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Has anyone noticed the quiet on the shark front? I have. Its disquieting! Its loud! Its noticeable!

Just months ago in New Zealand the media was awash with shark stories… Let alone globally, where we were guaranteed a daily tidbit of shark conservation news that might include:

But lately there has been very little.

As a cause célèbre are sharks succumbing to the plight of the whales?

We all remember when it was all… Save the Whales, Save the Whales, Save the Whales… And then all of a sudden the chorus stopped! Are the whales all good now?

I don’t think so!… The truth of the matter is, that in today’s world of soundbytes and instant noodles… Whales, as a viable news item and as a cause célèbre simply hit its carrying capacity as far as the public ‘giving a shit’ goes. As a result, both the media and eNGOS simply moved on to other causes that captured the short attention span of the multitudes, and provided better financial benefit…

The plight of the whales remains the same. The only difference is that now the print media has stopped bringing their plight to our table tops every morning at breakfast, or to our TVs every evening on the news… without that daily input, there can be not output, at least from the lethargic public. Keep Calm and Save the Whales!
Source: http://ichooseyoupikachuu.tumblr.com/post/36021744412

And now it seems as though Sharks are going the same way…?

Sharks up until very recently have been an issue that has aroused widespread controversy and heated public debate. We saw the rise  of a vociferous anti-finning polemic that up until very recently had provided the media with the feeding frenzy of articles and anecdotes it needed. But it seems that this has ceased to be. UNDER THREAT: Under threat: According to the Forum Fisheries Agency, oceanic white tip shark numbers are being driven ‘to the point of irreversible harm’ by fishing in the waters between New Zealand and Tonga.

Only weeks ago stories like the following featured prominently in the media:

Interestingly this very intense mono-dimensional shark narrative has been absent from New Zealand media for over a month now… But even abroad in other media the plight of the shark has been largely ignored over the past month…. 

So what happened last month?

What happened in the last month (in New Zealand and abroad) that appeased the media, and diminished sharks as the lucrative cause célèbre for the eNGOs it obviously was?

Was it the announcement of Indonesia’s new shark and manta ray sanctuary?

“Indonesia has announced a new shark and manta ray sanctuary, the first to protect the species in the rich marine ecosystem of the Coral Triangle, known as the “Amazon of the ocean.” Environmentalists on Wednesday welcomed the creation of the 46,000-square-kilometer protection zone, in an area at risk from both overfishing and climate change.” (Jakarta Globe. 20 Feb 2013)


Was the National Plan of Action for Sharks (NPOA Sharks) released by the New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries?

“In the next few months, the Ministry for Primary Industries will release a National Plan of Action for the protection of sharks in New Zealand waters.” It has not been released yet.


So what did happen?…

Well it turns out that last month in Bangkok at the CITES COP Five shark species win protection against finning trade (the Guardian – 11 Mar 2013)

According to the Guardian

A press release from the CITES COP 16 posits:

CITES conference takes decisive action to halt decline of tropical timber, sharks, manta rays and a wide range of other plants and animals 55 proposals accepted, 9 rejected and 6 withdrawn. Strong enforcement measures to fight wildlife crime also adopted […]

although I hate to be so overtly cynical – it would appear that as a result of the addition of those five species to Appendix II of CITES all is good in the world of sharks… at least for awhile.

What’s my Point?

My point is this – Are these eNGO driven media campaigns this shallow?

Are they simply cause célèbre that burn burn burn ablaze, until the fuel is gone… and then they are no more?

It would seem this way wouldn’t it? But then why should I be surprised. We are talking about a world were it it doesn’t come quickly its not worth waiting for. Today’s world is a world of quick fixes and lightening legislation.







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