Shark Savers Blog

"This is Your Ocean: Sharks" now available on DVD

Written by: Shark Savers
July 3, 2012

An excellent film about sharks, produced by five of our friends is now available on DVD.

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Shark Savers responds to Charlie Lim of the Marine Products Association

Written by: Shark Savers
July 2, 2012

In recent months, we have seen an increase of messaging from the spokespeople of the shark fin trade. The information tends to be a clever mix of facts with baseless assertions so that misinformation appears to be plausible.

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Tags: I'm FINished with FINs Campaign

Shark Savers Urges Further Protections for Sharks in Australia

Written by: Shark Savers
June 28, 2012

Shark Savers has sent a letter to Australia’s Marine Reserve Division thanking them for the recent decision to expand their Marine Reserves and urging them to expand the level of protections for sharks.

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Tags: Haischutzgebiete Projekt

NY Shark Fin Bill: Passes the Assembly, but Senate Fails to Vote

Written by: Shark Savers
June 20, 2012

The New York bill to ban the shark fin trade, A.7707a/S.6431, missed its chance to pass into law this year.

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Tags: I'm FINished with FINs Campaign

Shark Savers and Coalition of Conservation Organizations Call for New CITES Listings

Written by: Shark Savers
June 12, 2012

In response to a request for comments on the Fish and Wildlife Services Federal Register, a coalition of shark and ray conservation organizations are urging increased protections for manta rays, mobula rays and several species of shark.

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Tags: Manta Ray of Hope Campaign

41 Leading Scientists Declare Shark Fin Trade "Not Sustainable"

Written by: Shark Savers Singapore
June 11, 2012

In an open letter to Singapore's Nominated Member of Parliament Nicholas Fang, forty-one leading scientists declared that the shark fin trade is "not sustainable" and denounced "recent misinformation perpetuated by the media" that said otherwise.

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Tags: I'm FINished with FINs Campaign

ACTION ALERT: Further Action Needed to Pass NY Shark Fin Ban!

Written by: Shark Savers
May 25, 2012

New York State residents only: Your help is needed to move the New York shark fin ban bill forward. The bill (A.7707a/S.6431) now needs the support from Commissioner Martens of the NY Department of Environmental Conservation before the legislative Environmental Conservation Committee will consider it for a vote.

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Tags: Action,I'm FINished with FINs Campaign

Shark Savers Malaysia Road Show for Kids

Written by: Jenny Chin
May 22, 2012

A puppet show, an animated movie about sharks and a coloring contest are part of a brand new collaboration with Silver Ant animation house aimed at teaching kids about sharks by Shark Savers Malaysia.

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Tags: I'm FINished with FINs Campaign,Shark Savers Malaysia

Shark Advocates Join New York City Council Member Margaret Chin to Rally for State Legislation to Protect Sharks and Oceans

Written by: Shark Savers
May 18, 2012

A coalition of animal welfare, environmental and conservation organizations joined City Council Member Margaret Chin, D-Lower Manhattan and other city and state legislators for a rally on City Hall steps to announce her resolution in support of the state legislation to end New York’s contribution to the dire collapse of shark populations worldwide.

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Tags: I'm FINished with FINs Campaign

ACTION ALERT: Join Us for a Shark Rally in NEW YORK CITY

Written by: Shark Savers
May 18, 2012

Please join Shark Savers and The Humane Society of the US for an important rally and press conference on City Hall steps in support of New York's efforts to protect sharks from the cruel and unsustainable shark fin trade.

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Tags: Action,I'm FINished with FINs Campaign

ACTION ALERT: Help Ban Shark Fins in Illinois!

Written by: Shark Savers
May 18, 2012

It will only take a quick phone call from you to help protect millions of sharks from the increasing demand for their fins.

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Tags: Action,I'm FINished with FINs Campaign

ACTION ALERT: Help Ban Shark Fins in New Jersey!

Written by: Shark Savers
May 18, 2012

Show your support for sharks by attending the Senate Economic Growth Committee meeting in New Jersey this Monday. This bill would ban the sale, trade, possession and distribution of shark fin has been introduced. We need to have as many people as possible there to show public support for the bill.

