tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75118148814324486702024-03-19T10:21:54.960-07:00Shark Aid InternationalLearn. Understand. Share.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09897129905635712745noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7511814881432448670.post-33583279679931396402014-08-20T10:38:00.000-07:002014-08-20T10:38:54.569-07:00Great White Sharks: With Chris Fallows<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 21px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394;">One of the most famous and feared sharks in today's oceans... The Great White Shark. The movie Jaws, many fear mongering 'documentaries' on Shark Week and TV and decades of misleading headlines and stories in the media, are just some of the main reasons that the great white has such a bad reputation and global misunderstanding. We recently teamed up with South African great white and shark expert Chris Fallows (as seen on TV) of Apex Shark Expeditions, to talk about great whites, other sharks and find out some more truths behind the ever impressive and beautiful species. Great White Shark (Carcharodon carcharias).</span></b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>**KEY: </i></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small; line-height: 21px;"><i>SAI = Shark Aid International. </i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small; line-height: 21px;"><i>CF = Chris Fallows.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidxmCwlpmKUbc4OPZrRhy9ob0cbfh-oLNxWixqzYCQrPBDjfSmmf-Lg9shlKC4sEm-gBlrItKdIMrdwUrJiTAxkhapZu7uIZgcCDi1fxtyI20a4rtTM4OcOCZDClYqU6vnr993OppAgltD/s1600/Chris+Fallows+Shark+Aid+International+1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidxmCwlpmKUbc4OPZrRhy9ob0cbfh-oLNxWixqzYCQrPBDjfSmmf-Lg9shlKC4sEm-gBlrItKdIMrdwUrJiTAxkhapZu7uIZgcCDi1fxtyI20a4rtTM4OcOCZDClYqU6vnr993OppAgltD/s1600/Chris+Fallows+Shark+Aid+International+1.jpg" height="247" width="400" /></a></span></span></div>
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</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 21px;"><b>SAI: In your experience, what would you say is the most common misconception of great white sharks?</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 21px;"><b>CF:</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 21px;"> That there are a lot of them and that their population is growing because of protection. This simply is not true. Our data, collected daily over the past 18 years does not support this. Added to this is the fact that in South Africa we still have the worlds largest Great White Shark killing organisation, the KZN Sharks Board which kills between 11-60 great whites each year. There are dedicated shark long lining permits given out by the South African government and there is sport fishing for great whites, the fact that it is termed "Protected" is a farce. The only thing that keeps them alive, for example in South Africa, is eco tourism and a few dedicated individuals and organisations.</span></div>
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</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 21px;"><b>SAI: Some of your photos and films are truly incredible and capture great whites in a most natural way. How would you describe great whites and why should people ignore the fear mongering headlines and negative feelings surrounding them?</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; line-height: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>CF: </b>Thank you. I would describe the great white as a evolutionary masterpiece that is magnificent in every way. Added to this is the fact that the longer you spend with them the more you appreciate each ones unique personality and just what a privilege it is to have them in our oceans. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; line-height: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>SAI: What can people do in their own communities and local areas to increase awareness for sharks?</b></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; line-height: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>CF:</b> Start eco-tourism projects that take tourists out to see or dive with the sharks. There are so many shark enthusiasts out there that even small less spectacular species still attract lots of tourists. In this way local people derive an income from the sharks, add to a tourists list of opportunities in an area and most importantly attach a value and appreciation to keeping the sharks alive.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; line-height: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>SAI: South africa is one of, if not the main home for great whites and they are mostly well respected and admired in South Africa. What makes south African waters so special for white sharks?</b></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; line-height: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>CF:</b> Many South Africans who have seen great whites or done research into them have an appreciation of them. It is almost always those who have never bothered to get out there and see the sharks for themselves who do not value their presence along our coast. In terms of what makes the coast so special is that it is home to an incredible cross section of shark and prey species with both tropical, temperate and cool water environments been found on our coast. This makes it an area that sustains huge volumes of bait fish and in turn a massive seal population. This coupled with the previously ample supply of smaller shark species means that the great white has both it's preferred winter and summer prey available along long stretches of our coast and the perfect environment for them to live in.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; line-height: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>SAI: Alex, Shark Aid International's founder and director has been to South Africa and dove with great white sharks. It was a life changing experience for him and many others that do it. Why is cage diving a great way to promote sharks and show the public the truth behind the majestic animals?</b></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; line-height: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>CF:</b> Quite simply it is only through exposure to something that we develop an interest or passion in it. When people see a great white shark in the flesh, especially if it is done in a way that showcases the beauty and majesty of these animals then there are few who do not go home wanting to see it again and make an effort to help promote it's conservation.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; line-height: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>SAI: More and more people seem to be getting in the ocean each year, thus "more shark attacks are happening" around the world. This is a common myth that needs some attention. What can you say about modern day shark and human interaction?</b></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; line-height: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>CF:</b> It will always happen that there are rare interactions that result in attacks. The only way to prevent it is either to stay out of the water or kill all of the sharks. Neither of these things are a good option, especially the latter. With better understanding of the predatory sharks habits people can do a huge amount to cut down the already very small risk that they take when they enter the ocean. With less than 10 fatal shark attacks globally each year and more than 100 million sharks being killed by humans it is a very clear case of who should be fearing who. