Polynesian sharks

Dear Members,

I'm relaying a message from Shark-L since we are many to enjoy shark

photography. Diving with sharks in French Polynesia is an unvaluable

experience but a recent threat on polynesian reef sharks is taking

place: finning. Remember the Bikini Atoll case this year... I will not

let cupidity to kill my favorite photo models. This threat has been

observed by local people and is related in local press (La Dépêche de

Tahiti), this is a very urgent issue. We are trying as individuals to

make pressure on the French Polynesian government. The idea is to say

that a shark alive is a better value thant a dead one. Divers (and UW

photographers) are a very important income revenue for French Polynesia

and the beauty of the marine reef life is (was?) almost unique.

Please if you can write a polite mail to the addresses below (french

polynesian government people) explaining that the presence of reef

sharks in French Polynesia is an argument in choosing this destination

and that you are very concerned with the current finning threat.

miri.tatarata@environnement.gov.pf

direction.env@environnement.gov.pf

dircab.mtt@tourisme.gov.pf

For the sharks - a big part of our photo models -, thank you very much.

PS: This message has been posted to many individuals and to some lists,

BTW forgive my bad English.

François Battail

Thanks for bringing this to our attention, and fear not your request will be answered.

The situation in the Bahamas was very similar until recently. It took a lot of letters from divers to finally persude the government (it should have been a no-brainer!) that live sharks are worth far more than dead ones. Even now, the Bahamian government isn't doing a lot to enforce the new laws (to be fair, it isn't easy - the Bahamas chain stretches for several hundred miles), but it's a start.

It just takes relentless pressure, and the politicians eventually get the message. Usually.