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Tags: Action,I'm FINished with FINs Campaign

New Children's Book Teaches Shark Conservation

Written by: Shark Savers
May 18, 2012

Professor Clark the Science Shark follows the life and adventures of an extraordinary tiger shark who wants to teach others about ocean ecosystems after he discovers his family was overfished.

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Shark Savers Team Tags Sharks with RJ Dunlap

Written by: Shark Savers
May 18, 2012

Saturday May 5, 2012 may have been a typical Cinco de Mayo for many people but Shark Savers’ team members Samantha Whitcraft and Jennah Caster, woke up at 5 a.m. to head down to the Florida Keys for a spectacular day of tagging sharks for research.

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Tags: SharksCount Campaign

Sharks Count at the Fort Lauderdale Museum of Art

Written by: Shark Savers
May 18, 2012

Shark Savers is honored to have our short, citizen-science conservation film, “Now, More Than Ever, Sharks Count” showing as part of the Museum of Art | Fort Lauderdale’s SHARK exhibit curated by acclaimed wildlife artist, author and environmentalist Richard Ellis.

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Tags: SharksCount Campaign

Celebrities pledge “I’m FINished” with Shark Fin at SharkAid 2012

Written by: Shark Savers
May 7, 2012

May 1, 2012, Singapore. Celebrities, artists and conservationists stood in unison to raise awareness about sharks and the negative impact of shark’s fin soup at SharkAid 2012, a free public concert held today at Cathay Cineleisure Orchard.

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Tags: I'm FINished with FINs Campaign

Shark Savers Launches I'm FINished with FINs Campaign at Asia Dive Expo

Written by: Shark Savers
April 11, 2012

Shark Savers is again participating at ADEX, the Asia Dive Expo that runs from April 13th to 15th at Hall A, Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Marina Bay Sands in Singapore.

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Tags: Manta Ray of Hope,I'm FINished with FINs Campaign

The Great Fiji Shark Count!

Written by: Shark Savers
April 11, 2012

Shark Savers is pleased to be both a sponsor and participant in the Great Fiji Shark Count. This ‘count’ is the first major partnership of our own recently initiated citizen science database of shark sightings as part of our SharksCount Program.

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Tags: Sharks Count

ACTION: Help Ban the Fin in New York!

Written by: Shark Savers
April 10, 2012

Please join Shark Savers at next Wednesday, April 18th’s 2012 New York State Humane Lobby Day in Albany, where we will join The Humane Society of the United States to urge New York state legislators to protect sharks from the shark fin trade and population depletion.

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Tags: Action,I'm FINished with FINs Campaign

New Patrol Boat for Raja Ampat Shark Sanctuary

Written by: Shark Savers
April 9, 2012

Shark Savers is excited to announce that sufficient funds have been raised to purchase a new patrol boat for the southern portion of the Raja Ampat Shark Sanctuary.

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Tags: Shark Sanctuaries Campaign

ACTION: Help pass the Maryland shark fin bill

Written by: Shark Savers
March 29, 2012

The Maryland shark fin bill passed the Senate, but we need your help with the House.

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Tags: Action,I'm FINished with FINs Campaign

Three Shark Savers’ conservation films selected for Beneath the Waves Film Festival

Written by: Shark Savers
March 19, 2012

The three films highlight Shark Savers’ conservation activities that include engaging divers in ‘citizen science’ in reporting of shark sightings, efforts to promote shark eco-tourism as a replacement for shark fishing/finning, and protecting manta and mobula rays from a relatively new trade in their gill rakers.

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Tags: Conservation,Education,Sharks Count

London Times article exposes ‘Shark Fin Godfather’

Written by: Shark Savers
March 15, 2012

On February 16th, Shark Savers participated in a debate in Singapore that was the first of its kind: Shark Savers and animal rights group ACRES vs. Dr. Giam Choo Hoo, called the “Shark Fin Godfather."

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Tags: Conservation,I'm FINished with FINs Campaign

Should shark fishing be banned in Sabah, Malaysia?

