| 28/06/07 |
The club has received the following
important email from Peter Hughes. Please read.
Caution:
This email does contain several graphic images of mutilated
sharks.
Dear William,
This is a special "ocean conservation" email from Peter Hughes
Diving to inform you of a very recent change (July 30, 2007) in
Ecuador law that now allows the legal sale and exportation of
shark fins and products. The practice had been banned in all of
Ecuador until July 30th.
In short, this change opens the legal door to shark over-fishing
and the even more despicable practice of "shark finning" (just
cutting off the fins and throwing the body of shark, sometimes
still alive, back into the sea to die) in Ecuador.
Ecuador, of course, is also home to one of the world's most
unique archipelagoes, Charles Darwin's fabled Galapagos
Islands. If you have visited the Galapagos, you have already
experienced the thriving populations of Hammerheads, Galapagos
Sharks, Whale Sharks, and multiple species of rays, just to name
a few.
If you have not visited the Galapagos, you have certainly heard
about it, and for many divers the Galapagos is very near or on
the top of their "Must Travel" list.
Worldwide, there is almost universal agreement that the
Galapagos must be protected for future generations. Above and
below water.
But the new government decree in Ecuador will prove
absolutely devastating to the sharks and marine population of
the Galapagos.
We have included information below to give you a clearer
understanding of the situation, and respectfully ask you to
review it and write to us with your opinion. We will share those
thoughts and opinions with President Rafael Correa, the
government, and media of Ecuador.
Once again, we ask for your help to restore a full ban on shark
finning and commercial shark fishing in Ecuador, and thank you
in advance for your consideration...
Thank You and as always... Be Ocean Minded,
Peter and Bill
Peter Hughes, Peter Hughes Diving, Inc.
Bill Gleason, Editor, PHD DivEmail
______________________________
Galapagos and Shark
Finning: The Facts
Historical:
Conservation efforts began in the Galapagos as far back as 1936,
and in general have been progressive, if a bit difficult to
monitor in a marine park area encompassing more than 50,000 sq.
miles, most of it open ocean.
Named a UNESCO World Heritage SIte in 1979, the Galapagos
instituted stringent conservation measures, including banning
the commercial sale of sharks from the waters of the Galapagos.
Subsequent efforts include the formation of the Galapagos Marine
Reserve in 1998, and the additional designation by UNESCO as a
"Natural Heritage Site" in 2001.
Despite overall progress, illegal fishing has been observed and
reported within the National Park, and continues to this day
despite strict regulations against it.
Shark Fishing as an industry was banned throughout Ecuador until
July 30, 2007.
July 30, 2007: The Government of Ecuador, in
an apparent effort to assist local fishermen on the mainland of
Ecuador, and directly through the office of President Rafael
Correa, repealed Decree 2130.
Decree 2130 specifically banned the exportation and sale of
shark meat and fins from all of Ecuador.
With a single stroke of a presidential pen, the
sale and exportation of shark meat and fins is now legal from
the mainland of Ecuador as long as the fishermen attest the
sharks were caught "incidentally" while fishing for other legal
species. This is known as "by-catch" in fishing circles.
While shark fishing and finning is still banned in the
Galapagos, this legal "loop-hole" in Ecuadoran law opens
the door to widespread commercial poaching and illegal shark
fishing and finning in the waters of the Galapagos Marine Park.
Why? For the same reason Willie Sutton used to give when
asked why he robbed rob banks ("that's where the money is...").
Galapagos is where the sharks are! And that's
where the fishermen are going to go to get them.
Recent news reports in one of the largest newspapers in Ecuador
and a scientific study published in 2005 by the conservation
group WIldaid both report this very, very troubling statistic:
" Up to 80% of all sharks and shark fins landed on the mainland
of Ecuador come from the waters of the Galapagos Islands"
Laws don't mean much to a finned shark, and while the
situation in Ecuador "on paper" appears to protect the shark
population of the Galapagos (it is still banned as an activity
there), the very troubling reality is the fishermen are going to
go after the sharks and then land them "legally" for sale and
exportation on the mainland of Ecuador.
Ecuador has a relatively small
navy and a very limited government Fisheries department, so
enforcement of any regulations is difficult.
