Earlier in the week, the 178 nations at the world’s biggest wildlife summit voted for strictly controlled permits to export the fins of oceanic whitetip, porbeagle and three species of hammerhead shark (great, smooth and scalloped). The millions of sharks killed every year to feed the vast appetite for shark-fin soup in Asia now have greater protection.  The decision to increase the protection for sharks had only scraped past the two-thirds majorities of votes and campaigners had been extremely concerned that China and Japan, the main opponents to the measures, would be able to gather the one-third support needed to re-open the debate and block the decision. Much to everyone’s relief, they failed by just over 1%.

The new measures means that those fishing for oceanic whitetip, porbeagle and the three species of hammerhead will now require strictly controlled permits to export their fins. This decision was seen as a landmark move due to previous attempts to protect marine species having failed. This is largely due to strong opposition from China and Japan, with Hong Kong at the central hub of this global trade and where 50% of all fins end up. Ten million kilogram’s of shark fins are shipped to its port every year, from 83 countries, with Spain and Indonesia being the two main sources.

The fins of the scalloped hammerhead are among the most valuable of all and it is estimated that 2 million a year are killed. They are one of the rare sharks that school together, making it easier to catch large numbers.  Manta rays also won new protection against exports at the CITES summit, backed by 80% of the voting nations. They are easy to catch but extremely slow to reproduce, due to their biological characteristics of having few young, maturing late, and being long lived (a characteristic shared with sharks). Their populations are being devastated off Sri Lanka and Indonesia to feed a newly created Chinese medicine market. It is claimed their gill plates, used to filter food from the ocean, can treat a range of health complaints from asthma to cancer, all of which are scientifically unproven.

It is important to point out that the new proposals do not ban international trade of shark fins, but regulate it only. This will hopefully allow more control in gaining a better assessment of shark populations. However, a major on-going problem that CITES faces is that it relies upon its member parties to work collectively in combating illegal trade. Yet many member countries often implement their own rules and some have been known to not comply with the regulations set down under the CITES treaty. It is known that some member countries accept bribes and avoid the ‘red-tape’ and documentation required for the shipment of species.

Many endangered species are found in developing countries and are exported to affluent developed nations (the importers). This would place most emphasis on the exporting country, where often under-funded, ill-equipped and poorly trained people are required to implement the system. This is an important reason for the imposition of import controls, as currently the control of trade in Appendix II species is left entirely to the discretion of the exporting country; the importing country is only required to ensure that a permit accompanies each imported shipment. Multi-national management decisions often ignore scientific advice in favour of politics. CITES is no exception, trying to strike a balance between conservation and economics. Exporting countries should be offered incentives towards the enforcement of regulations and be offered more support in implementing the permit system.

Considering the scale of the problem of the global shark fin trade and the latest report that was published ahead of the CITES meeting in which scientists estimated that over 100 million sharks are being killed every year, representing 6-8% of all sharks and far above a sustainable level, we feel the measures have not gone far enough. Despite the recognition of this problem nearly 15 years ago and the FAO’s creation of an International Plan of Action for Sharks, progress has been disappointing. Many of the biggest shark fishing nations do not yet have their own management plans and few of those that do exist, are enforced, or are in practice. The conservation and management of shark populations must be better implemented at a national level if progress is to be made. We would like to see more species of shark added to the CITES list and the five species recently added to Appendix II upgraded to the Appendix I species list, as we feel that these animals are now threatened with extinction. Animals included on the Appendix I species list are subject to strict regulation and permits are only authorized in exceptional circumstances.

The study, carried out by North American scientists, was published in the Journal of Marine Policy earlier this year. While reporting on shark catches is improving, there are still many countries that do not report their catches to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).  As a result, estimates of annual shark deaths are difficult to produce accurately. However, using the best data available on: global reported catches, estimates of unreported landings of sharks, discards and sharks caught and thrown back to sea after their fins were removed (a process known as shark finning), led to evidence for a number between 63 and 273 million sharks killed in 2010. The final estimate for 2010 is 97 million which is slightly less than the estimated 100 million reported back in 2000, when the first global study was carried out on shark populations.

