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
Sea Shepherd is best known for its frontline work protecting marine mammals but its broader mandate is to protect all ocean creatures. Styled on the more widely publicized organization Greenpeace, Sea Shepherd continued to grow teeth where Greenpeace lost them through inactivity. Sea Shepherd’s founder Captain Paul Watson has a reputation for pursuing illegal whalers and longliners, harassing seal cullers, organizing rallies, and generally irritating governments that would rather turn a blind eye, and infuriating fishing consortiums who would rather go about their illegal and often cruel practices unnoticed.
Sea Shepherd’s flag ship The Farley Mowat has harassed shark fishing boats in Costa Rican waters and sent sailors sprawling over their decks after being hit by The Marley Mowat’s water cannons.
Captain Watson also manages to fit a lecture circuit into his busy schedule, during which he educates anyone willing to listen on the plight of whales, dolphins, seals, and sharks.
Sea Shepherd’s second vessel is on permanent patrol in the Galapagos area where Park Rangers are virtually helpless against the Ecuadorian fishing boats that brazenly ignore the protection afforded to the park by its world heritage site status. Even with Sea Shepherd’s vigilant patrols the rangers are so out numbered that fishermen have an almost unimpeded run of the islands and the Galapagos Sharks that once schooled in vast numbers around Darwin Island have all but vanished.
This kind of hard line activism is not for everyone. The Sea Shepherd crew have been deported, locked up, threatened, and roughed up on many occasions. Violent confrontations at sea may not fit with your particular code of behavior or ethics but what makes you more uncomfortable: sponsoring Sea Shepherd’s activities that achieve direct results in the protection of endangered creatures, or lobbying deaf government officials while the wholesale slaughter of our oceans sharks and whales continues unchallenged?
If Sea Shepherd seems like a worthwhile organization with which to take a stand, you can help them in a variety of ways. Joining Sea Shepherd with a modest contribution, helps with the provisioning, fueling, and maintenance of their ships. As a member you may also have the chance to sign on as a volunteer for a tour of duty on one of their campaigns. On their website they list what skills they are looking for in new crew members but they also take unskilled deckhands that are willing to work hard.
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