With the new legislation, it will
be virtually impossible to tell where the sharks (and fins)
actually came from, but perfectly legal to sell and export
them. That's extremely bad news for the Galapagos.
What Can You Do? Please join us in writing to
the government of Ecuador to reverse this action immediately.
An ocean disaster is waiting to happen, but if we move quickly,
you can help us avert it.
PLEASE WRITE US AN EMAIL (instructions below),
and we'll print them, collate them, and distribute them to
President Correa, members of the Ecuadorian government, media,
business, and conservation worlds.
Just Hit the REPLY button (
phddivemail@waterpath.com),
and address the Subject Line of your email to:
Attention: President Rafael Correa, Ecuador
The email should begin with: Dear President Correa,
Please remember to "sign" your email with your name,
City, State, and Country.
We will delete your email address when we print and distribute
the letters as a prevention against SPAM, etc. Your name will
appear, but your full email address will not.
Please join us in asking President Correa:
1. To immediately re-institute Decree 2130 and make it again
illegal to sell and export shark fins and shark products under
any conditions.
2. If possible, strengthen all enforcement activities against
illegal shark fishing and shark finning, througout ALL of
Ecuador, including the Galapagos Islands.
Some more thoughts for your email are listed below, but
please, WRITE TODAY
to keep the shark populations in Ecuador and the Galapagos
healthy, and to preserve the unique international treasure that
is the Galapagos Islands.
Some Tips on Writing To President Rafael Correa and the
Government of Ecuador:
1. Ecuador is a sovereign nation, and most of us are
not citizens of Ecuador, so please be cordial in requesting
President Correa's help to correct this situation NOW before
irreversible damage is done. Specifically, re-institute Decree
2130, now.
2. If you have visited the Galapagos, and enjoyed both the
wonders of the Galapagos and the warmth of the people of
Ecuador, please mention it. The Galapagos Islands are an
international treasure and should be protected at any cost.
3. We are urgently requesting President Correa to
re-institute the strict laws against shark fishing and the
sale and exportation of shark fins in Ecuador. And/or
strengthen them even more. Ecuador does not have a large navy
or fisheries authority, so policing even strict laws is
difficult. There should be no "gray" areas in fishing policy
that will encourage illegal activities.
4. Under the new guidelines, we are all very, very concerned
that illegal over fishing and shark finning will be conducted in
the waters of the Ecuadorian coast AND the Galapagos.
5. The marine resources of Ecuador and the Galapagos are a
national and international resource, and should be handed down
to future generations intact.
PLEASE FEEL FREE TO FORWARD THIS EMAIL AND ENCOURAGE
OTHERS TO WRITE AS WELL.
_____________________________
Many of us were part of an international group of
concerned divers which forced the Disney Corporation to get out
of the "shark finning" business two years ago. Your letters and
opinions absolutely convinced Disney to stop serving Shark Fin
Soup at its Hong Kong Theme Park.
Please, we can do it again in Ecuador with your help.
And, thank you so much for your personal time and consideration,
Peter and Bill
________________________________
PETER HUGHES DIVING, Inc.
5723 NW 158 Street, Miami Lakes,
FL 33014
Ph: 1-800-9-DANCER (800-932-6237), (305) 669-9391, Fax (305)
669-9475
email:
dancer@peterhughes.com
web site:
http://www.peterhughes.com
About PHD DiveEMAIL: This is a
complimentary news service by Peter Hughes Diving, Inc., sent
only "by permission" through the services of WaterPath
Electronic Publishing. If you would like to ADD a friend,
DELETE, or CHANGE your email address, please hit the REPLY
button and include the appropriate word.
Or respond to:
phddivemail@waterpath.com
All email addresses are
strictly confidential.
___________________________________________
"Please Be Ocean
Minded"
Copyright, August, 2007 by Peter Hughes Diving,
Inc. and WaterPath Electronic Publishing
|
| 28/06/07 |
A note from Bill Bradley about seasickness.
First let me say I am
the worlds’ worse sailor, I get sick on a bus. I do however have
a method to avoid sickness without resorting to drugs. It works
so well that on some trips when all our clubs’ tough old salty
dogs have been laid waste, (including the crew), I have survived
unscathed.
First of all you have to
understand the root cause of the problem. I am amazed how many
times people blame seasickness on something else, a greasy
breakfast, too much beer etc., anything other than what it is.
