source of imported illegal and
unregulated fish into China.

Regulators Curb Longline Fishing in Gulf of Mexico to Protect Sea Turtles.

2009-08-14T14:36:00.000-07:00

Longliners are a significant threat to turtles, albatross, sharks and other fish that end up as bykill.
This new regulation is good news for turtles that have been decimated by trawlers, longliners and loss of habitat.

The US should work with Mexico to extend this prohibition off the Pacific Coast and into the Sea of Cortez.

By ALLISON WINTER of Greenwire
Published: August 14, 2009 .

Federal regulators voted last night to impose tough new restrictions on the
commercial longline fishing fleet in the Gulf of Mexico in an attempt to
protect marine turtles.

The new fishery-management plan would close certain areas, restrict fishing
to boats that have brought in large catches in the past and reduce the
number of hooks that can be used during fishing trips.

Commercial fishing representatives said the changes would cut the longline
fleet in half.

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council's approval of the closure last
night in Alabama sends the plan to the National Marine Fisheries Service for
a final OK.

Longliner fleets string miles of line with thousands of hooks. They catch
about two-thirds of the commercial grouper served in restaurants and sold at
seafood counters. The practice has come under fire in the past year since a
federal report found it kills more protected loggerhead turtles than
previously thought. The report estimated that longliners snared nearly 1,000
turtles between July 2006 and December 2008 -- well above the permitted rate
of 114 per three years.

The council temporarily shut down the longline fishery earlier this summer,
and environmental groups sued the federal government in an effort to force
more stringent protections for turtles. A new federal report this week found
that U.S. loggerhead populations are at risk of extinction.

Environmentalists called the new fishing restrictions a "victory" for the
loggerhead.

"[The] vote is a signal from the council that it's possible to craft
fisheries management plans to protect threatened and endangered sea turtles
while maintaining viable commercial fisheries," Dave Allison, senior
campaign director at Oceana, said in a statement. "While Oceana will
continue to support additional protections for loggerheads, today's action
constitutes a truly significant effort by the council."

The new rules restrict the longline fleet to only those boats that have been
the most successful in the past, those that have brought in at least 40,000
pounds of grouper a year. Each vessel can put no more than 750 hooks in the
water at a time, about half what many boats typically used. And fishers will
have to avoid certain shallower areas in the summer, when turtles have been
known to forage there.

The rules are designed to be permanent but will take about six months to
implement. The National Marine Fisheries Service must issue a biological
opinion to ensure that the restrictions are sufficient to protect the
turtles from jeopardy under the Endangered Species Act.

Representatives from the longline industry say the new regulations are too
restrictive but said their chief concern was to avoid a "jeopardy" situation
for turtles that could completely shut down the fleet.

"I think that the council had a lot to struggle with there, and I think they
overreacted to the situation," said Bob Spaeth, head of the Southern
Offshore Fishing Association. "Some of the regulations they made are going
to be very encumbering to the industry, and I think it's going to be
difficult -- we're going to have fallout. ... But even though we are very
unhappy with what happened, I think they did that to try to keep us out of
jeopardy."

Spaeth said he will lose three of his six boats. He estimates that overall,
1,000 to 1,500 jobs could be lost.

Faced with a shutdown, some longline fishing operations have started to use
vertical lines in the water. Vertical lines function more like traditional
fishing lines, but with many more hooks. But the technique makes it harder
for boats to bring in big catches. Spaeth equates it to "turning in your
tractor to use a hoe" and says it reduces a boat's profits by two-thirds.

The Environmental Defense Fund and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
have started a matching-grants program to help longline fishers make a
transition to new gear. The grants pay for half the costs of the conversion.
The groups have received 55 grant applications already, and the new gear is
being installed on more than 30 vessels, according to the environmental groups.

Spaeth said fishers and environmentalists plan to ask Congress for further
assistance. They want funding to help fishers and other businesses that have
been hit by the new restrictions.

http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2009/08/14/14greenwire-regulators-curb-longline-fishing-in-gulf-of-me-10509.htmlregulation should be extended by Mexico into the Sea of Cortez.

Poisoning sharks and whales, poisoning ourselves

2009-08-12T09:27:00.001-07:00

Will our marine life eventually be protected because they are too contaminated to eat? Increasingly we are finding high levels of toxic metals or POPS- persistent organic pollutants- in the meat and fat of fish like salmon, sturgeon and sharks and in whales and dolphins.
The graph above is from Dr Roger Payne of the Sea Change Institute. His team has has sampled Sperm Whales and his chemical analysis of skin and blubber samples indicate that if the whale died ashore it would legally be considered hazardous waste. The levels of Chromium measured in all whales are at least twice that of the levels where cellular harm occurs.