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; line-height: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>SAI: What can other countries and regions take from south african shark management to better protect the global shark population? </b></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; line-height: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>CF:</b> Very sadly I do not think South Africa is a shining example anymore. Whilst the sharks are protected here on paper there is zero enforcement of laws and it is only eco tourism operators who have a vested interest in the sharks as well as a handful of scientists and even smaller number of government officials who are actually trying to keep sharks alive. South Africa still has an active shark long lining fishery for both pelagic as well as demersal sharks and has as mentioned the largest great white culling program on the planet. This is not a good example. I would say the best way to protect sharks is to empower people to make a living out of them through eco tourism and if fishing for sharks is to be allowed, to do the research first and see what stocks are like rather than believe what fishermen tell those who issue the permits.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; line-height: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>SAI: Along with great whites, what other species of shark inhabit south african waters?</b></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; line-height: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>CF:</b> More than 120 other species! Making our coast amongst the most shark rich in terms of diversity in the world.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; line-height: 21px;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; line-height: 21px;">SAI: Can you share one of your most fond and favourite experiences in the water with great white sharks?</span></b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; line-height: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>CF:</b> I guess my most amazing experience was watching a minimum of 28 different great whites and perhaps as many as 40 feeding on a 11m long whale carcass in 2000. It was simply incredible watching their social structure break down and huge 15ft sharks lying next to each other, pecs overlapping as they gorged themselves on the fat and energy rich blubber, WOW that really was phenomenal!</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; line-height: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>SAI: Where can people go to find our more about what you do?</b></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; line-height: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>CF:</b> Check out <a href="http://www.apexpredators.com/" style="color: #0068cf; cursor: pointer; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 21px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">www.apexpredators.com</a> or subscribe to my wife Monique's Free newsletter on this site that gives each months highlights with the various sharks, species and locations that we work at. It is a great way for people to live vicariously through the amazing lives we have with these and other remarkable marine creatures and hopefully get motivated to join us or another eco tourism company where they can see live sharks for themselves.</span></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7511814881432448670.post-50759041052620769782014-02-26T20:06:00.000-08:002014-02-26T20:07:47.887-08:00A Closer Look At Nurse Sharks<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>We have recently been working with shark organisations around the South Florida area to see what they do to help spread a positive message about shark conservation. Whether it's shark diving, educational projects, photography, we have seen what they do first hand. This post is focused on one of the projects we really thought was a great initiative to help educate the public about sharks and further diminish the misunderstanding and horrible reputation that sharks have.</b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">22nd February 2014, we visited the marine park Theater Of The Sea. Since early 2013 they have been offering a close up encounter with the beautiful Nurse Sharks that are local to the Florida area. The chance to see sharks up close, touch them (respectfully) and swim with them, we thought was a great idea, albeit it is in captivity, but this is not an aquarium. Theater Of The Sea's shark programme is definitely a good idea/tool to help educate the public about sharks!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Our liaison for the day way Lacey Russell, she has been working with these sharks for 2 years. We started off with a talk about the handling of the sharks, their management within the park and how the programme has been going since it started. We were pleased to hear that the sharks are very popular and people have shown keen interest and want to be in the water with them and see them up close.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><i>Dentricles (Skin) of a Nurse Shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum)</i></span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">So once orienteering was over, it was time to get in the water!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The water is brought in straight from the Atlantic ocean, with a pump system that circulates the water. There are also natural surroundings such as mangroves and other plant life so the sharks are in an environment, built based on their natural habitat. They have been trained to learn certain things, feeding, recall, but apart from this, their behaviour was similar to the way they are in the wild. The were very shy and hesitant at first, but as the day went on, they became more and more confident.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Susana (left) & Alex (right) carefully holding Mabel & Coco</span></i></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">We gently walked into the water, careful not to distress the sharks and sat down on a submerged bench, where the feeding takes place. We were introduced to the 5 sharks they have here and one by one, got to meet them individually. We held them correctly, had them swimming around us and fed them some of their favourite diet. Squid.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Coco, the largest male has definitely made it known he is the dominant shark there. He was the most confident and energetic and put himself first in line to be fed. Each shark is specifically fed with their individual requirements and favourite foods. Maintaining the natural amount they would consume daily to keep them in the best health possible.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">It was very clear the sharks are well looked after and it was a pleasure to see the sharks behaving so closely to how they would in the wild. If they didn't want to be held, fed or handled they can swim away and move around as they want, with no intervention.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">We would never condone touching a shark in the wild, but in this well formed and controlled environment, with the passionate shark team they have, we definitely left feeling that they are doing something worthwhile for sharks at Theater Of The Sea. Children and adults can really learn about nurse sharks and through them, realise sharks are not mindless killing machines. They are incredibly complex, instinctive animals that given the opportunity can show you the truth, each species is so different from each other and they are all incredible, placid and misunderstood animals that deserve a positive reputation and continued protection.</span></div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7511814881432448670.post-25694518438487857922013-07-23T11:11:00.000-07:002013-07-23T11:11:54.911-07:00Swimming with Nurse Sharks & Keys Shark Diving<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394; font-size: x-small;">20th of July 2013; Shark Aid International went on a wonderful snorkel trip with Keys Shark Diving. It was a trip that served two purposes; of course to swim with sharks and also to establish a partnership between our two organisations for future work and trips together, for both us and anyone wishing to explore the amazing reef and swim with some Nurse Sharks, and various other marine life - the trip was a great success!</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">On this snorkel trip, 3 and a 1/2 miles off Marathon in the Florida Keys, we shared the water with all kinds of wonderful and spectacular wildlife! We saw Grunts, Snappers, Rays, Parrotfish, and of course SHARKS! We also saw a juvenile Cuttlefish and some beautiful and healthy reefs!