70 to 130 female thresher sharks killed every day @ Nusa Penida, Bali

[zivva]

Hey,

Just read this horrific article in Bali Advertiser :

BA_30 November 2011 - page 74

Please spread the word to help ending this nightmare !

 

[highdesert]

zivva -

Thank you for posting this link. This is so disheartening to see this repeated so many places. I've passed the link along to someone who administers the web sites for a number of shark conservation groups. I think her efforts will help to publicize this in a way that educates the Balinese fishermen. The issue is, if Bali chooses to preserve the shark population and benefit from the ensuing increase in dive tourism dollars, will these individuals see any of the benefit? If it all goes to resorts or dive ops, and the fishermen are cut out of the equation, how does it benefit them personally? They're concerned with eating, and who can blame them? Someone will have to orchestrate any change in policy in such a way that they are taken into account.

 

[zivva]

I don't have any experience with this, but I guess former fishermen from Philippines, Maldives, Fiji, etc got compensations when their work field were turned into sanctuaries.

Not so far from Nusa Penida and the Lombok strait this article is talking about, the Gillis have became a marine sanctuary just a few years ago.

I'd be curious to know how it has been made possible and hope we'd be able to do the same here in Nusa Penida.

 

[Bali Diver]

I am deeply shocked by this,especially as it is happening among the most tourist diving area in Indonesia and with so many dive operations and nobody knew this was happening and nothing has been said or done and Nusa is a marine park,so much for a marine park.

None of the dive ops in Nusa knew this was happening.The slaughter of sharks worldwide is shocking and serious and one day we will pay a huge price for it.

Yes Nusa enjoys huge amounts of tourists these days,especially day trips.But it is the dive op's on Nusa and organisations and dive op's on Bali taking the profits,locals on Nusa are indeed poor

Agree with Highdesert and any change,locals have to be taken into account.Thats what i found so good about the area of Ahe Island and whalesharks and the project on Ahe Island and working with the communities and fisherman and finding solutions and alternative income from more sustainable practices and all profit flowing back into local community.This is a remote area.

So in the most tourist diving area in Indonesia,and lots of dollars being made,how can this be happening without a solution to prevent it and that the locals are taken into account.

I will not be going back to Nusa,while this is going on and i am sure others i know will not also.

 

[highdesert]

I will not be going back to Nusa,while this is going on and i am sure others i know will not also.

I have deliberated this point myself. On the one hand, the locals need the tourist dollars, euros, whatever the divers bring. On the other hand, it is possible that conserving the shark population might bring more tourist dollars, but the locals may not be aware of that point, and must be educated about it. This needs to be accomplished by a local body, but I don't know whom. Is there a reputable organization in Bali that can do this? There is this group ...

BALI TOURISM BOARD

... but their contact page is "Under Construction". Also ...

Tourism in Bali – Bali tourism authority


... but are these groups actual "boards" or "authorities", or are they just advertisers? Does anyone know of an authoritative group on the island? If so, I would suggest that divers and any concerned person contact them and voice their concern. I would personally go farther than saying I won't go back to Nusa Penida; I would likely say that I won't dive Bali again. But the education must be out there to the fishing villages, and someone must see that those villages all profit from a restructuring of their lives in order to conserve the shark population, or nothing will change.

If anyone has any contacts or contact info, please let us know. There's a global subculture of people out there for whom shark conservation is of extreme importance; we can utilize them to bring more pressure to bear on this particular issue.

If just talking about this issue to someone doesn't have enough impact, share the link to the Bali Advertiser along with this ...

http://share.kapalselam.org/shark_fishing_bali_shark_project.pdf

Kapal Selam is a well-organized Balinese dive club; perhaps they can be of help with contacts ...

Bali Indonesia Scuba Dive Club « Kapal Selam Dive Club Bali

Hopefully this practice can be turned around to something more productive for the islanders.

 

[Bali Diver]

@Highdesert yes i am shocked by this news,we are talking about a area,Nusa,Bali,Lombok.A huge tourist diving area,with lots of dive op's who are well educated and making good money and right in the middle of this,we have mass shark slaughter and worse a shark finning business going on in Bali and nothing being said SHOCKING !

Why is nothing being done,that is the question i would like to know,there are dive op's on here,so be interesting to hear what they have to say.

Dive centres in this area,tourist board and any environmental associations in the area should combine to find a solution to things like this,especially this annual massacre,more so being in a huge tourist diving area like this.

Nusa is a marine park.A fee could be charged $7 which could go a long way to solving the problem on Nusa.Why the whole area not made a marine park and a marine park fee.Is not Lombok a marine park also.And how those higher up in Bali not told how so many are against shark finning and how it is a disgrace.

Shocking and a disgrace and the diving business aware and just standing by is worse.

 

[zivva]

Below, replies I have received so far from the ops in Lembongan I have contacted about this :

Yeah we saw it (the BA article). Now just trying to figure out the go forward from this
point. We have met a few of the other owners but need to find a way to get
the locals on side and have the added pressure of dealing with a muslim
government (Lombok) and the hindu government here! Its going to be a HUGE
up hill battle, but one we need to take on.

==

Many thanks for sending this link. We had read a similar article, but the sharks were being taken to near Kusamba - which makes this all the more frightening as there could be more areas with similar numbers of fishing going on. I have passed this link on to the Coral Triangle Centre and will pass on to other dive centres too.

 

[DIVE TULAMBEN]

Hi Everyone,

This arcticle was written by one of our instructors.
We have spent the last 2 1/2 months in meetings and emailing NGOs , government dept's and dive centers about the threshers.
We have a lot of info that was not included in the article.
We have a petition that will be released very shortly both online and at dive centers and interested businesses here on Bali. Basically we are waiting to hear from large NGO's if they want their logo on the petition or not.
Our aims and purpose will be on the petition.

kapalsalem and others have helped us to publicize the article further.



Please contact us through threshersharkbali@yahoo.com
It would be more effective if all effects are focused through us rather than having individuals writting to the tourist dept. ect.

A similar petition in Raja Empat has already resulted in a shark sanctuary there, so we are hopeful with your help we can do the same in Bali.

"Sandy Rose"

 

[smellzlikefish]

On the not-so-bright side, they won't be able to keep up this level of exploitation for long.

 

[highdesert]

Dive Tulamben -

Thank you for your efforts ... something worth noting when divers are looking for a dive op in Tulamben in the future.