• Coral Reefs: A Reef Reslience Toolkit Module, The Nature Conservancy - http://www.reefresilience.org/Toolkit_Coral/C8_RajaAmpat.html

Shark sightings in Raja Ampat have are becoming rare / effort has been shifting to juvenile sharks and mantas.

• Report on a rapid ecological assessment of the Raja Ampat Islands, Papua, Eastern Indonesia, held October 30 – November 22, 2002 - The Nature Conservancy / WWF, Final Draft November 2003  P. 18

• A Marine Rapid Assessment of the Raja Ampat Islands, Papua Province, Indonesia - RAP Program Bulletin of Biological Assessment 22 - 2002, Conservation International, Center for Applied Biodiversity Science, Dept. of Conservation Biology -- Sheila A. McKenna, Gerald R. Allen and Suer Suryadi, Editors

• Illegal, upreported and unregulated fisheries catch in Raja Ampat Regency, Eastern Indonesia, Marine Policy, Volume 34, Issue 2, March 2010, pages 228-236, Divya A. Varkey, Cameron H. Ainsworth, Tony J. Pitcher, Yohanis Goram and Rashid Sumaila, p. 234

• Manta Rays On Restaurant Menus As Shark Populations Plummet,May 22, 2009 TIMESONLINE.CO.UK

• The Hawaii Association for Marine Education and Research, Inc. -- Manta Ray - Manta birostris - (Hahalua), Preliminary Report: Manta Harvest in Lamakera. 2002, Report from the Pfleger Institute of Environmental Research and the Nature Conservancy. p. 3, Dewar, H.

• Fisheries Conservation Crisis in Indonesia: massive destruction of marine mammals, sea turtles and fish reported from trap nets in pelagic migratory channel, Anon, 1997.

Fins from baby sharks are worth approx. US$0.35 per fin 

• Marit Miners, Misool Eco Resort, Personal interviews with fishermen

Shark populations are crashing due to demand for shark fin soup.

• Perspectives: Social, Economic, and Regulatory Drivers of the Shark Fin Trade, SHELLEY CLARKE E.J. MILNER-GULLAND Imperial College London, Marine Resource Economics, Volume 22, pp. 305–327 - 2007

• You can swim but you can't hide: the global status and conservation of oceanic pelagic sharks and rays, Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems (2008), NICHOLAS K. DULVY, JULIA K. BAUM, SHELLEY CLARKE, LEONARD J. V. COMPAGNO, ENRIC CORTES, ANDRES DOMINGO, SONJA FORDHAM, SARAH FOWLER, MALCOLM P. FRANCIS, CLAUDINE GIBSON, JIMMY MARTINEZ, JOHN A. MUSICK, ALEN SOLDO, JOHN D. STEVENS and SARAH VALENTIN.

• The Conservation Status of Pelagic Sharks and Rays: Report of the IUCN Shark Specialist Group, Pelagic Shark Red List Workshop – 2007, Compiled and edited by:  Merry D. Camhi, Sarah V. Valenti, Sonja V. Fordham, Sarah L. Fowler and Claudine Gibson

• The International Trade of Shark Fins: Endangering Shark Populations Worldwide - Oceana CITES Report - March 2010
  

• Shark Finning: unrecorded wastage on a global scale, Sept. 2003 A Report by WildAid and Co-Habit

• Review of Fisheries and Processes Impacting Shark Populations of the World, By Terence I. Walker - Marine and Freshwater Resources Institute, PO Box 114, Queenscliff, Victoria, Australia 3225

An estimated 73 million sharks are killed annually worldwide.

• Global estimates of shark catches using trade records from commercial markets, Ecology Letters, (2006), Shelley C. Clarke,  Murdoch K. McAllister, E. J. Milner-Gulland, G. P. Kirkwood, Catherine G. J. Michielsens, David J. Agnew, Ellen K. Pikitch, Hideki Nakano and Mahmood S. Shivji

Some shark populations have declined by 90% or more.

• Cascading top-down effects of changing oceanic predator abundances, Journal of Animal Ecology. Vol. 78. p. 699. Baum & Worm. 2009.

• Cascading Effects of the Loss of Apex Predatory Sharks from a Coastal Ocean, Science. Vol. 315. P. 1846. Myers et al. 2007.

• Collapse and Conservation of Shark Populations in the Northwest Atlantic, Science, Volume 299. Julia K. Baum,* Ransom A. Myers, Daniel G. Kehler, Boris Worm, Shelton J. Harley, Penny A. Doherty, 2003.