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Then after the array of marine life, the Nurse Sharks arrived. Ranging in sizes from a tiny 3 feet to a large 8/9 foot big shark. They were all very docile and so beautiful under the water, swimming peacefully and gracefully the entire time. It seems like the 'big boys' of the group are in charge (when are they not?) because not long after they arrived, the smaller ones left the spot! They were around our location for 3/4 hours during our snorkel, which was amazing because they provided us with some really nice footage and photos.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><i>Nurse sharks sometimes get a bad wrap for not being as 'exciting' or 'cool' as the other species,</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><i>but we were very excited by their presence and we find them extremely cool!</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">We then went to another location; deep reef. We waited patiently for an offshore deep sea shark and were happily surprised by what joined us, the tiniest baby Reef Shark any of us had ever seen! While we waited for other sharks to turn up we saw some other amazing animals and some in particular being Sunfish! Incredible!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">As mentioned earlier, the trip served two purposes, and the final one was to establish a partnership between Shark Aid International and Keys Shark Diving. Be on the lookout for unique and tailored shark trips to reefs with Nurse sharks and offshore trips with Bull, Tiger, Hammerhead sharks and more! We will be working together to show you sharks in their natural habitat, whilst educating those who are new to them and maybe helping already shark enthusiasts learn some more about each species and get them out with these incredible animals! We are currently in the process of working out the details to make sure each trip is exciting, fun, informative and educational. For more information links are provided below.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><i>See you in the water!</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Written by Susana - US Coordinator, Shark Aid International</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>For more information and booking please email us at: <a href="mailto:sharkaidintl@live.com">sharkaidintl@live.com</a></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>Be sure to visit Keys Shark Diving's website too! <a href="http://www.keyssharkdiving.com/">www.keyssharkdiving.com</a></i></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7511814881432448670.post-87176851020999135652013-06-13T11:01:00.000-07:002014-03-03T16:53:33.812-08:00Great White Shark saved from entanglement! Shark Aid International and Marine Dynamics EXCLUSIVE!<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394; font-size: x-small;">Our good friends and biologists from Marine Dynamics provide regional protection for great white sharks through cage diving tourism, tagging projects and a watchful eye over them in their area. Due to the abundance of fish and marine life in South Africa, fishing is popular (amongst some). Because of this, sharks and other animals get caught up and entangled in nets and fishing lines and can be severely harmed and possibly killed. This blog entry is to show you just one of the accounts where Marine Dynamics free a shark from a fishing line, saving its life and setting it free! Shark Aid International covers this exclusively providing a summary and analysis of the situation.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The coast of Gansbaai, South Africa; a thriving marine ecosystem. Seals, whales, African penguins, and home to the ever impressive Great White Shark. With the abundance of white sharks in the area, there is a huge cage diving tourism attraction. One can get the chance to go out on a vessel with a professional team, experience seeing the amazing animal from the boat and underwater in the cage. An incredible experience for all! Shark lover or not!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Marine Dynamics, part of the </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.dict.org.za/">Dyer Island Conservation Trust</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> aren't just a cage diving business. They actively contribute to the protection and sustaining of shark life. The cage diving gives people a chance to see white sharks up close and personal, providing a platform to educate the public and shark enthusiasts about the animal, its status and what needs to be done to help them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Abandoned fishing gear like nets and lines cause great harm to the animals and the surrounding environment. As you can see from this video:</span></div>
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">The Marine Dynamics crew free a Great White Shark from a fishing line</span></i></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">So as you would have just seen, together with a good team of people who care for the wildlife, the right tools and materials to carry out operations such as this, the great white shark and other animals can be saved. But unfortunately this is only one success. Many sharks face this same peril everyday and not all can be saved. Through learning more about these sharks, understanding their behaviours and movements we can share the knowledge and effectively increase awareness of what is happening to this incredible species and provide better protections.</span></div>
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Both Marine Dynamics and Shark Aid International work closely together to help raise awareness of what is happening to great white sharks and to provide a community in South Africa, of shark enthusiasts from both organisations.</span></i><br />
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Please join us at our websites:</span></i></div>
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Marine Dynamics - (<a href="http://www.sharkwatchsa.com/">http://www.sharkwatchsa.com/</a>)</span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Shark Aid International - (<a href="http://sharkaidinternational.org/" target="_blank">http://sharkaidinternational.org</a>)</span></i>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7511814881432448670.post-85422229484899812762013-04-04T08:46:00.002-07:002013-05-28T13:34:15.813-07:00Petitions Galore...<br />
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">As promised, here is a list of current petitions for you
shark lovers to sign and share amongst your friends. I've tried to gather ones
to cover a wide variety of shark-related issues, and also many regions of the
world. However, knowing there are endless petitions out there I haven’t
included every one made. Also, petitions are complex, and need to be written
well to ensure the intended level of protection is considered, or the right
issues addressed, have correct background information and also aimed at the
right people to ‘sort it out’. So I've tried to include ones I feel meet this ‘criteria’.</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">As well as banning shark fin imports, you can ban exports,
the practice of shark finning in the first place, the sale, or the possession
of shark fin. Almost all of these petitions in different areas are written
differently. Obviously, to ban all shark products, and remove all man-made threats to sharks would be ideal too, but there are other petitions for that! We
need to show that we care about these issues though, so maybe when some sorts
of regulations are put in place that those are properly enforced, and have a
better chance of not being ‘lifted’, or taken out of effect. The more pressure
we put on governments the better, in my opinion. And after each failed attempt,
we can only keep trying to relive the pressure currently crushing shark
populations worldwide. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.projectaware.org/project/eu-shark-finning-ban"><span style="color: red;">An example of a recent success</span></a><span style="color: #444444;">, Project Aware petitioned for
EU vessels, operating anywhere in the world, have to land sharks with their
fins naturally attached. This means we know what species, how many were caught,
