How do you get taken seriously as a conservation activist?

When writing a blog or a comment on social media, it is easy to get a little rigid in one's stand on an issue or one's view on a group or person. Once our mind is made up, it tends to be difficult for us to change it, or admit that someone we don't like actually did something good.

People who don't agree with you won't change their mind, unless you have an open mind, are able to see where they are coming from and are able to specifically explain, why you disagree with them. While I can certainly see the passion behind someone opposing, for example OCEARCH, I question whether you can convince someone to see things your way, by just wholesale condemning everything they do. The only people you convince that way, are the ones already agreeing with you.

If you speak out against specific things instead, like (OCEARCH) lifting sharks out of the water, the fin damage their tags cause (pictured below) etc. If you explain how those things could be done better,  I think you'll have a much better chance to get them to change. Even if they themselves won't change, maybe you'll convince some of their supporters or sponsors and they can make them change.

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A great example for doing it right is DaShark. He is certainly a guy with an opinion on things. His view on groups like Sea Shepherd tend to be mixed to say the least. In his own words " I harbor, to state it mildly, mixed feelings" What makes him different is the fact that he is not rigid in his thinking, he gives credit, when he thinks someone deserves credit, just like he does here and here. 

Admittedly, it is not easy to have and open mind, and sometimes it hurts to acknowledge that someone is doing something good. DaShark acknowledges that this way "Mark this day in your calender! I'm gonna say something positive about the SSCS! (And before you ask - yes it did hurt. But what is fair is fair.)"

So what does keeping and open mind and working with people instead of against them get you? Well in DaSharks case, a national park! He is none other than the guy who was instrumental in creating the Shark Reef Marine Reserve in Fiji, a project that saw the number of fish species present go from around 260 to over 460 in a 10 year span!
 

DaShark with his "girls" in the "SRMR"

Of course it was not just his open mind that got this project accomplished. There was a lot of hard work instead of "slacktivism" involved. In other words, if you really want to change something, you have to do more than just have an opinion and open mind. You have to get off your butt and actually do something.   

You can follow DaShark's blog here.

Cheers,
Martin Graf
CEO Shark Diver 

About Shark Diver. As a global leader in commercial shark diving and conservation initiatives Shark Diver has spent the past decade engaged for sharks around the world. Our blog highlights all aspects of both of these dynamic and shifting worlds. You can reach us directly at staff@sharkdiver.com.

Following Expedition Blogs - Mining Gems

If there's an expedition blue blog out there we're probably following it.

The facinating world of our oceans is at your desktop each and every day. You never know what will catch your interest.

This caught our interest.

From the blog Oceans Watch Expedition, this post is called Aid Meets Tradition:

Chris comments: here in Moussau the community is still very traditional. I was interested to see how the fishermen use coral stones to weight their hooks to get down to 30 m where the bigger fish are.

They tie a piece of coconut palm leaf around the stone then put the hook through the leaf. When the stone hits the bottom a sharp tug pulls the hook out of the leaf leaving an un-weighted hook on the bottom. The bait they use is a piece of condom!

The condoms are supplied to the communities free by a family planning NGO. All the fishermen we met used condoms as bait and are very grateful to the NGO for endless free lures!

Smart Conservation-Minus the Viral Factor

The guys over at BAD posted an excellent shark conservation video teaser today. Had to say we liked it too...except the most important factor posting any video on You Tube-the viral factor.

Having a first rate conservation message that perhaps 30,000 people see is like pouring a "cup of salt" on an Antarctic Ice Shelf. We need more videos like these and we need to open them up to a wider audience. Kudo's to Leslie Rochat for this effort. Cannot wait to see the completed doco:

Maybe it's the legacy of decennia of successful terrestrial Conservation - but South Africa seems to be a fertile breeding ground for efficient and intelligent Shark Conservationists, which of course is great!

Case in point: Lesley Rochat who has posted this video on YouTube.
Shame that she has de-activated the embedding feature and thus limited its circulation.

