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The shark harvests of a total of 34 vessels were monitored
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by Simples | November 12, 2009 at 07:56 pm
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Juvenile shark landings raise concern
The ARAP informed that the most often targeted species are the hammerhead, scalloped hammerhead, sharpnose, horn, latigo, tiger, thresher, blackspot, silky and galagensis, Pueblo en Linea reports.
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The Authority on Aquatic Resources of Panama (ARAP) expressed worry over the fishing of small-sized sharks - newborn and juvenile – in the waters of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
This practice seems to be spurred by the fact that, in some markets, the meat of those fish fetch higher prices than mature specimens.
According to the head of the Resource Assessment Department of the Directorate of Research and Development of the ARAP, Yehudi Rodriguez, the situation has led Panama to participate in a regional pilot monitoring plan of shark and ray landings.
The pilot plan is expected to allow officials to obtain detailed information on catches and the abundance of these resources in domestic waters.
So far, a monitoring of 34 vessels over 13 days and in different parts of Panama was carried out, and the first data indicates that fishers target small-sized sharks, Rodriguez indicated.
Rodriguez recalled that problems with the populations of scalloped hammerhead (Sphyman lewini) exist in Panama and in several central America countries. For this reason, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) plans on including the species on an alert listing.
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Source:
fis.com/fis/worldnews/worldnews
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PANAMA
Wednesday, November 11, 2009, 15:20 (GMT + 9)
(Photo: Stock File)
By Analia Murias
www.fis.com
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Karl Gotthardt - albertacowpokeat 03:39 on November 13th, 2009
Can you please highlight the outside source portion using the NP highlight tool. If you need help please contact me.
at 04:29 on November 13th, 2009
Hi albertacowpoke,
Please help me!
Simples.
at 05:38 on November 13th, 2009
I will refrain from my participation in NowPublic.
MG.
at 06:02 on November 13th, 2009
Really helpful: highlight
Impossible for me.
Good luck with your work!
MG
at 06:30 on November 13th, 2009
Did you contact any of NP's staff members or GE to help you?
What sort of problem do you have using the Highlight tool?
I suggest you PM Amy Judd, she be more then happy to help you and make the highlight tool work for you.
at 06:48 on November 13th, 2009
Hi Paschen,
Thank you for the information!
MG.
at 07:04 on November 13th, 2009
You are welcome, I hope you will be able to resolve this soon. Good luck.
at 17:17 on November 14th, 2009
Shrimp discards purify blackwater
BRASIL
Saturday, November 14, 2009
A team of scientists at the University of South Santa Catarina (Unisul) have discovered that shrimp heads, which are normally discarded by consumers, have large numbers of efficient enzimes to treat b...
In search of a future for bluefin tuna
BRASIL
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
The members of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas will debate how to save the bluefin tuna and avoid the ‘disaster’ that fishers say the suspension of catch will provoke.
Tax exemption proposed for fish processing industries
BRASIL
Friday, November 06, 2009
The National Fisheries and Aquaculture Council is launching a new legislative offensive to guarantee the exemption of tax contributions for the seafood processing industries.
Nutreco buys majority stake in Brazilian fish feed firm
BRASIL
Monday, November 02, 2009
Nutreco has confirmed that it has acquired a 51% shareholding in a Brazilian animal nutrition and fish feed firm. The activities will be continued in a new joint venture named 'Fri-Ribe'.
at 17:54 on November 14th, 2009
Águas brasileiras: santuário de baleias e golfinhos
Jan 7, 2009
As baleias jubarte, já podem desfrutar das águas da costa brasileira como um santuário de preservação.
© WSPA
Algumas espécies de baleias, como a jubarte, mink e orca, além de várias espécies de golfinhos, já podem desfrutar das águas da costa brasileira como um santuário de preservação e de uso não-letal de suas espécies.
O decreto do presidente Lula, publicado no Diário Oficial da União no dia 18 de dezembro de 2008, reafirma o interesse nacional no campo da preservação e proteção desses cetáceos, permitindo a pesquisa científica e o aproveitamento turístico ordenado.
