RTSea Status on U.S. Shark Conservation

Channel RTSea Shark conservation media

If you're in the mood for first rate analysis on the complex issue of shark conservation, management, media, the place to go is the RTSea Blog.

We feature unique blogs like RTSea for a reason - great thought.

This week Richard wrapped up Washington Posts environmental writer Juliet Eilperin's take on the current status of shark conservation.

It was a good piece, and Richards thoughts on the article go deeper into the issue from a writer, filmmaker, and conservationist who has always seen all sides of complex issues and is able to distill these down to terrific blog posts.

"Commercial fishermen are pressuring politicians to interject loopholes into proposed legislation. And one common proposal is allowing the landing of whole sharks. Once thought of as a way to dissuade fishermen from taking sharks because of the value difference per pound between a whole shark and just its fins, I am now concerned that, with several species, even the taking of whole sharks may prove to be one shark too many. The populations of some sharks is that perilous."

RTSea complete post here.

RTSea on TOPP's - Brilliant Research

The RTSea Blog has full coverage on TOPP (Tagging of Pacific Predators) findings this morning.

Great reading and first rate research.

If you were curious about Pacific white shark movement data here it is.

In California, many people involved in ocean conservation are familiar with the ground-breaking work of Dr. Barbara Block and the program she started, TOPP (Tagging of Pacific Predators). Using various types of telemetry and satellite tags, the TOPP crew has tagged a variety of ocean animals, from sharks to tuna, to turtles and more. Doing so has enabled them to determine many of the key migration routes these predators take - quite often of a seasonal nature, traveling great distances back and forth between key locations year after year.

After 10 years of tracking using over 4,000 tags and accumulating data from over 23 different species, TOPP has released a final report of its findings in conjunction with the Census for Marine Life, published online in Nature. The report shows that migration patterns play a very crucial role in the lives of many ocean predators. Writing in the Washington Post, Julie Eilperin repeated TOPP's description of the eastern Pacific Ocean as being akin to Africa’s Serengeti, teeming with wildlife and crisscrossed by migration corridors used by sharks and seabirds. Two currents play a key role in the migrations: the California Current - which stretches from western Canada all the way south to Mexico - and the North Pacific Transition Zone - which travels east and west between the sub-arctic and subtropical water.

Complete post here.

RTSea Productions on OC Magazine

OC Magazine (Orange County California) is the gold standard for regional happenings and local interviews with highlights of OC luminaries.

One of these was our very own Richard Theiss from RTSea Productions who, for the past 30 years has been one of California's premier underwater and above water cameramen, directors, and production developers.

You can read the interview here, like his blog (which recently garnered the attention of Nat Geo Magazine) it's a great read.

Richard Theiss on OC Magazine.

The Theiss Factor - Genius is Genetic!

Last week the shark world lit up with the recent results from a study that said sharks are color blind.

Take that Yum Yum Yellow believers, we know it has been a hard week for you, but heck science ain't here so you can come up with crazy shark myths.

For us the exciting moment in this study was not the study itself but the team behind it and one name that stood out like a beacon - Dr. Susan Theiss of the University of Queensland.

Could it be that this Theiss was related in anyway to another well known Theiss at RTSea Blog and RTSea Productions?

A quick phone call to Richard Theiss at his home in California confirmed all our suspicions, "Yup, that's my niece", said a very proud uncle on the other end of the line.

What is it with Theiss clan and sharks?

You'll note that RTSea Productions was behind Island of the Great White Shark an award winning look at both shark tourism and research working in tandem at Isla Guadalupe, Mexico...and now this.

For those of you who read Richards blog you'll also note the uncanny scientific manner in which he distills complex issues down to a readable and digestible format, a trademark blog style that has rocketed Richards readership to one of the top Blue Blogs out there right now.

They say "Genius is Genetic". In the case of the Theiss clan the world is better for smarts like this and the shark world is benefiting as well, one groundbreaking study, and one groundbreaking documentary at a time.

Kudos!

Shark-Safe Beaches: testing aerial spotters and dismissing electro-magnetics

Starting 2011 out right with this report from RTSea Productions.

If you want concise industry thought and analysis this is your go to daily blog.

From RTSea:

When people enter the ocean - to swim, surf, dive, or just frolic about at the water's edge - they are entering a different wilderness. In doing so, they expose themselves to a measure of risk from interaction with other animals, from a sea jelly sting or an urchin spine all the way up to an interaction with a larger animal like a shark.