Sharks are vital to the health of health of coral reefs and fish stocks, such as tuna.

• The effects of fishing on sharks, rays, and chimaeras (chondrichthyans), and the implications for marine ecosystems, ICES Journal of Marine Science, 57: 476–494.See p. 488 for the tuna reference. Stevens, J. D., Bonfil, R., Dulvy, N. K., and Walker, P. A. 2000

• Sharks are vital for coral reef health, New Scientist, April 23, 2005, Enric Sala, Scripps Institute of Oceanography

• Enric Sala: Glimpses of a pristine ocean, TED Presenation: A healty coral reef stores 85% of its biomass in the form of sharks.

• Predicting ecological consequences of marine top predator declines, A Summary of New Scientific Analysis:  Heithaus, M.r, Frid, a., Wirsing, a.j and Worm, B. 2008. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 23(4):202–210.

• The role of sharks in the ecosystem, Mike Bennett 2005, School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, 4072 Australia

• Coupled changes in structure and function in reef fish assemblages: how predators increase fisheries production, Sandin, S. A. Scripps Institution of Oceanography, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-0202

• Ecologically justified charisma: preservation of top predators delivers biodiversity conservation, Journal of Applied Ecology 2006, FABRIZIO SERGIO, IAN NEWTON,LUIGI MARCHESI, and PAOLO PEDRINI

• High apex predator biomass on remote Pacific islands, Charlotte Stevenson, Laure S. Katz, Fiorenza Micheli, Barbara Block, Kimberly W. Heiman, Chris Perle, Kevin Weng, Robert Dunbar, Jan Witting

• Ongoing Collapse of Coral-Reef Shark Populations, Current Biology 16, 2314–2319, December 5, 2006, William D. Robbins, Mizue Hisano, Sean R. Connolly, and J. Howard Choat

• Predators as Prey: Why Healthy Oceans Need Sharks, Griffin, E., Miller, K.L., Freitas, B. and Hirshfield, M. July 2008

• Fish Conservation: A Guide to Understanding & Restoring Global Aquatic Biodiversity & Fishery Resources, Helfman, 2007 

• Cascading Effects of the Loss of Apex Predatory Sharks from a CoastalOcean, Science. Vol. 315. P. 1846. Ransom A. Myers et al. 2007.

• Cascading top-down effects of changing oceanic predator abundances, Journal of Animal Ecology. Vol. 78. p. 699. Baum & Worm. 2009.

• Loss of top predators causing surge in smaller predators, ecosystem collapse, Oregon State University, William Ripple  

• Direct and indirect fishery effects on small coastal elasmobranchs in the northern Gulf of Mexico, Travis D. Shepherd and Ransom D. Myers.

• Status and Conservation of Oceanic Pelagic sharks, Dulvy et al. 2008

• Long-term declines in Two Apex Predators, Bull Sharks (Carcharhinus leucas) and Alligator Gar (Atractosteus spatula) in Lake Pontchartrain, an Oligohaline estuary in SE LA., O’Connell et al. 2007

• Effects of Losing Top Predators - Predicting ecological consequences of marine top predator declines, Lenfest Ocean Program, A summary of new scientific analysis, Heithaus, Wirsing, Worm 2008

Observational reports that protection of sharks in Palau is leading to greater biodiversity

• Based on a conversation with an official with the Palau Mission to the United Nations

Characteristics of shark and manta reproduction

• State of the Mantas, http://www.mantas.org/documents/State-of-the-Mantas-2002.pdf

• The Hawaii Association for Marine Education and Research, Inc., Manta Ray - Manta birostris - (Hahalua) http://www.hamerhawaii.com/Main%20Web%20Pages/Education/Marine%20Life/Rays/manta_rays.htm

• Fishes of the western North Atlantic. Sawfishes, guitarfishes, skates, rays, and chimaeroids. Memorial Sears Foundation Mar. Res., 1953. 1: p. 500-514. Bigelow, H. and W.C. Schroeder

• Biology of the Manta ray, Manta birostris Walbaum, in the Indo-Pacific, Homma, K., et al., ed. B. Seret and J.Y. Sire. 1999, Paris (France): Societe Francaise d'Ichtyologie.

• Manta Ray, Australian Geographic. 2002. p. 40-64. Ginis, L.

• Data on the bycatch fishery and reproductive biology of mobulid rays (Myliobatiformes) in Indonesia, Fisheries Research, 2006. White, W.T., et al.