A data da publicação coincide com os 21 anos da lei que proíbe o molestamento intencional e a caça desses animais. A lei 7.643/87 determina a proibição da pesca de cetáceo nas águas jurisdicionais brasileiras, e prevê a aplicação de pena de dois a cinco anos de reclusão e multa para os infratores.
ObjetivoAlém de proteção, a medida busca incentivar o turismo de observação desses animais, que é uma lucrativa forma de uso não-letal. A criação do santuário procura ainda proteger as baleias e os golfinhos da poluição sonora dos oceanos, causada por sonares e tráfego de embarcações.Benefícios
Com a norma, o Brasil marca sua posição internacional em relação a outros países que defendem a caça. O ministro do Meio Ambiente Carlos Minc disse que transformar o Brasil em santuário significa um recado aos predadores, para que eles não pratiquem atos contrários à preservação dos cetáceos.
O ministro, entretanto, alertou para o fato de o Brasil precisar aumentar a força dos centros de proteção dos cetáceos. Minc informou que atualmente o Brasil só defende 0,5% de seu meio marinho.
– Queremos chegar aos 10%, criando novas unidades de conservação marinha e utilizar o dinheiro da compensação ambiental para isso. Nossas Unidades de Conservação marinhas são muito poucas e ocupam um pequeno espaço – avaliou o ministro.
Histórico da caça de baleias no Brasil
A caça de baleias teve início no Brasil em 1602 no Recôncavo Baiano. Alguns anos mais tarde, a prática alastrou-se pelo litoral, desde Cabo Frio, no Rio de Janeiro, até Imbituba, em Santa Catarina, transformando-se num dos principais monopólios da coroa portuguesa.
A decadência da caça de baleias teve início na última década do século XVIII, especialmente devido à concorrência das expedições dos norte-americanos e britânicos em águas do Atlântico Sul. Entre 1904 e 1985, cerca de 19.800 baleias foram mortas pela indústria baleeira sediada em Costinha (Companhia de Pesca Norte do Brasil), Paraíba.
As baleias tornaram-se, por uma boa razão, importantes ícones do movimento conservacionista. Em 1986, uma moratória sobre a caça comercial foi imposta a todos os países-membros da Comissão Baleeira Internacional (CBI) , criada em 1946. O Brasil se integrou à Comissão em 1974.
Em 18 de dezembro de 1987, foi sancionada a Lei Federal Nº 7643, que proíbe a caça e qualquer forma de molestamento intencional de cetáceos em águas jurisdicionais brasileiras garantindo, dessa forma, o fim da caça comercial de baleias em nossas águas.
SantuáriosA WSPA trabalha para suspender toda forma de caça científica e comercial de baleias.
© Bryant Austin/www.studiocosmos.com
O primeiro santuário internacional de baleias foi estabelecido pela Comissão Baleeira Internacional (CBI). Simplesmente chamado de “O Santuário”, a área cobriu um quarto do Oceano Antártico, entre a América do Sul e a Nova Zelândia. O Santuário protegeu as baleias até 1955 quando, sob pressão da indústria baleeira devido à redução de capturas na Antártica, foi extinto.
Em 1979, a CBI concordou em estabelecer um Santuário de Baleias no Oceano Índico, protegendo as baleias nas suas áreas de reprodução e de amamentação de filhotes. Quinze anos depois, em 1994, a CBI estabeleceu o Santuário de Baleias no Oceano Antártico. Na reunião da CBI de 1998, foram apresentados os planos para a criação de mais dois santuários. O Santuário de Baleias do Pacífico Sul, sugerido pela Austrália e Nova Zelândia, e o Santuário de Baleias do Atlântico Sul, sugerido pelo Brasil. Na ocasião as propostas não foram aceitas.
Hora de zelar pelo bem-estar das baleias
As dificuldades inerentes de se matar um animal de grande porte, parcialmente submerso no mar, dá margem a graves problemas de bem-estar. Mesmo assim, dentro da Comissão Baleeira Internacional, questões de bem-estar continuam praticamente sem receber a atenção devida. Agora a caça de baleias em grande escala parece estar voltando à discussão, com alguns países desejando a suspensão da medida que determina a proibição da caça comercial de baleias.
