The Pressure Mounts on Palau's Sharks and Other Marine Species!

On the heels of recently proposed legislation (SB8-44) that would undo Palau's ban on shark fishing comes yet another threat to Palau's marine resources and national treasury by way of proposed legislation (SB8-50) to exempt fishing companies from export taxes on fish caught by purse seining and to allow those fish to be off-loaded at a foreign port(s).

SENATE BILL S-44 proposes:
"To amend Title 27 of the Palau National Code to allow for the commercial fishing of sharks within Palau's Exclusive Economic Zone, to impose a tax on the export of sharks and tuna-like species, and for other related purposes."

SENATE BILL S-50 proposes:
"To exempt, for a period of five years, the export of tuna and tuna-like species caught using the group purse seining or handline fishing method from Palau's fish export tax, to allow for an alternate transshipment port for fish caught using the group purse seining or handline fishing method, and for other related purposes."

The bill goes on to say in Section 4: "For five year from the effective date of this Act, the export of any fish caught by a commercial fishing company using the group purse seining or handline fishing method shall be exempt from the fish export tax"

If these two proposed bills pass in to law, the combined effect will be:

• To permit and encourage the killing of sharks in Palau's waters
• To promote shark finning
• To promote fishing methods that according to Monterey Bay Aquarium "result in large amounts of unintended catch" including sharks, dolphins, turtles, rays and juveniles: http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/cr_seafoodwatch/sfw_gear.aspx
• To exempt fishing companies from any export taxes on fish taken from Palau's waters
• To make it practically impossible for Palau's law enforcement personnel to successfully prosecute alleged violators in the courts
• To risk destroying Palau's sustainable tourism industry
• To risk destroying Palau's marine resources through unsustainable practices
• To gamble on all of the above for no apparent gain to Palau or Palauans.

Both proposed Bills are conspicuously absent of any information, explanation or data to demonstrate a positive benefit to the People of Palau and or Palau's National Treasury from passage of these Bills. Meanwhile, members of Palau's tourism industry are becoming increasingly alarmed at the potential severe negative impacts on tourism and the pristine marine environment that underpins that industry, if these Bills pass in to law.

There are very active negotiations underway between Palau and The Philippines at this very time to enter in to commercial fishing agreements and clearly there are elements of strong political support for the fishing companies as indicated by SB 8-44 and SB 8-50.

The private industry organizations Palau Chamber of Commerce (pcoc@palaunet.com) and Belau Tourism Association (bta@palaunet.com) and the government tourism office Palau Visitors Authority (pva@visit-palau.com) are urging those around the world opposed to shark fishing, shark finning and unsustainable fishing practices to please express their concerns immediately by e-mail to all of the respective organizations.

It is ironic in The International Year of The Shark 2009, that Palau, the worlds very first winner of Sharkprojects "Shark Guardian of The Year Award" is considering legislation that could potentially put it at bitter odds with the international shark conservation community and destroy its reputation as a world class dive destination known for abundant sharks and large pelagic animals.

SAVE PALAU'S SHARKS

Repeal of Palau's Shark Protection Laws Proposed!

A bill has been submitted to Palau's OEK (Congress) that if passed would eliminate Palau's strong shark protection laws and actively encourage fishing for sharks and the taking of shark fins.

Senate Bill No. 8-44 seeks "to amend Title 27 of Palau's National Code to allow for the commercial fishing of sharks within Palau's Exclusive Economic Zone, to impose a tax on the export of sharks and tuna-like species, and for other related purposes."

The proposed law is a potentially severe blow to Palau's tourism industry of which scuba diving is the mainstay. Palau gained international recognition in 2004 for passage of landmark legislation that protected sharks, turtles and rays and outlawed the practice of shark-finning. Under Senate Bill 8-44 it is unclear whether shark fishing and or shark-finning is or is not permitted and the ambiguity will make it virtually impossible for law enforcement to successfully prosecute potential violators. Sections of the bill read as follows:

"It is unlawful for any person: to remove the fins of or otherwise intentionally mutilate or injure any such shark"

"It shall be unlawful for any person to have on board a fishing vessel shark fins that total more than five percent of the weight of sharks on board."

