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Burgers lanceren initiatief om de haaienvinnenhandel in Europa te verbieden

 

UW STEM TELT!

 

"Shark Finning”, het afhakken van de vinnen van haaien en teruggooien van het verminkte en vaak nog levende dier in zee, is verboden in de Europese Unie.

Toch blijven Europese vissersschepen ermee doorgaan.

Alle EU-vissers en alle vissersschepen in Europese wateren zijn verplicht haaien in hun geheel aan te landen, maar vinnen apart worden wel geïmporteerd in Europa. Daardoor varen nu heel wat schepen na het dumpen van de lichamen, met de afgehakte vinnen naar noord Afrika of ze laden ze ze over op een transportschip op zee, waarna de vinnen worden geïmporteerd in Europa. Die illegale handel moet stoppen!

De Europese vissersvloot vangt bovendien meer haaien dan eender welke andere entiteit wereldwijd! Jaarlijks worden mondiaal gemiddeld 100.000.000 haaien gedood, voornamelijk voor hun vinnen voor haaienvinnensoep en de meeste soorten zijn ondertussen heel ernstig bedreigd.

Met leden van over heel Europa hebben we nu een burgerinitiatief opgestart dat van de Europese Commissie eist die import en export van haaienvinnen te verbieden in Europa wanneer de vinnen niet meer vastzitten aan het lichaam van de haai.

Voeg ook jou stem toe voor een einde aan de haaienvinnenhandel in de EU: 

Haaien zijn cruciaal voor een gezonde oceaan

Elk jaar worden tussen de 63 en 273 miljoen haaien gedood en vele soorten worden steeds meer bedreigd. Wereldwijd zijn haaien het doelwit vanwege hun vlees en leverolie, maar de grootste bedreiging is nog steeds het ontvinnen van haaien1. De snelle afname van haaienpopulaties over de hele wereld heeft ernstige gevolgen, omdat haaien veelal als toproofdieren bovenaan de voedselketen staan en een actieve rol spelen bij het behoud van een gezond marien-ecosysteem.

Een kans voor verandering

Het 'Stop Finning - Stop the Trade' Europees burgerinitiatief begon met het verzamelen van handtekeningen op 1 februari 2020. EU-burgers hebben nu een jaar de tijd om de wijziging in de Europese wetgeving te ondersteunen door 1 miljoen stemmen te verzamelen.

EU-wetgeving moet worden versterkt

Concreet willen de burgers het wettelijk kader van de EU versterken door de invoer, uitvoer en doorvoer te verbieden van haaienvinnen die niet meer op natuurlijke wijze aan het dier vastzitten. Indien het vereiste aantal handtekeningen wordt bereikt, heeft de Europese Commissie zes maanden de tijd om het voorstel te overwegen en eventueel een nieuwe verordening voor te stellen die tegemoet komt aan het objectief van het burgercollectief 2.

Een dergelijke nieuwe verordening zou veel krachtiger zijn dan het huidige rechtskader van de EU. Dat vereist sinds 2013 dat binnen Europese wateren en op alle EU schepen, haaienvinnen aan het karkas moeten blijven vastzitten tot ze in de haven worden gelost. De vinnen worden daarna echter van het karkas verwijderd om dan over de hele wereld te worden verhandeld. Hoewel deze regelgeving reeds een sterke verbetering is ten opzichte van de voormalige EU wetgeving rond haaien3, laat deze dus nog steeds toe dat in Europa haaienvinnen apart worden verhandeld en EU vissers zo de vraag naar haaienvinnensoep in Azië voeden.

Andere landen lopen voor op de EU

Andere landen lopen voor op de EU
In juni 2019 werd Canada het eerste land van de G7-groep die de in- en uitvoer van haaienvinnen op zijn grondgebied verbood4 en over de hele wereld vragen burgers in toenemende mate om deze wrede en destructieve praktijk te laten stoppen.
Europa moet volgen.