We are poisoning our oceans, poisoning our marine life, and poisoning ourselves.
So the question really is- will we protect ourselves by protecting marine life and the ocean?

Legend to graph above From Dr. Payne (seachangeinstitute.org)Speech given at the Blue Vision Summit (see speech at http://www.vimeo.com/4135297)
Here we see the concentrations of chromium that we found by analyzing skin samples from 337 sperm whales that we encountered across the globe. On the horizontal axis you see a series of regions that cover the Atlantic, the Indian and the Pacific Oceans. There is one major region missing from this graph, however, and that is the Kiribati islands (pronounced Kiribas--formerly the Gilbert Islands). It’s a line of islands that covers a huge arc of the Pacific about 1500 miles long. It is missing here because the chromium concentrations we found in the sperm whales near Kiribati were very much higher than they were in whales from everywhere else. So, in order to have a small enough scale for the non-Kiribati values to show, the sample from Kiribati had to be left out; it was just way off scale. I’ll show it in a moment, but before I do, please notice that there was no area in which the whales had lower concentrations of chromium than twenty micro-molar. That’s important, because as we will soon see, 10 micromolar concentrations damage sperm whale skin cells grown in cell culture. But we found at least twice that degree of contamination in all ocean areas).

Fish in the San Francisco Bay are no exception. The history of mining in the Sierra foothills has deluged the sediments with seleneum, aresenic and mercury. These metals make it into the food chain and bio accumulate in the larger fish and apex predators. Unfortunately, subsistence fishers are primarily from under-served communities, who frequently are not aware of the risk. This places these communities eating fish from the Bay at risk, especially pregnant women and children.
Each time these sediments are disturbed through dredging a pulse of contaminants enters the system, some so toxic that fish are killed.

From the California Office of Environmental Health and Hazard Asseessment study of fish in 1995.

San Francisco Bay and Delta Region
Because of elevated levels of mercury, PCBs, and other chemicals, the following interim advisory has been issued. A final advisory will be issued when the data have been completely evaluated.
Women beyond childbearing age and men should eat no more than two meals per month of San Francisco Bay sport fish, including sturgeon and striped bass caught in the delta. (One meal for an adult is about eight ounces).
Women beyond childbearing age and men should not eat any striped bass over 35 inches.
Women of childbearing age, pregnant, nursing mothers, and children should not eat more than one meal of fish per month. In addition, they should not eat any striped bass over 27 inches or any shark. This advisory does not apply to salmon, anchovies, herring, and smelt caught in the bay; other sport fish caught in the delta or ocean; or commercial fish.
Richmond Harbor Channel area: In addition to the above advice, no one should eat any croakers, surfperches, bullheads, gobies or shellfish taken within the Richmond Harbor Channel area because of high levels of chemicals detected there.

Niagara Falls council battles shark 'finning'

2009-08-11T15:54:00.000-07:00

If a town on a river can fight for sharks, why cant the City by the Bay? We need to support Senator Kerry's bill in the senate.
Its time to revive the awareness project at home. Where are the shark champions among the city youth?

Niagara Falls council battles shark 'finning'
City calls on Canadian government to fight against 'disgusting' practice
Posted By Corey Larocque
Updated 6 hours ago

Niagara Falls city council is fighting what one councillor calls the "pretty disgusting" practice of harvesting shark fins in a way that's depleting the world's population of sharks.

The city will send a resolution to the federal Minister of Fisheries and Oceans calling on Canada to become more vocal in ending "finning" of sharks.

"It's certainly having a detrimental effect on the the environment and the shark population," said Coun. Wayne Thomson.

Sharks are caught by fishermen on the world's oceans. Their fins are cut off and harvested but the live sharks are then dumped back into the water, where they will later die. Shark-fin soup is considered a delicacy in some Chinese restaurants, including at least one in Niagara Falls.

Thomson raised the issue during a July meeting, and councillors formally endorsed his resolution Monday.

Thomson said he first learned of the practice a few years ago when he saw a documentary about it. Then, on Sunday, the 60 Minutes news show coincidentally broadcast the same story on finning again, he said.

A group of animal welfare activists had been emailing councillors about their concerns over finning in recent weeks.

Coun. Vince Kerrio said he hoped the city's resolution would send the signal council is on their side and they would stop sending them so many messages lobbying for their cause.

Councillors agreed with Coun. Janice Wing's recommendation to circulate the Niagara Falls resolution to other municipalities so they could consider endorsing it as well.