I like it because despite being chillingly graphic, it nevertheless manages to remain pragmatic and doesn't gratuitously vilify and demonize the perpetrators and the Authorities.

That's smart Conservation.

Those are the very same people one will eventually have to meet in order to flesh out what cannot be but a compromise. Ultimately, it is them who will have to sign , and then do (or stop doing) something and that requires that one continues to talk. Yes, certainly assertively but never impolitely.

How not to do it is amply demonstrated by the recent Whale hunting fiasco - and I'll leave it at that.

Wise Words-Where Credit is Due

From the Oceanic Dreams Blog words to stop and read:

I just finished reading the new book by Seth Godin: Tribes. The book is essentially about "opportunities for leading your fellow employees, customers, investors, believers, hobbyists, readers...etc." One of the sections is called "Where credit is due"It says that leaders don't care about credit...this made me think of the shark community: photographers, videographers, scientists, non-profits, activists, and the hundreds of online communities that have sprung up on Facebook and other social networks. It is unfortunate to see that lack of togetherness because too many people want credit - they want credit for bringing the media’s attention to something, changing a law, making a movie, getting a grant…the list goes on.

I see the bickering between people on Shark Group forums; I have heard that scientists do not like one another and that organizations refuse to work together. Too many people have their own agendas and are just using sharks and their misfortune as an opportunity to springboard themselves to “fame”. If everyone’s agenda was to save sharks - sharks would be safer today.Unfortunately I feel that our shark community has no leader and therefore not as much gets done and change is slow. I hope that whoever reads this does not in any way feel attacked-and if you do, you are probably one of the people that wants credit.

The section of the book ends with: "There's no record of Martin Luther King Jr. or Gandhi whining about credit.

Credit isn't the point. Change is.

Editors Note: Along comes one of the most insightful posts we have read in a while, Kudos!

National Aquarium in D.C- New shark pups

From Andrew at the National Aquarium in D.C this morning:

Hey Shark Divers,

You have one of the most active blogs I have ever seen! How do you find the time for all those entries?

Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that there are Swell Shark pups at the National Aquarium in DC, and we just wrote a blog entry about Cute Shark Pups

Thanks, talk to you soon!
Andrew

Editors Note: The joys of the PDA. Blogging can be done almost anywhere and at anytime. We are often out of the office with ten minutes to spare in between meetings and work related projects...as our shark fans have come to discover you can cover a lot of ground in just ten minutes.

Vote for Cocos Island-Wolfgang Leander

From Oceanic Dreams Blog today a reason to send in a few clicks:

Two weeks ago I was in Costa Rica – work related. As my father mentioned in a previous post, I work for Burson-Marsteller, and one of our clients in the Costa Rica Tourist Board. During my visit to San Jose I was introduced to Fundacion Amigos de La Isla del Coco and Sistema Nacional de Areas de Conservacion – Costa Rica (SINAC) which are responsible for the up keeping of 160 protected areas including the Island.

We spoke in length about the park and some of the problems it faces – the most obvious and personal to me: shark finning and overfishing. Then the conversation shifted to Cocos Island being one of the nominees for the New 7 Wonders of Nature and how we could generate more awareness and votes for Cocos Island.

The New7Wonders Foundation is behind the New 7 Wonders of Nature campaign which currently has over 200 nominations of natural wonders around the world.

People are asked to support and vote on various nominees until December 31, 2008 – at this point a total of 21 candidates will be shortlisted for the final voting stage which will run through autumn of 2010 when the winners will be officially declared.

Aside from Cocos Island, there are other locations that deserve our attention and our vote: The Galapagos Islands, Malpelo, Belize Barrier Reef, Great Barrier Reef among others.

Each email address (one person can vote multiple times) can select seven locations to vote for. While the vote does not have a direct impact on saving sharks – it will bring worldwide attention to these “Paradise Lost” places.

To vote, either click on the Cocos Island badge on the right or click here.