Via het Europees burgerinitiatief  kunnen Europese staatsburgers hun wens voor een sterkere natuurbescherming aan de besluitvormers van de EU tonen. In een tijd waarin de wetenschappelijke gemeenschap regelmatig de alarmbel luidt met betrekking tot de bedreiging van de biodiversiteit5 en de ernstige risico's van klimaatverandering6, hebben we geen andere keuze dan onze productie- en consumptiepatronen te veranderen. Het is tijd om de haaienvinnenhandel in Europa te beëindigen!

1 https://www.iucnssg.org/faqs.html
2In het persbericht dat volgde op de officiële registratie van het initiatief, merkt de Europese Commissie op dat "indien het initiatief binnen één jaar een miljoen steunbetuigingen ontvangt uit ten minste 7 verschillende lidstaten, de Commissie binnen zes maanden zal moeten reageren. De Commissie kan besluiten het verzoek al dan niet te volgen en in beide gevallen zou zij de redenering ervan moeten toelichten ".
3Vóór Verordening (EU) nr. 605/2013 - daterend uit 2003 – was de praktijk van het ontvinnen van haaien op zee ook verboden, maar liet de wetgeving een uitzondering toe waardoor boten met een 'speciale vergunning' ermee door konden gaan. Ongeveer 200 van dergelijke speciale vergunningen werden jaarlijks uitgereikt aan Spanje en Portugal.
4https://www.parl.ca/DocumentViewer/en/42-1/bill/C-68/first-reading
5https://ipbes.net/news/Media-Release-Global-Assessment
6https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article/70/1/8/5610806

Dit initiatief wordt reeds ondersteund door 23 milieuorganisaties, waaronder Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, Sharkproject, Bloom, Blueshark Conservation, APECE, iSea, The Global Shark Conservation Initiative (TGSCI), Stop Finning, Sharks Mission France, Sharks Educational Institute (SEI), Aktionsgemeinschaft Artenschutz , Mundus maris, Nektos, Gesellschaft zur Rettung der Delphine, Deutsche Meeresstiftung, VDST, Deutsche Stiftung Meeresschutz (DSM), Shark Savers Germany, The Dolphins 'Voice, Pro Wildlife, Sharkmans' World, Shark Project Biscay en EJF, en meer organisaties blijven toetreden.

Contact:

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Leden van het European Burgerinitiatief

Nils Kluger (vertegenwoordiger) — Duitsland
Alexander Cornelissen (vervanger) — Nederland
Luís Alves — Portugal
Alexandar Dourtchev — Roemenië
Julian Engel — Verenigd Koninkrijk
Fernando Frias Reis — Spanje
Monica Gabell — Zweden
Ioannis Giovos — Griekenland
Chrysoula Gubili — Griekenland
Andrew Griffiths — Verenigd Koninkrijk
Frédéric Le Manach — Frankrijk
Sabine Reinstaller — Oostenrijk
Veerle Roelandt — Italië
Fabienne Rossier — Frankrijk
Katrien Vandevelde — België

 

 

Procedure van het Europees burgerinitiatief


Om te worden gevalideerd, moet een Europees burgerinitiatief in totaal ten minste één miljoen handtekeningen verzamelen. Daarnaast moeten ze ook een vastgesteld minimum aantal bereiken binnen ten minste zeven lidstaten. Dat aantal komt overeen met het per lidstaat aantal verkozen leden in het Europees Parlement, vermenigvuldigd met 750.


Lidstaat    

Drempel

België

15 771

Bulgarije

12 767

Tsjechië

15 771

Denemarken

9 763

Duitsland

72 096

Estland

4 506

Ierland

8 261

Griekenland

15 771

Spanje

40 554

Frankrijk

55 574

Kroatië

8 261

Italië

54 823

Cyprus

4 506

Letland

6 008

Litouwen

8 261

Luxemburg

4 506

Hongarije

15 771

Malta

4 506

Nederland

19 526

Oostenrijk

13 518

Polen

38 301

Portugal

15 771

Roemenië

24 032

Slovenië

6 008

Slowakije

9 763

Finland

9 763

Zweden

15 020


 


In case you miss any information or just want to give us feedback, please feel free to contact us.

