The Shark Alliance was formed in 2006 in an attempt to streamline the efforts of NGOs involved in shark conservation. The Alliance is able to utilize the manpower, resources, and combined knowledge of its member organizations to more effectively lobby for sustainable European and global shark fishing limits. Members of the Shark Alliance include The Shark Trust, the European Elasmobranch Association, and The Ocean Concervancy, among others.
In its own words:
The Shark Alliance is a not-for-profit coalition of non-governmental organizations dedicated to restoring and conserving shark populations by improving European fishing policy. Because of the influence of Europe in global fisheries and the importance of sharks in ocean ecosystems, these efforts have the potential to enhance the health of the marine environment in Europe and around the world.
The mission of the Shark Alliance is two-fold: To close loopholes in European policy regarding the wasteful and unsustainable practice of shark finning; To secure responsible, science-based shark fishing limits for long-term sustainability and ecosystem health.
Sharks have evolved over 400 million years and play a critical role in ocean ecosystems. In common with land predators such as lions and wolves, sharks keep other marine populations in check and help maintain the balance of life in the sea. Today, primarily because of overfishing sharks are among the oceans’ most threatened animals. Tens of millions of sharks are killed each year, either intentionally or as bycatch in commercial and recreational fisheries. Ongoing assessment of the status of European sharks (and closely-related rays) by the IUCN (The World Conservation Union) has led to the classification of roughly one third of evaluated species as threatened (either Critically Endangered, Endangered or Vulnerable), with another 16 per cent at risk of becoming so in the near future. Sharks generally grow slowly, mature late and produce few young. Shark populations are therefore especially vulnerable to overexploitation and slow to recover once depleted. The loss of these important predators is predicted to have negative effects on many other species in the sea. Unfortunately, however, misinformation and fear all too often impede the public support required to ensure sharks receive management priority and conservation actions. Unlike many countries that fail to conserve sharks, Europe does not lack the resources to restrict fishing. Despite immediate threats facing sharks there are few European limits on shark fishing, and quotas are routinely set far in excess of actual catches. In 2003, the EU adopted a ban on shark finning (the wasteful practice of slicing off a shark’s fins and discarding the carcass at sea), but at the same time allowed glaring loopholes that render the ban all but meaningless. For instance, shark fishermen are allowed to land shark carcasses and fins separately, making it all but impossible to tell how many sharks have been processed on board and how many were subjected to shark finning. Meanwhile, the fin to carcass ratio (the means of checking that the number of fins corresponds to the number of carcasses – after sea processing – is within the ban’s limits) is the highest and therefore the most lenient in the world. Europe is home to the some of the world’s largest fishing fleets while its powerful fisheries officials exert influence on international fishing restrictions in many regions of the globe. Poor European shark policies, therefore, pose threats not only to shark populations in European waters but also to those around the world. If fisheries are managed carefully, sharks can provide a steady source of food and recreation and help keep the oceans in balance. The Shark Alliance is dedicated to ensuring that these valuable yet vulnerable animals survive and thrive for the benefit of ocean ecosystems and the people that depend on them. Save buying products with payday loan
Filed under Sharks Organizations · Tagged with ability, action, age, Alliance, animal, assessment, Association, attempt, balance, balance of life, ban, benefit, board, bycatch, car, carcass, care, catch, cent, check, checking, Class, classification, Co, coalition, Concervancy, conservation, conservation action, Critically, day, ear, ecosystem, ecosystem health, effect, effort, elasmobranch, Endangered, Ensure, environment, ESP, EST, Europe, European, european fishing policy, european waters, excess, fear, fin, Finning, fins, fish, fisheries, fishermen, fishing, fishing fleet, fishing fleets, fit, fleet, food, form, future, gene, general, global fisheries, globe, Government, health, home, importance, Important, Improving, influence, information, instance, intention, International, IUCN, knowledge, lack, land, land predators, largest fish, life, life in the sea, line, loan, Lobby, loss, management, manpower, manpower resources, Marine, marine environment, marine populations, mean, member, million years, misinformation, mission, NGOs, number, ocean, ocean ecosystems, official, Ongoing, organization, overexploitation, overfishing, payday, policy, population, potential, power, practice, predators, priority, process, processing, product, public, rat, rate, ratio, ray, recreation, recreational fisheries, Red, region, responsible science, rest, risk, role, round, row, Save, Science, sea, serv, shark, Shark Alliance, shark conservation, Shark Finning, shark fish, shark fishing, shark populations, shark trust, Sharks, source, Species, spite, status, support, sustainability, system, Tens, term, term sustainability, The Shark Trust, third, threat, Threatened, time, today, Trust, tuna, Union, US, use, Vulnerable, waste, water, With, world, world conservation union, year
The South African based White Shark Trust is “a non-profit organization founded in 2002 to promote and conduct research, education and conservation projects on the endangered Great White Shark”
It is the brain child of Michael Scholl (founder and trustee) who has been conducting research on Great White Sharks since 1997.