White Shark Training & New rules in the Sanctuary

2009-08-11T14:14:00.000-07:00

I recently attended the White Shark Training for naturalists and those wanting to lead shark tourism in the GFNMS. The room was nearly filled with volunteers and representatives from a cage diving tour company Incredible Adventures -that has been operating in the area for several years, as well as boat operators from other whale and shark tourism operations. The training was informative, particularly a talk by Dr Sal Jorgenson of the Topp Program. If these operators are going to survive they are going to have to offer more than just the glimpse of a white shark, and the Sanctuary offers so much more than an ephemeral adrenaline rush. Summary of the rules are below. Im heading out this weekend to the islands with Pacific Environment to monitor ocean noise and vessel traffic in the Sanctuary. It is little early for sharks but there should be blue whales and lots of birds.

New Protections Now In Place For Great White Sharks, Other Marine Life
March 24, 2009
Release from: Mark Prado
Marin Independent Journal (California)

Great white sharks, seagrass in Tomales Bay and other parts of the aquatic environment off Marin's coast will enjoy more protection under new federal rules that took effect this month.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which oversees federal marine sanctuaries, developed the regulatory changes after years of study, planning and public comment.

As part of the changes, great white sharks are now protected from people who want to get a closer look at them. There is now a prohibition against getting closer than 50 meters - or 164 feet - of a white shark within 2 nautical miles of the Farallon Islands. The rule also bans the practice of using decoys or chum to lure sharks.

"We have had cases where people in vessels come charging up to the sharks, scaring them away from food they have just caught," said Mary Jane Schramm, spokeswoman for the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. "These activities threaten the health of the species."

Tomales Bay's seagrass, which helps species such as herring, will get special protection. Seven buoys will be placed in the bay to protect eelgrass and other seagrasses so boaters do not drop anchor or moor over the areas, which can damage the grasses or prevent them from getting sun.

The grasses help trap sediment, reduce nutrients and pollutants in the water and improve water quality. Seagrass also provides important habitat for migratory birds, such as shorebirds.

The seagrass grows along the perimeter of parts of the bay, usually in shallow waters up to 10 feet deep.

Marin has two parks just a short boat ride away: the Gulf of the Farallones is a 1,255-square-mile area made up of tidal flats, rocky intertidal areas, wetlands, subtidal reefs and coastal beaches. The sanctuary is home to thousands of seals and sea lions, hosts great white sharks and the largest concentration of breeding seabirds in the continental United States.

The Cordell Bank Sanctuary sits beyond the Gulf of the Farallones, 52 miles northwest of Marin's coast, at the edge of the continental shelf. It encompasses 526 square miles. Endangered humpback whales, porpoises, albatross and marine species flourish in the marine environment. Part of the Monterey Bay Sanctuary also bumps up against coastal Southern Marin.

Other new rules for sanctuaries prohibit:

- Harmful discharges from cruise ships and other large vessels.

- Discharges beyond the boundaries of the sanctuaries that enter and damage the sanctuaries' resources.

- Abandoning vessels.

- Introducing non-native species.

- Disturbing or killing sensitive wildlife like marine mammals, seabirds and sea turtles.

"They have been working on the regulations for some time and put a lot of effort into it," said Terri Watson of San Rafael, executive director for the Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association. "I'm confident they heard all the issues from all sides."

Sanctuary officials will work with the U.S. Coast Guard as well as researchers to help enforce the new rules. Violations are subject to citations and fines.

"There are many things affecting the sanctuaries: tourism, proposals for wave energy, invasive species, oil spills, they need to be better protected," Schramm said.

Permit Special Conditions
Special conditions in Educational Permits for Tourism may include but are not
limited to the following:
• Acceptable decoys must be made of soft, low profile material like carpet in the
shape of a local marine mammal. Boats may not be underway with decoy deployed.
• Shark may not be fed at any time.
• The permittee must not interfere with any natural white shark feeding event and
must not approach within 50 m (164 feet) of a feeding white shark.
• Naturalist Training required. At least one naturalist that completed the sanctuary
naturalist training on board per trip.
• Must use educational messages in marketing.
• Detailed daily logs will be required (i.e., number of people reached; number and
location of shark encounters).
• 2009 permit for Sept 15‐ Nov 30, 2009.
Note: NOAA will refine Special Conditions as necessary

Shark Tourism: The new Viagra

2009-08-11T11:41:00.000-07:00

Watch CBS Videos Online

Because tour operators use food to attract sharks for their "shark tourist" customers, critics say surfers and swimmers are in more danger now because the fish are associating humans with food.

A 60 minute clip on the white sharks of South Africa and shark ecotourism.
Is it good for sharks? The surfers dont think its good for surfing the local shores.