This is probably because when the sickness starts, they begin to
get a taste of their last meal which is then assumed to be the
problem.
Motion sickness is
caused by a conflict of information received by the brain. Why
this is so is debatable, but it is certainly true. The first
step is to accept and believe this statement.
Stability and motion
information is supplied primarily by the eyes and ears. In a
moving vessel, motion will easily be detected by the
semicircular canals of the inner ear, but since your body moves
as one with the vessel, your eyes will report no motion if they
are looking within. This is a conflict and can cause sickness,
the severity of which is affected by the extent of the motion or
crucially the level of concentration afforded to one or other of
the senses in conflict.
The remedy is to (a)
look unflinchingly but without concentration at any
stationary object that is not in the vessel i.e. the horizon.
(b) close your eyes or (c) cease concentrating i.e. stop reading
or kitting up. It is also very important to move your head
slowly with no sudden turns. A peaked cap can help keep the head
still by aligning the peak with the forward horizon.
In bad cases lie down in
a central low position in the boat with eyes closed and head
still. Try changing your orientation with the boat. This is
because, even with eyes closed, there is still a conflict
between the inner ear and the “stomach”, one detecting vertical,
the other detecting pitching and rolling movements. The internal
organs seem more able to detect vertical movement when in a
vertical position.
These are difficult
rules to follow consistently but will work with diligence and
practice if given the chance.
|
| 03/08/06 |
Jan has asked
for the following announcement to be posted:
Dear Dive Club:
Marine Conservation and Research Expedition to the
Seychelles
Global Vision
International is seeking expedition members with diving skills
and knowledge of marine life to participate in scuba diving
surveys and marine conservation projects in the Seychelles.
Please share this information with your fellow club members.
Expedition
members are needed for periods of 5, 10 and 15 weeks to join the
GVI marine research teams. Additional training is available if
required, up to PADI Divemaster.
Expedition focus
At the invitation
of the Seychelles government, the GVI expedition team assists
local biological studies and conservation programmes throughout
the island which include: coral reef characterization, sea
turtle, lobster, plankton and incidental whale shark activities.
This marine
research programme is designed specifically for people with a
minimum dive qualification of PADI open water or the equivalent.
The expedition training programme provides the skills necessary
for research diving and marine survey work in order to
accurately collect data and identify fish and coral. PADI Coral
Reef Researcher Speciality is also available.
GVI’s local
partners include:
- Seychelles Centre for
Marine Research and Technology and Marine Parks Authority (SCMRT-MPA)
- Ministry of
Environment
- Marine Conservation
Society of the Seychelles (MCSS)
- Nature Protection
Trust of the Seychelles
Ten-week
expedition members are eligible for a GVI internship to extend
their field experience by a further research phase.
Further details
are outlined on the relevant webpage at
http://www.gvi.co.uk/pages/expeditionDetail.asp?expedition=57
or can be requested by contacting GVI directly on 0870 608 8898
or e-mail: rowana@gvi.co.uk
I can also supply
further information in the form of:
- Detailed expedition brief
- Talks and presentations given
by project staff and ex-expedition members.
- Bi-monthly open days held at
London Zoo
- Brochures
- DVD’s.
Global
Vision International
Critical conservation and humanitarian projects in over 30
countries rely on GVI for volunteers, promotion and direct
funding. GVI works locally with its partners to promote
sustainable development through environment research,
conservation and education. GVI volunteers benefit from
exceptional support, training and an internship scheme. For more
information about GVI visit
www.gvi.co.uk
Career
Opportunities in the field
GVI offers a large range of jobs, internships and other exciting
field work placements in the fields of diving, education,
research, environmental management and wildlife research
alongside its partner organizations in countries across the
world. More details can be seen on
http://www.careersabroad.co.uk
I do hope that
you can help GVI’s work in the Seychelles by assisting GVI in
its search for high quality expedition members. If you have any
further questions please do not hesitate to contact me.
Kind regards
Rowana Walton
Africa Regional Coordinator
www.gvi.co.uk
rowana@gvi.co.uk
Global Vision International
3 High Street
St Albans
Herts
AL3 4ED |
(The Underwater World, Animal Behaviour section).