To protect people from unwanted shark interactions, several methods of prevention have been tried over the decades. In Australia, there is an extensive network of netted beaches. The steel mesh nets are designed with openings small enough to ward off large sharks but large enough to allow smaller fish to pass through. The nets have been used for many years and, in combination with lifeguards acting as shark spotters, the process has been fairly successful. But not infallible.

Sharks can get through the nets on occasion due to the nets being moved about from currents or storm action, so to maintain a big picture overview, spotter planes are being deployed in New South Wales (south eastern Australia) as part of a test program during peak months of swimming activity. And the NSW government in Australia has deployed a novel method to keep their spotter pilots' skill sharp. Decoy or replica sharks will be placed in the water to check the effectiveness of the surveillance program. Lifeguards will be made aware of the days and times for the placement of the replica sharks, but not the pilots. Results of the tests will be included in the final evaluation as to the aerial surveillance program future.

Far to the west, following a recent series of shark attacks in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, a variety of safety measures are being considered. Nothing has been confirmed as yet because the government is weighing an appropriate response that also recognizes the probable causes for the attacks - reportedly everything from unregulated chumming to overfishing of the shark's usual preying to the dumping of dead sheep from a passing freighter.

One approach that apparently will not be used is something akin to electrified fencing. An organization, the Shark Academy, has proposed installing an electro-magnetic shield along the Egyptian coastline of Sharm El-Sheikh in the Red Sea, but the idea has been totally dismissed by the Governor of South Sinai, General Abdel Fadeel Sousha.

"He (the company's owner) showed us a video in a meeting in Sharm El-Sheikh on devices used to protect beaches from sharks and made verbal and purely theoretical proposals that didn't persuade me on a personal level," said General Sousha. "I asked him for a practical demonstration in front of a committee of experts so we could be sure the devices work effectively. This still hasn't happened."

A pretty far-fetched notion when you think about it. I have worked with divers who have used a protective device called a Shark Shield which emits a strong electro-magnetic pulse when needed and seems to be quite effective with medium-size sharks like lemon or blacktip sharks. But I've been told it also "rattles the teeth" of the diver when its discharged. So the idea of having something that strong running constantly across a beach seems rather unlikely.

Apparently, previous attempts at using electro-magnetic fields along beaches in Natal, South Africa and in Australia have been a dismal failure, not preventing the sharks from entering enclosed swimming areas but giving bathers a nice little shock instead.

Rather than rely on Rube Goldberg devices, common sense should prevail. Non-life threatening measures - such as nets and shark spotters - along with a better understanding and acceptance of the wild world we are venturing into is what's called for. While many of us hear the call to return to the sea, we must remember that we enter it as interlopers and strangers on someone else's turf.

Filmmaker's Journal: Mystery, a white shark never to be forgotten

From RTSea Productions:

In 2005, I began filming what was to become Island of the Great White Shark, a documentary on the white sharks of Isla Guadalupe, Baja and the important working relationship that exists between the shark diving operators and Mexican researchers.

It took several seasons of filming at Isla Guadalupe, returning year after year, looking to grab one more shot that was needed for editing - at least that was always the excuse. Actually, any chance I got to see these amazing predators first hand and up close, eye to eye - well, I took it.

During one particular trip to the island, during the second season of filming, I had one of those special encounters, the memory of which has stuck in my mind and I hope I never give it up. We had been seeing sharks all day and, as is the case at Isla Guadalupe in the latter part of the season, they were mostly large females. Due to the rough and tumble nature of shark mating, mature females are often badly scared. This comes from amorous males who secure their grip on the female prior to mating by biting her around the head and gills.

On this trip, I was filming within the cage - although I use that term rather loosely. Professionally, I tend to not use a cage but in my earlier years working with white sharks I would at least use the cage as a secure platform from which I would lean out into open water to get striking close-ups of the sharks as they pass by. Familiar and, for the most part, totally disinterested in the cages or the divers inside, the sharks, however, would become curious about this large protrusion (me!) extending from the cage into their domain.

Following a lull in shark activity, I was about to surface when out of the depths below a large female rose up to see what was going on. Attracted by the scent of fish (this was before restrictions were imposed on chumming), this 16-foot leviathan came into view and she was truly magnificent. At around 3,000 pounds, she was fully mature and perfect in shape and proportions, with hardly a scratch on her - absolutely stunning. I started to roll tape, hoping I would get a shot or two before she moved on.

Her name was "Mystery", given to her by researchers who have studied and cataloged the great white sharks of Isla Guadalupe. Sharks can be easily identified by various body markings and scars. Even the pattern of gray above and white below that runs along the side of the shark's body acts like a lasting fingerprint.