Since the last major study in 2000, the global community has become much more aware of the plight of sharks. All the key marine conservation organisations and professional bodies have been campaigning and lobbying for better protection for sharks. In 2006, the controversial film, Sharkwater, made by Canadian film maker, Rob Stewart, was released further highlighting the global shark finning issue, and the need for better protection for this vulnerable group of animals.

Sharks are caught for their fins for use in shark fin soup, a delicacy in Asia. The fins are cut off with often the live carcass being thrown back into the sea. Sharks are particularly vulnerable to over-exploitation due to their biological characteristics of having few young, maturing late (up to 25 years), and being long lived. This is known as a ‘k’ life history strategy and is distinct from an ‘r’ life history strategy (many young, quick maturation and relatively short lives). As a result, when their numbers are reduced significantly, even if fishing mortality stops, they will take many years to recover, if at all.

The news of this latest report will come as a crushing blow to the many shark campaigners, lobbyers and supporters. It was just four months ago, in November 2012, when there was cause for celebration with Members of the European Parliament (MEP’s) overwhelmingly voting in favour of changes to EU laws to close loopholes in current fishing policy and strengthen the protection for sharks. The vote was won by 566 votes to 47 (with 16 abstentions), despite strong opposition from Spain and Portugal. However, this small victory might too late for global shark numbers and The EU is only part of a much wider global problem. Outside EU waters, commercial fisheries for fins, meat, liver oil, cartilage and other body parts are largely unregulated.

This latest research strengthens the message of conservation organisations around the world that CITES can help protect vulnerable shark species from further declines and the risk of extinction over the coming decades. The CITES meeting is set to consider greater protection for species including the oceanic whitetip, porbeagles and three species of hammerhead.  Under the proposals put forward by the CITES meeting, the five shark species could be listed under “Appendix II”, which would ensure that any international trade in them is sustainable and legal.

A previous attempt to have the trade in some species of shark monitored and regulated under the CITES treaty narrowly failed at their last meeting held in Qatar in 2010. However, the conservation charity Pew Environment Group believes there is a great deal of support behind the latest bid. Elizabeth Wilson, Pew manager of global shark conservation, said “a simple vote ‘yes’ to support their listing could turn things around for some of the world’s most threatened shark species. Countries should seize this opportunity to protect these top predators from extinction.”

The CITES meeting is also considering protection for manta rays, which are being fished for their gill plates, sold in China as medicine and claimed to treat a range of health complaints from asthma to cancer, all of which are scientifically unproven.

CITES was established 40 years ago on 3 March, 1973, in Washington DC. The convention sets the global controls for trade in wildlife and the 177 countries that have joined CITES will meet on Monday in Bangkok, Thailand, for 12 days to monitor current wildlife trade, stepping up enforcement efforts and sending clear political signals with the aim of ending illegal wildlife trade. While the listing of these species under CITES would certainly help the situation, there is still much to do. Despite the recognition of this problem nearly 15 years ago and the FAO’s creation of an International Plan of Action for Sharks, progress has been disappointing. Many of the biggest shark fishing nations do not yet have their own management plans and few of those that do exist, are enforced, or in practice. The conservation and management of shark populations must be better implemented at a national level if progress is to be made. The CITES meeting provides an opportunity over the next few days to make a decision on these five species of shark, and it could be the spark needed in light of the latest bleak figures.

