Attention Florida Shark Fans Florida's sharks need you!

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has scheduled a series of public workshops this month to receive comments on the management of sharks. The FWC is seeking feedback on options for amending its shark management rules that would comply with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Coastal Sharks.

The Commission wants to hear public comments regarding the recreational and commercial harvest of sharks in state waters of Florida, including possible changes to shark bag and size limits, the prohibited shark species list, and shark landing requirements and gear rules.

The FWC encourages interested persons to participate in the workshops, which will take place from 6-8 p.m. local time, as follows:

Monday, June 15

Gulf Coast Community College

5230 W. U.S. Hwy. 98

Social Science Building, Room #201

Panama City

Monday, June 22

Brevard Agricultural Center

3695 Lake Drive

Cocoa

Tuesday, June 23

IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame and Museum

300 Gulf Stream Way

Dania Beach

Wednesday, June 24

City of Key Colony Beach

City Hall Building

Mile Marker 53.5

600 W. Ocean Drive

Key Colony Beach

Thursday, June 25

Punta Gorda City Hall

326 W. Marion Ave.

Punta Gorda

Anyone requiring special accommodations to participate in the workshops should advise the FWC at least five days prior to the workshop by calling 850-488-6411. If you are hearing- or speech-impaired, contact the FWC using the Florida Relay Service at 800-955-8771 (TDD) or 800-955-8770 (voice).

Come Celebrate with the Shark Safe Team

We at Shark Safe wish to thank all of you for supporting us in achieving this great victory for sharks in Florida. Many of you had planned on attending the Shark Safe Rally this weekend and perhaps put off other holiday events in doing so. The Shark Safe Team encourages everyone to still come to Fort Myers Beach and  spend a few hours with us. We would like to meet all of you and personally thank you for your support. Shark Safe would also like to encourage everyone to patronize the  host establishments of Shark Fest 2009. We are NOT going there to gloat but to in fact show to them our gratitude for making the right decision in changing the tournament format to 100% catch and release.

Please Join Us!

Meet at Lynn Hall Park at 11:00 

Please do not bring any signs or banners as this is no longer a rally or demonstration. 

This is not an organized event. We only would like to meet, greet and discus all things Sharky!

You should anticipate holiday weekend traffic and parking issues. If you arrive late, no worries just look for us at either the Snug Harbor Restaurant or the Smokin Oyster Brewery.

We will be having lunch at the Snug Harbor restaurant and then swinging by the Smokin Oyster Brewery to enjoy a tasty adult beverage.

All are welcome bring the family and your friends!

Thank You All,

The Shark Safe Team

Congratulations from our Peers and Supporters are flowing in

I want to join the many voices congratulating the Shark Safe Project for a successful outcome! Also, any successful outcome is worthy of in-depth study and analysis: we need to learn what they did right so that we can emulate their success elsewhere!

This successful outcome is a big deal, but it certainly doesn’t mean that we shark conservationists have nothing left to do. There are similar tournaments nationwide and worldwide, as well as numerous other threats to sharks.

Let’s look at how they did it.

1) Nonviolent, non-invasive methods. If they had used Sea Shepherd’s tactics of vandalism, in-your-face protests, destroying fishing boats involved in this tournament, and antagonizing participating fisherman, I don’t believe that there would have been a successful outcome. I believe that we would not only have a shark killing tournament, but would also have a group of people hostile towards shark conservation in general because they have been irritated by extremists. Instead, Shark Safe wrote letters to the editor of newspapers and appeared on news shows, spoke to groups of citizens, and spoke to tournament organizers and local officials.

2) Offering an alternative. Shark Safe organizers didn’t call for the tournament to be canceled, they simply requested a format change from “kill” to “catch-and-release”. If they had taken a more extreme approach, it is extremely unlikely that they would have been successful. Tournament organizers had already spent a great deal of money and time promoting this tournament and would likely have been unwilling to cancel it. All the studies I’ve seen show that sharks suffer no long-term damage from catch-and-release fishing (indeed, that’s how we shark scientists study sharks to begin with). If you tell a fisherman that they can’t fish at all, they’re not going to listen to you. If you explain to a fisherman why it’s a good idea to change their methods (and provide them with an alternative), maybe they’ll listen like they did here.