The Blue Vision Summit

2009-08-10T11:24:00.000-07:00

The Blue Vision Summit from David McGuire on Vimeo.

In the spring of 2009 over 400 ocean leaders came to Washington D.C.
We came to demonstrate the vital role a healthy ocean can and must play if we’re to meet the challenges of overfishing, habitat loss and climate change.
We called our gathering the Blue Vision Summit.

Narrated by Sylvia Earle.
Sponsored by the Blue Frontier Campaign.

Produced by Seastewards.org and Bluefrontier.org

The Cove

2009-08-10T10:53:00.000-07:00

This weekend I watched the new documentary The Cove.
Directed by Louie Psihoyos, the film is a brave examination of the brutal dolphin slaughter off of the Japanese town of Taiji, and one man's quest to stop it.
Following the efforts of Ric O'Barry, former Flipper dolphin trainer turned activist, the filmmakers take great risks to expose not only the dolphin slaughter, but the blood on the hand of the dolphin trainers and aquariums that display dolphins.
The film also exposes the conspiracy behind the slaughter, where mercury laden dolphin meat is given away as school lunches, and even disguised as whale meat in supermarkets. With a strapped on flat screen, O'Barry takes the grisly footage to the International Whale Commission meetings where Japan is bribing poor nations to voite in favor of their "scientific" killing of whales on the high seas.

This film reveals the absurd pretences one nation makes to continue killing these intelligent marine mammals the urgency needed to protect marine life.
These animals belong in the ocean, not in a zoo.

From IMDB
In a sleepy lagoon off the coast of Japan lies a shocking secret that a few desperate men will stop at nothing to keep hidden from the world. In Taiji, Japan, former dolphin trainer Ric O'Barry has come to set things right after a long search for redemption. In the 1960s, it was O'Barry who captured and trained the 5 dolphins who played the title character in the international television sensation "Flipper." One fateful day, a heartbroken Barry came to realize that these deeply sensitive, highly intelligent and self-aware creatures must never be subjected to human captivity again. This mission has brought him to Taiji, a town that appears to be devoted to the wonders and mysteries of the sleek, playful dolphins and whales that swim off their coast. But in a remote, glistening cove, surrounded by barbed wire and "Keep Out" signs, lies a dark reality. It is here, under cover of night, that the fishermen of Taiji, driven by a multi-billion dollar dolphin entertainment industry and an underhanded market for mercury-tainted dolphin meat, engage in an unseen hunt. The nature of what they do is so chilling and the consequences are so dangerous to human health that they will go to great lengths to halt anyone from seeing it. [D-Man2010]

In a sleepy lagoon off the coast of Japan lies a shocking secret that a few desperate men will stop at nothing to keep hidden from the world. At last, the truth of THE COVE comes to the fore in an act of covert filmmaking that turns a documentary into a gripping action-adventure thriller . . . and a heart-pounding call for help from the worlds oceans. THE COVE begins in Taiji, Japan, where former dolphin trainer Ric OBarry has come to set things right after a long search for redemption. In the 1960s, it was OBarry who captured and trained the 5 dolphins who played the title character in the international television sensation Flipper. But his close relationship with those dolphins the very dolphins who sparked a global fascination with trained sea mammals that continues to this day -- led OBarry to a radical change of heart. One fateful day, a heartbroken Barry came to realize that these deeply sensitive, highly intelligent and self-aware creatures so beautifully adapted to life in the open ocean must never be subjected to human captivity again. This mission has brought him to Taiji, a town that appears to be devoted to the wonders and mysteries of the sleek, playful dolphins and whales that swim off their coast. But in a remote, glistening cove, surrounded by barbed wire and Keep Out signs, lies a dark reality. It is here, under cover of night, that the fishermen of Taiji, driven by a multi-billion dollar dolphin entertainment industry and an underhanded market for mercury-tainted dolphin meat, engage in an unseen hunt. The nature of what they do is so chilling -- and the consequences are so dangerous to human health -- they will go to great lengths to halt anyone from seeing it. Undeterred, OBarry joins forces with filmmaker Louis Psihoyos and the Ocean Preservation Society to get to the truth of whats really going on in the cove and why it matters to everyone in the world. With the local Chief of Police hot on their trail and strong-arm fishermen keeping tabs on them, they will recruit an Oceans Eleven-style team of underwater sound and camera experts, special effects artists, marine explorers, adrenaline junkies and world-class free divers who will carry out an undercover operation to photograph the off-limits cove, while playing a cloak-and-dagger game with those who would have them jailed. The result is a provocative mix of investigative journalism, eco-adventure and arresting imagery that adds up to an urgent plea for hope. THE COVE is directed by Louie Psihoyos and produced by Paula DuPre Pesmen and Fisher Stevens. The film is written by Mark Monroe. The executive producer is Jim Clark and the co-producer is Olivia Ahnemann. -