The European Union forms one of the largest suppliers of fins to East Asia and this is despite the practise being outlawed in 2003. The reason that countries like Spain and Portugal were still allowed to fin sharks is due to certain loopholes in the law. Special fishing permits (SFP’s) can be provided to certain vessels and several countries have continued to issue these. Furthermore, some pelagic fleets are allowed to land fins and carcasses at separate docks making monitoring and enforcement very difficult. It becomes almost impossible to check that the number of carcasses landed equals the number of fins.  As a result, the EU was considered to have one of the weakest shark finning legislations in the world since these loopholes made a mockery of conservation efforts. Many millions of these vulnerable animals were still being killed every year for nothing more than soup.

The EU’s global shark catch unbelievably ranks second only to Indonesia. According to EU data Spain and Portugal have issued the most SFP’s between 2004 and 2010 at 1266 and 145 respectively. Furthermore, until 2009 the UK along with Germany and Lithuania also issued SFP’s.

In light of this information, it is clear that this is a step in the right direction, but it is amazing that it has taken this long for MEP’s to act on the matter. Sandrine Polti, EU shark policy advisor for the PEW Environment Group and Shark Trust said “Parliament’s vote represents a major milestone in the global effort to end the wasteful practice… [We have] been working towards this and other fundamental reforms in European shark policies for more than six years and are thrilled with today’s vote and the progress we expect to stem from it.”

As a result of this change in law, it will now be a legal requirement for all EU vessels to land sharks with their fins still attached. The most fundamental implication of this ruling is that vessels will not be able to carry as many sharks as they previously could. A whole shark takes up far more room than just their fins alone!

Every year, more than 20,000 small whales, dolphins and porpoises are killed off the coast of Japan and the Faroe Islands. One of the methods used is drive hunts, where large groups of animals are rounded up using boats and driven towards the shore and trapped in a bay using nets before being killed for meat, or sold to marine parks. With the average cost of $300 for a dolphin carcass for meat compared with anything up to $100, 000 for a live dolphin, it starts to become evident that the demand is coming from the dolphinaria industry. WAZA (the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums) totally opposes this method of capture and states not to use “cruel and non-selective methods of taking animals from the wild”. In 2005, WAZA issued a statement reminding its members of this “code of ethics”; however, despite this marine mammals are still finding their way into marine parks.

Ric O’Barry released the controversial film The Cove in 2009 where he secretly filmed the slaughter of over 20,000 dolphins and porpoises off the coast of Japan. Even though the film was released more than three years ago and, despite its international high profile and Oscar winning status, the annual slaughter is still going on right now in Taiji, Japan. One of the main problems is the lack of regulation and laws to protect small cetaceans. The Marine Mammals Act of 1972 only covers cetaceans in US coastal waters, and not the rest of the world.  This wild capture method is not only cruel but also unsustainable as large numbers of cetaceans are being removed from the sea without any prior scientific knowledge of how this will impact on wild populations. An estimated 300,000 cetaceans also die as by-catch each year; they are caught in long-line fishing-nets set down by tuna fisheries.

Over the past five years, Ric O’Barry and his colleague’s from Earth Island Institute have been tirelessly campaigning for the slaughter to end, and along the way he has been making a large number of enemies.  Mr O’Barry believes, as with most animal welfare issues, that it’s a case of supply and demand, and he has made it very public knowledge that the demand is coming from dolphinariums around the world, including well-renowned, SeaWorld. When asked about the success and the impact The Cove has had since its release, Mr O’Barry said “I was very disappointed and surprised that it did not have more impact inside Japan. When I first saw it at Sundance, I was sure it would shut the slaughter down. If the Japanese people only knew, I thought, if they only had this information. Taiji is based on supply and demand. Dolphin meat is a product, and if consumers see this film, they’re not going to buy dolphin meat. They just don’t have any idea it’s contaminated with mercury. But powerful interests didn’t want the film showing in Japan, including the mayor of Taiji and the Institute of Cetacean Research (ICR), which are the whalers themselves. Only a very small number of people have seen the film in Japan, because they were able to intimidate theatre owners, and the right-wing nationalists and Japanese media created a backlash against it.”