Uma coalizão global de mais de 950 organizações de bem-estar animal em 154 países, lideradas pela WSPA, tem o propósito de assegurar o reconhecimento internacional de que o debate sobre a caça de baleia não é apenas uma questão de quantidade e conservação, mas também de sofrimento animal.
Para saber mais sobre o trabalho da WSPA na preservação das espécies marinhas, clique aqui >>
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at 14:06 on November 15th, 2009
The Brutal Business of Shark Finning
Human beings are skilled at justification. Every year humans slaughter over 100 million sharks yet we depict them as vicious and blood-thirsty killers.
No more than 12 people a year are killed by sharks worldwide. In fact is more dangerous to play golf than to swim in the ocean with sharks. More golfers are struck by lightning and killed each year than the total number of shark fatalities. Many more humans are struck and killed by boats every year than are attacked by sharks.
Yes, we also kill them for their teeth and jaws, and we kill them for shark leather for shoes and belts. We slaughter them for shark liver oil and for shark cartilage for pseudo cancer cures. Sharks are used in cosmetics, skin care products and in medicines.
We kill sharks because of our fear of them, for food, for sport, and most disturbing of all - so that some of us can make a tasteless, expensive soup to impress our family and friends.
It is the mass slaughter of sharks on longlines and in nets for the sole purpose of taking their fins that is responsible for the incredible diminishment of shark populations around the world.
The fins are highly prized. The fishermen catch the sharks and slice off the fins, unmindful whether the shark is alive or not. The bodies, most of them still alive, are tossed back into the sea to bleed to death or to be attacked by other sharks or fish.
Sharks are Endangered
Over 8,000 tons of shark fins are processed each year. The fins only amount to 4% of a shark's bodyweight. This means that some 200,000 tons of shark are thrown back into the sea and discarded.
Already 18 species of sharks have been listed as endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Shark Fin Soup - for what?
The fins are dried, stacked, and sold, mostly illegally. The buyers extract the collagen fibers, clean them, and process them into "shark fin soup."
This soup has no flavor and absolutely no nutritional value. It is a dish served only for prestige purposes, selling for anywhere from US$50.00 to US$400.00 per bowl.
The demand for shark fin soup has developed since 1985 and coincides with the rapid growth of the Chinese economy. The demand from China is for staggering amounts of shark fins. As a result, the oceans are literally being scoured clean of sharks. Poachers are invading national marine parks like the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador and Cocos Island in Costa Rica to catch sharks.
Forget the fictional fear spawned by Steven Spielberg's ridiculous film Jaws. The oceans are no longer safe for sharks. And the horror is that we don't just kill them, we hack off their limbs and toss their mutilated bodies back into the sea to die an agonizing and horrific death.
Sea Shepherd Singapore has been educating the public for the last several years about the devastating effect that the Asian culture's use of shark fin soup is having on shark populations. Grant Pereira, Sea Shepherd Singapore representative and SSCS Advisory Board member, has overseen the production of a series of striking postcards and is marketing them widely with the objective of stopping this useless, wasteful, and cruel so-called "tradition."
Why Should We Care About Sharks?
We should care because sharks are valued citizens of oceanic eco-systems. They are both predators and scavengers, and these roles they play contribute to eliminating diseased and genetically-defective animals and help to stabilize fish populations.
We do not know enough about marine ecology to understand what the impact of this incredible onslaught of shark deaths will bring about. There will be consequences.
Life in our oceans has been seriously disrupted. With shark populations reduced from 70% in some species to up to 95% in other species, the consequences are extremely serious.
For example, removing sharks will increase octopus populations resulting in greater predation on lobsters by octopus. This was the very reason that the spiny lobster fishery collapsed in Tasmania.
One of the things we forget is that sharks differ from other fish. They do not lay thousands or millions of eggs. Many sharks take up to fifteen years to reach maturity and then produce only one shark pup per year. Such a fragile and slow reproduction rate means that their populations may never recover from the damage we have already inflicted.
Sharks Need Our Protection
The position of Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is that no sharks should be killed and should be given complete global protection under law. Sea Shepherd has long fought the practice of longlining and regularly confiscates illegal killer lines (and nets) from the oceans.