Marin snapshot: Videographer specializes in high-definition underwater photography

2009-08-10T10:48:00.000-07:00

David McGuire, 49, of San Rafael is a writer, explorer, ocean videographer, field associate of the California Academy of Sciences and founder of Sea Stewards. Sea Stewards - Seastewards.org - specializes in high-definition underwater photography and expedition films. The organization's mission: "Celebrate the ocean and ocean life, and educate and motivate for ocean awareness and protection."
Q: How did you get into filmmaking?

A: I've been a still photographer for a long time, and occasionally helped friends with films. I became a full-time filmmaker when I quit my job at Berkeley to skipper a boat and help make an film on sharks in the South Pacific about five years ago. Since then I've devoted myself to expedition/nature conservation filmmaking.

Q: What do you love about it?

A: I love the adventure and the thought that my work is devoted to raising awareness around issues facing the oceans and ocean life.

Q: What's the worst thing that ever happened to you on the job?

A: The worst was flooding a camera while filming sharks in a remote atoll in the Tuamotus. The best part is you have to be resourceful and being a McGiver in the field.

Q: What has it taught you about yourself?

A: Filming wild animals underwater gives a new perspective. I look at the whole system as well as the individual including the small details. Its a great metaphor for life and ocean conservation.

Q: What has it taught you about people?

A: Before when I dealt with hundreds of people a day I would have taken a shark any day. I actually like people more now that I get to experience a wider range of cultures. But I still love sharks.
Q: What's hard about it?

A: Living from project to project, and the technology. It's a technological arms race and I would rather be filming whales and sharks than on the Final Cut or Adobe forum at 1 a.m. trying to figure out what happened to my movie.

Q: What do people misunderstand about what you do?

A: People think its such a great romantic life, but there is a lot of hardship and sacrifice. Last fall, I was in New Caledonia sailing, diving and filming Cal Academy scientists collecting sea horses and pipefish. Wow, how cool is that? Very! But it also includes staying up all night, repairing dive compressors, being cold and working with little sleep. It's hard work and discomfort, but if it inspires us to appreciate and protect ocean life it is so worth it.

Contact Mark Prado via e-mail at mprado@marinij.

Study: No more gloom and doom Hope for Fish?

2009-08-03T16:13:00.000-07:00

Perhaps we can reverse the trend in overfishing the ocean.