However, there have been some successes since the release of the film. In the Solomon Islands, they too, had been killing dolphins in the same way for hundreds of years.  After peaceful discussions, educational talks and alternatives shown, a contract was signed with chiefs in the islands two years ago, and they haven’t killed any dolphins since. On January 1 of 2012, the transport of dolphins became illegal.

Today, there are approximately 200 dolphinaria world-wide with 60 of those in Europe, and Spain holding more than any other European country. Most modern facilities have high standards of care; although in less developed regions this is not always the case. The standard of how these animals are kept is regulated under the Animal Welfare act of a country. However, trade of dolphins is internationally regulated by CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). CITES is an international treaty with an aim to ensure that international trade of animals and plants does not threaten their survival. In 2005, CITES supported the ban of the export of dolphins however, Japanese dolphinariums still obtain their dolphins from local drive hunts.

The more we learn about these animals, the more we recognise that they don’t belong in captivity. Viewing captive animals gives the public the wrong educational message and represents a false image of the animals’ natural lives. Furthermore, it desensitizes people from the cruelty associated with captivity.  It is time to stop the utilitarian thinking about the benefits associated to humans, and more about the welfare of these magnificent animals. Whales and dolphins are integral elements of an ecosystem with their own intrinsic value, and therefore we feel the keeping of whales and dolphins in captivity should be banned worldwide.

To read more of the interview with Ric O’Barry, click here

To read more about whales and dolphins in captivity, click here: A Report into the Captivity of Whales & Dolphins by Trica Burgess. 2009.doc

This October, Trica will have the great pleasure of working alongside renowned marine life artist and global environmental advocate, Wyland, as part of his Florida Keys wall restoration project. Wyland is due to return to the Keys to restore his iconic marine life murals he created for local communities over the past two decades.

“These murals were created as a public reminder for millions of people about the importance of protecting the natural resources off the Florida coast. Our goal is not only to restore their beauty, but to create a series of celebrations to thank everyone in the keys for their ongoing commitment to conservation” says Wyland.

In 2008, twenty-seven years after Wyland’s quest began; the artist and the Wyland Foundation completed the monumental goal of painting 100 life-size public marine murals. These murals were painted in life-size dimensions to increase appreciation and understanding for aquatic habitats and the life within. Perhaps, most importantly, they have reshaped attitudes about marine life conservation. The completed “Wyland Walls” campaign is one of the largest art-in-public-places projects in history, spanning five continents, 13 countries, and 79 cities around the globe.

One of Ocean Focus’s main objectives is to encourage environmental awareness through education programmes and community events. We also aim to collaborate with fellow environmentalists and work together to forge strong partnerships. Working with Wyland is not only a wonderful opportunity for us to work together and achieve some of these goals, but it’s also a great honour to work with the man who has been inspiring millions of people through art for nearly three decades.

1. Sharks have been in our oceans for four hundred million years, even before the dinosaurs!
2. Sharks enhance the gene pool, as they pick off weak prey, leaving the strong to reproduce.
3. Sharks hold the underwater world in balance by keeping populations of other species under control, e.g. octopus and squid
4. Sharks have seven senses compared to mammals that have five
5. Some species of shark must keep swimming forward in order to breath and therefore, are never stationary
6. Whale sharks are the largest fish in the ocean reaching up to 10 metres but only eat tiny plankton
7. Sharks have a ‘conveyor belt’ of teeth. If one tooth falls out, another moves forward to replace it
8. Sharks do not have any bones in their bodies. Instead, their skeletons are made of cartilage (the same as our ears)
9. Some sharks lay eggs, while others give birth
10. The spiny dog fish (the smallest shark) is pregnant for around two years before giving birth

To read more about sharks, please click here.

In conjunction with WWF and the Marine Stewardship Council, the CEO of Cold Storage, Mr Victor Chia, stated the following: “We want to play our part towards caring for the environment. Our team is committed to sourcing for quality, sustainable seafood and other products in our efforts to achieve long-term sustainability and marine conservation.”