3) Mobilizing a large group of talented people. Felix at Oceanic dreams has a list of some of the important players involved, but the list includes shark scientists, NGO leaders, and media and public relations experts from around the country. They also recruited passionate locals. It is impossible to know which of these groups was the most helpful, but it is easy to see how leaving out one of these groups could have resulted in an unsuccessful outcome. Scientists provide credibility, and NGOs are experts in organizing and educating, but both groups have had difficulty with the media’s coverage of sharks in the past. These three groups, who came from (and worked from without actually coming to Florida) all over the country might not have been listened to without the participation of locals, because strangers are sometimes not trusted as much as neighbors even if they are experts.

When all of these factors came together, we have a successful outcome, and some sharks in Florida won’t die needlessly this summer.

Congratulations to everyone who helped make this possible. My only regret is that I didn’t help.

~WhySharksMatter

SHARK KILL TOURNAMENT CHANGED TO TOTAL CATCH AND RELEASE!!!!

On Wednesday May 20 2009 the Ft. Myers Beach Chamber of Commerce and its City Commissioners all voted unanimously to immediately change the upcoming "Are You Man Enough Shark Challenge" to a total Catch and Release tournament with chase boats and live streaming video beamed back to television monitors at the tournament headquarters!  There will be no "shark kill" tournament!  This came just days before a large organized shark conservation and education protest was scheduled this weekend in front of the tournament headquarters.  It has been confirmed that the sponsoring business owners were virtually unanimous in their support as well and actually had decided to make the tournament "catch and release" just hours prior to the commission vote.

 

Margret Meade once said, "Never doubt that a group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world.......indeed it is the only thing that ever has!"  There are many heros in this effort and hundreds of individuals behind the scenes who helped make this environmental victory possible. Those hundreds of you who took the time to write an e mail and voice your concern to the tournament organizers fueled the fire!  Penny Miller who networked and boldly wrote Governor Crist's office and the Ft Myers Beach Chamber of Commerce in Florida strongly voicing her anger at this throwback to an African Big Game Hunting mentality! Mary O'Malley and Lupo who were relentless in their pursuit of information on the "toxic" shark meat that was ostensibly being given to the homeless in an effort to "spin" killing sharks into a "positive justification" by the tournament organizers.  They uncovered the falsehood that the Salvation Army had not even been contacted at all this year by the tournament organizers as advertised on their web page and they  did not even want the meat in the first place....toxic or not!  Lawrence Groth who is a tenacious truth seeker that never gave up and pursued sponsors, tournament organizers, wrote blogs and even went "undercover" to film the "secret" shark kill tournament in Sarasota last week and planned the protest event on the Ft Myers side.  Neil Hammerschlag whose academic candor roused the environmental spirit of young supporters and helped turn the Commissioners around and to ultimately get the vote in favor of the sharks passed in commission chambers! The scientific intervention by Dr. Sonny Gruber of the Bimini Field Station/University of Miami fame and Dr. Bob Heuter, Director of Mote Marine Lab in Sarasota lent credibility and sound insight to this project's goal and gave the tournament organizers a viable alternative to still making a success of a Catch and Release tournament.  And of course....to all the bloggers around the world, Mike Neumann, Patric Douglas, Wolfgang Leander, Heidi Coluzzi  and dozens of others on all continents, who raised their voices in protest and demanded environmental reason to prevail.....Thank you one and all!

 

The sharks won this one today....thanks to a unified effort by everyone.  Now with this momentum let us not allow it to fade.  Let us all continue to pick the battles and take every opportunity to make a difference for the shark globally.  Our children are counting on it....and our planet can not survive without our collective conscience.  

 

The former president of the Nature Conservancy, John Sawhill once said...

"in the end, our society will be defined....not only for what we created....but for what we refused to destroy....!

 

Respectfully,

Gary and Brenda Adkison

Directors

Shark Foundation, USA

954 554 8918

Victory - Fort Myers Beach Tournament Changed to 100 % Catch & Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The "Are you Man Enough? Shark Challenge" has just been changed to 100 % catch & release!

