Category Archives: Shark Conservation

Day 17: 7/12/2013: SHRK LUVR

by in Activism, Shark Conservation and tagged | 2 Comments

Basking+shark+with+mouth+wide+open+feeding+on+plankton+concentrated+in+surface+waters+close+to+the+island+of+Coll,+Inner+Hebrides,+Scotland

Today’s action is small. Humble. Barely anything.

But it gave me such a weird sense of satisfaction.

I attached a SAVE THE SHARKS license plate holder to my car. The end.

Since I live in Los Angeles, I drive A LOT. Out of all of the many cars stuck behind me in some interminable traffic jam, I wonder if one or two or maybe even three people might see my license plate frame and meditate on it. Although we all get compassion fatigue, SAVE THE SHARKS is certainly better than staring at some inane vanity plate that reads CAST ME or PMS 247.

Maybe one of these random motorists will go home and read up on sharks and see how dire things are and sign a petition or send a check to a shark charity or have a complete life-altering epiphany, and ditch their suffocating job and join the crew of Sea Shepherd and defend the seas from a-holes.

I know it’s probably unlikely, but it’s not completely impossible either.

I guess that’s the whole point of taking little actions every day.

Day 7 7/2/2013: Shark Defenders

by in Activism, Shark Charities, Shark Conservation and tagged , | Leave a comment
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Photo: Shark Defenders

One week into my 365 days for sharks, this blog feels as uneven as a personal diary. In one way I like that—I want it to reflect the ups and downs of a  inspiring, boring, frustrating, transcendent, etc.  But I also want to be pithy, bright, witty, full of zest and deep insight. Shark Defenders is a good model.  Their site features photos of  insane shark tattoos,  conservation quizzes (I got 4/5 thank you very much), a list of the Top 10 Shark Dives in the world and lots of ways to volunteer.

I  downloaded The Shark Defenders Pledge Petition and will begin to collect signatures today. When I gather  1,000 names of  people who pledge to support shark/ocean friendly laws, I can submit start my own local Shark Defenders chapter and Facebook page.

Yaaaay!

Day 6 7/1/2013: Don’t Overturn Sharkfinning Bans!

by in Activism, Animal Welfare, Environment, Marine Conservation, Shark Conservation | Leave a comment

This makes my blood boil!

Tell the Obama Administration to close loopholes in crucial shark finning legislation passed several U.S. states and territories.

PLEASE read, sign and share this petition:

http://www.sharkdefenders.com/2013/06/action-alert-obama-administration.html

Day 1 6/26/13 Love Makes a Family: Adopt a Shark

by in Activism, Environment, Marine Conservation, Shark Charities, Shark Conservation and tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Shark Stewards offers symbolic adoptions of the sharks it tags and releases in the waters of the San Francisco Bay.

Today I became the proud surrogate parent of a hammerhead.

Here are some fun facts about this odd fish:

  • Hammerheads swim in large schools that sometimes exceed 100 sharks during the day, but at night are solitary hunters.
  • The oddly shaped hammerhead (known as a cephalofoil) is used for navigation and to detect and trap prey such as stingrays
  • Like humans, hammerheads have stereo vision, (each eye gets a slightly different view of an object), fantastic depth perception and better vision than other sharks.
  • In 2001, a captive female bonnethead (a type of hammerhead) gave birth to a shark without having had previous contact with a male. While “virgin birth” or parthenogenesis had been seen in birds, snakes and reptiles, until 2001, it had never been documented in sharks.