Protecting sharks is a more difficult job than protecting dolphins or seals. From the point of view of public relations, seals are cute and dolphins have that lovely natural smile. The shark, in contrast, shows its teeth and, hence, they look menacing.
However, dolphin lovers should know that fishermen kill and cut up dolphins for shark bait for their longline hooks.
As conservationists, we must recognize the value of the interdependence of all species in the oceans and that the shark is an important part of the diversity of marine ecological eco-systems.
We must oppose the cultural practice of consuming shark fin soup, and we must discourage the consumption of sharks for cosmetics and for trinkets. Most importantly, we must educate the general public that sharks are not the vicious, "cold-blooded" creatures many people believe they are.
We need not peer into the dark depths of the sea to see the monstrous creatures that maim and kill by the millions - we need only look into a mirror.
P.O. Box 2616, Friday Harbor, WA 98250
(USA) Tel: 360-370-5650 Fax: 360-370-5651
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at 14:31 on November 15th, 2009
CAMPAIGNS
at 16:55 on November 15th, 2009
Home Shark News Shark Hunting Worries Chile Scientists Shark Hunting Worries Chile Scientists PDF | Print | E-mail Written by Paul Herbert Friday, 13 November 2009
Marine scientists expressed their concern this week that as many as 10 species of sharks are being hunted illegally around in Chilean waters – especially in northern Chile.
Shark hunting is attributed mostly tomainly caused by the practice of finnning: hunters slice off the shark's valuable fins (a delicacy for many Asian consumers) and discard the carcass. This The practice puts many shark populations under mounting pressure and in some cases even threatens extinction.
Marine scientist Julio Lamilla at the Austral University said explains the situation in Chile.: “Most people believe that sharks are predominately from tropic waters, but Chilean waters harbor 10 percent of the world’s species. Shark hunting is increasing rapidly here in Chile because it's very profitable. As a result, there is a kind of racket that has been created here. The hunting is very difficult to stop and it can causes corruption in our institutions. Still, it is imperative that we try and protect these hunted species."
Authorities say Chile has exported 63 tons of shark’s fins since 2006, compared toand 618 tones between 1997 and 2003.
International NGO WildAid reports that about 100 million sharks are killed every year. They liken the trade in shark fins to the scandalous slaughter of elephants for their ivory.
Source: El Mercurio, BBC
at 16:58 on November 15th, 2009
What Can Be Done to Save Sharks
Sea Shepherd Fights to Save Sharks by:
What You Can Do:
Get a new perspective on sharks.
Myth: Sharks are bloodthirsty man-eaters and ruthless killing machines.
Reality: More people are killed each year by falling vending machines than by sharks.
Support Sea Shepherd's unique efforts to save sharks around the world.
P.O. Box 2616, Friday Harbor, WA 98250
(USA) Tel: 360-370-5650 Fax: 360-370-5651
All contents copyright ©2009 Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
Hosting and other web services donated by EStreet
at 16:59 on November 15th, 2009
Shark Angels
Watch the
Shark Angels Video
Alison Kock, Julie Andersen, Kim McCoy
Sea Shepherd has long been committed to shark conservation, and in 2007 it took this commitment to an even higher level by co-founding the Shark Angels alliance. The Shark Angels' first project is a short film with the goal of personalizing sharks in a way that will help to bridge the gap in human understanding, resulting in a call to action to save sharks.
The Shark Angels alliance-consisting of Kim McCoy, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society Director; Julie Andersen, Shark Savers Director; and Alison Kock, Save Our Seas Foundation Head Field Biologist-hopes that this short film will help to open the hearts and minds of the public and increase awareness of the plight of sharks and their struggle for survival as a species.
Shark Angels underwater filming session
Alison Kock, Julie Andersen, Kim McCoy
An underlying goal of this project is to capture the Shark Angels interacting with sharks in a way that will show a softer side and build on the work that Rob Stewart has already begun with his award-winning film, Sharkwater. In doing so, McCoy, Andersen, and Kock hope to bridge the gap in human understanding and alter the public perception of a horribly misunderstood species, resulting in a call to action.