By Richard Gaines
Staff Writer
A landmark new study of the world's fisheries released yesterday found that management efforts — especially in developmentally advanced nations, notably in the United States, New Zealand and Iceland — have been effective in reversing declines caused by chronic overfishing.
The report, which appears in the issue of Science magazine on newsstands today, is no cause for celebration or let-up in the recovery programs, even in the most advanced systems. But it presents a more hopeful picture than previous alarmist predictions by the chief author, Boris Worm, and colleagues of his who have produced a welter of academic studies funded by the Pew Environment Group and associated environmental non-government organizations, or ENGOS.
Altogether, a team of 21 scientists from academia and government, many with extensive ties to Pew, worked two years on the study, titled "Rebuilding Global Fisheries." And its findings contrast sharply with previous findings by Pew and other ENGO scientists that suggested the oceans were so "overfished" that many stocks were on a path to extinction.
The headliners behind the new story are Worm and his former nemesis, Ray Hilborn, who had sharply criticized Worm's past work as being motivated by an anti-fishing agenda more than by true science.
A member of the faculty at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Worm's research and output has given rise to numerous documentaries and policy papers on overfishing that predicted the seas would be left sterile except for jellyfish by mid-century.
A major policy paper produced by the Environmental Defense Fund last year relied on Worm's vision to recommend catch quotas to the Obama administration as it was forming.
"There is a scientific consensus that fishing is fundamentally altering ocean ecosystems, which are increasingly likely to yield massive swarms of jellyfish rather than food fish," wrote that working group, which included Jane Lubchenco, now the administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
In a Wednesday teleconference about the publication of the new study, Worm pulled back from the generalization but asserted that in some regions the jellyfish scenario is apparent.
Hilborn, a professor of fisheries management at the University of Washington, has warned that this strain of alarmist reports resulted from an inverted form of pseudo-science in which the desired ends are set, and then the research is conducted to support the predetermined ends.
In "Faith-based Fisheries," his landmark response to Worm's work in the November 2006 issue of Fisheries Magazine, Hilborn takes to task not only Worm but Science magazine itself (along with Nature) for uncritical decision making, sham peer reviews and publication of decisions based on the circulation value of a submission rather than its scientific stature.
Worm and Hilborn were together with other co-authors in the Wednesday press teleconference, which had been embargoed until 2 p.m. yesterday.
The magazine's press release noted the Worm-Hilborn conflict and their peace — or truce.
"This new study is a followup to a 2006 paper in Science by Worm and others that highlighted the widespread global trend toward fisheries collapse," a Science statement indicated. "The results of that paper led to a public disagreement between Worm and Hilborn."
The statement indicated that Worm and Hilborn began talking and recognized "a shared sense of purpose."
They were not alone in answering questions at Wednesday's teleconference. A co-author, Michael Fogarty, a biologist with the Science Center of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration at Woods Hole, said Worm's "high-profile study" in 2006 "got my attention."
He reviewed the history of New England groundfishery and said the "success stories" had things in common, notably "hard and fast rules, tighter controls" and incentives for fleets to take the long view instead of repeating the tendency to "race to catch the last fish."
Fogarty also noted the "dramatic recovery of haddock on Georges Bank." He said there's a "haddock baby boom" going on, but cod and flounder are less far along in their recoveries.
"This is the most positive thing to come down the track in a long time," said Nils Stolpe, an East Coast fishing industry consultant and columnist. "The plight of the oceans from overfishing has been significantly oversold. This is a retrenching from that position."
"Efforts to end overfishing around the world are beginning to pay dividends," said NOAA administrator Lubchenco. "The message is loud and clear: When we set firm fishing limits, fish and habitats can recover."
In its initial response, Pew, seizing on the finding that fishing should be held below maximum allowable yields, said yesterday that "Fishing targets must be more conservative than they have been in the past."
The Science study comes on the heels of similar findings reported by the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas in Brussels.
"Our message is rather moderate," said the ICEA, which studies oceans for the coastal states of Europe. "We are not in the best of worlds, but we are not in the worst of worlds either ... Most stocks are stable," the agency reported.
In New England, where the first fishery of the New World opened before the first settlement, the recovery and restoration efforts began in the mid 1970s with the first Magnuson-Stevens Act that claimed a 200-mile frame around the nation's coasts as an exclusive economic zone, and kicked out foreign factory ships that had pillaged at will while the smaller U.S. boats looked on in horror.
Since that time — as ocean science has struggled and pushed to de-mystify the deep — various schemes were tried to protect the weakened stocks while allowing the survival of the fleets from big and little ports all along the east and south coasts, but concentrated in Gloucester and New Bedford.
The dispute over the status of the fishery drove regulatory schemes and public opinion, and left the fishing industry reeling, which is why the Science report was described by Worm as "landmark" and "a turning point."
Whether a scientific consensus behind "Rebuilding Global Fisheries" can be maintained remains to be seen, and the doom-and-gloom message encouraged by Worm and others previously is not easily stifled. "End of the Line," a new, major film documentary narrated by actor Ted Danson, still prophesies an empty ocean — "it's just a question of when."
The policy of the Obama administration, submitted by Pew, the Environmental Defense Fund and Oceania — the major ENGOS that have made commitments to fishing issues — is to convert the traditional conception of the fisheries as commonly-owned public resources into commodities known as "catch shares."
Attempting to assuage concerns especially in New England and along the Mid-Atlantic that the catch shares were susceptible to investor speculation and the extraction of equity, NOAA administrator Lubchenco — a former academic scientist with ties to both EDF and Pew — said this week there were ways to insure indigenous ownership.
The new report by Worm, Hilborn and their colleagues emphasized that their study was far from encyclopedic, and by necessity focused on the more developed nations and their recovery efforts.
They also said it was likely that reduced consumption, which was cited as the key, would logically have pushed harvesting into Third World systems where controls were weak or non-existent.
They urged consumption targets well below maximum sustainable yield levels, catch shares, marine protected areas, innovative and more selective gear and conservative consumption of recovering stocks.
The conclusions section reasoned that:
"Ecosystems examined in this paper account for less than a quarter of the world's fisheries area and catch, and lightly to moderately fished and rebuilding ecosystems comprise less than half of those. They may be best interpreted as large-scale restoration experiments that demonstrate opportunities for successfully rebuilding marine resources elsewhere."
"Similar trajectories of recovery have been documented in protected areas around the world, which currently cover less than 1 percent of ocean area. Taken together, these examples provide hope that despite a long history of over-exploitation, marine ecosystems can still recover if exploitation rates are reduced substantially."
"In fisheries science, there is growing consensus that the exploitation rate that achieves maximum sustainable yield should be reinterpreted as an upper limit rather than a management target."
Richard Gaines can be reached at rgaines@gloucestertimes.com.

