SAVE OUR SEAS SAVE OUR SEAS About Save Our Seas In less than 10 years, the Save Our Seas Foundation (SOSF) has become a key player in the battle to save the world’s oceans and the wealth of marine life they contain. From being a small non-profit organisation funding only five projects, the SOSF has evolved into what it is today, a strong force providing financial and, equally important, practical assistance to over 180 marine research and conservation projects all over the world. There can be no balance in the oceans without sharks. The SOSF aims to understand and protect larger shark species and increase public awareness. It also supports projects involving education, marine mammals, turtles and marine parks. ”As long as there are people who care and take action, we can and will make a difference.” The Founder, Save Our Seas Foundation 2 3 2 About Save Our Seas 6 A word of Introducti on 8 Status of the Ocean: Balancing Acts... 14 Media 18 Save Our Seas Shark Centre USA 22 Save Our Seas Shark Centre South Africa Projects in Focus: 26 Aceh-Weh Seascape 30 Killer Whale Habitat 34 BRUV Monitoring in South Africa 38 Marine Megafauna, Australia 42 Turtle Diaries, India CONTENTS 46 Whale Sharks in Djibouti 52 Global Sawfi sh Conservati on Plan 56 Greenland Shark Project 60 Recreati onal Shark Angling, South Africa 64 Educati on is Key! 68 Citi zen Science: Join us! 72 Past and Present Projects 78 Core Team 80 Credits 4 5 A WORD OF INTRODUCTION 2012: TURBULENT TIMES FOR THE OCEANS During the (nearly) ten years of its existence, the 2012, the Foundati on acquired the management of Save Our Seas Foundati on has supported over 180 the D’Arros Island Group in the Seychelles, where it projects worldwide. Many of those projects have fo- had already supported several projects on ocean cused on gaining new knowledge about marine conservati on and educati on. This project builds upon life through observati on, shark tagging and labora- the Foundati on’s strengths and will off er new tory work. Others have been examining our relati on- research potenti al. ships with responsibiliti es to the ocean through ed- ucati on, with a focus on the younger generati ons The Foundati on also saw a transiti on at the end of and government policies. In 2012, the Foundati on 2012 with CEOs Peter Verhoog and Georgina Wiersma extended its eff orts in both areas, to change public moving on to new challenges and projects. They are views on the oceans and its inhabitants, as well as to succeeded by biologist Michael Scholl, who has intensify the eff orts of project leaders who work in been working on shark conservati on for more than a the fi eld of environmental policy and fi sheries man- decade in South Africa and around the globe. agement. In this review, the Foundati on presents its projects, The demand for fi sh, shark fi ns and other marine which inspire hope in marine conservati on. Nine products remains high. Marine polluti on is sti ll in- project leaders present their personal stories and creasing. The Foundati on will conti nue its work to their work. They are supported by Save Our Seas - to Save Our Seas by promoti ng innovati ve research save our seas. to address these pressing and long term issues. In 6 7 BALANCING ACTS Ocean wildlife supports local and Sharks are a delicate delicacy three largest species of hammerhead sharks, shark fin soup is likely to continue to grow and Perhaps as many as 100 million sharks are killed which make up almost 6% of the global fin most purchasers of this delicacy are unaware of international economies and attracts every year, many of them mainly for their fins. trade, have also declined to a similar extent. the impact of their consumption. This high- the tourism industry dollars of The fins of an estimated 26 to 73 million sharks The findings suggest that bans on finning (the lights the dire need to educate the public and entered the international fin trade in 2000 practice of slicing the fins off a shark and dump- decision-makers better about the importance snorkelers, divers and recreational alone – and the demand for shark fin soup has ing its body back into the sea) and some recent of sharks and the threats that they face – it will anglers. However, human risen sharply since then. Meanwhile, concerns prohibitions on landing the most threatened take more than some national and regional about the unsustainability of global fisheries species are not yet helping to reduce the num- demands are growing, and growing. and declining shark stocks has also been rising. bers being killed. Meanwhile, the demand for Slaughtered sharks Overfishing not only harms ocean Sharks are slow-growing animals. They mature late and produce relatively few young, making wildlife, but also damages fisheries, them