Mystery was quite curious with me and provided me with a wonderful close pass right in front of my lens before sniffing the bait floating in the water and then gliding off into the gloom, out of sight. "That was a really great shot," I thought.

And then she returned. Another close pass, another swing by the bait, and then you could see her cruise just along the edge of visibility. I was beginning to get a feel for her whereabouts, her preferred movement patterns, so I could anticipate her approach and ready myself for when she either approached the bait and then swung by to take another look at me, or vice versa.

Each encounter I expected to be the last and she would then move on to more interesting opportunities. But she stayed. And for the next hour and a half, I had an ongoing love affair with a gorgeous animal, the likes of which I have never seen since. When I returned home, I had marvelous new footage to add to my documentary. Mystery became the leading lady of Island of the Great White Shark and much of the natural beauty of these animals that I was able to convey to the viewer I owe all to her.

Mystery appeared the following season at Isla Guadalupe but, sadly, I have not seen her since nor have I heard of any reports of her being seen by other divers. The great white sharks of Isla Guadalupe are pretty regular in their migrations - from the island to the mid-Pacific and back again, over and over. It's been several years since I have last seen her and I worry that she may have met her end, perhaps at the hands of poachers or illegal shark fishing operations. White sharks are protected at Isla Guadalupe and within U.S. territorial waters, but their annual migrations take them well into unprotected waters.

Mystery. She may truly be a mystery now, but the memory of our brief time together - not as predator and prey, but as two intensively curious fellow creatures - will always remain as one of the highlights of my underwater filming career.

Island of the Great White Shark is available on DVD at Amazon.com and in gift shops at several major aquariums across the country. Learn more about the film and the white sharks of Isla Guadalupe at www.islandofthegreatwhiteshark.com.

RTSea Blog Three Part Series - The Emancipation of Data

As media producer, filmmaker, and marcomm consultant, Richard Theiss has provided high definition images for broadcast networks and non-profits in addition to developing and implementing marketing strategies for multi-billion dollar corporations.

From sweeping Arctic vistas to pensive human interaction to the power of the great white shark, Richard Theiss/RTSea adheres to the principle of "Making the Message Matter."

This week Richard posted an in depth three part series on Science and Media Communications. Creating a the bridge between science and the public.

Science and Media Communications: turning data into enlightenment - Part 1 of 3


Science and Media Communications: turning data into enlightment - Part 2 of 3


Science and Media Communications: turning data into enlightenment, Part 3 of 3

RTSea Blog - Basker Warning Flags

From the RTSea Blog today, Baskers off the California coast have now been declared by NOAA.

So what does this mean?

NOAA, the U.S. National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, took a slightly unusual step by declaring the eastern North Pacific's basking shark a "species of concern." While it sounds a bit like a suspect in an unsolved homicide, what the designation actually does is recognize that the basking sharks that migrate along the coast from Canada to the central coast of California are not recovering in numbers as expected since the taking of basking sharks commercially was curtailed in the 1970s.

The importance of a government scientific agency taking a step like this is that it essentially greases the wheels for marine scientists to consider the basking shark as a study subject. With NOAA's acknowledged concern, the designation can assist scientists in seeking funding for research projects.

Complete Post.

Sharks Bite Back Without Biting: study finds deadly bacteria

RTSea has an interesting take on sharks this week. Drug resistant bacteria?

Could be another reason not to eat these critters.

"Drugs given to humans could simply be excreted and eventually find their way into the ocean. Or bacteria in humans could acquire the resistance, be excreted, and then colonize fish that sharks eat, or the sharks, themselves. Some antibiotics are routinely dumped into aquaculture to help prevent infections -- that could be a source for some of the resistance."

Complete post.

RTSea Interview - Responsibility in Filmmaking

Richard Theiss took time out this week to share his thoughts on filmmaking, sharks and the industry.


"In speaking engagements, I have often said that shark conservation is a tough sell. To be sure, there are dedicated shark advocates who understand both the important role that sharks play in a healthy marine ecosystem and the many threats these animals now face – but that represents a small number compared to the general viewing audience. Sharks are not afforded the “warm and fuzzy” factor that many terrestrial animals enjoy – the cuddly bear, the cute fur seal, or the seemingly wise and sociable whale. Sharks can seem cold and, as predators, lie just below the surface – waiting for us. That’s a tough image to work around."

Budd Riker Talks Sharks - An Industry Original

From Budd Rikers blog Follow Your Camera this week. Stories of those who first left the confines of the cage to discover the wild and wonderful world of sharks.

It is to these first pioneers that a global 400 million dollar industry was born.