Given seafood is big business it is a surprise that other companies like this one are not more willing take such steps to protect fish stocks. After all, they will be as adversely affected as the general public by collapsing stocks in years to come and the signs suggest that at current rates of fishing we may not have to wait long before we see collapses similar to those experienced off Newfoundland, Canada, in the early 1990’.

Cold storage is a subsidiary of Dairy Farm, a leading Asian food company that employs around 80,000 people. This decision makes it the first company to declare a shark free policy in Singapore and it is hoped that others will now follow. Ms Amy Ho, Managing Director, WWF Singapore said:  “WWF is happy to support Cold Storage in its efforts to make its retail operations more sustainable and promote responsible consumption in Singapore.  For a nation where seafood is a popular meal choice, Cold Storage’s commitment offers consumers an opportunity to make choices that will protect fish stocks and endangered marine species over the long term.”

Mr Patrick Caleo, Country Manager Australia and New Zealand, Marine Stewardship Council, said: “The Marine Stewardship Council applauds Cold Storage’s efforts to provide customers with the choice of purchasing seafood sourced from sustainable fisheries, and we look forward to working with them in their efforts to offer MSC certified wild-caught seafood products across their stores in the future. As a result of Cold Storage’s efforts thousands of Singaporeans will have access to sustainable seafood which is a great development, and the company should be commended for playing its part in safeguarding seafood stocks for future generations.”

Please click here for the full WWF article.

We would like to take a look back over the last year and share some of our early successes with you.

We launched our first campaign ‘Sharks on the EDGE’ during European Shark Week in October 2011. A major goal of the (still active) Sharks on the EDGE campaign is to raise awareness and dispel some of the myths surrounding sharks by engaging the public through education and by giving talks on the subject matter. During European Shark Week, we screened the film Sharkwater produced by marine conservationist Rob Stewart at three different venues across Oxfordshire and Berkshire, as we saw this as an ideal way to achieve this goal due to the film’s phenomenal success since its release in 2007. The film has won over 30 International awards and has done more for shark conservation than any legislation, treaty or action plan. It was Rob Stewart’s incredible journey of discovery into finding out why shark populations were being depleted all over the world that unearthed the lucrative market for shark-fins, and opened up the whole shark-finning debate. We also received Newspaper coverage from the Reading Post and Chronicle and later in the week we were invited to speak on BBC Radio Berkshire, where we managed to promote our campaign and discuss some of the issues affecting sharks. Overall, the week was a huge success and alongside the film screenings, we managed to gather over 100 signatures towards the ‘Make the Push’ Shark Alliance petition that aims to close the loopholes in the current EU legislation on shark finning.

In early 2012, we teamed up with 15 University of Reading students to complete a joint writing project. The project had two main aims; to complete pages for the Ocean Focus informational website and to engage with students directly by enabling them to express their passion for a subject matter of their choice and, in turn, publish their work. The students who took part in the writing initiative were completing various biological science degrees at the University of Reading including Zoology, Biology and Ecology disciplines. Students wrote homepages and factsheets covering a broad range of marine topics, from species and habitat conservation to fisheries management. The students were mainly in their second and final years and this writing initiative provided them with an important skill for their CV’s which is beneficial in the highly competitive industry of conservation. It was truly inspiring working with so many passionate, dedicated and ocean-loving individuals, and it is certainly something we would consider running again in the near future.

Finally, our most recent event was held in association with World Ocean’s Day (8^th June). ‘Oceans on Canvas’ was our first community art event and took place on Sunday 10^th June in Palmer Park, Reading, as part of the East Reading Festival. Children from the community painted their favourite marine life onto two distinct 2 x 2.5-metre ocean-themed murals illustrating aquatic habitats and their inhabitants. We also provided educational information about how species interact with each other and their importance in the ecosystem. Our main objectives for the event were to promote the oceans through art and to bring people together and learn some new skills while having fun. We managed to encourage people of all ages to join in and try something new, but we especially enjoyed engaging with the children and we were really pleased with the final results. The weather held out and by the end of the event over 100 children (plus a few adults!) had taken part in painting some colourful and vibrant sea animals onto the canvases. Please click here to view photos of the finished canvases.