particularly vulnerable to overfishing. coastal and national economies, and Sharks are, therefore, excellent indicators of overfishing; the worse the status of shark popu- ecosystems. The overfishing of lations becomes, the more likely other fish stocks sharks makes matters even worse as will also be in deep trouble. Global stocks of the oceanic whitetip shark they play a crucial ecological role. have decreased alarmingly since the interna- Sharks are at the top of the food tional market demand for shark fin began to boom in the late 1980s (although this large spe- chain in virtually every part of every cies contributes less than 2% to the total shark ocean- they keep other fish fin trade). Most estimates of stock declines in- dicate that populations have fallen to under populations healthy 10% of their original levels in the North Atlan- and the marine tic, Central and Eastern Pacific and Indian Oceans, and that the average size of sharks has ecosystem in balance. halved – a key indicator of overfishing. The 8 9 10 11 fisheries regulations to slow these trends; ulti- ence of Parties in 2010 – unfortunately their Foundation has been funding the IUCN Shark Stop milking marine mammals mately, reducing the demand for shark prod- status has not improved during the past few Specialist Group’s work to develop a Global It is estimated that fewer than 10,000 West Af- ucts is the only measure that will reduce catch- years. Freshwater stingrays are threatened, at Strategy for Sawfish Conservation for this most rican manatees survive in the wild. They are es to safe levels. The Save Our Seas Foundation least in part, as they are being harvested for the threatened family of sharks. distributed across 21 countries, where they has been supporting a variety of education and poorly regulated international ornamental fish face threats from hunting (often driven by hu- advocacy projects working on mitigating the trade. Despite this subject being discussed by The turtle race man poverty), accidental catch in fishing gear, impacts of both supply and demand: aiming to CITES Parties for several years, this is the first Turtles will always be vulnerable – females have and habitat destruction. Save Our Seas is fund- improve conservation policies and the efficacy time a ray species has been proposed for listing. to come ashore to lay their eggs, where they ing a long-term project to address these threats of fisheries management measures for sharks, can be easily killed for their meat or shells, their and improve understanding of this poorly and to reduce the consumption of shark fin soup. The Save Our Seas Foundation has been sup- eggs collected, or their nesting habitats dam- known, threatened species. The aim is to build porting manta ray research for many years, but aged. Population recovery, even after strict le- a network of trained African researchers who Managing international trade these huge filter-feeding animals have only re- gal protection, takes a very long time for ani- will collect critically needed scientific informa- As we go to press, countries and non-govern- cently received international conservation -at mals that take 20–40 years to reach maturity, tion and promote grassroots conservation ac- mental organizations are preparing for the 16th tention as they come under threat from an un- and which continue to be killed at sea as an ac- tions in every country where the manatee oc- meeting of the Conference of Parties to the expected angle. While traditional small-scale cidental fisheries bycatch. Hawksbill turtle pop- curs. Projects like this, focused upon building Convention on International Trade in Endan- fisheries have occasionally taken small num- ulations were very seriously depleted because the capacity of locals, in their own countries, gered Species (CITES), which is being held in bers of manta rays for their meat, there is now of the high ornamental value of their shells and are the best way to make sure that such iconic Bangkok in March 2013. An unprecedented 38 significant demand for their gill-plates (the are still Critically Endangered, despite some re- species are saved. countries (including the 27 Member States of structures used to filter their planktonic diet), covery since the 1990s. Leatherback turtle pop- the European Union) have made proposals for as they are a novel remedy in Traditional Chi- ulations are slowly recovering in the Atlantic A new SOSF marine mammal project on the improvements of shark and ray protection poli- nese Medicine. In 2011 both species of manta Ocean, but the remaining populations in the other side of the world demonstrates research- cies through CITES. Oceanic whitetip sharks, were uplisted to Vulnerable on the IUCN Red Pacific may become extinct.