"Sharks are being killed for the vanity of humanity," said Sea Shepherd Director Kurt Lieber who joined the Shark Angels team on this expedition. "The Asian market demand for shark fin soup is driving many populations of sharks to the brink of extinction. The Shark Angels project is one way to raise the awareness of the plight of the sharks, and anyone who sees it will come away feeling as I do, understanding that the hype that Hollywood and pop-culture has bestowed on sharks is not based in reality. Sharks are top predators in the ocean, and just like wolves, they have a place in the wild that no other animal fills. They are gorgeous, graceful, curious animals that need our help to assure that they survive this shortsighted assault on their ability to exist. The Shark Angels project has great potential to have people see for themselves how misunderstood these animals are."
With 100 million sharks being ruthlessly killed each year, there are not enough Sea Shepherds in the world to defend them against human greed and exploitation. By working together rather than duplicating one another's efforts, the Shark Angels alliance maximizes the use of limited resources and enables each arm-scientific research, education, and enforcement-to focus exclusively on its respective area of expertise. Recognizing the value inherent in a diversity of shark conservation approaches, the Shark Angels aim to make this issue accessible to the public and inspire people to demand the protection of sharks on a governmental level.
"Sharks have inhabited our planet for 450 million years, since before the time of dinosaurs. If we are able to not only help people understand the vital role sharks play in ecosystems and the impact this has on all species, including humans, but also to dispel the myth that sharks are ruthless man-eaters, I will consider this project a success," said McCoy.
Putting aside years of misguided programming by the media and pop-culture that sharks are mindless killing machines, McCoy, Andersen, and Kock took a leap of faith and plunged from the M/V Shear Water into seas swirling with dozens of large predatory sharks. In doing so, they discovered a world of unexpected beauty and fragility, and have emerged more resolved than ever to defend these magnificent creatures.
Sea Shepherd, celebrating over 30 years of marine wildlife conservation, is proud to be a member of the Shark Angels alliance and remains strongly committed to increasing the protection of sharks and their habitats worldwide.
Below are some preliminary images from the expedition.
Jim Abernethy, Kim McCoy,
Rob Stewart, Kurt Lieber
back: Jim Abernethy, Rob Stewart;
front: Alison Kock, Julie Andersen, Kim McCoy
back: Kurt Lieber, Eric Cheng, Shawn Heinrichs,
Jim Abernethy, Rob Stewart, Rob,
Christopher Chin, Wade, Don;
front: Julie Andersen, Kim McCoy, Alison Kock
© All photos Copyright Eric Cheng
P.O. Box 2616, Friday Harbor, WA 98250
(USA) Tel: 360-370-5650 Fax: 360-370-5651
All contents copyright ©2009 Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
Hosting and other web services donated by EStreet
at 17:08 on November 15th, 2009
at 17:36 on November 15th, 2009
PHOTOS
LUSH and Sea Shepherd
Learn more about Sea Shepherd's partnership with LUSH through these news postings:
Wednesday, September 03, 2008 LUSH and Sea Shepherd Launch Global Anti-Shark-Finning Campaign: Alice Newstead Hung by Actual Shark Hooks in Protest of the Slaughter Shoppers on Regents Street in central London likely got more than they bargained for this afternoon. In a dramatic illustration of how sharks are caught and killed for their fins, Alice Newstead, performance artist and former employee of LUSH Fresh Handmade Cosmetics, voluntarily had her skin pierced with actual de-barbed shark hooks and hung suspended from the ceiling in the window of one of LUSH's busiest shops for all to see.
As a crowd gathered to watch in horror, Newstead said, "I am doing this because the demand for shark fin soup and other shark products is wiping out the shark population." Unlike the 100 million sharks who are brutally slaughtered each year for their fins, Newstead commented, "I will be left with scars, but the wounds will heal."
"Sea Shepherd is deeply impressed by LUSH's commitment to shark conservation and its willingness to use its 500+ storefronts as a global platform for educating the public on such a critically important issue," said Kim McCoy, International Executive Director of Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. "We applaud Alice for her courageousness in using her body as a tool to help educate consumers about the urgent need to protect sharks. She is an inspiration to us all."