Sonja Fordham-If you don't know her you should

This years Shark Week enlisted the help of notable shark advocate Sonja Fordham to help dispel the myths surrounding sharks. What they got was one of our brightest voices in the world of shark conservation, tourism, and sustainable seas:

Sharks for Fun

As top predators, sharks have helped keep oceans in balance for hundreds of millions of years and have provided food, leather, oil, weapons and decoration for thousands. Much more recently, sharks have emerged as a source for recreation, through diving, snorkelling, fishing and viewing in aquariums. There is no shortage of controversy surrounding these relatively new uses of sharks.

For starters, many people have concerns about shark-feeding dives; they fear such activities might alter shark behavior and condition sharks to associate people with food, resulting in bites that could fuel the already negative perception of sharks. On the other hand, shark ecotourism can dispel myths about sharks and may inspire action on their behalf. Revenue from shark diving supports powerful economic arguments for keeping sharks alive (see this blog's entry on devil rays). Most proponents of shark ecotourism agree that strict guidelines for conduct should be in place.

Recreational fishing can have a significant impact on sharks. Scientists note a substantial dent in East coast shark populations in the 1970s, after "Jaws" sparked interest in sport fishing for sharks. Since the early 1990s, the government has increasingly limited U.S. Atlantic recreational shark catch while the popularity of catch-and-release fishing has increased. In recent years, the Humane Society (www.hsus.org) has gained attention and support for their efforts to end shark "kill" tournaments in the U.S. Atlantic. Of particular concern is tournament take of porbeagle sharks, as this species is regionally endangered.

Some groups have criticized aquariums for keeping wide-ranging sharks, such as great white and whale sharks, in captivity. Others say that the public needs to see these creatures to appreciate and fight for them, and that the number of individuals in aquariums pales in comparison to the number killed in the wild each year.

These are indeed controversial issues. We're wondering where you stand and invite you to share your perspectives.

PHOTO: Porbeagle shark, Seapics

Shark Experts-Found on The Internet

Seems our blog post from a few days ago is taking on a life of it's own or this is just a case of sharky zeitgeist.

The shark expert should really be called a shark biologist. That's the correct name for his occupation, but when he is asked to provide his opinion on shark-related matters for TV or newspapers, they just call him an expert. Maybe expert is a better word, for this shark biologist also cares about the sharks's soul.

Every day the shark expert observes and studies the sharks. He sees how they communicate, how they mate, how they define their territory, how they occupy their spare time, how they hoard their possessions, how they aspire for a better life, how they avoid the taboo subject of death, and so on.

He has known them since childhood. When one of them dies, whether naturally or grotesquely, the expert feels a bit sad. But this feeling doesn't last long as he knows that death is natural and part of living. Besides, there are lots of sharks in the sea anyway, and the tendency is for the population to increase.

The shark expert is fascinated with these animals, but no matter how much he likes them, he wouldn't want to live with them.

Josh Lay-Found-Nice Guy Too!

Got a phone call at the office, this time from the real "Josh Lay".

You know the old saw "the truth is sometimes stranger than fiction?", well we pretty much proved that today.

Turns out Josh is a real person, and was really looking to book 3-6 divers to go white shark diving at Isla Guadalupe.

While we were wondering why the entire world was suddenly calling us looking for Josh-Josh was wondering why his new cell phone had gone dead and no one was calling him.

A perfect case of cellphone-itus, when new tech get's you when you least expect it.

Oh, and by the way Josh is a nice guy with a great sense of humor;)

National Aquarium in Baltimore- New Blog

We got a request from the National Aquarium in Baltimore this afternoon to introduce you "our shark blog fans" to their new aquarium blog.

Covering all things "ocean" from their new dolphin baby they have on the way to sustainable blue crab harvesting in the bay. We liked the clean layout and in depth writing style and who doesn't absolutely love blue crabs?

Our first question was-do they cover sharks?

The answer after a quick look was yes, yes they do.