Shark Focus

CAMPAIGN CORNERCampaign VictoryEuropean parliament votes for stronger finning banHousekeeping Happy Birthday To You Happy Birthday to you Not my usual money quote but as The Shark Trust hasturned 15 this year I thought I would sing. Normallymy piece involves general financial and administrativehousekeeping but as this is a special edition I was askedto talk about my time with The Shark Trust.I joined the Trust when it was two and a half years oldand the office had just been relocated from Newburyto Plymouth. We occupied the old ice cream parlour,rented from the National Marine Aquarium, and myselfand Clive James (who emigrated to New Zealand in2002) moved in, complete with the slushy machine andpick-a-mix stand. It was compact and desk space wasvery cramped, the use of a bathroom depended on theaquarium being open or dashing over the swing bridge tothe Barbican, but it was the new home of The Shark Trustand we were both delighted to be a part of the charityand hopeful for the future.I have been with the Trust for 13 years in March andit is with great pride I can say, apart from Sarah FowlerOBE, founder member and still a Trustee, I am thelongest serving staff member. My role has evolved overthe years including the honour of becoming the CompanySecretary which I took over in 2003. I take my positionwithin this amazing charity very seriously, ensuring weare compliant with all charity and company laws and thatwe are financially transparent and solvent! It is a job Ilove and I take great pride in working for a charity that ismaking a difference in shark conservation.Over the years I have spoken to and correspondedwith many of you at some stage, it is always nice toput faces to names at shows. I have sent out hundredsof renewal notices, 37,500 issues of Shark Focus,endless adoptions and cuddly toys and hundreds ofnew memberships – although loads more would bewonderful. There have been 13 very successful auditsand it is wonderful to be able to always report to you, themembership, that even in troubled economic times weremain in a healthy position and achieving our charitableaims with the tremendous work of the conservationteam – the most recent being the wonderful news on thevictory in the European Parliament for the review of theshark finning regulation.Time stands still for no-one and in the last 15 yearsthe Trust has evolved hugely. We have increasedthe number of Trustees and staff. Ali (Director ofConservation) joined the Trust in 2002, and over theyears we added more staff to the conservation teamto ensure the vital work of the Trust produced thenecessary results. We now have a staff base of five atpresent: Hannah, John, Cat, myself and Ali, and nineTrustees. We have hosted EEA conferences, attendedDive Shows, moved to a bigger office, marched alongbeaches in the rain looking for egg cases, attendedoutreach events, celebrated, engagements, weddings,babies, exam results with you all and most importantly,fought the cause for shark conservation nationally andinternationally, achieving excellent work and results.You have all supported us along the way. Yourfundraising ventures over the years have helped the Trusthugely and you find so many marvellous ways to do this.The Wall of Fame and fundraising pages on the websiteacknowledge all of the effort you have shown and thatyou are so generous and innovative. As a charity weGlenys Heafield,Head of Finance & CompanySecretary.promise to continue to spend effectively, work tirelesslyto protect these enigmatic creatures and increasefundraising efforts for the foreseeable future. We lookforward to sharing all of this with you in the coming yearsand remain grateful for your continued support.It has been a pleasure to have worked for this charity fornearly 13 years and as they have raised the retirementage, maybe another 15!!! I hope the festive season isgood for you all, and maybe by spring the green shoots ofrecovery the chancellor promised us all will be evident.And on that note join me to sing loudly: Happy Birthday To You Happy Birthday to you Supporting the European Elasmobranch AssociationThe Shark Trust4 Creykes Court, The Millfields, Plymouth PL1 3JBTel: (+44) (0)1752 672008/672020 Fax: (+44) (0)1752 672008Email: enquiries@sharktrust.orgWebsite: http://www.sharktrust.orgShark FocusIssue 45 December‐ 2012Features4 The EU Shark Finning Review – European Parliament Victory6 White Sharks in UK waters10 The Shark Trust - 15 Years of Shark Conservation11 A review of the Great Eggcase