Other provisions of the proposed Act call for:

"An appropriate export tax for shark and fish caught pursuant to this Act."

"A minimum monetary or in-kind fish donation that commercial fishing companies shall make to the Belau National Hospital, the Aging Program within the Ministry of Community and Cultural Affairs, or similar governmental agency or private, non-profit organization. These donations shall come from fish or shark caught pursuant to this Act, or revenues generated from those fish or shark."

Members of the Belau Tourism Association, Palau Chamber of Commerce and the Palau Visitors Authority are strongly opposed to passage of this legislation.

Fishing company consortiums from the city of General Santos, Philippines, are pressing hard for rights to fish in Palau's Exclusive Economic Zone and it is widely believed that introduction of this bill is no mere coincidence. Foreign fishing fleets have a well documented track record of violating Palau's environmental laws, poaching Palau's marine resources and violating fishing agreements. This proposed Bill puts the Palau's tourism industry directly at odds with commercial fishing in Palau's waters as the two are simply incompatible.

In 2004 Palau was recognized by shark conservation agency Sharkproject as their Shark Guardian of The Year. Passage of Senate Bill 8-44 will be a sudden and potentially costly about face for Palau that will yield no gain. Palau only stands to lose...lose its fisheries and its dive industry.

I urge you to speak out against this proposed Bill by sending your comments to all of the following organizations who are fighting against Senate Bill 8-44:
Belau Tourism Association: bta@palaunet.com
Palau Chamber of Commerce: pcoc@palaunet.com
Palau Visitors Authority: pva@visit-palau.com

Every Week is SHARK WEEK in Palau!

For Immediate Release:
Dusseldorf, Germany: January, 17, 2009

Announcing S.AV.E. Our Sharks – Shark Awareness Visitor Education Program!

Sam’s Tours Palau is pleased to announce the official launch of SHARK WEEKS (http://www.sharkweeks.com/) marking a year long commitment to shark awareness and education in support of the International Year of The Shark 2009, to help bring an end to the unprecedented slaughter and destruction of sharks worldwide.

Palau is renowned among divers for exciting encounters with sharks in their natural environment. There is no need to bait sharks, stage orchestrated shark feeds or place divers in shark cages. As a veteran Palauan dive guide says “every week is shark week in Palau!” and it’s true. Divers and snorkelers can encounter sharks on almost every outing all year round. While different times of the year bring different behaviors among sharks, diving and snorkeling with sharks is an experience to be enjoyed year round in Palau.

And “shark diving” is not just limited to dive trips or snorkel trips. Kayakers participating in tours with Planet Blue Sea Kayak Tours may enjoy unique opportunities to visit shark nurseries in the inner lagoon areas where baby black tip sharks hide out until mature enough to take their place on the outer reef.

Even those enjoying helicopter rides with “Matt the Pilot” over at Palau Helicopters are often treated to shark sightings. In fact, Matt most recently reported sightings of baby hammerhead sharks within the lagoon which were heretofore almost unknown. Bottom line, there are few better places than Palau for exciting up close shark encounters whether you’re a diver, a snorkeler or simply enjoying a birds eye view of Palau from the air.

What better place then than Palau to get up close and personal with sharks and learn about their critical role in the marine environment, understand their life cycle, witness their importance to Palau’s fledgling tourism industry, and learn about the unprecedented destruction in a matter of a few short years of a creature that has otherwise survived unchanged for millions of years? Why limit shark awareness to a once a year Shark Week when in fact every week is Shark Week in Palau?

As a member of the International Year of The Shark and a long standing supporter of shark conservation in Palau, Sam’s Tours is therefore proud to launch SHARK WEEKS with a year long S.A.V.E. our SHARKS (Shark Awareness Visitor Education) program.