Budd Riker

I received a post in my Facebook account about an article in the online version of the Pasadena Star News regarding shark diving. My comments in the article were taken from a discussion I had with the author, Margo, about what attracts divers to sharks. Reading this got me reminiscing about my earliest shark diving and how I got started leading groups of divers to see sharks in the wild.

In the early 80’s I was the owner of a dive store that, coincidentally, was in Pasadena California. Always looking for new adventures for my dive friends (my customers were always my diving buddies too), I began taking divers to the Coronado Islands in Mexico aboard Dick Howard’s Hustler dive boat to feed….morey eels. We brought along anchovies and showed divers how to feed the eels, bring them out of their lairs, without losing fingers. I had learned this technique from the divemasters in Bonaire, actually. We ran many successful trips and many divers got a close-up, new found respect for these maligned animals. It really was fun!

After a year or two of this activity, I was lamenting with Dick on his boat, “What do I do to follow up morey eel feeding and keep my divers excited and learning?” “What about shark diving?” Dick blurted. Now, remember, this was early 1982 and shark diving was virtually unheard of. “You’re out of your mind!”, says I. But, after talking more about it I started to think it was not a bad idea. So, I contacted Jack McKenney, a filmmaker friend and borrowed his cage, put some dates together, picked a small group of close dive friends, and 4 weeks later we were on our first trip. We chummed for about 3 hours while the Hustler drifted along with a sea anchor and, voila, we had plenty of blue sharks all around us. We even had a visit from a couple of Makos.

That was the beginning of an adventure that would last a few years as I brought customers out to see sharks, first hand, in the wild in cages (the divers were in the cages). What grew out of this experience was a profound new attitude and respect for sharks, and marine life in general, from all who were fortunate enough to join in. I even ran into a fisherman/diver in another dive shop who was boasting about catching blue sharks on hook and line. “Hey”, I said to him. “You wanna really be macho and dive with the blues? Why not join us on one of our trips?” He did, and he never fished for sharks again! I am quite proud of that!

I chronicled my experience with the blue sharks in an article I titled, Into the Blues and submitted it to Steve Werner at Outdoor Photographer Magazine, a new photo magazine that remains my favorite to this day. Steve’s rejection letter contained words of reckless, crazy and liability…. Steve, you actually made me feel on top of the world….

A lot of time has passed and shark diving is still an amazing adventure. SharkDiver.com and many other organizations are bringing the plight of sharks everywhere directly to those who can help them the most, you and me! No longer viewed as eating, destructive machines, sharks are seen for what they really are. Majestic, awesome, even spiritual creatures that have earned a place on this planet. I hope all of the divers who joined me in those early days, and all the divers who have enjoyed encounters with sharks, are doing all they can to save these animals from disappearing forever.

For more information, visit shark blogs like SharkDiver.com and RTSeaBlog

White Shark Underwater Video Boot Camp

What: Underwater video workshop with noted cinematographer Richard Theiss

Where: Isla Guadalupe, Baja

When: October 10th – 14th

You’ve spent thousands of dollars on underwater video equipment and now you’re wondering, “What do all these buttons and switches do?” And how will you make a video that your family and friends will be truly interested in or perhaps even moved by where you’ve been and what you’ve done?

If you or any of your friends have been tinkering with underwater video - either as a hobby or with hopes of becoming a serious filmmaker, here's an opportunity to learn some skills while at the same time getting a chance to behold one of the most magnificent of ocean predators.

Shark Diver, in association with RTSea Productions, will be holding an Underwater Video Boot Camp aboard the MV Horizon as we make our way to Isla Guadalupe, Baja to cage dive with great white sharks. These amazing sharks migrate to Isla Guadalupe during the fall months and we will be there during the height of the season (Oct. 10th thru 14th); so you can expect plenty of frisky male and large female sharks.

The Underwater Video Boot Camp is a comprehensive look at underwater documentary filmmaking, designed to not only help make your videos technically better but to also deliver powerful and dramatic messages to best suit your medium of interest: television, online, and more. In fact, much of what you'll learn is just as applicable above the waterline as below.

1. Tips on focus, iris, gain, white balance, manual and auto functions.

2. Effective underwater filming techniques – working with light

3. How to develop a dramatic storyline or powerful message

4. Effective editing – cinematic or MTV style?

5. Video formats – making the right choice for distribution (YouTube, online, TV).

In addition, Boot Camp members will be eligible for a "mini-film festival" by submitting a 5-minute video of their trip. The videos will be judged by a panel of independent UW videographers and the winner will receive a FREE trip to Isla Guadalupe in 2011.