• Problems in the rational exploitation of elasmobranch populations and some suggested solutions, Sea fisheries research, F.R.H. Jones, Editor. 1974, Wiley and Sons: New york. p. 117-137. Holden, M.J.,

• Manta Rays, Mozambique, Andrea Marshall - http://www.saveourseas.com/manta-rays-mozambique

• The Conservation Status of Pelagic Sharks and Rays: Report of the IUCN Shark Specialist Group, Pelagic Shark Red List Workshop, 2007, Compiled and edted by Merry D. Camhi, Sarah V. Valenti, Sonja V. Fordham, Sarah L. Fowler and Claudine Gibson

• Sharks, rays and chimearas: the status of the Chondrichthyan fishes, Sarah L. Fowler 2005

• Sharks Beware, Peter Klimley, American Scientist

• Maldives to ban reef shark fishing by March 2010, The East African (Newspaper article), http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/-/2558/667720/-/qy9ux0z/-/index.html, Dr Hussein Rasheed Hassan, Maldives Minister of State for Fisheries and Agriculture speaking at South West Indian Ocean Fisheries Commission steering committee meeting in Mombasa: "In Maldives, sharks have a particularly valuable role in the tourism industry, which generates some 30 per cent of the country's GDP. According to surveys, about 30 per cent of tourists visit the Maldives for its underwater marine life, with viewing sharks and manta rays as their top priorities."

• SEA THE VALUE: Quantifying the value of marine life to divers, by Lisa White Dr. Lisa Campbell, Advisor May 2008, "Survey respondents were asked to rank their desire to see seven types of marine life, with 1 being the organism they wanted to see the most while diving and 7 being the organism they wanted to see the least. Sharks received the most number one votes."

• Sharks help live-aboard dive boats rake in tourism dollars, Press Release from the Australian Government Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. "The live-aboard dive boat industry in Cairns and Port Douglas is worth at least $16 million per annum to the region, according to scientific research results that will be announced at the Annual Conference of the Marine and Tropical Sciences Research Facility (MTSRF)."
  
  "The results also showed that live-aboard divers travelling to Osprey Reef valued shark sightings more highly than sightings of other wildlife."

• Recreational aspects of the tiger shark diving industry within the Aliwal Shoal Marine Protected Area, South Africa, M. L. DICKEN and S. G. HOSKING. "Tiger shark diving was the predominant attraction for 66% of participants in visiting the Aliwal Shoal MPA."

The value of shark and manta tourism

The Maldives:

• The economics of shark and ray watching in the Maldives, Charles Anderson and Ali Waheed, 
Marine Research Centre, Malé, Republic of Maldives, July 2001, http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/organizations/ssg/sharknews/sn13/shark13news19.htm

• Economic value of 'marine ecotourism' in the Maldives, Bay of Bengal news. Madras [Bay Bengal News]. Vol. 2, no. 12, p. 23. 1998. Ali Waheed.

• Maldives to ban reef shark fishing by March 2010, The East African (Newspaper article), http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/-/2558/667720/-/qy9ux0z/-/index.html

• The Shark Fisheries of the Maldives, A review by R.C. Anderson and Hudha Ahmed 1993

• Maldives Imposes Shark Hunting Ban, Release from President's Office Press Office, Republic of the Maldives, March 5, 2009

Yap:

• Tourism, Traditional Culture and Autonomy in a Small Island: Yap Faces a New Millenium, Kagoshima University Research Center for the Pacific Islands, Occasional Papers No.34, 15-24, 2001, Part 1, Report 2.  The Progress Report of the 1999 Survey of the Research Project “Social Homeostasis of Smal Islands in an Island-zone”

Hawaii:

• Manta Ray, Manta birostris (Hahalua), The Hawaii Association for Marine Education and Research, Inc.

