Sea Sabres Scuba Diving club, Southern
California, Fullerton
Sea
Sabres
Gulf of the
Farallones
National Marine Sanctuary
IMPORTANT NOTICE
Absolute
Adventures-Shark Diver
Environmental Impact Statement 2003
SEFI Emergency Closure-EIS
Dear
Shark Divers,
Over
the past few years Absolute Adventures-Shark Diver has advocated very strongly
and successfully for self regulated eco use at the Gulf of the Farallons
National Marine Sanctuary. Specifically eco-tourism regarding protected Great
White Sharks. The thought at the time was that only local shark boat operators
would know best how to interact with this protected species on a seasonal
basis.
We
sadly report to you today that this sensitive population of Great Whites is now
"under siege" by multiple pleasure boats, and eco-tour operators
during the months of September through November. Local pleasure boats have
learned that deploying surfboards at the SEFI (South East Farallon Islands)
elicit spectacular strike/attack responses from huge resident Great Whites.
They are also aware that chumming with fish parts and oil are not currently
illegal. Most of this unregulated seasonal activity is directed at the small
and sensitive populations of Great Whites located between Mirounga Bay and
Fisherman's Cove at the SEFI.
Currently
there are no eco laws nor regulations directing the practice of attracting
Great Whites in any manner. Imagine if you will not one, but nine to 14 boats
all trying this activity each day for the critical three months a year when
these magnificent Great Whites come to feed on Elephant Seals (Mirounga
Angustirostris) as they have done for the past 10,000 years. This feeding
activity is vital to the Great Whites continued success at these islands. The
concern is pressure being exerted on them at this critical time is in fact more
than this population can bear.
We
were also surprised to note in 2002 the Discovery Channel's Shark Week
"Air Jaws Two" show, wherein 20 million viewers in California and the
USA were shown how to make and deploy shark decoys for the express purpose of
seeing protected Great White Sharks "fly" off the coast of
California. This video and a host of shark watching flyers posted by pleasure
boat owners in 2001-2002 are partially responsible in our opinion for the
sudden and dramatic increase in non-regulated, non-permitted, pleasure boats
and eco-tour operators at the sensitive Farallons shark site.
What
we have at this point located within a protected National Marine Sanctuary is a
powder keg waiting to go off, and the clear loser in this case is in fact the
Great White Shark.
Action
Our company is now calling for a two-year moratorium on all commercial and
non-commercial shark watching, shark bating/attraction, and cage diving
operations effective this year in the form of a 2003-2004 Emergency Closure. We
are not advocating a ban on boating, sport fishing and scuba diving, just any
activity related to the specific attraction and harassment of Great Whites by
multiple unregulated shark boat operators and pleasure boats. We are also
requesting that an Environmental Impact Study is conducted with the cost of
this study being burdened by all local operators seeking to be permitted after
the study is complete in two years. Results from published and unpublished
long-term studies on White Sharks from PRBO Conservation Science and its partner,
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which are well-respected and objective research
organizations, will be made available during the moratorium and will be used
for evaluation of management options developed under the EIS.
Elsewhere
in the world and in the USA it is common for interested parties involved in
wildlife use/access issues to pay for the costs of impact studies.
Absolute
Adventures-Shark Diver stands to lose $225,000 this year with a self-regulated
pull-out of our operations at the Farallon islands in 2003-2004. It is a
pull-out that we hope other shark boat operators will stand up and support
rather than treating this protected species as a financial resource only. We
seek no competitive advantage, nor any special consideration for our actions. What
we are requesting is in the best interests of a protected species located
within a National Marine Sanctuary, in US waters, and that is all.
In
the big picture eco-tourism operators are morally obligated to balance a fine
line between good use and "exploitation". We have a slim chance now
to hold everything in place, two years is not a long time for eco-tour
companies to wait until rules, regulations and permits come forward. Meanwhile
our dive site in Isla Guadalupe, Mexico, which remains one of the world's best
Great White Shark dive sites, is under no such environmental pressure, and as
such we are booking expeditions for 2003-2004 right now and look forward to
introducing you to "Los Propietarios" or "The Landlords"
this year. We will also keep our divers updated to the ongoing status of this
site.
Please
help us save protected Great White Sharks at the Farallons for future
generations by sending us an email
of support; staff@absoluteadv.com we will forward these emails to NOAA, the
GFNMS, and all other interested parties. One email can make a lot of difference
to a protected species!
Thank
you for your support.
Cheers,
The Staff
Absolute Adventures-Shark Diver
Members
Diving with Great Whites
Posted March 27, 2003
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