and reduces the amount of sharks able to be exploited for their fins. However</span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">, vessels from other countries, will abide by their own
laws, and illegal activities by certain EU vessels, unfortunately, is not guaranteed
to not take place. Still, no doubt an achievement to be proud of and a hop, skip and a jump in the right direction! But let's keep going..</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Fin Free/ Finning Practices</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #444444;">Let’s start with a big one. </span><a href="http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/532/581/725/"><span style="color: red;">For a worldwide shark fin ban</span></a><span style="color: #444444;">-
120,000+ and still going, let’s keep this up (there’s over 7 billion of us that
*could* make a difference..</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.thepetitionsite.com/772/019/387/stop-shark-finning-in-the-uk-eu/"><span style="color: red;">For a ban on the sale, possession and distribution of shark fins in the UK & EU</span></a><span style="color: #444444;"> (Shark Aid UK)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://sharkangels.org/index.php/get-involved/fin-free/petitions/fin-free-nyc"><span style="color: red;">For a ban on the sale and trade of shark fin in New York</span></a><span style="color: #444444;">
(Shark Angels)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/tell-hilton-hotels-to-stop-selling-shark-fin-soup/"><span style="color: red;">Ask major worldwide hotel chain, Hilton Hotels, to stop serving shark fin soup- everywhere!</span></a><span style="color: #444444;"> (Stop Finning)</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/muji-japan-stop-selling-shark-fin-soup"><span style="color: red;">Ask Muji, Japan to stop selling shark fin soup</span></a>- Japan is an area to focus on, and this young activist definitely deserves a fins up!</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.thepetitionsite.com/935/884/463/ban-the-possession-distribution-sale-and-consumption-of-shark-fins-in-the-city-of-calgary/"><span style="color: red;">For a ban on the sale, possession distribution and consumption of shark fins in Calgary</span><span style="color: #444444;">-</span></a><span style="color: #444444;"> By, Hannah, a passionate teenage activist (worth a follow on twitter @Bushbabey)</span></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Shark Meat & By-products</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.change.org/petitions/ebay-stop-selling-shark-cartilage-other-shark-related-products">Tell eBay to stop selling shark cartilage and other Shark related products</a></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> (Cyber Whale Warriors)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/help-encourage-ebay-to-ban-the-sale-of-great-white-shark-teeth/"><span style="color: red;">Tell eBay (again!? Tut tut...) to stop selling the teeth of the endangered Great White Shark</span></a><span style="color: #444444;"> (The Nautical Tribe)</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">(Tried to get some on shark meat but most are now closed, if
you have any you’d like to share, please do!)</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Hunting/ Culling of Sharks</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.causes.com/actions/1688307-stop-the-plan-to-kill-sharks-near-wa-beaches">Stop the West Australian government’s plans to cull sharks that dare swim along its beaches</a></span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.removethenets.com/index.php/sign-petition">A petition to remove shark nets in South Africa</a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I think I have the main ones, but there are many
others and if you are looking for something area or issue specific, I suggest
you Google away! Many are closed too. If any major ones spring to mind, I will
add them in! If anyone has any they’d specifically like to share, please do so
in the comments. </span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #444444;">Finally.. If you were thinking of creating your own petition
for your own cause (whatever it may be!), then I direct you to </span><a href="http://www.southernfriedscience.com/?p=13477"><span style="color: red;">this blog post</span></a><span style="color: #444444;">
all about how not to write a petition. As I’ve said before, it should be well
planned for the best possible effects! So, be my guest, change the world in
your own little ways! </span></span></i></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7511814881432448670.post-41266036930573194292013-03-24T08:00:00.000-07:002013-03-24T08:00:50.426-07:00Doing Your 'Bit'<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Hello again shark lovers! I return once again to give you
some ‘food for thought’.. I recently gave a talk at an Animal Aid meeting in
Bournemouth, and the rather enthusiastic bunch were quite keen to hear how they
could get involved. So, whilst we continue to work toward a few other (hopefully)
upcoming projects, I thought I’d share a few things that you can easily do to ‘do
your bit’ in saving sharks. So here goes..</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #444444;">First and foremost, signing </span><span style="color: #0b5394;">petitions</span><span style="color: #444444;">, including </span><a href="http://www.thepetitionsite.com/772/019/387/stop-shark-finning-in-the-uk-eu/"><span style="color: red;">ours</span></a><span style="color: #444444;"> is a simple way of saving sharks whilst sitting comfortably on your bottom!
These CAN be effective, if written well and presented to the right people in
the right departments, and so on. They can range from stopping shark finning
and the sale of shark meat, lobbying against culls and the use of shark
exclusion nets, and probably almost all of the threats I listed in one of my previous
posts. I will, as it seems apt, shortly be constructing a blog post with a
series of petitions you can sign & share, and point you in the right
direction of information on how best to create a petition, if you wish to do
so! </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Secondly, going </span><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">‘Fin Free’</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #444444;"> seems to be a big thing at the
moment and there are several initiatives in the UK coming up to get people (and
counties/ cities) involved in this movement. This kind of project requires a lot of effort
and attention to detail, so I will hopefully be able to focus yet another blog
post on this in the future and also personally be a part of pushing for one of
these projects close to my home. So with this one, please watch this space!! </span><br /><span style="color: #444444;"> In the meantime, shark fin and shark meat is sold in restaurants and markets
all over the world. If you shark fin soup available, you can always put your
thoughts forward about getting it removed from the menu- just make sure, again,
you have a few facts to back yourself up. An unaggressive approach will most
likely work best! </span><br /><span style="color: #444444;"> Similarly, with shark meat, it is worth asking the fishermen/seller where they
got it from, how it was caught, what species it is etc. Again, not to be
offensive, as this will only cause conflict. If there is cause for concern, try
to take the issue further and contact the appropriate legislative body. You’re
probably not going to make the fishermen change his mind on the spot after all.
The important thing is to always gather your research before making a proposal,
and if you can, gather as much support as possible. Sharing your concerns with
us, we can hopefully get other shark lovers to write the same/ similar email/
letter to the same people to put more pressure on the issue. It’s well worth a
go.</span><br />
<br /><span style="color: #0b5394;">
Newspapers</span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> are the shark lovers’ worst enemy. Most of them are all over ‘attacks’,
little or big as they may be, and make sharks out to be the enemy. An
unforgiving force of nature whose only aim is to consume the entire human race.