Hunt12–17 Pull-out posters18 Assessing the Footprint of the UK over-10m Fishing Fleet20 The Shark Trust: Future Conservation Objectives21 China Update24 Tagging and Tracking Britain’s Gentle Giants26 New Shark Trust WebsiteRegulars8 Shark Trust and World Shark News9 Policy page22 Member’s pages27 EEA Conference 2012 and condolencesEdited by the Shark Trust©Shark Trust 2012Shark Focus is published three times a year in March, July and November. Copy datefor the next issue is 31st January 2013. Shark Focus is copyrighted and therefore thosewishing to reproduce articles must first contact the Shark Trust. The views and opinionsexpressed by the authors in Shark Focus are not necessarily those of the Shark Trust.Established in 1997, the Shark Trust works to advance the worldwide conservationof sharks through science, education, influence and action. The Trust is the UKmember of the European Elasmobranch Association and currently provides theEEA’s secretariat services.Trustee/Directors: Richard Peirce (Chair), Sue Bates, George Bowser, Roger Covey, Paul Cox,Sarah Fowler OBE, Heather Koldeway, John Nightingale and Christopher Pringle.Patrons: Nick Baker, John Boyle, Leonard Compagno, Marc Dando, Bob Earll, Nigel Eaton,Ian Fergusson, Mariella Frostrup, Loyd Grossman, John Gummer MP, Monty Halls, Martha Holmes,Kate Humble, Sir David Jason OBE, Gordon Ramsay OBE, Simon Rogerson, Jeremy Stafford-Deitsch,Michaela Strachan and Valerie TaylorThe Shark Trust is supported by: the Co-operative, Defra, the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation,the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Pew Foundation, Save our Seas Foundationand the Tubney Charitable Trust.Design: Fluke Art. www.flukeart.comBlue Shark. © Linda Pitkin.EDITORIALWe are a teenager! It’s not good English but it’s true, the Shark Trust is 15 years oldthis year.Shark conservation has come a long way since the Trust was founded in 1997.I remember my own reaction when I first heard of the Trust, “thank God there issomeone else out there”. There weren’t many voices raised in support of sharks atthat time and it is thanks to organisations like the Shark Trust that now the pro-sharklobby is a large, ever increasing, global movement.In the mid 1990’s we were almost lone voices, but today are part of a worldwideclamour that is being heard by legislators and decision makers. As we go to printthis was emphasised in fashion, with a landslide victory in the vote by the EuropeanParliament to strengthen EU finning regulations. The Shark Trust was there at thestart of the campaign to secure an effective finning ban and is seeing it through (seep.4 for the full story).Our 15th birthday is a good time to take stock. As well as directly contributing to theinitial adoption of a ban on shark finning in European waters and by the Europeanfleet worldwide, the Trust was also involved in securing the 2009 prohibition on theremoval of fins at sea for all UK vessels; the listing of sharks under CITES and theConvention for Migratory Species (CMS); the emergency closure of the NortheastAtlantic deepwater gillnet fishery; and the setting of Total Allowable Catches (TACs)and Quotas under the EU Common Fisheries Policy.We have worked with UK government agencies on Schedule 5 of the Wildlife &Countryside Act and the UK Biodiversity Action Plan, and supported efforts beingmade in China towards curtailing fin consumption and numerous public awarenessand public recording programmes (see p.10 of this issue for more on fifteen years ofshark conservation).A lot has been done, a lot is being done, but a lot more needs doing.It’s a good time to say thank you to all the volunteers, donors, fundraisers andothers who have helped the Trust, you know who you are – thank you all. Whilesaying ‘thank you’s’, I would record the trustees thanks to the Trust’s staff, past andpresent, whose hard work, energy and commitment has enabled so much progress tobe made.It’s appropriate that I conclude by welcoming four of our long time supporters tothe ranks of our ‘Shark Champions’. Stacey & Lisa Burnett, and Danny & CathieAslan have been Shark Trust helpers and supporters for over a decade and at theBirmingham Dive Show received their awards from Monty Halls and myself. Well doneand thank you.Happy Christmas to you all, and here’s hoping for a shark successful CITESconference in Bangkok and further conservation gains.Go well,Richard PeirceChairman2 www.sharktrust.org Shark Focus 45 Shark Focus 45 www.sharktrust.org 3