Initiative citoyenne pour l'interdiction du commerce des ailerons de requin dans l'Union européenne

 

 

VOTRE VOIX COMPTE!

Le "Shark Finning", hacher les nageoires des requins et jeter l'animal mutilé et souvent vivant dans la mer, est interdit dans l'Union européenne.

Cependant, les navires de pêche européens continuent de le faire.

Tous les pêcheurs de l'UE et tous les navires de pêche dans les eaux européennes sont obligés de débarquer les requins dans leur entièreté, mais les nageoires sont néanmoins importées séparément en Europe. En conséquence, après avoir déversé les corps, de nombreux navires naviguent maintenant vers l'Afrique du Nord avec les nageoires sectionnées ou les transfèrent vers un navire de transport en mer, après quoi les nageoires sont importées en Europe. Ce commerce illégal doit cesser!

De plus, la flotte de pêche européenne capture plus de requins que toute autre entité dans le monde! Chaque année, en moyenne 100 000 000 de requins sont tués dans le monde, principalement pour leurs nageoires pour la soupe d'ailerons de requin, et la plupart des espèces sont entre-temps très gravement menacées.

Avec des membres de toute l'Europe, nous avons lancé une initiative citoyenne qui oblige la Commission européenne à interdire l'importation et l'exportation des nageoires de requin en Europe lorsque les nageoires ne sont plus attachées au corps du requin.

Ajoutez votre vote pour la fin du commerce des ailerons de requin dans l'UE.

 

Les requins sont cruciaux pour un océan sain

Chaque année, entre 63 et 273 millions de requins sont tués et de nombreuses espèces sont de plus en plus menacées. Les requins sont ciblés dans le monde entier en raison de leur viande et de leur huile de foie, mais la plus grande menace reste le 'finning' des requins. Le déclin rapide des populations de requins dans le monde a de graves conséquences, car les requins sont souvent au sommet de la chaîne alimentaire en tant que principaux prédateurs et jouent un rôle actif dans le maintien d'un écosystème marin sain.

La législation de l'UE doit être renforcée

Concrètement, les citoyens souhaitent renforcer le cadre juridique de l'UE en interdisant l'importation, l'exportation et le transit d'ailerons de requin qui ne sont plus naturellement attachés à l'animal. Si le nombre requis de signatures est atteint, la Commission européenne dispose d'un délai de six mois pour examiner la proposition et éventuellement proposer un nouveau règlement répondant à l'objectif du collectif citoyen.

 

Une telle nouvelle réglementation serait beaucoup plus puissante que le cadre juridique actuel de l'UE. Depuis 2013, cela exige que dans les eaux européennes et sur tous les navires de l'UE, les ailerons de requin doivent rester attachés à la carcasse jusqu'à ce qu'ils soient libérés dans le port. Cependant, les nageoires sont ensuite retirées de la carcasse puis échangées dans le monde entier. Bien que cette législation soit déjà une amélioration significative par rapport à l'ancienne législation de l'UE sur les requins, elle permet toujours aux ailerons de requin d'être commercialisés séparément en Europe et les pêcheurs de l'UE alimentent la demande de soupe d'ailerons de requin en Asie.

D'autres pays sont en avance sur l'UE

En juin 2019, le Canada est devenu le premier pays du groupe du G7 à interdire l'importation et l'exportation d'ailerons de requin sur son territoire, et de plus en plus de citoyens du monde entier demandent de mettre fin à cette pratique cruelle et destructrice.

L'Europe doit suivre.

Grâce à l'initiative citoyenne européenne, les citoyens européens peuvent manifester leur désir de renforcer la protection de la nature auprès des décideurs de l'UE. À l'heure où la communauté scientifique tire régulièrement la sonnette d'alarme sur la menace pour la biodiversité et les graves risques du changement climatique: nous n'avons d'autre choix que de changer nos modes de production et de consommation. Il est temps de mettre fin au commerce des ailerons de requin en Europe!