Written by: Shark Savers
March 12, 2012

Take the survey to tell the Sabah government, Yes, please ban shark fishing.

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Tags: Action,I'm FINished with FINs Campaign

ACTION - NY bill to ban the shark fin trade

Written by: Shark Savers
March 5, 2012

Call or write your Assembly Member and your State Senator. Urge them to Sponsor the bill to ban the shark fin trade.

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Tags: Action,I'm FINished with FINs Campaign

JAWSFEST "Summer for the Sharks"

Written by: Shark Savers
March 2, 2012

Martha’s Vineyard elementary and high school students and community groups will soon have a chance to increase their knowledge about sharks, thanks to a visit from marine conservation biologist Samantha Whitcraft of Shark Savers who is being hosted by MV Promotions Network. Ms. Whitcraft’s visit marks the launch of JAWSFEST’s “Summer for the Sharks” initiative to help raise awareness and funds for shark conservation.

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Tags: Education,Events,Press Release

Washington Post's Juliet Eilperin rebuts Wall Street Journal article on shark fin trade

Written by: Shark Savers
February 22, 2012

We recommend Juliet Eilperin's blog, Is the shark fin ban culturally biased? in today's Washington Post. Ms. Eilperin, national environmental reporter for the Washington Post, has weighed in on the Wall Street Journal - Asia blog of yesterday entitied, "Experts Swim Against the Current in Shark Fin Debate".

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New York Legislators Urged to Protect Sharks and Oceans

Written by: Shark Savers
February 21, 2012

The following is the press release for the next state bill to ban the shark fin trade: New York. Today, Shark Savers Executive Director Michael Skoletsky joined Assembly Members Maisel, Meng, and Rosenthal and coalition members (all of whom are quoted within the press release) at the studio of artist Peter Max to announce the bill. Thank you, Humane Society (HSUS and HSI) for organizing the event. We are also actively involved with bills introduced in other states, including Maryland and Illinois, and more states are preparing their bills. Stay tuned for action alerts to support these important bills to stop the shark fin trade.

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Oslob and the Whale Sharks

Written by: Shawn Heinrichs
February 21, 2012

A new blog and film by Shawn Heinrichs' of BlueSphereMedia. Shawn is a member of the Board of Directors of Shark Savers. This article and its accompanying film is about the Oslob whale sharks and the relatively new tourism that they are attracting. While there is a form of feeding of the whale sharks that some disagree with, we share Shawn's enthusiasm for diving with sharks as a means of conservation, and feel that the Oslob story is one our readers would be interested in. There has been a lot of controversy surrounding the recently “discovered” Oslob, Philippines whale shark situation because of the feeding of the sharks that accompanies the tourism.

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AN IMPORTANT DEBATE: The shark fin industry vs. shark fin bans

Written by: Shark Savers
February 18, 2012

A debate at Institute for South East Asian Studies (ISEAS), Singapore, February 2012. In the on-going battle between the shark fin industry and the conservationists dedicated to ending the decimation of shark populations, discourse was on the menu in Singapore last Thursday. Shark Savers was invited to participate in a seminar with the unfortunate title of: Shark’s Fin Soup Helps the Poor: Is the Fin Industry all that Bad?

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Aggressor and Dancer Fleet continues its support of ocean conservation and Shark Savers

Written by: Shark Savers
February 17, 2012

The leading SCUBA diving liveaboard fleets, Aggressor Fleet and Dancer Fleets, have been significant sponsors of Shark Savers programs since 2010. We are very appreciative of their support, especially because the Fleets are providing real leadership within the diving community by making a commitment to ocean conservation. Aggressor and Dancer Fleets have now begun to issue ocean conservation newsletters to all of its customer base and mailing list. We're very pleased that this first newsletter focuses on our recent Manta Ray of Hope report, that Shark Savers developed with WildAid. Click on the banner below to see the Aggressor and Dancer Fleets' new conservation newsletter.