Very often, they miss out or pay little attention to the fact that, as previously
stated, these incidents are rare and require more research. They can also advocate
the mistreatment of sharks, or potentially showcase such things as okay (depending
on the views and impressionability of the reader). <br /> Now, to stop moaning about them and encourage you to ‘be the change’. Inform the newspaper (via email, or comment on the online article)
that you are unhappy about the language used, the lack of correct information
(always try to provide a source to back yourself up!), or whatever it is about
the content that could affect the perception of sharks. If you’re lucky, they
could take it down from the website or think twice about their next shark
article. It’s a long shot with media folk, but worth a go, and as always the
more voices, the better! It’s quite evident that conservation topics or animals
in general needs much work in the media department. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="color: #444444;">The main lesson of the day is that every action counts, and
we need to flag up all the little issues that are building up to this huge
conservation problem. If you see something you do not like, then try to change
it as best you can. Take the time to make a well thought out action plan in
order to get the best results. If you fail, then keep trying! We are here if you
need our help, and please email </span><a href="mailto:sharkaiduk@live.co.uk"><span style="color: red;">sharkaiduk@live.co.uk</span></a><span style="color: #444444;">
if you want any advice or assistance. We will always try to do our best!</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i> Please, if you will, share past, present or pending future experiences
on this blog post, with regards to making a stand for what you believe in.
Additional advice or information is always welcome, and most definitely as is
inspiration from other projects or campaigns. </i></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7511814881432448670.post-44079375573403414352013-02-23T09:59:00.000-08:002013-02-24T08:29:35.687-08:00Learn. Understand. Share.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Now I have explained
why sharks need help and are important, the next thing I wanted to bring to the
table is our current main objective. With regards to conservation topics it is
well known that ‘education is key’. No word of a lie. It really is! If people
don’t know about the issue, then it will continue to go un-noticed, and that
probably means that it will worsen or created bigger issues. We try to educate
through different means, as often as possible. Our social media sites keep
supporters up to date with the latest shark news and research, whilst inspiring
debate, and sharing thought provoking images. Of course these are our main
source of advertisement for our personal events, projects and campaigns. Which
brings me to my next three points..</span></b> <b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">We have attended & plan to attend all kinds of events.
Bearing in mind most of these are funded out of our own pockets, and therefore
we are limited somewhat. But when we run an event, we like to target the
general public where we have a chance to introduce new facts which we can only
hope stick in their minds and spread by word of mouth. I’ve personally only
done a couple but its great interacting with the public and actually witnessing
the learning process take place. It’s amazing! And for them to then want to shake your
hand or ask to get involved gives you a sense that you have made a little bit of a difference!
And that’s a good thing, isn’t it?.. You can stay aware of our up and coming events on Facebook,
Twitter & our website.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4jtpp0d85htYhAVYEBMjKNZ1W6YzyKGGGq80pSVmGPfJ5b6Dw_0wdLl-R04KH35QpqeG9DI_vSmrBiWYuBKP9rssJ6dOYRZp2mGKfwXd6yNMBHzEj0Cj3gsUKtXpRHe8ylqOk58rxvayY/s1600/600442_421085787973599_1936867466_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4jtpp0d85htYhAVYEBMjKNZ1W6YzyKGGGq80pSVmGPfJ5b6Dw_0wdLl-R04KH35QpqeG9DI_vSmrBiWYuBKP9rssJ6dOYRZp2mGKfwXd6yNMBHzEj0Cj3gsUKtXpRHe8ylqOk58rxvayY/s320/600442_421085787973599_1936867466_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">One of our educational projects, we wish to continue & expand upon (Photo credit: 'So What?')</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #444444;">Now, projects! We plan to do many, but this is a case study
we are particularly proud of. If you haven’t heard of ‘So What?’ you should
have! Currently based in Manchester (wanting to spread further!), they run
after school clubs about conservation topics- sharks included! Recently, we got
in contact with them to see about helping each other out! We have a series of fact sheets on our </span><a href="http://www.sharkaiduk.co.uk/download.html"><span style="color: red;">downloads page</span></a><span style="color: #444444;"> on
our website, and they happily used these in one of their clubs and the kids
made the fantastic posters seen above! One pupil even went home and made a
sculpture of a shark based on our anatomy fact sheet! See our </span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.421085454640299.95699.256480221100824&type=3"><span style="color: red;">Facebook album</span></a><span style="color: #444444;">
for more examples.
Neither of us are teachers, and so being unable to teach ourselves, we are more
than grateful to Matthew Payne for allowing us to contribute to his educational
programme, and we plan to continue to support ‘So What?’ in any future projects
concerning sharks. A real pleasure! Please take a few moments to visit the ‘So
What?’ website, Facebook and Twitter and see what other fantastic things they
do! </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">So we started out with a petition to campaign against the
sale and harvest of shark fins in the UK & EU, which if you haven’t, please
sign it here! Sharks and the oceans need a lot more of this kind of attention
and we have various campaigns coming up. We don’t like to give away too much,
but we will make you aware in due course. Again, please keep an eye out on our
social media sites, and I will be posting on here too!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">We hope to do as much 'educating' as we can, as we know the
impact it can have, especially when concerning the next generation, as with ‘So
What?’! The wonderful thing is (and this is where my inner geek comes out to play!)
we never really stop learning, unless we want to. There are always new things to discover and
share, and I hope this blog will be another means to do just that. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>I’m going to
finish with a quote I picked up in a paper I used for my final project, which I believe to be very apt for the occasion and is a personal favorite "..for
in the end we will conserve only what we love. We will love only what we
understand. We will understand only what we are taught"- Baba Dioum,
Senegalese conservationist and poet. </i></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7511814881432448670.post-65332642267954566922013-02-15T07:41:00.003-08:002013-02-15T07:44:10.307-08:00Why Sharks? (Part 3 of 3)<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Now, after my recent posts I feel I need to persuade (some
of..) you somewhat. There is a reason people make such a fuss about sharks, because
they serve an important role in the ecosystem, and actually, in all of our
lives. Let me at least try to explain :)</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Sharks are known as ‘keystone species’ because if they are
removed, this can cause an ecosystem collapse with very damaging consequences.