The goals of the White Shark Trust are as follows:
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To establish a fund in the Republic of South Africa for the purpose of receiving grants and donations from international sources as well as sources within the Republic of South Africa;
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To manage and disburse such funds in the furtherance of the objectives of the Trust;
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To promote dialogue between various research, conservation, education and Government bodies concerned with management, research, conservation and education concerning the Great White Sharks (Carcharodon carcharias);
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To assist in providing relevant advice on the management of the Great White Sharks (Carcharodon carcharias);
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To obtain the support for the objectives of the White Shark Trust from local residents living around concentration hotspots for the Great White Sharks (Carcharodon carcharias), including Mossel Bay, Dyer Island / Gansbaai and False Bay in particular;
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To obtain the support for the objectives of the Trust from the established tourism industry involved with the Great White Sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) located at Mossel Bay, Dyer Island / Gansbaai and False Bay in particular;
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To ensure that effective action is taken in all matters affecting the welfare and preservation of the Great White Sharks (Carcharodon carcharias);
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To promote educational opportunities for the general public, schools and the tourism industry;
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To conduct and support scientific research projects and field expeditions with regards to the Great White Sharks (Carcharodon carcharias).”
In connection with other like-minded South African organizations, the work of the White Shark Trust is of primary importance in order to better understand the critical role that White Sharks play in balancing the marine environment. Without their joint efforts we are unable to identify the need for better shark protection.
Filed under Sharks Organizations · Tagged with action, advice, african organizations, age, brain, brain child, car, Carcharodon, cent, child, Co, concentration, Concern, connection, conservation, conservation education, conservation projects, dialogue, disburse, Don, Dye, Dyer Island, ear, edition, education, effect, effective action, effort, Endangered, Ensure, environment, EST, False Bay, field, field expeditions, fit, founder, fund, furtherance, Gansbaai, gene, general, goal, Government, government bodies, Great, great white shark, great white sharks, importance, industry, International, international sources, Join, Joint, land, management, management research, Marine, marine environment, matter, Michael Scholl, mind, Mossel Bay, need, non-profit organization, object, order, organization, part, preservation, project, protect, protection, public, purpose, rat, ratio, Red, relevant advice, Republic, republic of south africa, research, research education, reservation, role, round, sea, serv, shark, shark trust, Sharks, side, source, South Africa, stand, support, tour, tourism, tourism industry, Trust, trustee, US, welfare, White, white shark, White Shark Trust, white sharks, With, work
The Shark Trust was established in 1997 to study, protect, and manage the elasmobranch species found in UK waters and internationally. It is a member of the European Elasmobranch Association and works with other EEA organizations to counter the enormous fishing pressure that European shark and ray stocks are under.
The Shark Trust’s mandate includes:
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Introducing effective management on a regional basis to regulate shark and ray fisheries and ensure that they are sustainable.
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Reducing shark and ray bycatch and mortality in other fisheries.
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Increasing research efforts on the biology of sharks and rays and their fisheries, including the promotion of a collaborative tag and release program.
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Improving records of catches, landings, and international trade in species of sharks and rays.
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Improving management of critical habitats, including nursery grounds, under threat.
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Increasing the amount of information available to the public and decision makers.
The Shark Trust encourages scientists, divers, fishermen, anglers, and the general public to join the growing number of ST members that currently lend their support.