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Shark Savers 2011 – A Year in Review

Written by: Shark Savers
January 27, 2012

It was a big year for shark conservation and the Shark Savers team, along with our members, partners, and wonderful volunteers who all helped make it a productive one. We launched new outreach programs, coordinated with a strong coalition to support the passing of important regulations, and completed a year-long study on the plight of manta rays. Below is a review of our campaigns’ progress and program outreach for 2011; and a sneak-peak at plans for 2012.

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Shark Fin Trade Myths and Truths: Bycatch

Written by: Mary O’Malley, Hannah Medd, and Samantha Whitcraft
January 27, 2012

In an effort to help guide the public conversation about protecting sharks and the shark fin trade, Shark Savers is producing a new monthly series of fact sheets directly addressing what is fact and what is not. For more information on any given subject, we’ll provide a list of references that support the facts. This month, we start with the issue of ‘bycatch’ and the shark fin trade. “Bycatch” is marine life caught unintentionally in a fishery that is targeting other, specific fish. Worldwide commercial fisheries discard an estimated 38.5 million tonnes of marine life, comprising over 40% of the estimated total global marine catch.

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The ‘million dollar manta’ being killed worldwide for unproven health tonics

Written by: Shark Savers
January 13, 2012

SAN FRANCISCO, CA and NEW YORK, NY (January 14, 2012) - Manta rays are so popular with divers and snorkelers that a single animal can 'earn' more than US$ 1 million over its lifetime for local eco-tourism, according to a new report issued by the Manta Ray of Hope Project. Despite their popularity and lucrative tourism value, the report provides shocking evidence that these graceful and gentle giants are rapidly disappearing due to extreme fishing pressure that is largely unknown by the general public or conservationists.

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Tags: Manta Ray of Hope Campaign

T’was a Shark-y Night before Christmas

Written by: Samantha Whitcraft
December 13, 2011

T’was the night before Christmas, when all through the seas All the creatures were swimming, at peace and at ease. The finners at dock, not catching a thing, A sea shanty of yore instead did they sing.

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Manta Rays receive first international protection from the Convention on Migratory Species of Wild Animals

Written by: Shark Savers
November 25, 2011

Shark Savers applauds the Convention on Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) on its agreement to list the giant manta ray (Manta birostris) on both its Appendix I and Appendix II, obligating its member countries to protect mantas and their habitats. The CMS is an international treaty organization and the only global convention specializing in the conservation of migratory species, their habitats and migration routes. Shark Savers also thanks the Ministry of the Environment of Ecuador for initiating and submitting the proposals to protect Manta birostris by listing them on both Appendices I and II of the CMS. The Manta Ray of Hope team assisted Ecuador’s CMS delegates in shaping the proposal and made available to all CMS delegates a condensed version of its forthcoming Manta Ray of Hope report, "Global State of Manta and Mobula Rays" and access to the Manta Ray of Hope short film prior to this week's CMS meeting in Bergen, Norway.

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Tags: Manta Ray of Hope Campaign

Shark Savers congratulates Florida, the first state to specifically protect hammerhead and tiger sharks

Written by: Shark Savers
November 16, 2011

After more than a year of conservation advocacy, scientific review, and community input, and based on their staffs’ recommendation, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) agreed to prohibit the harvest of three species of hammerhead sharks and tiger sharks in Florida water

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Shark Savers' Douglas Seifert's important article: A World Without Sharks

Written by: Shark Savers
October 27, 2011

In the November 2011 issue of DIVE magazine (UK), Shark Savers' Director Douglas Seifert makes the case that when we "Save the sharks, we save the oceans". Read why it is so important to put aside the hype about sharks and instead recognize how important the survival of sharks is to healthy oceans.

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New documentation shows extent of shark fin trade in Taiwan

Written by: Shark Savers
October 19, 2011

The Pew Environmental Group and Traffic released a critical report today, complete with extensive photo evidence, of large-scale shark fin processing in Taiwan. Bravo to Pew and Traffic for undertaking this research and making it available.