Throughout Shark Weeks guests will enjoy shark awareness and shark education interpretive briefings that will enhance their shark encounters in Palau and hopefully encourage them to join the fight to protect sharks worldwide. SAVE our SHARKS certificates will be presented to those who complete the program and they will be listed in the Palau Shark Sanctuary Shark Savers Registry.

Throughout 2009, Sam’s Tours will also conduct Shark Byte, a year long free competition for Sam’s Tours guests in search of the best digital image of a shark taken in Palau. Starting February 1, 2009, and every week until the end of the International Year of the Shark 2009, we will select a winning image for Shark Byte of the week from entries received that week. Winners of Shark Byte of the Week will receive a Palau Shark Sanctuary T-shirt and have their image posted on-line. Weekly winners will automatically be entered in Shark Byte of the Year, with the results of the competition to be announced at the close of the International Year of the Shark.

The Grand Prize for the Winner of Sam’s Tours Shark Byte includes:
Round Trip Airfare from Manila to Palau
7 Nights Hotel Accommodation
5 Days of Diving (or other tour of the winners choice)

To reserve your place or more information on Shark Weeks, please visit:

http://www.sharkweeks.com/ or contact: RESERVATIONS@SAMSTOURS.COM

Other informative links:

http://www.sharksanctuary.com/

http://www.samstours.com/

WWW.SHARKSANCTUARY.COM finally launched!

Koror, Palau

January 10, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

I'm happy to announce that my new (and first) website for the Palau Shark Sanctuary is finally launched. While there are still some edits and revisions required, the basic site is up and running. The URL is: http://www.sharksanctuary.com/

Additionally, my BLOG located at: http://www.sharksanctuary.blogspot.com/ will soon be linked to the new site.

I'm deeply indebted to my good friend, fellow environmentalist and amazing photographer Gunther Deichmann who sponsored and created the site in support of the International Year of the Shark 2009. Gunther was instrumental in helping me get the Shark Sanctuary off the ground back in 2001 and has been and ardent supporter ever since. Many thanks Gunther and Webmaster Arnold Munoz. I sincerely appreciate your support.

Check out Gunther's Blog at: http://www.deichmann-photo.com/blog.html

I also owe considerable thanks to Mr. Dennis Camblin of Logo Pacific, Hawaii who has supported me from day one and launched the Palau Shark Sanctuary line of logo clothing which has helped fund my efforts since 2001. Thanks Dennis!

Thanks also to Sam's Tours and Ben Franklin Department Store who are corporate sponsors of Palau Shark Sanctuary and sell Shark Sanctuary logo clothing in support of the efforts to end shark-finning in Palau and elsewhere.

Sam's Tours: http://www.samstours.com

Please pay a visit to http://www.sharksanctuary.com/ and link to: http://www.sharksanctuary.blogspot.com/ for the latest news on sharks and shark conservation efforts in Palau.

SAVE OUR SHARKS!

http://www.sharksanctuary.com/

Announcing International Year of The Shark 2009

Palau Shark Sanctuary is proud to announce its' membership in The International Year of The Shark 2009 and joins the efforts to bring an end to the unprecedented killing off of shark populations around the world.

The International Year of The Shark initiative was launched by the LET SHARKS LIVE network whose members were so alarmed by the announcement in The Global Shark Assessment that "at the current rates of decline, extinction is indicated for a high fraction of oceanic shark species, in ten to fifteen years." In response to this very disturbing news, Let Sharks Live declared 2009 International Year of The Shark in an emergency effort to halt the unsustainable killing of sharks before it’s too late.

For more information on International Year of The Shark please visit: http://www.year-of-the-shark-2009.org/

For information on Palau Shark Sanctuary, please visit: http://www.sharksanctuary.com/

PALAU - TAKING POSITIVE ACTION TO PROTECT SHARKS!

While there continues to be every reason to be deeply concerned about the damage shark-finning by Palau's licensed foreign fishing fleets and other illegally operating pirate fleets is having on Palau's dwindling shark population, there is finally some positive news to report on Palau's struggle to protect their ever shrinking marine resources including sharks.