The decision came after an on onslaught of public pressure generated by Shark Safe.
For the past weeks, support for changing the tournament from kill to 100 % catch & release was coming from all around including the public, media, and the County Commissioner Ray Judah.

"Today is a victory for sharks" says Lawrence Groth of Shark Safe, "Thanks to all those who showed their support by spreading the word, voting online, contacting tournament organizers and sponsors and speaking with Fort Myers Community Officials."

Shark Safe was planning a rally for May 23 & 24 in Fort Myers Beach with the goals of changing the tournament.

Now - The Shark Conservation Rally is still on in Fort Myers - but the purpose is to celebrate this victory and educate the public at the event about the wonders of and perils faced by sharks!!

DETAILS:

SHARK CONSERVATION RALLY

ONLY SATURDAY MAY 23 (NOT SUNDAY).

Meeting Location: Lynn Hall Park in Fort Myers Beach (walking distance from Snug Harbor where the tournament will be held).

Shark Safe is already beginning working on plans for next years tournament to help promote shark conservation and establish a tag and release program.


Please Join Shark Safe on Saturday May 23 to celebrate this victory and educate the public!!


Contact: 510-701-9084

Shark Safe Rally for Shark Conservation

On May 23 and 24, 2009, Shark Safe will be hosting a public Shark Conservation Rally to effect change in the upcoming “Are You Man Enough Shark Challenge” (AYMESC) shark tournament. Our goal is to convince the AYMESC officials to change the current tournament format from kill to 100% catch-and-release.

The Shark Safe Rally will involve many participants from all over Florida and the US. Our message to the local community is that live sharks are much more valuable than dead sharks. We also want to educate the public on plight of sharks and why they are so vital in our delicate ecosystem.  Shark Safe and our many supporters believe that an event called “Shark Fest” should in fact celebrate sharks and that no event should slaughter sharks for the sole purpose of competition.

Sharks play important structuring roles as the top predators in the ocean. In today’s world there is no room for such wasteful and needless practices such as this shark kill tournament. Sharks are slow to mature, reproduce and have low reproductive output.  The AYMESC is specifically only killing the largest sharks, which are the sexually mature and pregnant animals sustaining the population. So, even killing a few can have a large effect on the population. Unnecessarily killing sharks also will also translate into fewer sharks for our future generations to enjoy, catch and release. A simple format change will still enable fisherman to enjoy the sport of it, while also contributing to the wellness of the planet.

For those who wish to participate in the Shark Safe Rally for Shark Conservation, it will be held in Fort Myers Beach, May 23 and 24, 2009 meet at 11:00 AM at Lynn Hall Park.  The local authorities are aware of our rally and are not against it.

Some suggested sign slogans:
Celebrate Sharks! Do Not Slaughter them!
Protecting Sharks means protecting our Planet
We need Oceans, Oceans need sharks
Are you man enough to save our planet? Stop killing sharks!

100 % Catch & Release

The AYMESC is scheduled to take place June 6 and 7, 2009, as part of a large scale street fair and boat show called “Shark Fest 2009” in Fort Myers Beach, FL. For information on the shark tournament, go to this link: http://www.areyoumanenoughsharkchallenge.com/

Feel free to contact the sponsors to enlighten them on the real shark story.

Please RSVP if you are planning to attend the Rally on May 23-24 2009

email: sharksafe@comcast.net

Shark Safe Marinas Initiative

The purpose of the initiative is to educate the public about the importance of sharks in our marine eco-systems and promote 'Catch & Release' practices throughout the coastal waters of the US and beyond.
We feel that the harvesting of sharks for photo images or trophies is not in the best interests of the US or worldwide tourism. By asking marinas to prohibit vessels from arriving at their facilities with captured or deceased sharks, we hope to encourage responsible sport fishing, thereby ensuring a lasting and healthy population of sharks in the US and international waters for future generations and contributing to the overall health of the worlds oceans.

The decision by the marina's management to support this initiative should be based on the best available science that proves that sharks play a critical role in balancing the health of the ocean and, in fact, pose very little threat to people.

Shark Safe asks for your support in ensuring that the worlds oceans stay healthy, clean and teeming with fish for generations to come.