Your Instructor: Richard Theiss is a cinematographer whose work has been utilized by Discovery, National Geographic, A&E, Google Ocean, and others. He is one of the leading videographers of Isla Guadalupe’s great white sharks and has produced an award-winning documentary,Island of the Great White Shark.

All of this is included in the regular trip price of $3100!

Sign up today by calling Shark Diver at 415-235-9410.

Who knows? You could be the next Jacque Cousteau, Steven Spielberg, or James Cameron waiting to be discovered!

T-Minus Six Weeks to the Start of White Shark Season

In six weeks from now the crew of Sharks Diver will be at Isla Guadalupe beginning another spectacular commercial white shark season. This is the main even we have waited for all year long, another season with many of our favourite animals at the best site on the planet to interact with one of the oceans tops predators.

We have been fortunate enough to spend nine years here, and I have considered myself one of the most fortunate to own a company that allows me access to these magnificent animals year after year.

The 2010 season will feature an Underwater Boot Camp with Richard Theiss and RTSea Productions, offering novice to beginner underwater filmmakers the chance to film sharks and learn how to make documentary style films.

Here's a small sample of his work:

Elegance in Black and White - Google Oceans

Speaking of RTSea Productions, when Google announced "Google Oceans" joining it's wildly successful Google Earth, Richard Theiss was on the original content team providing video and images to ocean searchers worldwide.

This week his short shark PSA "Sharks:Elegance in Black and White" was uploaded to Freeport, Bahamas exposing millions of content searchers worldwide to the stark beauty of sharks.

In case you missed the video here it is again:

Sharks - Elegance in Back and White

RTSea Productions takes the planet on a journey this month. The end result is visually stunning emotionally guiding the viewer into the magnificent world of sharks.

Shot in the Bahamas at Tiger Beach, this is pro shark pro industry film making.

Kudos.

Richard Theiss - Balancing Industry Thoughts

I have blogged about this man in the past and am compelled to do it yet again. When I first met Richard Theiss many years ago he came to me with a proposal, a shark documentary of Isla Guadalupe with the resident Great Whites.

That proposal seemed like a decade ago now and in many ways for our industry - it was.

Over the years I have come to respect Richard for his innate ability to synthesize many facets of an "issue" and distill them down to a comprehensive solution. He's unique and he has a gift. Whereas I have found myself recently "skating the line" in my response to recent industry media shenanigans, Richard has once again, distilled this months talking points into a comprehensive look at our industry.

It's compelling reading so I have posted it in it's entirety. To call Richard friend has been my great honor over the past years. It's a friendship based on respect for ideas and a deep understanding that we're all connected to one another - in one manner or another:

Let's face it - shark conservation is a tough sell. They don't have the mammalian intelligence connection like whales and dolphins. They don't have the warm and fuzzy factor that makes us feel for polar bear cubs and penguins. No, unfortunately to most people, sharks are lurking just beneath the waves waiting for us to venture out just far enough . . .

And that's such a shame. Because - despite the critical role these animals play as scavengers and hunters that help to maintain balance in the marine ecosystem - as long as people fear them, they will listen politely to the arguments about the shark's importance, they will be put off by the gruesome images of shark finning, they will rationalize the very remote possibility of shark-human interactions . . . and they will do nothing.

And today there is much going on to reinforce that fear. And some of it is coming from the very people who wish to protect these animals. I have said before, I am a big supporter of safe and responsible shark ecotourism - shark diving, if you will. But my concept of "safe and responsible" that promotes conservation, works with scientific research, and provides a safe environment for both divers and sharks, is not the same concept as some others in the industry. Over the past several months, there have been a series of media publicity and community public relations gaffes the net result of which has been to show shark diving to be a haven for wreckless thrill-seekers and it is fueling government and community forces to clamp down or place an ouright ban on shark ecotourism at some key sites.

No doubt about it, at one time shark diving was a major thrill-seeking adventure sport, something only for the bravest of hearts. But it has evolved as an educational experience in the hands of responsible operators, in tandem with their understanding and concern regarding the future of sharks. Still there are some who cling to the images of the past and that short-sighted approach simply puts the media into its own feeding frenzy.

Now I must admit, as a filmmaker, I can appreciate their dilemma to some extent. Nature filmmakers have to wear three hats: the advocate, the storyteller, and the businessperson. In an ideal world, or an ideal film project, all three of these roles would work in harmony. But often one or two of them are in conflict.