Palau's Division of Marine Law Enforcement is now operating a Marine Observer Program that places trained fisheries observers on some of the licensed foreign fishing vessels operating out of Malakal Harbor, Koror, Palau. This is a small but very positive step in the right direction. The purpose of the marine observer program is to gather data about the fishing practices engaged in by licensed fishing vessels and to monitor compliance with the fishing treaties and or licensing agreements under which these vessels are permitted to operate in Palau's waters. Data gathered by marine observers can be used to help develop and promote better fishing practices intended to reduce unintentional by-catch of sharks, turtles, billfish and other ocean dwellers that are often killed or injured during long-lining for tuna.

Marine Observer programs are not new and alone they may have little or no impact on poor or illegal fishing practices, but when combined with the support of law enforcement and the political will to protect marine resources they become an important window in to fishing industry practices and a valuable tool in holding the fishing industry more accountable for sustainable fishing practices.

I extend my hearty encouragement to Palau to expand the Marine Observer Program and I commend those Palauans in the Observer Program and in Law Enforcement who serve every day on the front lines in the never-ending battle to protect Palau's resources from exploitation and illegal destruction. They are our eyes and ears and are to be commended. Thanks for your hard work.

FOR SHAME!

WHAT HAVE THEY DONE?

First posted 11/22/08 on http://www.samstours.com/blog/

My good friend and internationally acclaimed photographer / environmentalist Gunther Deichmann has once again used the power of his lens to bring world attention to yet another of mans destructive practices in an unfortunately ever-growing list that shows a callous disregard for the world we will pass on to our children and their children.

Gunther was recently in Bali, Indonesia on a commercial photo shoot when he came across some boats being unloaded in the harbor. Much to his dismay the catch being unloaded was thousands and thousands of shark fins from species that included hammerheads, white tips, black tips and more. True to form, Gunther's first reaction was to start shooting pictures. So powerful were some of the images he shot that Germany's STERN MAGAZINE chose one as "Photo of the Week" (Issue #46, November 06, 2008). Britains DAILY MAIL also featured Gunther's images and story on shark-finning. Follow the link below to see the article:http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1086501/A-sad-sharks-tale-Shocking-images-scale-fin-trade.html

I think it is safe to say that most divers are well aware that shark-finning represents massively destructive and absolutely unsustainable decimation of sharks and I'm likewise sure that most divers do not support the practice. But being aware of and or not supporting shark finning is simply not enough anymore. It is time for each and every one of us to do more right now!

The rate of destruction of sharks is already so monumental that there is a growing belief that many species of sharks are headed for extinction in our lifetime. It is hard to believe that sharks, a species that has existed for millions of years, face extinction at the hands of man on our watch. While there's no guarantee of success for any actions we may each take to try to end this wasteful practice, there is every assurance that if we FAIL TO TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION NOW to stop the rape of our oceans, sharks and many fish stocks too will be eliminated. Greed, corruption and massive profiteering is destroying the very world that we as its present stewards are supposed to hold in trust for our children. We must each take it upon ourselves to act against these forces for if we do not, we too are part of the problem.

I call on every diver to take an immediate and strong stance against shark-finning and to fully engage themselves every single day in rallying more and more non-divers to the cause. We need to relentlessly fight back against those who are destroying our oceans without regard for the future. We cannot allow them to win. To most of the world shark-finning is out of sight and therefore out of mind. By the time the world wakes up to the danger it will be too late! We have to work together now to keep this issue in the forefront and to bring about an immediate halt to this insance practice before the total collapse of shark populations signals their total extinction.

Won't you follow Gunther's lead and DO SOMETHING POSITIVE TODAY and every day hereafter to help protect sharks forever? Tomorrow is already too late!

If you need more information about shark finning simply Google “shark finning” follow the links and start reading!

For more on Gunther's incredible photography, some great tips on Apple Aperture & Photo Shelter, or interesting articles on the environment, follow the link below to: http://www.deichmann-photo.com/blog.html