Palau:

• World's first shark sanctuary created by Pacific island of Palau, The Times UK, Sept. 26, 2009

• The Shark Watching Industry and its Potential Contribution to Shark Conservation , Journal of Ecotourism. Vol. 4, no. 2, pp. p. 108. 2005, Topelko, K N | Dearden, P

• Sharks, rays and chimearas: the status of the Chondrichtyhan Fishes, by Sarah L. Fowler, Rachel D. Cavanagh, Merry Camhi, George Burgess, Gregor M. Caillet, Sonja V. Fordham, Colin A. Simpfendorfer and John A. Musick.  2005  IUCN / SSC Shark Specialist Group -- p. 119

Books and Studies  - Not country specific:

• SEA THE VALUE: Quantifying the value of marine life to divers, Lisa White Dr. Lisa Campbell, Advisor May 2008

• The Encylopedia of Tourism and Recreation in Marine Environments, by Michael Luck  p. 431

• Diving with Giants, by Jack Jackson p. 71

• Marine Ecotourism: between the devil and the deep blue sea, Carl Cater, Erlet Cater, 2007, p. 259

• New frontiers in marine tourism: diving experiences, Brian Garrod, Stefan Gossling 2008, p. 64

• Marine Wildlife and tourism management, James E.S. Higham, Michael Luck 2008 p. 65

• Elasmobranch Biodiveristy, conservation and management, Sarah L. Fowler, Tim M. Reed, Frances Dipper 2002 - p. 5

Australia:

• Falling Shark Numbers Puts Bite on Tourism. SHARKS are worth more alive than dead as new research shows the ocean predators draw a healthy chunk of the tourist dollar, James Cook University Study, Australian Associated Press, October 20, 2009

• Whale Shark Tagging and Ecotourism, H.E. Newman and A.J. Medcraft, Newman Biomarine Pte Ltd, 14 Hyde Park Gate, Singapore, J.G. Colman, Marine Conservation Branch, Department of Conservation and Land Management, 47 Henry Street, Fremantle, WA6160, Australia

• The Role of Protected Areas in Elasmobranch Fisheries Management and Conservation, John Stevens, CSIRO, Division of Marine Research, G.P.O. Box 1538, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia

• Diving Australia: A Guide to the Best Diving Down Under , "The World's First Protected Shark: The Grey Nurse Shark", Neville Coleman, Nigel Marsh.

The Bahamas:

• Shark Diving Overview for the Islands of the Bahamas, Bahamas Diving Association, March 2008

South Africa:

• Marine-based Tourism in Gansbaai: A Socio-economic Study, Final Report, Prepared for the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEAT) by Programme for Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS), University of the Western Cape (UWC), Project Manager: Mafaniso Hara Principal Researcher: Irma Maharaj Consultant: Linda Pithers

• Recreational aspects of the tiger sharks diving industry within the AliwaSoul Shoal Marine Protected Area, South Africa , M.L. Dicken and S.G. Hosking

• South Africa's Great White Shark, Thomas P. Peschak, Michael C. Scholl 2007 - p. 65

Fiji:

• The Shark Reef Marine Reserve: a marine tourism project in Fiji involving local communities, Juerg M. Brunnschweiler∗ ETH Zurich, Raemistrasse 101, Zurich, Switzerland, (Received 8 August 2008; final version received 6 May 2009)

Honduras:

• Conversation with Peter Wilcox of Shark Legacy Project

Mozambique:

• DIVING TOURISM IN MOZAMBIQUE – AN OPPORTUNITY AT RISK?, Yara Tibiriçá, Alastair Birtles, Peter Valentine & Dean K. Miller, James Cook University

Belize:

• Whale Sharks, Rachel Graham 2004

Galapagos:

• Swimming with Sharks - Scuba Diving in the Galapagos Islands, Teresa Hotchkin

Egypt - Red Sea:

• Red Sea Sharks, Jeremy Stafford-Deitsch 1999 - p. 40

Mexico:

• Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation, MAS Capstone Research 2008: A Case Study of the Revillagigedo Achipelago, http://cmbc.ucsd.edu/Research/student_research/Revillagigedos_capstone/  Scripps Institution of Oceanography:

Philippines:

• ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF PROTECTING WHALE SHARKS, Report for the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) Australia. November 2007, Brad Norman and James Catlin

• Swimming with sharks saves lives, Arwa Damon, CNN, June 7, 2010, http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/06/04/eco.whale.shark/?hpt=C2

Shark and manta fishing largely illegal, unreported, and coming from outside Raja Ampat

• Report on a rapid ecological assessment of the Raja Ampat Islands, Papua, Eastern Indonesia, held October 30 – November 22, 2002, The Nature Conservancy / WWF - Final Draft November 2003 - P. 18

• Illegal, upreported and unregulated fisheries catch in Raja Ampat Regency, Eastern Indonesia, Marine Policy, Volume 34, Issue 2, March 2010, pages 228-236, Divya A. Varkey, Cameron H. Ainsworth, Tony J. Pitcher, Yohanis Goram and Rashid Sumaila, p. 234