Cette intiative est déjà soutenue par 23 organisations environementales, parmi lesquels r Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, Sharkproject, Bloom, Blueshark Conservation, APECE, iSea, The Global Shark Conservation Initiative (TGSCI), Stop Finning, Sharks Mission France, Sharks Educational Institute (SEI), Aktionsgemeinschaft Artenschutz , Mundus maris, Nektos, Gesellschaft zur Rettung der Delphine, Deutsche Meeresstiftung, VDST, Deutsche Stiftung Meeresschutz (DSM), Shark Savers Germany, The Dolphins 'Voice, Pro Wildlife, Sharkmans' World, Shark Project Biscay et EJF, et de plus en plus d'organisations rejoignent.

Contact:

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MEMBRE DE L'INITIATIVE CITOYENNE EUROPEENE

Nils Kluger (porte parole) — Allemagne
Alexander Cornelissen (porte parole remplaçant) — Pays-Bas
Luís Alves — Portugal
Alexandar Dourtchev — Roumanie
Julian Engel — Royaume-Uni
Fernando Frias Reis — Espagne
Monica Gabell — Suède
Ioannis Giovos — Grèce
Chrysoula Gubili — Grèce
Andrew Griffiths — Royaume-Uni
Frédéric Le Manach — France
Sabine Reinstaller — Autriche
Veerle Roelandt — Italie
Fabienne Rossier — France
Katrien Vandevelde — Belgique

 

 

Procédure de l'initiative citoyenne européenne

Pour être validée, une initiative citoyenne européenne doit recueillir au total au moins un million de signatures. En outre, elle doit également atteindre un nombre minimum défini dans au moins sept États membres. Ce nombre correspond au nombre de députés élus au Parlement européen par État membre, multiplié par 750.


Pays memebre

Seuil

Belgique

15 771

Bulgarie

12 767

République Tcheque

15 771

Danemark

9 763

Allemagne

72 096

Estonie

4 506

Irlande

8 261

Grèce

15 771

Espagne

40 554

France

55 574

Croatie

8 261

Italie

54 823

Chypre

4 506

Lettonie

6 008

Lituanie

8 261

Luxembourg

4 506

Hongarie

15 771

Malte

4 506

Pays-Bas

19 526

Autriche

13 518

Pologne

38 301

Portugal

15 771

Roumanie

24 032

Slovaquie

6 008

Slovaquie

9 763

Finlande

9 763

Suède

15 020


 


In case you miss any information or just want to give us feedback, please feel free to contact us.

“When you put good will out there it’s amazing what can be accomplished.”

Previous Projects

Article

PDF

Speech on the influence of oceans on climate chance at the "Rise for the Climate" protest on November 3 in Brussels

Speech

 

Video about the protests

Open letter

Compose a file with copies of articles concerning the facts around shark cartilage for volunteers to take to shops and convince the owners to remove shark cartilage products from their shelves.

File of articles on shark cartilage

Hosting 80 minute shark conservation presentation for the film festival attendees.

Announcement Film Festival

Pic of presentation

 

Open letter to MSC

Discussion with MSC at Brussels Seafood Expo

Meeting with MSC London

 

Letter in reaction to statements made by PhD student David Shiffman.

Letter in .pdf

 

Participating in the Project Aware "Divers for Mako" campaign by contributing to a "Shark advocates speak up" series of short clips and by donating pictures. The campaign aimed to convince ICCAT to set limiting fish quota's for Mako sharks in the Atlantic Ocean.

Clip

Publication of the BlueShark article "The shark whisperers of Beqa lagoon" in Scubaverse online magazine. 

Article online 

Article in pdf

 

Advising the producers of "Second Nature", a Dutch documentary TV show for the production of the series "Save the Sharks" with biologist Freek Vonk. 

Draft Announcement

 

Hosting 80 minute shark conservation presentation for the visitors of the "Shark" exhibition.

Hosting 80 minute shark conservation presentation for the volunteers and supporters of Sea Shepherd Belgium.. 

To use during the ICCAT summit aiming to strengthen the finning ban by banning at-sea removal of fins and set precautionary, science-based catch limits for blue sharks.