More Sharks Swimming Towards Extinction.

2009-08-03T16:08:00.000-07:00

Nine more species of sharks will be added to the endangered species
list this week, their populations decimated by overfishing and a
demand for their fins in Asian soup bowls.

The World Conservation Union (IUCN) warned that if trends continue
many shark species could be extinct within a few short decades. Julia
Baum, Scripps Institute of Oceanography researcher and IUCN shark
specialist, said: “Sharks are definitely at the top of the list for
marine fishes that could go extinct in our lifetimes. If we carry on
the way that we are, we’re looking at a really high risk of extinction
for some of these shark species within the next few decades.”

One of the new additions to the list of endangered species is the
scalloped hammerhead shark. The IUCN will classify the animal as
“globally endangered”. Within the last 30 years the shark’s population
has shrunk by 99% in many parts of the world. This shark, and eight
others, will be added to the list of more than 125 sharks already
classified as threatened or endangered by the IUCN. The other new
additions to the list are the smooth hammerhead, shortfin mako, common
thresher, big-eye thresher, silky, tiger, bull and dusky sharks.

One of the reasons sharks are becoming so threatened is that they take
so long to mature, up to 16 years in the case of the scalloped
hammerhead for instance. When sharks take longer to mature, they also
take longer to breed and replenish their population. While many of
these sharks are found over a large area of the world’s oceans, their
widespread range is not saving them from the ravages of overfishing
and shark-finning.

Baum said: “The perception has been that really wide-ranging species
can’t become endangered because if they are threatened in one area,
surely they’ll be fine in another area. But fisheries now cover all
corners of the earth and they’re intense enough that these species are
being threatened everywhere.”

Excessive fishing has been one of two main reasons for the sharks’
decline. There is currently no restriction on shark fishing in
international waters. Most of the sharks are caught for their fins,
which can fetch around $275 per kilogram in China where they are
highly sought after. The market for shark fins has exploded in recent
years as the Chinese middle class has grown and more people can afford
shark fin soup.

A decline in shark numbers can have a major impact on the sharks’
ecosystems. With sharks at the top of the food chain, a decline in
their numbers generally means an increase in the populations of their
prey. In the case of one Atlantic shark, a decline in shark numbers
meant a huge increase in cownose ray numbers. These cownose rays in
turn decimated the scallop populations of North Carolina, shutting
down a centuries old scallop fishery in the process.

Shark Finning in the Galapagos

2009-08-02T14:20:00.000-07:00

Two years ago I visited Cocos and the Galapagos on the way to Chile to make a film. We sailed into Cocos and the Galapagos at night and witnessed the illegal longliners poaching fish and sharks in these World Heritage Reserve sites. I helped patrol with MARVIVA hoping to film the poachers but we did not encounter the poachers.
A recent study by Peter Klimley of UC Davis indicates that there is a migratory corridor between these two islands: right where the longliners are laying their curtain of death, killing sharks for their fins.
These countries need international help to enforce their reserves, and political pressure to enforce regulations and close down the fin industry.
We need an Ocean Revolution to Protect Sharks Now!

August 1, 2009 by Jon Bowermaster
The equation is straightforward: Too many people attempting to live permanently in the Galapagos + too few jobs to go around = a percentage are resorting to illegal economies to survive. Shark finning is one of those illegalities, and still growing. Financed by mafias based in mainland Ecuador, fins are taken – hacked off, the useless carcasses tossed overboard – and sent abroad for shark fin soup. Japanese are the biggest culprits though there are restaurants as far away as Norway and Germany, which sell the soup as well. The sad reality is that not only is it a complete waste of the shark but the fins have absolutely no taste, no nutritional value. It’s all about the show. If you can afford shark fin soup – at a business meeting, wedding, anniversary – it means you’ve got the bucks to spend on a frivolity.

You’ve seen the television ads recently promoting various shark weeks? Fear continues to sell mediocre TV, thus the boom of such shows. Another statistic: How many people are killed by sharks each year worldwide? On average, four or five. How many sharks does man kill each year, some for food, others for showy displays of money? More than seventy million. It’s the sharks that should be swimming away from us as fast as they can.

Over fishing around the globe is a huge problem. The over fishing of sharks, especially the big ones, known as “apex predators” (including the great white and reef sharks) is particularly damaging to the marine cycle since sharks maintain the populations of smaller fish that in turn feed on smaller fish that people consume commercially. Minus the predators, these sub-predators run rampant and decimate smaller fish stocks. While we may think there are unlimited numbers of fish in the sea, the more we rapaciously take the fewer species will live on into the coming decades. One more statistic? The World Wildlife Fund expects all of the fish that we know today to be gone by 2050. That’s what we should be scared of, not the very slim potential of becoming lunch while enjoying a sunny holiday at the beach. (To find a detailed chart and database of the world’s endangered sharks, visit the Shark Foundation.)