"Sea Shepherd will be presenting Alice Newstead with an award for courage for her incredible achievement in focusing public attention on the worldwide slaughter of sharks," said Captain Paul Watson, Founder and President of Sea Shepherd. "What she and LUSH have contributed to this conservation effort is enormous. The cruelty of the shark finning industry was brought intimately into focus with the piercing of Alice's flesh and the dripping of her blood down her back. LUSH, Sea Shepherd, and Alice are very much aware that if we drive sharks to extinction, we will destroy our oceans, and if we do that, civilization will collapse and humanity will disappear. What Alice did was not just for the saving of sharks, but for the salvation of humankind. Our admiration for her sacrifice is profound, and the scars that she will bear represent a rare courage demonstrating that we all must do what we can with the talents we possess to save our oceans."
Today's dramatic enactment of the gruesome manner in which sharks are caught kicks off the beginning of a global campaign between LUSH and Sea Shepherd. Each of LUSH's storefronts across the UK now hosts window displays featuring Sea Shepherd's jolly roger flag, LCD screens playing a continuous loop of Shark Angels footage, and other educational materials.
LUSH's staff are dressing as pirates and handing out Sea Shepherd shark brochures (PDF) in an attempt to educate consumers about the desperate plight of sharks. Among other things, LUSH is urging consumers to boycott restaurants that serve shark fin soup and health food stores that sell shark cartilage supplements. LUSH has also delivered letters to local restaurants and health food stores asking them to "wash their hands" of this barbaric industry and stop selling shark products.
To assist these businesses in "cleaning up their act," LUSH has created a new and cruelty-free product especially for this campaign, called Shark Fin Soap. The UK stores plan to sell a limited batch of 11,416 bars, with 100% of the proceeds going to Sea Shepherd. Why 11,416 bars? In recognition of the fact that a staggering 11,416 sharks are killed every hour, and that populations are being wiped out faster than they can reproduce.
To learn more, watch the video, or purchase Shark Fin Soap, visit: www.lush.co.uk.
To read LUSH's press release, click here (PDF).
Thursday, August 21, 2008 LUSH and Sea Shepherd Launch Partnership Campaign to Protect Sharks
On August 12th, Captain Paul Watson of Sea Shepherd and Andrew Butler, the Global Campaigns Director for LUSH Fresh Handmade Cosmetics launched a campaign to protect the sharks of the ocean.
From the Botanic Gardens in Sydney, Australia, Captain Watson and Andrew Butler explained to the Australian media in attendance that the campaign was being launched in Australia for the purpose of urging the government of the state of Queensland to not proceed with a proposal to open a dedicated shark fin fishery in the waters around and in the Great Barrier Reef, a world heritage site.
The decision by Queensland is expected in mid-September 2008.
"If we can't convince a nation like Australia of the importance of protecting sharks from this destructive fishery, we will have little hope of convincing poorer nations to refrain from slaughtering the world's sharks for the Chinese shark fin market," said Captain Paul Watson.
"Sharks have shaped evolution in our oceans for 450 million years," continued Captain Watson, "and their diminishment has already been the cause of severe damage to global oceanic eco-systems. Shark species extinctions will cause irreparable damage. If we can't save the sharks, we will fail to save our oceans, and if our oceans die, civilization and humanity will die. LUSH and Sea Shepherd recognize that we need to save the sharks if we are to save ourselves, and we are working together to make this happen."
The Queensland government has been attempting to keep the shark proposal as quiet as possible, so quiet in fact that they informed the media that there was no plans and no proposal to open a dedicated shark fishery despite the fact that the proposal has been on the government web site for months.
The Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries told the media bluntly that there are no plans to catch and process sharks on the Great Barrier Reef.
What this means is that the government of Queensland and Premier Annie Bligh will be in a very embarrassing position if they proceed to pass this proposal next month after publicly stating that there is no proposal or plan to open a shark fishery.
We intend to hold them to this although we suspect when the time comes, they will say that the statement made was from a bureaucrat who was misinformed.
The Lush and Sea Shepherd initiative is a global campaign.