Your membership in The Shark Trust adds to the pressure that it is able to be put on governing and regulatory agencies, and helps spread awareness on the plight of sharks and rays in general.
Subscription to The Shark Trust carries no obligation on your part unless you wish it to. However, if you would like to help educate or raise funds your added contribution will be most welcome.
Shark Trust members receive the trust’s magazine/newsletter ‘Shark Focus’ 3 times per year. This is a glossy publication that chronicles the latest work of the trust and has articles on a variety of shark and ray subjects. Upon joining the trust you will also receive i.d. posters of British shark and ray species and other Shark Trust goodies.
The Shark Trust also hosts a highly informative website with sections on all aspects of sharks and rays. The site also contains a good image database of elasmobranch species and an active and well moderated forum for anyone wishing to talk sharks.
Filed under Sharks Organizations · Tagged with age, amount, and manage the elasmobranch species found in UK waters, Anglers, anyone, Association, awareness, basis, biology, British, bycatch, car, catch, Co, contribution, critical habitats, Data, database, decision, decision makers, diver, ear, Educate, EEA, effect, effective management, effort, elasmobranch, Ensure, EST, Europe, European, fish, fisheries, fishermen, fishing, Focus, form, forum, fund, gene, general, glossy publication, habitat, host, image, Improving, improving management, increasing research, information, informative website, International, Join, land, landing, landings, loss, magazine, magazine newsletter, management, mandate, member, membership, mortality, news, newsletter, number, nursery, nursery grounds, obligation, organization, part, plight, pressure, program, promotion, protect, public, publication, rat, rate, ray, Red, region, regional basis, regulatory agencies, release, research, research efforts, round, row, sea, shark, shark trust, Sharks, ship, site, Species, species of sharks, study, Subscription, support, tag, The Shark Trust, threat, time, trade, Trust, trust members, UK, uk waters, US, variety, water, Web, website, With, work, year, Your
The Shark Safe Network provides a framework to combine and focus the efforts of committed individuals and shark conservation groups towards specific shark conservation campaigns. If you have a passion to protect sharks, Shark Safe Network helps you to get involved and make a difference – by participating in a current campaign or by launching your own campaign in your community.
Shark Safe Network provides the information, tools, raw materials and support. You provide the passion!!
The goal of every Shark Safe Network campaign is to reduce and ultimately eliminate wasteful and unsustainable activities and products that threaten sharks’ survival. Shark Safe Network invites and welcomes participation from any and all organizations and individuals, provided that all campaigns are conducted according the Shark Safe Network campaign principles.
And we always keep in mind that helping sharks = helping people. When you consider any of the issues that threaten sharks today, there is also a corresponding negative impact on humans and the planet.
Shark Safe Network is all about getting involved and doing something that counts. Join the Shark Safe Network and you will make a difference!
Filed under Sharks Organizations · Tagged with amp, campaign, campaign principles, Co, community, conservation, conservation campaigns, conservation groups, day, difference, effort, ESP, Focus, form, framework, goal, group, impact, information, information tools, issue, Join, mind, negative impact, Network, organization, part, participation, passion, planet, product, protect, provides a framework to combine and focus, raw materials, Red, Safe, serv, shark, shark conservation, Sharks, side, something, support, survival, The Shark Safe Network, thing, threat, today, US, waste, way, work, Your
The Canadian born photographer and filmmaker never held a video camera before he began the Sharkwater project — but that is not apparent when you see the film. On the contrary, the imagery is beautifully framed, inspiring, and stunningly breathtaking. The images that Stewart sets forth will awe you, and will capture your heart.
Stewart set out to create a film that would simply depict how beautiful sharks are in their natural habitat. The finished product, however, ended up evolving into so much more. Instead, we’re drawn into an amazing story of human drama, organized crime, corruption, and greed.
The film kicks off with clips from military training videos archived from the 1960s. As might be expected, they depict sharks as ruthless and bloodthirsty man-eaters. The clips belie the ignorance of their times with suggestions such as putting one’s face in the water and yelling to deter a marauding shark.
While it provides an almost humorous relief to the serious subject matter, it is important to realize that 40 years ago, these films were definitive and authoritative. Forty years ago, we held these precepts to be truth. We look back and laugh, because now we know better. …Or do we?