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Ban the Fin campaign in St. Louis to stop shark products at Dierbergs

Written by: Penny Miller and Samantha Whitcraft
October 18, 2011

Ban the Fin comes to St. Louis, Missouri, where Penny Miller has taken on the Dierbergs grocery store chain to encourage them to stop selling shark products. Penny has launched a Ban the Fin petition in her community directed to the Dierbergs company.

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California bans the shark fin trade as Governor Brown signs AB 376 into law

Written by: Shark Savers
October 7, 2011

Today, Governor Jerry Brown signed into law AB 376, which bans the sale and possession of shark fins in California. This is a great step forward for sharks and the oceans and we thank Governor Brown for his important action. California now becomes the largest economy in the world to outlaw the destructive shark fin trade. It is also the 4th state in the United States to ban shark fins, joining Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington state, effectively shutting down the West Coast of the United Sates as a port, distribution center, and market for the shark fin trade.

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Urge Governor Brown to Sign AB 376

Written by: Shark Savers
September 21, 2011

Within the next week, California Governor Jerry Brown will either sign, or veto, AB 376, the bill to ban the shark fin trade. We are in the final push to encourage him to sign the bill into law. We know that many of you have already sent in emails or letters. But, his staff has created a new contact form on his site to help them know who is for and who is against any measure. Let the Governor know that Californians want him to sign AB 376 into law! California Governor Jerry Brown's new contact form may be found here: http://govnews.ca.gov/gov39mail/mail.php

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Final Action for California AB-376-Write Governor Brown

Written by: Shark Savers
September 14, 2011

Californians, there is one final step required before AB 376 banning the possession, sale and trade of shark fins becomes law. The bill is now on the desk of Governor Jerry Brown awaiting his signature. Please write to Governor Brown and urge him to sign AB 376 into law.

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Hammerhead and Tiger sharks are one step away from full protection in Florida waters

Written by: Shark Savers
September 14, 2011

On Thursday, September 8, 2011 after more than a year of conservation advocacy, scientific review, and community input, and based on their staffs’ recommendation, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) approved a draft rule that would prohibit the harvest of three species of hammerhead sharks – great, smooth, and scalloped – and tiger sharks in Florida waters.

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Shark Savers congratulates California Senate for banning the shark fin trade

Written by: Shark Savers
September 6, 2011

Shark Savers is pleased to announce that the world’s embattled shark populations got a reprieve today as the California state Senate passed a historic bill to protect all shark species from the environmentally destructive shark fin trade. The bill passed the Senate by a vote of 25 to 9. It now moves to Governor Jerry Brown to be signed. The passing of AB 376 was an especially important vote as California represents the largest economy in the world to thus far take a strong stand against the shark fin trade. California joins with Hawaii, Washington and Oregon—states that already have shark fin bans in place—effectively closing down all remaining ports and markets of the United States west coast from contributing to the shark fin trade.

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California shark fin ban AB 376: Critical vote this week

Written by: Shark Savers
August 30, 2011

CALIFORNIA URGENT CALL TO ACTION We're finally in the home stretch. California AB 376, the bill to ban the shark fin trade will now go before the California Senate as early as Thursday, September 1st. This is the final opportunity to get the bill passed and on to Governor Brown’s desk before the current legislative session ends. It is critical that we do not let up in our fight to get this bill passed…because the opposition certainly has not!!! Passage is not assured at this time.

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California AB 376 Talking Points

Written by: Shark Savers
August 27, 2011

California AB 376 to be voted on by the Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday, August 25. California residents: If you haven't already done so, please contact your senators today.

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LUSH Cosmetics makes waves with campaign to end shark fin trade

Written by: Shark Savers
August 22, 2011

Lush Cosmetics once again joins Shark Savers on the campaign to ban the shark fin trade and consumption, following our successful collaboration in Hong Kong. The campaign will last a week, beginning August 22. In California, Lush and Shark Savers will work together to increase awareness and support for AB 376, the bill to ban the shark fin trade. In the remainder of the United States and Canada, we will similarly increase awareness of the issue as well as gather petition signatures to support future initiatives to ban the shark fin trade in other states and provinces. Visit Lush and see their campaign page, here. Here is Lush's press release:

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