I certainly don’t want to spoil anyone’s enjoyment of watching this film now that it’s back in mainstream cinemas this week, however, I would like point out that it was because of this film ‘that changed films for ever’ as quoted in the write up from the Vue cinema, that it’s also the reason why today the Great White Shark is an endangered species. The film not only changed films forever, but also changed the plight for this animal forever too.

The film was made in the 1970’s before we had any real understanding of the true nature of sharks, and especially the nature of the Great White shark. This film did nothing to abate the fear that humans already had of sharks, it only spurred on the hatred and led to thousands of white sharks being the target of trophy killing, sparking the beginning of an epic disaster for sharks worldwide. Many scientists believe that there are only around 3000 Great White sharks left in the wild. Today, the Great White Shark (Carcharodon carcharias) is listed as “Vulnerable” by the IUCN throughout its range, and was placed on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) list in 2004. The central problem surrounding these animals is a lack of public understanding and awareness. The actual number of humans that die of a shark attack each year is less than ten.

Sharks have been regarded as ‘monsters of the deep’, and man-eating machines through the sensationalised press coverage of the occasional but rarely fatal, shark attack for years. I remember this film from my childhood, and the fear was set in me from a very early age. It was only when I started to research sharks myself that I realised how remarkable these animals are and without them, our oceans would be in a very sorry state indeed.

Sharks have been on Earth for over 400 million years and the oceans are their home. We humans are not their natural prey but there will be occasions when sharks attack us. This is nature and we should always respect an animal’s natural environment and resist going on the counter attack by killing them. Most of the problems stem from us and human activities such as overfishing. This not only removes vast numbers of their natural food source but also affects marine food systems, causing an imbalance that could result in many sharks searching for food out of their normal range. Peter Benchley, the author of Jaws went onto to become a shark conservationist and actively campaigned on behalf of sharks the years leading up before death in 2006. While the story was inspired by the real Jersey Shore attacks of 1916, Benchley wrote this book as fiction only and never realised how influential the story would become when it was made into a film by Spielberg in 1975. Today, there is still no real proof that the shark attacks of 1916 were that of a Great White.

It’s important for people to read the facts and less of the fiction about these animals. Sharks have survived 5 major extinctions, were on Earth before the dinosaurs and above all, they hold the underwater world in balance and without them we would see a very different marine environment; they therefore deserve some respect. Please watch this film with this in mind.

Thank you

Trica Burgess

Marine Conservation Ecologist

Our main objectives for the event were to promote the oceans through art and to bring people together and learn some new skills while having fun. We managed to encourage people of all ages to join in and try something new, but we especially enjoyed engaging with the children, and were really pleased with the finished results. The weather held out and by the end of the event, over 100 children took part in painting some weird and wonderful sea animals onto the canvases.

One of the reasons we felt that our home town of Reading was an ideal venue to hold an ocean event was due to it being an inland town. We feel that communities in inland areas are generally less connected to the oceans, who understandably don’t always understand the significance of the ocean and the impact it can have on our lives. We therefore, wanted to reconnect them to this essential environment and bring the ocean to the people of Reading and communicate an important environmental message, while also having fun and learning some useful painting skills.

Throughout the event we managed to talk to parents and teachers of a few primary schools who would like us to put on a similar event at their local school and we are in the process of following up those leads.  We also received some really positive feedback during the event, with many parents saying that the interactive element was a great way for kids to learn and take an interest in the environment. This is exactly what we set out to do, so we are thrilled that the event was so well received.