This applies to all species. Many predatory sharks sit at the top of the food
chain, effectively managing ecosystems by helping to maintain the population
numbers of species they feed on, in particular secondary predators, such as tuna.
This is because unlike sharks, they have the potential to repopulate quickly. In
the absence of shark predation, there are more animals that need food, and prey
species populations decline quickly. In effect, these secondary predators then
starve, leaving the ocean relatively empty.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Filter feeding sharks such as the basking shark, feed on
small organisms called plankton. These can be either animal (zooplankton) or
plant (phytoplankton). Swimming with their mouths agape, they filter small
organisms from the water through their gills.
Detrivores such as the cookie cutter shark feed exclusively on dead
matter and waste that sinks to the ocean floor, and play a vital role in
recycling nutrients so nothing is wasted. For more information about their
roles, please visit our</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: red;"> <a href="http://www.sharkaiduk.co.uk/docs/FACTSHEET-Roles-Eco-Systems.pdf"><span style="color: red;">‘Roles in Ecosystems’ Shark File</span></a></span><span style="color: #444444;">.
Again, all animals fill a certain niche within an ecosystem, but as keystone
species within the most vital ecosystem on this planet, it must be said, we
NEED sharks. </span></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMei2ayVlXoG4QstdKuMNctCwzbMN9X_AttyT-97audiBXM0JJ6yUFEHG3-k279hyq0EwewHH_Lp05jH2nRl1HVsvnJF8vVy3jI0HS1mPM6cuCVsp2ukfS3fEA_kYZGbPKwUh7uQ1ObfLa/s1600/RobAllen_whaleshark_97630407.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMei2ayVlXoG4QstdKuMNctCwzbMN9X_AttyT-97audiBXM0JJ6yUFEHG3-k279hyq0EwewHH_Lp05jH2nRl1HVsvnJF8vVy3jI0HS1mPM6cuCVsp2ukfS3fEA_kYZGbPKwUh7uQ1ObfLa/s400/RobAllen_whaleshark_97630407.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Copyright Rob Allen Photography: A whale shark, one of the filter feeding sharks, also a good choice for eco-tourism dives (keep reading!)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Now if you think about it we might rely on the same fish that
live in the sharks environment, and so we rely on them to maintain populations,
that is if we haven’t already over-exploited them ourselves already. Particularly
in coastal communities, if the fish disappear, fishermen lose their jobs,
people begin to starve, recreational divers don’t want to pay to go see an
empty ocean, tour companies then lose out etc., you get the picture..</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">And tourism is an important factor worth highlighting. It is believed that because
of what has been dubbed ‘eco tourism’, so for example snorkeling with whale
sharks or cage diving with great whites (as long as it actually aims to benefit
the conservation efforts for the species in question, which sadly, it often doesn't), sharks can be worth more alive than dead! This incentive could
potentially be used to turn the whole shark finning industry around, if done
properly. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Back to our dependence on the ocean.. You may not realize especially if you live inland, that you rely on the ocean so much, but even if
you eat farmed animals they are mainly fed on fish. Ice cream is made with a
type of seaweed and probably most of the toiletries you use in everyday life have
ingredients derived from the ocean. We are more dependent on it than we can
probably ever imagine.. And sharks are essential to the oceans health. Sorry to have to go all hippie-fied, but we are still part of the ‘web of life’ and our actions
can quite easily tear large, unnecessary holes in it. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>The sad fact is we are currently
a sharks worst enemy, but they NEED us too. On a brighter note it is possible
for us to turn the tables and become their best friends! If we concentrate on
what we could gain from having sharks around; without causing them harm,
ruining the oceans and inevitably putting our own livelihoods at risk; then we
could save them. For the benefit of us all! </i></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7511814881432448670.post-78978663072622798132013-02-06T10:42:00.002-08:002013-02-06T10:50:33.604-08:00Why Sharks? (Part 2 of 3)<br />
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The second thing I
feel compelled to share is why sharks need our help. I’d hate to regurgitate
facts used by Shark Aid UK before through our social media sites, and by
others, but I want to try and accommodate for everyone, so will state their <u>threats</u>
here. Hopefully there is something fresh in here for you somewhere! <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #444444;">‘Shark finning’ is thought to be the biggest threat to
sharks. It concerns all species, and happens globally, and there is now a
global demand for the infamous shark fin soup, which this particular practice
is carried out to supply for. For anyone looking for more information see our
</span><a href="http://www.sharkaiduk.co.uk/docs/FACTSHEET_Finning.pdf"><span style="color: red;">finning fact sheet</span></a><span style="color: #444444;"> here with 10 quick facts on the issue.
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Over-fishing causes several problems. Methods such as long
lining and trawling mean that not only ‘target fish’ are caught, but so are
thousands of sharks (as well as dolphins, turtles, seabirds and more!).