 

Example

 

Hosting 80 minute shark conservation presentation for the visitors of the "Shark" exhibition.

Giving interview about diving with sharks and shark conservation during the opening celebration of their six months ongoing exposition on the biology and plight of sharks. 

Invitation card

Donating multiple BlueShark pictures to the Maastricht (Netherlands) Museum of Natural Sciences for their "SHARK" exposition, a six months ongoing exposition on the biology and plight of sharks. 

Pictures of exposition and official opening

Writing 7-page article on the bull shark feeding dives of Fiji Beqa Lagoon and the conservation benefits of this activity titled "De haaienfluisteraars van Beqa Lagoon".

Published in the Belgian "Hippocampus" dive magazine.

Donating marine pics to use for lobbying in support of the 2016 CITES shark proposals and in preparation of their attendance at the COP.

Example

Example

Example

Writing article on Sea World's decision to stop the orca breeding program and on the possibilities to retire the orca's to ocean sanctuaries.

Published in the newsletter of "Duiken" diving magazine

Published in the online magazine PiepVandaag

French translation

English translation

Publishing a 9-page BlueShark article on the marine biodiversity in Fiji waters and reefs. 

Published in the Dutch "Duiken" magazine

Supporting campaigns of likeminded organisations. Examples:

* Atiracan Asociación Amigos de los Tiburones y Rayas: For the establishment of a shark and ray sanctuary in the Canary Islands.

* The Global Shark Conservation Initiative: To put an end to the Australian shark cull policy.

* Singapore without fins: For a ban on the consumption and trade of shark fins in Singapore.

* Great British Oceans: For the establishment of fully protected marine reserves at British overseas territories.

* Alex Hofford campaign: To ban shark fin transports by UPS

Advising the producers of this Belgian VTM TV-channel on the plight of sharks, shark behaviour and referring them to contacts for extra information and filming opportunities. 

Excerp of the tv show (test if sharks are attrackted by human blood)

 

 

BlueShark Conservation participated in the Climate March in Ostend with ocean related climate change information. 

Video impression of the Belgian Climate March 

Co-writing an article on the request of diving magazine "Duiken", on the stigmatization of white sharks in Australia.

Article

Donating marine pictures for the campaign to ban finning and establish limiting fishing quota's for endangered shark species in international waters of the Atlantic Ocean at the ICCAT conference 10-17 November 2015.

Example

Example

Hosting 90 minute shark conservation talk at the Belgian Marine Ecological Centre in Ostend.

Annoucement

Drafting the letters and sending them after approval by the coalition, asking the Belgian Minister of Animal Welfare for investigation and the closure of the Belgian Boudewijn Seapark dolphinarium. 

Second letter to Flemish minister of animal welfare Ben Weyts

Drafting the press release and sending it + submitting it for publication after approval by the Jurat and coalition. The press release refutes the lies in a statement by Boudewijn Seapark and asks the Flemish minister of welfare to investigate the dolphinarium.

Press Release

Published in zeezoogdieren.org

Drafting the letter and sending it + submitting it for publication after approval by the coalition. The letter informed the Flemish Governments Social Service of grave irregularities at the Belgian Boudewijnpark dolphinarium, because the departement sold discounted tickets to the dolphinarium to their employees.

Due to our letter, the Flemish Governement Social Service ceased selling entry tickets for the dolphinarium to their employees.  

The open letter was also published, in online magazine PiepVandaag.

Reading this published letter prompted the jurat of Flemish municipaly Herent to ban their local summer school from visiting the dolphinarium.

Open Letter published in the Dutch online magazine PiepVandaag

Co-organising a European demo in Brussels along with other national and international NGO's for the closure of all EU dolphinariums.

Clip European demo Brussels

Article published in the online magazine PiepVandaag

The self-explanatory loop presentation centered around the plight of sharks and the lack of fishing quota's for sharks in the Atlantic Ocean. In coöperation with The British Shark Trust, the presentation was accompanied by the No Limits - No Future .pdf petition and documentation.