The chasm between reality and the popular beliefs sustained and fueled by exaggerated media is still enormous.
In reality, sharks do not eat people, and they are not mindless killers. As long as people view sharks as dangerous predators, they won’t care about saving them, and this is exactly what Rob Stewart hopes to change.
Early in the film, Stewart begins to debunk some of the mystery and fear around sharks as he holds and pets an eight foot long Caribbean reef shark as if it were a lapdog. From this point on, his understanding of sharks and his community with the underwater world is evident.
In an effort to capture even more compelling underwater footage of sharks, Stewart joins renowned conservationist Paul Watson and the controversial Sea Shepard team aboard the Ocean Warrior. The team is invited and implored by the President of Costa Rica to help patrol the waters surrounding Cocos Island, one of the places celebrated as a gathering area for sharks, and where illegal shark fishing often takes place.
Complete with colliding ships, gunboat chases, espionage, corrupt courts, and spurious charges of attempted murder, the adventure that ensues is nothing short of epic.
Organized crime and conspiracy surrounding the shark fin industry is deeply entrenched. With dried fins sometimes fetching in excess of $400USD per pound, it is a multi-billion dollar industry rife with greed and corruption.
But it is more than corrupt government officials, or the “shark-fin mafia” that threaten Stewart’s life. Shortly after the entire crew must hurriedly flee from Costa Rica, Stewart is diagnosed with necrotizing fasciitis, the “flesh-eating” disease. Rare but deadly, the disease threatens to claim Stewart’s leg, and possibly his life. Alone, with only hope by his side, Stewart remains bedridden in a Panamanian hospital for an agonizing week before doctors can make any prognosis.
Determined more than ever to make a difference, Stewart defies reason and returns to Costa Rica. Knowing he would be arrested on sight, he and his crew must sneak back into the country. Ironically, when they arrive in Puntarenas, they are able to blend in — Protesters line the streets, demonstrating against shark finning and illegal shark fisheries. “Costa Ricans were rallying for sharks. . . I realized our adventure had helped awaken a country”, remarks Stewart with renewed faith.
Over the next four years, Stewart shot more than 400 hours of footage in 15 different countries. In addition to interviews with shark and conservation experts like Erich Ritter, Patrick Moore, and Rex Weyler, Sharkwater includes commentary from average beachgoers, showing how desperately fear and hate of sharks are ingrained. As one Australian angrily believes, “they’re the scourge of the ocean, and everyone should go and catch one.”
Sharks have been an integral part of the oceanic ecosystem for 400 million years, but their populations have declined by more than 90% in the last 50 years alone. It is estimated that more than 100 million sharks are killed for their fins each year.
Shark finning is neither humane nor sustainable. Any shark is taken, regardless of size, age, or species. After its fins are cut off, the shark is thrown back into the water. Unable to swim, and bleeding to death, the shark suffers a slow and torturous death.
Much of the demand for the fins stems from shark fin soup, a traditional asian dish often served at weddings and special events. Once a rare delicacy consumed by Chinese aristocracy, the dish is viewed as a symbol of status and power, and is gaining in popularity as China continues to modernize and its 1.2 billion people become more affluent.
Indeed, there is an uphill battle to be fought, but there is hope.
The Sharkwater crew interviews one Chinese bride who, defying long tradition and facing cultural stigma, makes a statement by refusing to serve shark fin soup at her wedding banquet. We can only hope that this — what is now seen as a controversial decision — will eventually become the norm.
With its spellbinding cinematography and riveting story, Sharkwater has won awards at every film festival where it has appeared. Sharkwater will change the way people view sharks and the ocean. It will open their eyes. . . and, hopefully, their hearts. You can create pet chrome emblems with Shark image to create awareness too.