For more information about the Shark Safe Marinas Initiative,
contact: sharksafe@comcast.net

There is Hope!

Lawrence Groth and Christopher Chin chat with Peter Knights from WildAid

There is no light at the end of the tunnel yet.
But there is definitely hope.

When we were planning this event, we never expected any of these establishments to throw down their soup pots and surrender without a fight.
But we did get one after all.

We had a fantastic weekend.

On Saturday, Lawrence Groth and Bob Mc Nerney from Shark Safe and Christopher Chin from COARE joined forces. As a team we went into Chinatown together, we verified several restaurants that serve shark fin soup, and identified a number of markets that sell fins. We provided information in English and Chinese to each of these proprietors, and engaged in some friendly discussion. In all but a few cases, we were treated with respect, and number of restaurateurs seemed quite interested and said they would consider removing shark fin soup from their menus.

We also ran into two restaurant owners who were very much opposed to shark fin soup (one of which was previously and mistakenly noted as offering the soup). We will be working with these two restaurants to help set an example and encourage others to follow the same path.

Sitting down with a map and our notes from the day, we decided upon the most effective approach and prioritized locations to picket the next day.


Sunday's healthy turnout was welcomed by a warm sunny morning at Portsmouth Square.
After everyone signed in, we gave a briefing and then led several groups up to start with the markets. We were cheered on by passersby, cars honked in support, and even a few of the bus drivers shouted kudos. Our next wave placed participants in carefully selected locations near popular restaurants serving the soup. At the end of the day, we had one restaurant agree to remove it from their menu, and another offered to stop serving it if we would help with the costs of reprinting the menus. We'll be following up with both, and will report back.

Among the participants were one couple Kevin and Liz who flew up from LA to be there and also four young men from LA who drove all night to be there and join the protest. The rest were mostly all from the Bay Area and all were enthusiastic. It was a great group of shark people.
Among the visitors to the Shark Safe HQ set up at Portsmouth Square was Peter Knight the executive director of Wildaid. Peter was feeling under the weather and could not stay out in the cold but he did offer some great suggestions and support for future events.

While we were making plans for this weekend's events, it came to our attention that other groups were working on similar programs in the area. WildAid and COARE teamed up to create the Shark-friendly Communities project a few years ago. But has not been active in any efforts recently. In fact a little over a year ago Wildaid had mailed a letter very similar to the letter that we hand delivered on Saturday to every restaurant in SF that served shark fin soup asking the owners of these restaurants to open a dialog with Wildaid regarding the shark finning issue. They sadly received absolutely NO response.

COARE has planned to start a similar campaign to the successful "Dolphin Safe" campaign of the 1980's. We also modeled our "Shark Safe"organization after the same. With two organizations with the same ideas and the same goals, great things can happen!
We found that we're all pointed in the same direction, and we're combining our forces - our resources, energy, enthusiasm, and our supporters, to have a greater impact in San Francisco and around the world.

Stay tuned for new developments.

To all participants planning to join the Shark Fin Soup Protest in SF Chinatown

Recently there have been shark finning demonstrations in other cities. Some of these events involved participants marching down the street chanting slogans. This may be an effective tactic in those cities, but our event in San Francisco’s Chinatown will use a different approach or tactic. We will not march down the street chanting.

We hope for positive results wherever anti-shark-finning movements are held, and ours will be non-confrontational. San Francisco’s Chinatown is a unique and complex community. Marching and shouting will have little or no effect in this community. It would be perceived as nothing more than a mere nuisance and ignored.

The San Francisco protest will involve strategic placement of small groups of protesters at specifically targeted locations. We will have as many groups as possible spread out to these various locations to maximize the possibility of accomplishing our goal for this event.
Our goal is to educate the public about the health hazards involved and the devastating effects that Shark Fin Soup consumption is having on the environment. We will attempt to convince people to not order or make shark fin soup. We will also try to persuade restaurants to stop offering shark fin soup to their patrons.
We will do this by having our small groups stand in front of the targeted locations holding signs with that message. We will be handing out informational leaflets (written in English and Chinese) detailing the issues connected to shark fin soup consumption. We will use courtesy and respect to convey our message.
We understand that many shark advocates are very passionate about their beliefs. We want to invite the Chinatown community to understand and share our passion and receive our message clearly.

