EcoWatch
17
DOOMED FROM
THE BEGINNING, the most evolved apex predator
in the sea
emerged as a menacing villain
by name and reputation. Prior to 1570,
the shark was
known as the tiburon, a name
taken from the Spanish. Soon tiburon was
replaced by the German
word shurke (meaning knave
or villain) which then evolved into the
modern name shark.With a name born from
such malevolence, is it any wonder that
sharks are so misunderstood?
Like most kids, I grew
up believing that sharks were evil creatures
to be hated and feared. I
can only hope my childhood
playmates do not operate longliners or
sportfish sharks as a result
of our maligned upbringing.
It wasn’t until I watched sharks
being wastefully massacred that my
fear of them turned into compassion.
In the following pages, you will gain
insight into some of
the efforts to restore
sharks as a natural, necessary
component in the great circle of life.
I urge
you to support these organizations,
not only to save the sharks, but also
to preserve the oceans
and their marine life for our
children. — Jenna Cavelle, Environmental
Affairs |
Ocean
Revolution
“There
are some revolutions which humanity accomplishes
without quite knowing how,
because it is everybody who takes
them in hand.”
- John F. Kennedy
Join the new wave of youth ocean
protection and help
us grow the OCEAN
REVOLUTION by purchasing your
wristbands today! Early reviews suggest
they're quite hip and
draw tremendous attention to the
cause!
The wristbands come in batches
of 25 at $1 each. You can give
away or resell them to support OCEAN
REVOLUTION. Keep the
momentum of the wave rolling! Ocean
Revolutionary Oswaldo Perez
Puerto San Carlos, BCS hopes to “create
a habit of conscience,
the protection and exploitation of
natural resources, in each
human being that lives on this planet.”
We are asking people to wear their
OCEAN REVOLUTION
wristbands until World Oceans Day
2005 (June 8th) to show their
passion, support and interest in
ocean protection. We launch
www.oceanrevolution.org
on that day. At a recent meeting in Baja, the
international O C E A N R E V O L
U T I O N Youth Leadership Council
their goal at sharing a hopeful message
about our oceans as widely
possible through word of mouth, wristbands,
stickers, magazines,
television, radio and internet. Let's
help them!
To purchase OR wristbands and
stickers, send requests
and $1 for each band or
sticker (minimum of 25) to:
OCEAN REVOLUTION
C/O WALLACE J. NICHOLS
POB 324 • DAVENPORT, CA 95017
Be sure to indicate ADULT or YOUTH
size and SPANISH or
ENGLISH stickers. You can also follow
the links on
www.oceanrevolution.org
to order online.
Wallace "J."
Nichols, PhD
Director, Pacific Ocean Region Blue Ocean Institute
Research Associate, California Academy of Sciences
Post Office Box 324 • Davenport, CA 95017
tel: 831.426.0337
email: jnichols@blueocean.org
www.oceanrevolution.org
OCEAN REVOLUTION
is an international youth-led program developed
to
connect, inspire and empower a new
wave of young leaders
to protect our oceans. Oceans offer
us unmatched beauty, abundance, diversity,
and recreation and are among our
planet's most precious
resources. However, recent studies
couldn’t be clearer:
actions to safeguard our
oceans and the life within must be
taken immediately.
IEMANYA
OCEANICA
Working with Shark Fisherman and Their Communities
NOT
TOO LONG AGO, conservation
was considered a dirty word
amongst anyone other than the staunchest
eco-warrior. Local businessmen and
local
communities would often run for cover
at
the thought of conservation projects
ruining their livelihoods. In Baja
California,
the concept of preservation was often
left to some foreign “do-gooder”
conservationist.
It would commonly result in a trip
home, cut short by “la migra,”.
Thankfully, scientists and conservation
groups have learned that conservation
has
a far greater impact than just saving
animals, if you are wise enough to
take a
global view and act locally. It’s
is all about
saving entire ecosystems.
Local fishing communities here
in Baja
California are an excellent example
of a
community reliant on natural resources
in
order to survive. In Baja, 90% of
elasmobranches
(sharks) that are fished are used
for national consumption. Fins and
skins
are commonly exported shark products.
Shark fisheries comprise the 10th
largest
industry in Mexico. A recent two-year
intensive study conducted by shark
biologist
Dr. Robert Hueter indicates that
at least 20
million sharks are killed in the
Gulf of California
each year. That’s 20% of the
FAO
estimate of world catch! These fisheries
have
grown tremendously in the last decade
and
as with many fisheries, the size
of the catch
has been depleted such that an estimated
80% of sharks caught in the Gulf
region are
pre-reproductive juveniles. Shark
populations
in Mexico are plummeting and are
in
serious trouble.
Sharks are particularly vulnerable
to
overexploitation because they mature
slowly
and have very low reproductive rates
compared to other fish. Many apex
predators are slow in developing
sexually.
Considering that sharks are migratory
and
travel all over the world without
concern for
borders or immigration laws, protecting
sharks in North America won’t
do much
good if they just migrate down the
border
and become free game.
IEMANYA OCEANICA is a US based
Non-Profit 501(c)(3) working on the
conservation
of sharks and rays in Mexico and
the
United States. IEMANYA is comprised
of a
team of Mexican, American, Canadian
and
English marine biologists, educators,
fishermen and filmmakers. IEMANYA’s
community-based conservation effort
is the
PESCADORES Y TIBURONES program,
focused on the formation of a strong
network
of local artisanal fishermen with
the goal of
sustainable fishing and the conservation
of
sharks and rays. The program addresses
the
socio-economic consequences of shark
conservation
by working together will local
communities to find solutions for
coping in
their struggle with growing economic
demands in the face of diminishing
resources.
Diagnostic assessments are helping
find alternative
economic activities, for example,
eco-tourism and aquaculture. The
next step
will be providing funding and education
to
form other sustainable businesses
and better
manage existing businesses.
A large part of the program is
shark and
marine environmental education. This
aspect of the program empowers the
fishing
communities to manage their fisheries
in a
sustainable manner and encourage
participation
in conservation efforts. The
IEMANYA team gives educational lectures
and conducts community activities
to instill
a conservation ethic in adults and
children.
In addition, public service announcements
within the local media and documentary
videos, produced by IEMANYA, serve
as an
additional educational tool.
The network involves communities
in
shark research, scientific analysis
and dissemination
of findings relevant to
management solutions. Other activities
such
as collecting accurate catch data
will aid in
more objective advice to craft policies
that
support sustainable use of the rich
marine
resources of Baja California. Most
importantly,
all aspects of this program stimulate
much needed collaborative efforts
between
scientists, policy makers, law enforcement
and the local fishing communities
to
promote sustainable fishing of sharks
and
rays throughout Mexico.
To keep up to date with the project,
or to
learn more about IEMANYA, please
visit
www.iemanya.org.
You may also show your
support by adopting a shark at www.adoptashark.com.
— Luke Inman
Click here to download
a Pdf of this article Featured in Baja Life
Magazine.
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