Presentation

Poster Aquatopia

Shark Trust No Limits petition

Open letter expressing deep concerns as the Spanish Atlantic longline fleets are in no way sustainable.

Open letter

Donating marine pictures to Project Aware, for use during their ocean and shark conservation campaigns.

Example

Example

Writing conservation foreword for the "Little Book of Scuba Diving" by Kelvin J. Knight titled "Giving back to the Ocean". 

Foreword (in English) in the link, click on the book and read at page 3

Sending opinion to support the proposed rule to ban the at-sea removal of smooth dogfish fins and to apply science based dogfish catch limits.

Comment

BlueShark Conservation led the coalition campaign "Warrelniet": a Belgian national campaign in coalition with Sea Shepherd Belgium, Natuurpunt and Sea First Belgium.
Within three weeks after handing over the petition with +22.600 signatures, the Flemish government decided to issue a ban on the recreational use of gill nets nation wide.

Prime time Belgian TV-news covering the cabinet meeting and hand-over of the petition signatures

"Warrelniet" website

Drafting and publishing an article on the illegal import and sale of three individual porbeagle sharks in Belgium.

Due to the BlueShark Conservation article and reporting, the Belgian CITES officer investigated the matter and apprehended the importer.

Article published in "Duiken" dive magazine newsletter

Drafting and distributing the plea letter to Belgian and Dutch dive centers, urging them to support the campaign and to sign the petition against the dumping of steel slag use in order to reïnforce the shores.

Letter

More info and online petition

The BlueShark Conservation article explains the sightings and defuses the panic surrounding these sightings

Article published in the newsletter of "Duiken" dive magazine

Donating marine pictures for the proposal to list mobula rays on the CMS (Convention on the conservation of migratory species) protection appendices in November 2014.

Proposal to list mobula rays on CMS appendices.

Drafting and publishing an update article on the Warrelniet-Mailles Fatales campaign on behalf of Sea Shepherd Belgium, Natuurpunt, Sea First Belgium and BlueShark Conservation. 

Article published on Newsmonkey.be

Drafting and publishing an article to oppose the distribution of free tickets for Boudewijn Seapark dolphnarium by Flemish P-magazine, on behalf of Sea Shepherd Belgium, Bite Back, Dauphins Libres and BlueShark Conservation.

Article published on Newsmonkey.be

Writing 30 minute shark talk for kids approx. 12 years old with powerpoint presentation, video clips and a Shark Quiz, for DiveWise Training and Education Centre in Antwerp, Belgium.

DiveWise Training and Education Centre website

Writing articles, press releases and application letters for permits to conduct activities, as the Communication / Public Relations Manager of Sea Shepherd Belgium.

 

Cooperating with NGO’s Natuurpunt, Sea Shepherd Belgium and Sea First Belgium in a campaign to establish a nation wide ban on the recreational use of gill nets on Belgian shores.

BlueShark services included among other things: Designing and implementing a campaign strategy. Attracting NGO Natuurpunt (largest nature organisation in Flanders) to take part in the campaign. Designing, organising and preparing a beach event to launch the campaign (with information booths, a Kids Club, a sand sculptures contest with prices, a maze contest with a Belgian VIP and a music preformance by a Belgian band). Designing a 50x30 metre maze with poles and rope and constructing it on the beach. Finding sponsors for the funding of the event. Announcing and promoting the beach event and campaign in the media. Conducting research on the issue and writing an extensive motivation for the campaign. Also writing all other texts of the campaign website including the updates in the news section. Contacting NGO's and governmental organizations, requesting permission to use their pictures for the campaign. Creating the online and .pdf campaign petitions. Creating e- and printed postcards for supporters to send to the mayors of coastal municipalies which allow gill nets on their beaches.

Campaign website

English version online petition(main petition lists were in Flemish and French)

Video clip with impression of the beach event

Article written for gill nets campaign, published in Dutch online magazine “PiepVandaag” and copied into several other websites like “Zeezoogdierennieuws”

Article written for gill nets campaign, published in Belgian "Hippocampus" diving magazine.