Code of Conduct for Participants in the
SF Chinatown Shark Fin Soup Protest Demonstration

• All participants will conduct themselves in a peaceful and respectful manner.
• Participants shall not make any racial or derogatory remarks towards any person.
• Participants shall not enter any establishment that is being boycotted or picketed.
• Participants shall not block any persons from entering or exiting any building or structure.
• Participants shall not purposely disrupt vehicle or pedestrian traffic.
• NO violence of any kind will be tolerated.

Participants will be required to check in at Portsmouth Square before joining the demonstration.

See you there!

Thank you all ! For the tremendous outpouring of support.

Since announcing the Shark Safe Project and the upcoming event in San Francisco’s Chinatown we have received hundreds of emails from concerned shark lovers and supporters from all over the US and from around the world.
Many people have expressed a sincere interest in starting a similar effort in their own home city. We will do everything we possibly can to continue this effort and provide support for these future efforts.

You all can start now to begin preparing for a successful campaign in your area.

• 
  Reach out to the Chinese and Asian community by contacting schools and various youth groups such as Boy Scout troops, Church groups, sport clubs, schools, etc…
• 
  Offer to speak at group meetings and events about scuba diving and the ocean environment.

Focus on educational aspects about sharks. It would be great to show slide shows and or videos showing the beauty of sharks. Make your presentation educational. Concentrate on educating these groups about the importance of sharks in the marine environment. Speak about how sharks are at risk of extinction due to over fishing and the demand for shark fin soup. Inspire your audience to be passionate about the marine environment and convince them that they can be active in their own community and promote the protection of sharks.

• 
  Create a contact list from your audiences and offer to invite them to future events in their local area.

If you start working on this soon you will have created a wonderful, educated and dedicated group of young people to participate in the “Shark Safe” campaign in your area.

We will soon be announcing future “Shark Safe” campaigns in cities such as New York, Miami, Seattle and Los Angeles. If you live near these cities please start preparing in your area.

Shark Safe Project will soon be able to support you further from our website which is currently under construction.

Thank you all.

Yours in sharks,
The Shark Safe Team

Shark Finning Protest Demonstration in San Francisco's Chinatown

The Shark Safe protest demonstration in San Francisco’s Chinatown will be on
Sunday January 25th at 12:00 noon.
(No football games that day so no excuses!)

Participants will meet at Portsmouth Square San Francisco.
The square is centrally located in Chinatown and a great place to meet. There will be a Shark Safe representative there at all times to meet and greet participants. Picket location assignments and supplies will be distributed from Portsmouth Square.

We have 100 picket signs and stacks of leaflets to be handed out. If you could make a personal banner and/or sign please do so and bring them with you.
We will send groups of 3 or more protesters to targeted restaurant and market locations. There are many locations we wish to picket so we will hit as many as we can as time and attendance allows.

The protest will continue until approximately 7:00 pm. It could be a long day so please bring water and snacks with you. In case of inclement weather please bring a coat and or umbrella.

The San Francisco Police department has been very helpful. They have suggested some rules of conduct that all participants should follow.

Rules of engagement are as follows:

• At no time should any participant block or disrupt street vehicle traffic.
• At no time shall an entrance or exit to any establishment be blocked or barriers of any type be erected that would impede persons from escaping the establishment in case of emergency such as fire or earthquake.
• At no time shall a participant deface any private or public property.
• Loud speakers over 10 dcb are not allowed.
• No violence will be tolerated.
• For emergencies dial 911

Everyone has the right to FREE SPEECH and we are welcome by the city of San Francisco as long as we do not break the law!

Protesters will stand in front of targeted restaurants and shark fin market locations holding signs and banners. Leaflets will be distributed to pedestrians passing by or entering the picket locations. Our goal is to convince patrons to stop patronizing the restaurants that serve shark fin soup and to encourage them to patronize the establishments that do not serve shark fin soup (SHARK SAFE) instead.

Keep it simple!

For questions or more info email us at sharksafe@comcast.net