Furthermore, some of the sharks prey species are reduced meaning they have to
adapt feeding behavior find new territory, or starve. The gear used for these
methods is very damaging to ocean habitats and inhabitants. Sharks can get
entangled in lines and nets (which either drowns them or embeds in their skin
leading to infection), and trawlers pick up sediment and rip corals which
support all life in the ocean, including sharks. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">As a direct consequence of their bad perception, they are
often caught in shark nets and drum lines set up off the coast Australia and
South Africa originally to reduce the amounts of attacks! The effectiveness of
these is questionable. Also, there are often threats from governments,
particularly in Australia, to cull them as a form of ‘pest control’ (please
refer to my last post as to why this idea is so utterly ridiculous, should you
need reminding!). Furthermore there are active shark hunters in some parts that
kill the biggest & most ‘threatening’ of sharks to ‘save the public’, and
trophy hunting of sharks, particularly Great whites is a big business. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPY8lHFmQSzpYlDRxh4kN84yzhYEZlDLjdU2hZ_2C9F-6hHP8suTB0akzS_4nvgQwRm2sw0J6UkI-nCynv8e8GTsJsuxA3lDJaGS3O4xs2xH51xBCjv9u953CygSaNJMZyomeZY8yDFIHG/s1600/RobAllen_Blacktip_32740408.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPY8lHFmQSzpYlDRxh4kN84yzhYEZlDLjdU2hZ_2C9F-6hHP8suTB0akzS_4nvgQwRm2sw0J6UkI-nCynv8e8GTsJsuxA3lDJaGS3O4xs2xH51xBCjv9u953CygSaNJMZyomeZY8yDFIHG/s400/RobAllen_Blacktip_32740408.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Copyright Rob Allen Photography: As seen here, sharks and divers can swim together quite happily ..</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #444444;">To add to the list further (and I know, its long, but all
the more reason to care) their teeth, contrary to popular believe, are often
taken from dead sharks as opposed to the many that they shed throughout their
lifetime. So please, avoid this type of jewellery item at all costs. Also shark
liver oil is used in some Chinese and western medicines so be wary of these. </span><a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2214205/Demand-Omega-3-supplements-sees-huge-increase-overfishing-sharks.html#axzz2K7lLCZuJ"><span style="color: red;">Here</span></a></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #444444;"> is an article on this issue, shared by Shark Aid UK some time ago. I also
recently saw some pictures on the </span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/SharksNeedLove?fref=ts"><span style="color: red;">Sharks Need Love page</span></a><span style="color: #444444;">, which is run by the lovely Annie Anderson
(worth a follow on </span><a href="https://twitter.com/SharksNeedLove"><span style="color: red;">twitter</span></a><span style="color: #444444;">) showing dead baby sharks being sold in jars of
fluid as ornaments in Miami (See </span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=460149627368493&set=pb.413716405345149.-2207520000.1360155159&type=3&theater"><span style="color: red;">here</span></a><span style="color: #444444;">).</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #444444;">Phew.. I think that’s everything. It’s hard because it
literally seems that the list of threats to sharks is never ending. Now the
natural history of sharks, as a whole, indicates they are slow reproducing.
This means that any vast population declines are a struggle for them to recover
from. We don’t exactly know the population trends of sharks, some estimates
have been as bad as 90% in 50 years as a whole, some regional populations
having disappeared entirely, and obviously this varies between species. If you
want to delve into the details check out </span><a href="http://www.southernfriedscience.com/?p=12947" style="color: red;">this blog</a><span style="color: #444444;">.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #444444;">In doing my dissertation last year I found some worrying figures.
Of approximately 350 sharks listed, there are currently 68 species of
threatened sharks (classed as vulnerable or worse on the IUCN Red List), but
what is perhaps more frightening, is that 210 species are data deficient. This
just highlights that sharks really do need our help to better assess how we can
help them. Yet we’re letting them slip through our fingers. Only 7 are
protected under CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species). I found out by doing a species search </span><a href="http://www.cites.org/eng/resources/species.html"><span style="color: red;">here</span></a><span style="color: #444444;">).
However, this convention offers varying degrees of protection dependent on
species and country, and is somewhat flawed, which I will probably try to
explain at a later date. A further 7 species are protected under the CMS
(Convention on Migratory Species), as shown </span><a href="http://www.cms.int/documents/appendix/appendices_e.pdf"><span style="color: red;">here</span></a><span style="color: #444444;">,
but as with CITES, these laws and regulations are barely enforced.</span></span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">For now, I’m sorry for depressing you all, but if we close
our eyes to these issues they will continue to worsen. We need to give our
beloved sharks a much needed helping fin! I have tried to provide up-to-date
information, but as always, if anyone has different information please share
and I will update if necessary! </span></i></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7511814881432448670.post-44517487811919072522013-02-01T11:18:00.001-08:002013-02-03T06:04:59.746-08:00Why Sharks? (Part 1 of 3)<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">This is the question I always get asked, and I’m sure that
majority of the audience for this blog being shark lovers, you must all get the
same? How dare people question your love for the most amazing creature on the
planet, right? Well, it is unfortunately still widely believed that they are
dangerous, emotionless, eating machines etc. This, for me, is a big reason to
show off your obsession.. Their negative </span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><u>perception</u>
</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">needs changing. I’m going to try not to ramble too much about the same
facts and theories, but here goes..</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Although sharks are often portrayed as ‘<i>man-eaters</i>’, shark
bites are extremely rare, occurring on average 85 times per year across the
globe and an average of 7 of these fatal. Let’s put this in to perspective. There
are currently over 7 billion of us, each living on a continent surrounded by
ocean. Many of us spend a lot of time in or around the sea’s edge that sharks
frequent, and if this is the statistic, why are they seen as especially dangerous?
I mean sure, there are risks, as there is with everything, that if you behave
in certain ways the shark may feel obliged to have a bite for whatever reason
(scared/ curious/ threatened). But from elephants to cows, toasters to vending
machines, hotdogs to falling out of bed, most things in life are far more
likely to kill you (by the thousands and millions), than sharks are!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #444444;">Another thing worth discussing is the term ‘shark attack’. PhD
candidate Christopher Neff, has explored the term and has deemed it (and,
rightly so!), as unsuitable. It is misleading in that it gives the public the
idea that sharks are more dangerous that they really are, even being used to
describe incidences where there are no physical contact between humans and
sharks. It also gives the impression that sharks bite unreasonably; much like a
murderer will attack a victim. As mentioned, there is always a reason, just
more research needs to be done to clarify these. You can read Christopher’s
research paper</span> <a href="http://rd.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13412-013-0107-2/fulltext.html"><span style="color: red;">here</span></a>, <span style="color: #444444;">or see a video of him discussing the topic of ‘<i>rogue sharks</i>’</span> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vcmy2Bd23wE"><span style="color: red;">here</span></a>.
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I’d like to share a couple more videos in attempts to try
and re-shape the current perception of sharks, for anyone who may not be aware.