Sea Stewards: The Sea is our Sanctuary

Support Sharks and urge these Senators to pass the ban unamended.

San Francisco Shark Fin Consumption Contributes to Demise of World Shark Population

Victories for Sharks in 2010 & Work to do

Victories for Sharks in 2010 & Work to do

Give like you love the ocean

Overfishing the San Francisco Bay: Are Sharks next?

Underwater Thrills:Swimming With Sharks: Deadliest Catch - Hooking a Shark in San Francisco Bay

Great White Shark Attack and the Devil's Teeth

When a Sanctuary is not a Sanctuary

Divng the Cordell Bank

White Sharks : There’s a New Sherrif in Town

USF Professor Discover's Shark's Sixth Sense

The Blue Ocean Film Festival, The Holy Trinity and the Choir

The Making of 180 South and Illegal Shark Fins from Costa Rica

A Voyage Among Whales and Wildlife

Tagging White Sharks: Comments to The Gulf of Farallones Sanctuary Adviosoy Committee

World's First Ban on Shark Fin Makes Hawaii Global Leader in Shark Conservation

United Nations Meeting Takes Historic Step to Ban Shark Finning

Blue Frontier's Peter Benchley Awards

Why Sharks?

Take Action for Sharks

Ocean Voices and Plastics Century Premiere at the California Academy of Sciences

Collage and slide show from San Francisco World Oceans Day

Senator Leland Yee given Blue Marble on World Oceans Day

Hawaii Passes Shark Protection Bill

Surfing with sharks

My Birthday wish for the Sea

Join Hawaii's fin ban and local Shark Stewardship

Support the Hawaii Fin Ban and Bring it to San Francisco

CITES rejects shark protections.

Sharks: real or Hypereal?

Maldives Announces Shark Sanctuary, Tell San Francisco to Support our Shark Sanctuary

The Cove Speech: What Louie would have said

Support shark fin ban in Hawaii

Support Critical Ocean Habitat for Sea Turtles

Support CITES proposal to list hammerheads, other species

Monterey Bay Aquarium will attempt to demystify the world of sharks this weekend - MontereyHerald.com :

Rise Above Plastics

Banning fin products in Hawaii and San Francisco

KFOG shark files

Sea Stewards White sharks

Party with the Sharks at the 7th Annual San Francisco Ocean Film Festival

Support our Oceans

Sharks and Sustainability: Films and Discussion 2/6

The Cove Event at the San Francisco Ocean Film Festival

Toro & Shark Fin: cousins in extinction?

Help Support Leatherback Habitat and Protections at Sea

San Francisco Wears Blue for the Ocean

Tell Obama: No on longlining

Establishing our new Marine National Monuments with MCBI

Shark Sanctuary San Francisco- Stop the Sale of Shark Fins and Products.

Saving Sea Turtles, Protecting Sharks: a support for Sanctuary

Shark fins traced to endangered populations

SEE Turtles in Bahia Magdalena

LA Times: Is Scientist taking great white shark research too far?

Tell Your Senator to Protect Sharks!

Letter to the Santuary Managers Protesting MCSI Methods

Shark is the New Dolphin

Hooking White sharks at the Farallones Responsible Science?

Got Fish? California- Fish Need Fresh Water.

San Francisco Sharktoberfest a Wrap!

First Rain: surfers beware

Are there really sharks in the San Francisco Bay?

It’s Sharktober at The Bay Institute/Aquarium of the Bay

Leave the fins on the shark

Palau creates world's first shark sanctuary

Top Chefs Shun Shark Fin Soup, But You Can Still Get it Anyway

Sharktober! A month long Celebration of sharks in San Francisco

Ocean Task Force Public Meeting in San Francisco 9/17

Celebrate the Shark: Sharktoberfest Oct 16 & 17

Take Action Fror Sharks- Support CITES proposals

Europe backs ban on tuna fishing as bluefin comes under threat - Times Online

Ocean Policy Task Force in San Francisco 9/17

Support water for fish

Longlining is not sustainable

Support Sharks: Support the Shark Conservation Act 2009

Cleaning up plastics in the oceans starts at home

Protecting Marine Mammals from Vessel Noise and Traffic in the Sanctuary

*China must adapt to EU rules on fishing, says study.*

China must adapt to EU rules on fishing, says study.