The advocate wants to promote conservation; so the facts are important so that viewers will accurately understand and appreciate the subject animal. The storyteller wants to tell a good yarn; a dash of excitement, a little drama or pathos, and maybe a happy ending. And the businessperson understands the realities of what the broadcasters are buying, what the advertisers or the viewer ratings are demanding in terms of programming. Getting all three of these to work together for the benefit of the shark is a challenge.

Case in point: here's a short clip taken from my YouTube channel, RTSeaTV, that was done as a lark while I was filming a piece on Isla Guadalupe shark diving for a major online magazine. A colleague of mine, marine biologist Luke Tipple, and I were testing a two-man cage and at the last minute thought about making something out of whatever I shot on this one dive. It involved being in open water with great white sharks - something that is a highly calculated and thought-out risk taken only by professionals - and the cage proved to be an excellent platform to work from with plenty of easy exit/entry points (and by the way, totally unsuitable for regular shark diving customers!).



So, a little excitement and awe mixed with some important facts and a call for conservation. But does it help or hurt the cause? In a short clip, one can get a measure of balance; however filmmakers seeking to do long-form projects are always challenged by the pressure to pander to the gentleman in Kansas kicking back with a Bud and ready to change the channel to NASCAR or flip to YouTube if he doesn't see a shark attack in the next five minutes. Sigh . . .

So what does this all say? That we just keep on trying, whether it's sharks, global warming, or whatever your cause du jour. We try to do what's right, we suffer and carry on from the mistakes of others, and we never lose faith that, perhaps little by little, people will see that truth is the best antidote to fear and the key to understanding and respect.

Shark Tourism-RTSea

Editors Note: One of the many reasons why we work with RTSea Productions and have come to count on the friendship and guidance of Richard Theiss has been his innate ability to look at complex issues from many points of view. His perspective on the shark diving industry comes on a global scale and his conclusions are sound policy statements that get to an industries sustainability and longevity:

Lately I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to screen my white shark documentary, Island of the Great White Shark to large crowds, to discuss shark issues with the audience, and be interviewed by newscasters. Their questions and comments would be wide-ranging, expressing a variety of opinions. While I tend to avoid op-ed positions (I find I get long-winded as you can see) and prefer to enlighten people with the facts, sometimes I feel compelled to express just where I stand.

Eco-tourism:
Eco-tourism has taken an interesting journey, evolving from the hunting safaris of the past into photo safaris to its current position as a conservation-minded endeavor. In the process, it has moved from a high adventure, risk-your-life type of activity to that of ecological enlightenment. This is not to say that it is without risk - from inclement weather, to a charging animal, to tenuous or hostile political environments in some developing countries. But those involved in eco-tourism who choose to promote it as a thrill-seeking, dangerous activity are behind the curve regarding its future and in the end can do more damage than good.

This is particularly true of shark diving. Many leading NGOs have turned towards shark eco-tourism as a possible new strategy to pursue. While past strategies of regulation and prohibition have produced legislative results, eco-tourism offers an additional supportive approach by providing countries or businesses with economic alternatives to curtailed anti-conservation activities while also providing a means to educate the general public with first hand experiences.

However, the NGOs commitment to eco-tourism becomes shaky when safety protocols are not strictly enforced, resulting in aberrations like some of the incidents or activities that have received broadcast media or YouTube attention - like riding, grabbing or playing "kung fu" with passing sharks or cage breaches due to unsafe bait handling. The days of high testosterone, "face the malevolent monster" are at an end and undermine the efforts of those who are working hard to build a general public consensus regarding the importance of shark conservation.

I have personally seen how shark eco-tourism can be beneficial, as I brought out in Island of the Great White Shark at Isla Guadalupe. Those shark diving operators who have been a model of effective eco-tourism have supported the island's "biosphere" status financially, supported Mexican shark researchers both financially and logistically, and have acted as unofficial watchguards in the absence of Mexican enforcement due to the country's limited resources.

Criticisms of Eco-tourism:
Eco-tourism is not without its critics and many of their concerns are not based on the welfare of the participants but on the animals themselves. Here are the two most common complaints often levied against shark eco-tourism and my take on the issues:

1. The animal's normal feeding behavior is being disrupted.

Well, to be honest, I have my concerns when feeding takes place pretty much year-round. I am concerned with sites like Stingray City in the Caymans and other similar spots where the potential for negative feeding behavior is possible because of an endless stream of tourists with bait in hand. These sites need specific scientific study to determine if there are detrimental effects taking place.