"Lush is a campaigning company, and we have already tackled issues such as animal testing and over-packaging. But with 100 million sharks being killed every year and time fast running out for the remaining 10% of the global shark population, the campaign against shark finning and longlining is perhaps our biggest challenge yet," said Andrew Butler.
"Lush have over 550 stores in more than 50 countries, and we will be campaigning on this issue in all of them, but the nature of the global campaign very much depends on the decision made by the Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries in Australia next month. If it goes against the sharks we will know who the target of our campaign will be," said Butler.
LUSH will have window displays including Sea Shepherd and Shark Angel videos running in their stores beginning in September. LUSH has also created a new product called Sharkfin Soap with the profits from the sale going to finance Sea Shepherd anti-shark-finning campaigns.
The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is the world's most active shark conservation organization. With full time anti-poaching patrols in the Galapagos National Park Marine Reserve and global efforts to confiscate and destroy illegal longlines, Sea Shepherd has saved hundreds of thousands of sharks and inflicted enormous economic damage on illegal shark finning operations including the confiscation of over 45,000 shark fins in Ecuador in 2007. Sea Shepherd also is featured in the commercially successful release of the film Sharkwater.
Sharkwater premiered in Perth, Australia on the evening of August 12th with over 550 people attending the benefit opening for Sea Shepherd sponsored by Sea Shepherd in Western Australia.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008 Lush and Sea Shepherd team-up for global campaign against shark fishing industry
Sydney - It's flank speed against shark fishing for Captain Paul Watson, Founder and President, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society - announcing a new partnership with Lush to raise global awareness of the plight of sharks and publicly shame the Queensland Fisheries Department (DPI&F) proposal to open a dedicated finfish fishery on the Great Barrier Reef.
Lush will be running an international campaign in over 550 stores worldwide in the coming months to draw attention to the fact that over 90% of the world's sharks have already been wiped out and, with 100,000,000 sharks a year being killed for their fins, flesh, cartilage and oils, that the situation for these vitally important marine animals has become critical. Lush will have a window campaign, in-store educational materials and a new product, Shark Fin Soap the sale of which will benefit Sea Shepherd, as part of the campaign.
Australia was chosen for the launch of the campaign because the decision to approve a proposed shark fishery in Queensland is expected in September 2008. The time for public action, against the proposal is now. Sea Shepherd and Lush believe that if the Queensland Fisheries Department can't see the issue for its obvious dangers, then subjecting the proposal to global public scrutiny is the only solution.
Sea Shepherd's Captain Paul Watson said, "Sharks have shaped evolution in our oceans for 450 million years, and their diminishment has already been the cause of severe damage to global oceanic eco-systems. Shark species extinctions will cause irreparable damage."
"If we can't save the sharks, we will fail to save our oceans, and if our oceans die, civilization and humanity will die. Lush and Sea Shepherd recognize that we need to save the sharks if we are to save ourselves, and we are working together to make this happen!" he said.
Andrew Butler, Global Campaigns Director, Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics added "Lush are a campaigning company, and we have already tackled issues such as animal testing and over packaging. But with 100 million sharks being killed every year and time fast running out for the remaining 10% of the global shark population, the campaign against shark finning and longlining is perhaps our biggest challenge yet."
"Lush have over 550 stores in more than 50 countries, and we will be campaigning on this issue in all of them, but the nature of the global campaign very much depends on the decision made by the DPI&F in Australia next month; if it goes against the sharks we know who the target of our campaign will be," he said.
Renowned Shark Biologist Richard Fitzpatrick adds, "The proposed inshore fin fishery for sharks is completely illogical - we know nothing about the basic biology of these animals - their growth rates, reproductive cycles and movement patterns. It is the equivalent of pulling a person off the street and making them fly a plane without a manual - it's a guaranteed disaster."
Notes
Today Lush sent a letter to Environment Minster Peter Garrett and Fisheries Minister Tim Mulherin asking them to take action to stop the proposed shark fishery in Queensland. The letter follows.
Andrew Butler
Lush Cosmetics
Campaigns Manager Captain Paul Watson
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
Founder and President
Read about the Sea Shepherd and LUSH Seal Campaign
P.O. Box 2616, Friday Harbor, WA 98250
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