Now remember, there is no denying that there IS a risk when diving with sharks,
and no one should ever try it without a bit of professional advice &
supervision. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #444444;">Great white sharks, possibly the most feared of them all,
are often encountered by humans from the safety of a cage. I get the impression
from many people I converse with that they believe this is the <i>only </i>way to
get close to them. It seems the use of a cage is for personal comfort, rather
than a necessity- that or a way of keeping humans under control! If you know
what you are doing however, diving in open water with white sharks can in fact
be rather awe-inspiring, and they can be as timid as mice.. This</span> <a href="http://pelagiclife.org/Expedition%2016%20Oh%20Lupe/Oh%20Lupe.html"><span style="color: red;">clip</span></a> <span style="color: #444444;">from
Pelagic Life shows how beautiful such an encounter can be.
It even shows some footage of swimming with them (again, without a cage) under
the cover of darkness, something unthinkable in the minds of many.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #444444;">Finally, I’d like to show an example that I believe shows sharks aren’t emotionless beings. Having studied a science degree, I was often steered
away from the idea of being ‘anthropomorphic’, and applying human emotions to
other animals, but as my Behavioral Ecology teacher often said, what else are
we to think when all we know is how we’d feel in the given situations? But</span> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEseQm9dN38"><span style="color: red;">here</span></a>
<span style="color: #444444;">is a video (which you may have seen), of sharks acting in a docile manner,
swimming toward the diver possibly out of curiosity, and sticking around for a
spot of ‘petting’, which would lead one to believe that they might be enjoying
this interaction.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>If you have anything to share, something you’d like to
elaborate on or add, please feel free to leave a comment and make this blog the
best possible source of information! </i></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7511814881432448670.post-62985317054049831762013-01-28T03:25:00.001-08:002013-02-03T06:05:50.365-08:00White Shark Interest Group<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Morning all,</span></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></b></span>
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I'd like to introduce our first 'proper' blog post for you all to read. Following our recent collaboration with the White Shark Interest Group, </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Founder & Director, Alex has a message for you all:</span></b></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">We are pleased to announce
that the WHITE SHARK INTEREST GROUP and SHARK AID UK are officially a working
alliance for great white shark protection. The goal of this partnership will be
to strengthen UK and SA shark research, cooperate and support each other for
the increased conservation and protection of sharks. Working closely together
to add a strong, key voice for great whites and global shark protection.</span><span style="font-family: Lucida Grande; font-size: 13pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcyd2B7tHqDN0wUTOTwvXLW5PgQMyil3SYUdNnKmeEIideMaLYuTSsYscGK450LsXcgiouWYxiXlb9KDD3rCY6u5OTUkWrbvJsYoblVLJSTd7Gqso_q1UQxIH0jhHAw7YuFNcCWDVLLOpO/s1600/WSIG+logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcyd2B7tHqDN0wUTOTwvXLW5PgQMyil3SYUdNnKmeEIideMaLYuTSsYscGK450LsXcgiouWYxiXlb9KDD3rCY6u5OTUkWrbvJsYoblVLJSTd7Gqso_q1UQxIH0jhHAw7YuFNcCWDVLLOpO/s200/WSIG+logo.jpg" width="192" /></a></td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The WSIG is a great place
to see and hear the latest news and photos of great white sharks, and pick up a
thing or two on other species and animals too! It’s a fast growing community of
people who are passionate about sharks and enthusiasts, willing to spread the
word and help protect them.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">To confirm our alliance and
make this statement was a proud and exciting moment for me. Both Dr. Dirk
Schmidt and his work have inspired me, so to be working alongside him, raising
awareness of great whites and getting involved with their conservation is a
personal milestone and something I know we can achieve great results for this
amazing shark species.</span><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Lucida Grande; font-size: 13pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoec0hhyphenhyphenYlb0mPoBxZICOsqNjy5b6AMoxx3-s94Jf1115JIoZ7u2mwDIhwCWYMUXdOHEmD6kDHKRrd-exNxqvPnBae2tNok6t7iWuvfg2m9RaTDMaNvhh2kvu8kRiyoCjEipR0ijb6CIy7/s1600/SAUK_GWSblog1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoec0hhyphenhyphenYlb0mPoBxZICOsqNjy5b6AMoxx3-s94Jf1115JIoZ7u2mwDIhwCWYMUXdOHEmD6kDHKRrd-exNxqvPnBae2tNok6t7iWuvfg2m9RaTDMaNvhh2kvu8kRiyoCjEipR0ijb6CIy7/s400/SAUK_GWSblog1.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: red; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Photo taken in Gansbaai,
South Africa. Copyright Shark Aid UK.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #444444;"><i>You can join the White Shark Interest Group, if you are on Facebook by clicking this</i></span><span style="color: #262626;"> </span><i><a href="http://www.facebook.com/groups/whitesharkinterestgroup/" style="color: red;">link</a>, <span style="color: #444444;">it is an open group for Great White Shark lovers so feel free to get involved.</span></i></span></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7511814881432448670.post-56496967572350889762013-01-26T13:52:00.001-08:002013-02-03T06:06:13.443-08:00Testing..<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Greetings shark lovers</span></b>,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /><span style="color: #444444;">
Just thought I'd post a quick one to let you all know that everything is a working progress at the moment! Please bare with us whilst we get some [hopefully] interesting posts together. In the meantime please feel free to explore the [few] pages to the right, where you can read a little about us and know what to expect when this blog is fully up and running.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br />
We're excited to be creating this blog, and hope that it helps give you the information you crave or at least show you the way to some of the best resources available. In the long run of course, it is hoped that through different means, including this blog, the trouble sharks are in will be brought to light. </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br />
We're looking to making this a successful part of our organisation, although we don't quite know how successful, we just cannot tell! Nonetheless we will do our best to deliver, and hopefully you will enjoy what we have to share with you. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /><i><span style="color: #444444;">
Sorry its short, but we hope you come back when we have more to share.</span></i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1