At a site that I am familiar with, Isla Guadalupe, this same complaint has been used by certain political forces in Mexico who are determined to rid the island of all boat activity. In this case, I believe it is a weak argument. When hang bait is used to attract the sharks, a certain number of them succeed in occasionally catching the bait being wrangled by the crew, but we are talking about bonito or tuna carcasses (the sharks often spit out bony tuna heads) - not a major source of nutritional quantity or quality. For the 3-4 months that the sharks are at the island, this activity does not supplant their normal feeding behavior (primarily pinnipeds and whole tuna) or leave them starving the remaining 8-9 months when they migrate.

I recently had the opportunity to discuss this issue with shark researchers at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. The consensus was that a specific study would be needed for a definitive answer (researchers don't like to guess) but the feeling was there is probably some behavior modification regarding the sharks "recognizing" the presence of shark diving boats but a negative impact on their feeding habits from hang baits alone was a bit of a stretch.

2. Animals will associate humans with their food/bait.

With regards to sharks, the fear is that providing bait to sharks will make them associate humans with their food and become more aggressive to divers, surfers or swimmers - in essence that we're teaching the sharks to eat people. While a specific scientific study would be needed on a site-by-site and/or species-by-species basis to determine it once and for all, I can at least add my anecdotal observations.

In all my years of shark diving, I have yet to see any shark become specifically aggressive towards the divers in cages or myself (where I am often more exposed to the sharks) when conservative baiting is present. This is not to say that I am willing to put my arm in front of a floating bonito while a white shark bears down on it and expect the shark to swim around me. Nor will I place myself in the midst of a group of frenzied reef sharks tearing apart a large piece of bait and act surprised if I get nipped accidentally. But with all the various prey and various scents that sharks detect and recognize, to assume that a shark will equate fish blood to human prey is an A equals B logic that my experiences just don't support.

The Shark's Role as Predator:
In building public awareness in shark conservation it is critical that we build consensus based on truth. And the truth is that to maintain a healthy eco-system nature needs its predators - even the big, fearsome ones from sharks to grizzly bears to lions, tigers and so on. Many of these animals benefit from the "warm and fuzzy" factor. We look at the mother polar bear and her cubs strolling across the Arctic ice and we get all soft inside, forgetting the fact that the polar bear is a ferocious predator - a role defined for it by many, many years of evolution.

Sharks do not have the warm and fuzzy factor working for them. They live beneath the waves in their own realm and for centuries all man has been able to do is scratch the surface of that realm and form attitudes steeped in ignorance and fear.

So at one end of the attitude spectrum there is "sharks are killers" and "the only good shark is a dead shark." What we must do is to educate people as to the important role that has been defined for these animals through millions of years of evolution. For some of our larger sharks, their role as predator and scavenger may not be a pretty one, but it is absolutely vital in preserving the intricate weave that we call the marine eco-system.

Unfortunately, I have sometimes seen the spectrum move too far in the other direction. For some people, their enthusiasm as shark advocates pushes them to ascribe social or human-like traits to sharks that don't really exist. To promote sharks as cuddly puppy dogs who smile at our approach is not a responsible position based in fact and can ultimately be dangerous not only to the cause of shark conservation but literally to any person who interacts with a shark, forgetting at a crucial moment the animal's refined sense of self-preservation, of flight or fight. Timothy Treadwell tragically lost sight of this while studying Grizzly Bears.

This circles back to my earlier comments about shark diving. As a professional filmmaker, I am paid to take a calculated risk in filming and sometimes exposing myself to an animal that might choose to defend itself aggressively. Eco-tourists who pay to see these same animals should do so in a safe environment. If we promote some of our most maligned sharks as gentle, loving and smart (in human terms), we are setting up the cause of shark conservation for the inevitable backlash when someone is injured in an unprovoked (or provoked) shark/human interaction.

Let's be true to the facts, true to the sharks, and true to the belief that people can rally behind a cause like shark conservation without being misled, no matter how sincere the intentions. The truth shall, in this case, set the sharks free!

L.A Times-Island of the Great White Shark

From this mornings L.A Times Outpost Blog, for shark conservation fans in Southern California:

A reminder that a free screening of the documentary "Island of the Great White Shark," by RTSea Productions, will be shown at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the MLK auditorium of the Santa Monica Public Library. Filmmaker Richard Theiss, executive producer and cinematographer for the project, will be in attendance and will conduct a question-and-answer session after the film, as well as discuss his experiences filming great whites and other sharks. The screening of this 45-minute film is part of an ongoing lecture series sponsored by Heal the Bay's Santa Monica Pier Aquarium.