Filed under Save Sharks · Tagged with addition, adventure, age, aim, Alone, area, aristocracy, Asia, asian, attempt, Australia, author, average, awaken, awareness, awe, ban, battle, beautiful sharks, blood, bloodthirsty, board, boat, camera, capture, car, care, Caribbean, caribbean reef shark, catch, chasm, China, claim, Co, Cocos Island, commentary, community, conservation, conservationist, conspiracy, Continue, contrary, corruption, Costa Rica, country, crew, crime, dangerous predators, death, decision, decline, delicacy, demand, Determined, difference, disease, dish, dog, Dollar, drama, ear, ecosystem, effort, epic, Erich Ritter, ESP, espionage, EST, everyone, excess, expert, eye, face, faith, fear, film, filmmaker, fin, fin soup, finished product, Finning, fins, fish, fisheries, fishing, flesh, foot, footage, forty years, gathering, Government, greed, gunboat, habitat, heart, hold, hospital, human drama, humane, ignorance, image, imagery, Important, industry, Join, killer, land, lapdog, laugh, leg, life, line, mafia, man eaters, matter, military training, million years, mind, murder, mystery, natural habitat, nothing, ocean, ocean warrior, official, Organized, part, Patrick Moore, patrol, Paul Watson, photographer, place, point, popularity, population, pound, power, precepts, predators, President, product, prognosis, project, Protesters, Puntarenas, rat, rate, reality, reason, Red, reef, relief, renowned conservationist, rest, Rex Weyler, Rob Stewart, round, row, scourge, sea, sea shepard, serv, shark, shark fin soup, Shark Finning, shark fish, shark fisheries, shark fishing, Sharks, SHARKWATER, Shepard, ship, shot, showing, side, sight, size, soup, Species, stand, status, Stewart, story, symbol, system, tag, team, Tens, term, thing, threat, time, training, truth, turn, understanding, underwater footage, underwater world, US, USD, use, video, video camera, Warrior, water, way, Week, With, world, year, Your
SHARKWATER FILM
The Canadian born photographer and filmmaker never held a video camera before he began the Sharkwater project — but that is not apparent when you see the film. On the contrary, the imagery is beautifully framed, inspiring, and stunningly breathtaking. The images that Stewart sets forth will awe you, and will capture your heart.
Stewart set out to create a film that would simply depict how beautiful sharks are in their natural habitat. The finished product, however, ended up evolving into so much more. Instead, we’re drawn into an amazing story of human drama, organized crime, corruption, and greed.
The film kicks off with clips from military training videos archived from the 1960s. As might be expected, they depict sharks as ruthless and bloodthirsty man-eaters. The clips belie the ignorance of their times with suggestions such as putting one’s face in the water and yelling to deter a marauding shark.
While it provides an almost humorous relief to the serious subject matter, it is important to realize that 40 years ago, these films were definitive and authoritative. Forty years ago, we held these precepts to be truth. We look back and laugh, because now we know better. …Or do we?
The chasm between reality and the popular beliefs sustained and fueled by exaggerated media is still enormous.
In reality, sharks do not eat people, and they are not mindless killers. As long as people view sharks as dangerous predators, they won’t care about saving them, and this is exactly what Rob Stewart hopes to change.
Early in the film, Stewart begins to debunk some of the mystery and fear around sharks as he holds and pets an eight foot long Caribbean reef shark as if it were a lapdog. From this point on, his understanding of sharks and his community with the underwater world is evident.
In an effort to capture even more compelling underwater footage of sharks, Stewart joins renowned conservationist Paul Watson and the controversial Sea Shepard team aboard the Ocean Warrior. The team is invited and implored by the President of Costa Rica to help patrol the waters surrounding Cocos Island, one of the places celebrated as a gathering area for sharks, and where illegal shark fishing often takes place.
Complete with colliding ships, gunboat chases, espionage, corrupt courts, and spurious charges of attempted murder, the adventure that ensues is nothing short of epic.
Organized crime and conspiracy surrounding the shark fin industry is deeply entrenched. With dried fins sometimes fetching in excess of $400USD per pound, it is a multi-billion dollar industry rife with greed and corruption.
But it is more than corrupt government officials, or the “shark-fin mafia” that threaten Stewart’s life. Shortly after the entire crew must hurriedly flee from Costa Rica, Stewart is diagnosed with necrotizing fasciitis, the “flesh-eating” disease. Rare but deadly, the disease threatens to claim Stewart’s leg, and possibly his life. Alone, with only hope by his side, Stewart remains bedridden in a Panamanian hospital for an agonizing week before doctors can make any prognosis.
