Shark Conservation Tipping Point

Rob Stewart and Shawn Heinrichs on Saipan with local conservationists.

Rob Stewart, director of Sharkwater and Revolution, has thrown his hat into the effort to keep the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration from overturning the state and territory shark fin trade bans.  This letter appears in newspapers on Saipan and Guam:

To my friends in Saipan, Guam, and the United States of America:

I am disappointed that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has proposed language in rules implementing the Shark Conservation Act that would overturn hard fought shark protection measures in the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and other states and territories.

The story of the passage of the law in the Northern Mariana Islands is a highlight of my new film Revolution, so believe me when I say that your stories have inspired the world because I have seen it firsthand. You may be disappointed in this dark hour, but I hope I can offer some encouragement.

Your stories inspire because there was no guarantee you would win. Saipan was only the second place in the world to ban shark fins. Guam was only the third. And you worked hard for those wins. You wrote letters. You signed petitions. You met with lawmakers and begged your governors for their support. And it worked. The world is beginning to follow your lead.

And now you have to work again to protect your sharks. Now is not the time to backtrack on progress. It won’t be easy and there is no guarantee you will win, but I expect you to give it your all.

The federal government is accepting comments on their proposed rule until July 9. Go write some letters. Sign a petition. Contact your leaders. Many of you are voters now. Make your voice heard.

The last time you rose up to protect sharks you overcame the opposition of those who think sharks only have value in a bowl of soup. I believe you can do it again.

Sincerely,

Rob Stewart

You can help Rob protect sharks by signing the petitions of the Pew Charitable Trusts and Oceana. We are also compiling letters and will ensure that they are received by the right people.  The official announcement in the Federal Register contains instructions on how to submit your letter using an online form, fax, or mail, but we encourage you to send us a copy of your letter at info@sharkdefenders.com.  If you need help, we can send you talking points.  You can also use some of the information found on the Pew Charitable Trusts petition or our previous blog on this issue.

Manta Reina & Miss Scuba International

Onon and Leah with Jamie at our booth at CITES.

Miss Scuba International Jamie Piyada Monmaneerat dropped us a note recently to let us know what she's been up to since the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in Bangkok this past March.

"Leah gave me Manta Reina and I promised to take her with me on my Ms. Scuba journey. Here are some photos of Manta Reina and me during some of my missions in saving our ocean. She is now my extra dive buddy, who I introduce to everyone I meet on the diving boat.   She is a permanent resident in my BCD pocket and she travels with me wherever and whenever I go diving."

"I came across The Adventures of Shark Stanley and Friends story book during the Thailand Dive Expo and I completely fell in love with it!  Education and raising awareness are the most important things and they are our last answers to survival, our hope to help us maintain what we have left right now. "

"I travel to coastal communities in Thailand to educate the local children as the ocean is their front and backyard, so we need to educate them and raise the awareness and their love for their home."

"Lastly, I would like to thank you and all members of Shark Defenders for all your hard work and efforts to protect our ocean and our ocean friends, I am truly inspired by you all."

US Congress Asks for Extension of Comment Period on Shark Conservation Act

The United States Congress has asked the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to extend the deadline for commenting on proposed rules implementing the Shark Conservation Act.  It makes sense to extend the deadline considering the large number of states and territories affected, as well as the time needed to conduct legal analyses.  The current deadline comes the day after July 4 weekend, when many Americans are traveling to celebrate 238 years of freedom and liberty.

We encourage you to sign the petitions of The Pew Charitable Trusts, Oceana, and Humane Society International.  They are leading a coalition of organizations working to keep USA shark laws from being undermined.  We also encourage you to write a letter directly to NOAA.

Micronesian States Vote to Declare Shark Sanctuaries

Yap State includes two dozen coral atolls and raised coral islands stretching across approximately 800 kilometers (500 miles) of Western Pacific Ocean.

Great news from The Pew Charitable Trusts:

Pohnpei and Yap, two of the Federated States of Micronesia, or FSM, are moving to declare their waters shark sanctuaries. Each state’s senate has voted to ban the fishing, sale, trade, and possession of sharks within its waters. The governors of each—John Ehsa of Pohnpei and Sebastian Anefal of Yap—are expected to sign the measures into law. With these new shark protections in place, Chuuk would be the only FSM state to allow shark fishing.

Angelo Villagomez of The Pew Charitable Trusts with Mary Linda Salvador and Eugene Joseph of the Conservation Society of Pohnpei.

“The senators and community members who worked for two years on these laws are to be commended for taking this important step in protecting sharks,” said Angelo Villagomez, a shark conservation expert with The Pew Charitable Trusts. “Yap and Pohnpei are critical for ending the unsustainable fishing of sharks in the Pacific.”

The islands of Pohnpei are ringed by coral reefs.  Sharks play an important role in maintaining healthy reefs.  Protections allows sharks to fill their ecological niche as apex predators, helping to maintain ocean health.

These actions by the two states move the region a step closer to the creation of the Micronesia Regional Shark Sanctuary, which would prohibit commercial fishing of sharks across a swath of ocean nearly as large as the European Union. The effort began at a 2011 meeting of the Micronesian Chief Executive Summit. There, the governors and presidents of the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of Palau, the Territory of Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands agreed to create contiguous sanctuaries across the islands’ exclusive economic zones. Once Chuuk and the national government of the FSM implement their sanctuaries, the regional sanctuary will stretch across about 6.5 million square kilometers (2.5 million square miles) of the Pacific.

The Federated States of Micronesia patrol their waters and regularly arrest illegal fishing vessels.  This vessel was apprehended for fishing without its VMS

To help in enforcement of shark protections, the Federated States of Micronesia has signed a “shiprider” pact with the United States that allows its officers to conduct fisheries enforcement with the support of the U.S. Coast Guard. The Pew Charitable Trusts also helps conduct enforcement trainings for governments that have banned commercial fishing for sharks.

Map: Micronesia Regional Shark Sanctuary
Note: Once Chuuk and the national government of the Federated States of Micronesia implement a sanctuary, the regional sanctuary will stretch across about 6.5 million square kilometers (2.5 square miles) of Pacific Ocean.