Theiss, who four years ago joined an eco-tourism charter to Mexico's Guadalupe Island and the surrounding waters to observe the great whites, became passionate about this subject and began documenting the work of shark researcher Mauricio Hoyos Padilla. The resulting film from this trip details the important role great white sharks play in a balanced ecosystem and also focuses on the marine scientists dedicated to studying and protecting these sharks.

"These are absolutely magnificent creatures living on a razor's edge of possible extinction. And there are some very dedicated people working tirelessly to prevent that," Theiss said. "This is a story that needed to be told."

Millions of sharks, including great whites, are killed each year for their fins, as accidental catches on commercial fishing vessels and for souvenir jaws and teeth.

Admission to the screening is free on a first-come, first-served basis. The main library is at 601 Santa Monica Blvd., with a pay parking structure available on 7th Street, north of Santa Monica Boulevard. For directions to the library, visit www.smpl.org/depts/branches/index.htm. For other information, visit www.healthebay.org/smpa or call the aquarium at (310) 393-6149.

-- Kelly Burgess

Photo: Great white shark off the coast of Guadalupe Island. Credit: Sharkdiver.com

Film Exposes Threats To Survival Of Great Whites CBS News

Two hundred miles (click link for video) south of San Diego, there's a place where divers come face-to-face with the ocean's fiercest predator - great white sharks. A Southern California filmmaker is on a mission to bring them to the big screen, and Birch Aquarium at Scripps featured his award-winning documentary "Island of the Great White Shark".

He has a love for the ocean and fascination with great white sharks. It explains why filmmaker Richard Theiss would spend countless hours in chilly water to bring these feared giants to your living room.

"I've been filming for 5 years now and never seen aggression either towards divers in cage or myself," Richard said.

He traveled 200 miles south of San Diego to Guadalupe Island, about 150 miles off the coast of Baja. It's a place shark enthusiasts love to go to catch a glimpse of the great white from a cage underwater.

"I wanted to present a realistic portrait of these animals, but also wanted to show working relationship between eco-tourism boats, the shark diving boats and the Mexican researchers that are there... why have they chosen Isla Guadalupe," he said.

You can see the source of food here is one major attraction for the sharks. But researchers have yet to answer many questions about shark behavior, which is why shark tagging is used to collect information. Richard's film not only shows this warm-blooded creature in motion, but acts as a tool to bring science and public interest together.

"People have always said the great white shark has this black eye, well it's not completely black. You can actually see its pupil and as he goes by I can see him tracking and looking at me. You feel a momentary connection. I see you, you see me," he said.

It's that connection that Richard wants people to make before it's too late. Conservation is one of the leading messages in his documentary.

"We're losing up to 100 million sharks a year, primarily to feed the Asian demand for shark fin soup and other shark products in these Asian countries," he said.

Richard hopes "Island of the Great White Shark" will give people a better appreciation for the fight sharks face every day to survive.

"We are not on their menu, that we don't need to fear these animals. They certainly are top predators and have an important role in marine ecosystems and we need them, but we should not necessarily fear them or fear putting our toe in the water," Richard said.

Birch Aquarium: Island of the Great White Shark full house rave reviews

From filmmaker Richard Theiss:

On Tuesday, January 6th, the Birch Aquarium at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in beautiful La Jolla, CA hosted a screening of Island of the Great White Shark. At the conclusion of the film I had the opportunity to discuss the film with the standing room only audience. The pressing issue of conservation and the value eco-tourism was discussed along with the importance of understanding the shark's role in maintaining a balanced marine ecology.

My sincere thanks to the Birch Aquarium and its staff for promoting and managing what turned out to be a very successful evening (a special thanks to Lydia Cobb, Marketing Manager and Jessica Crawford, Communications Specialist). After a series of media interviews arranged by the Aquarium, the day of the event arrived and I was treated to a behind-the-scenes tour of the Aquarium and had a chance to sit down and discuss shark research with several of Scripps top shark research grad students. It was very encouraging to hear about their efforts to learn more about these amazing animals so that we can take the proper steps to ensure their survival.

The Birch Aquarium plays a unique and vital role as a conduit through which the Scripps Institution of Oceanography can enlighten the public to many of the important marine issues being studied by this world renowned research organization - from climate change to marine wildlife conservation. The institution was established in 1903 and became a part of the University of California, San Diego a few years later. With a fleet of research vessels and state-of-the-art research facilities, the institution is one of the leaders in its field and has produced generations of accomplished research scientists and educators across a wide range of oceanographic disciplines.

Again, my thanks to the Birch Aquarium. If you are traveling in the San Diego area, carve out a few hours and stop by for a visit. It will be time well spent.