Determined more than ever to make a difference, Stewart defies reason and returns to Costa Rica. Knowing he would be arrested on sight, he and his crew must sneak back into the country. Ironically, when they arrive in Puntarenas, they are able to blend in — Protesters line the streets, demonstrating against shark finning and illegal shark fisheries. “Costa Ricans were rallying for sharks. . . I realized our adventure had helped awaken a country”, remarks Stewart with renewed faith.
Over the next four years, Stewart shot more than 400 hours of footage in 15 different countries. In addition to interviews with shark and conservation experts like Erich Ritter, Patrick Moore, and Rex Weyler, Sharkwater includes commentary from average beachgoers, showing how desperately fear and hate of sharks are ingrained. As one Australian angrily believes, “they’re the scourge of the ocean, and everyone should go and catch one.”
Sharks have been an integral part of the oceanic ecosystem for 400 million years, but their populations have declined by more than 90% in the last 50 years alone. It is estimated that more than 100 million sharks are killed for their fins each year.
Shark finning is neither humane nor sustainable. Any shark is taken, regardless of size, age, or species. After its fins are cut off, the shark is thrown back into the water. Unable to swim, and bleeding to death, the shark suffers a slow and torturous death.
Much of the demand for the fins stems from shark fin soup, a traditional asian dish often served at weddings and special events. Once a rare delicacy consumed by Chinese aristocracy, the dish is viewed as a symbol of status and power, and is gaining in popularity as China continues to modernize and its 1.2 billion people become more affluent.
Indeed, there is an uphill battle to be fought, but there is hope.
The Sharkwater crew interviews one Chinese bride who, defying long tradition and facing cultural stigma, makes a statement by refusing to serve shark fin soup at her wedding banquet. We can only hope that this — what is now seen as a controversial decision — will eventually become the norm.
With its spellbinding cinematography and riveting story, Sharkwater has won awards at every film festival where it has appeared. Sharkwater will change the way people view sharks and the ocean. It will open their eyes. . . and, hopefully, their hearts. You can create pet chrome emblems with Shark image to create awareness too.
Filed under Save Sharks · Tagged with addition, adventure, age, aim, Alone, area, aristocracy, Asia, asian, attempt, Australia, author, average, awaken, awareness, awe, ban, battle, beautiful sharks, blood, bloodthirsty, board, boat, camera, capture, car, care, Caribbean, caribbean reef shark, catch, chasm, China, claim, Co, Cocos Island, commentary, community, conservation, conservationist, conspiracy, Continue, contrary, corruption, Costa Rica, country, crew, crime, dangerous predators, death, decision, decline, delicacy, demand, Determined, difference, disease, dish, dog, Dollar, drama, ear, ecosystem, effort, epic, Erich Ritter, ESP, espionage, EST, everyone, excess, expert, eye, face, faith, fear, film, filmmaker, fin, fin soup, finished product, Finning, fins, fish, fisheries, fishing, flesh, foot, footage, forty years, gathering, Government, greed, gunboat, habitat, heart, hold, hospital, human drama, humane, ignorance, image, imagery, Important, industry, Join, killer, land, lapdog, laugh, leg, life, line, mafia, man eaters, matter, military training, million years, mind, murder, mystery, natural habitat, nothing, ocean, ocean warrior, official, Organized, part, Patrick Moore, patrol, Paul Watson, photographer, place, point, popularity, population, pound, power, precepts, predators, President, product, prognosis, project, Protesters, Puntarenas, rat, rate, reality, reason, Red, reef, relief, renowned conservationist, rest, Rex Weyler, Rob Stewart, round, row, scourge, sea, sea shepard, serv, shark, shark fin soup, Shark Finning, shark fish, shark fisheries, shark fishing, Sharks, SHARKWATER, Shepard, ship, shot, showing, side, sight, size, soup, Species, stand, status, Stewart, story, symbol, system, tag, team, Tens, term, thing, threat, time, training, truth, turn, understanding, underwater footage, underwater world, US, USD, use, video, video camera, Warrior, water, way, Week, With, world, year, Your