Drafting and sending a letter to the Flemish Government on behalf of BlueShark Conservation and Sea First Belgium, opposing their decision to shelve two separate cases of illegal basking shark (parts) retention. Both times the boat crew was (partially) the same.
In the first case the crew aimed to land a basking shark in the harbour of Zeebrugge. Two years later, during a routine check, two sliced off basking shark fins were found hidden in the ships freezer. Both cases were shelved.

Letter PDF

Donating marine pictures to Project Aware, for use during their ocean and shark conservation campaigns.

Example

Example

Example

Example

Supporting campaigns from likeminded organisations. For example:

* PEW:  overfishing

* Alex Hofford campaign to ban shark fin transports on planes: examples: Thai Airlines, Cebu Pacific

Grand scale distribution of a manta ray survey on request of NGO Shark Savers, for Manta Ray of Hope, Manta Trust, the Indonesian Manta Project and Blue Sphere Media campaign to establish nationwide legal protection for manta rays in Indonesia. 
Reference: Mary O’Malley (Shark Savers / Wild Aid / Manta Trust).

Press Release manta rays protected in Indonesia

PLOS One Paper which was written using conclusions of the survey

Publication of a 9-page+cover article on the conservation of sharks of the Azore Islands and the Atlantic Ocean in the Dutch diving magazine “Duiken”.

Article published in the Dutch "Duiken" dive magazine

Cooperating with NGO's WWF Belgium and Natuurpunt, to draft a press release opposing the Flemish Fisheries Marketing Centre (VLAM)'s recommandation to buy and consume spiny dogfish/spurdog. 

Article

Supporting campaigns of likeminded organisations. For example:

Shark Defenders:  CITES protection for endangered shark species

Project Aware: CITES protection for endangered shark species

“The Shark Project" included a year-long contest for secondary school students, a press conference, a prize ceremony, a guided field trip to encounter marine life in Florida for the grand prize winners and the production of a short documentary on ocean conservation. The documentary was distributed back to the secondary schools in Belgium to raise awareness among the students through the experience of their peers while they were in Florida and to promote discussing ocean exploitation and preservation in the classrooms.

The Belgian National Lottery was convinced of the necessity of this project which was executed at the time of the EU legal proposal to ban shark finning in the EU and therefore funded the campaign with a grant.

Campaign Teaser

Campaign website (after the contest the website was taken offline, but it is currently being restored as a seperate part of this BlueShark website  (under construction).

Articles and Press Releases

Radio Interview on Flemisch National 
French National Radio

Pictures Press Presentation

Pictures Prize Ceremony


Pictures study trip conservation contest grand prize winners Set 1,  Set 2,  Set 3 

Pictures premiere of the Shark Project documentary "Sea and Learn"

Shark Project Documentary "Sea and Learn" Online

Publication of an article in the Dutch online magazine “Piep Vandaag” on the decision of the West-Australian government to cull white sharks in the vicinity of popular beaches.


Article 


Drafting a press release in cooperation with NGO’s WWF Belgium and Natuurpunt, urging the food sector to discourage the consumption of porbeagle meat in Belgium.

Article in food sector magazine (page 6)

Published in the online version of the Dutch diving magazine "Duiken" and referred to by several other websites.

Article

Publication of three co-authored articles on Raja Ampat (conservation part) with Dos Winkel (Founder Belgian NGO Sea First) in the Diving Magazines “Duiken”, "Hippocampus"
 and "Onderwatersport"

Article Duiken magazine

Article Hippocampus magazine

Article Onderwatersport magazine

Hosting shark conservation lessons and talks

Program World Ocean Day Belgium 2011 off line

Pictures Sea First Ocean Week

Pictures Sea First World Ocean Day

Pictures shark conservation lessons in schools

Publication of a 5-page article on the plight of sharks, shark finning, shark legislation and shark byproducts in the Belgian diving magazine “Hippocampus”.

Article

On behalf of the Belgian NGO Sea First and as a board member of this organisation, contacting and convincing restaurants to cease selling shark meat in their restaurants.

Lobby he Belgian attaché of permanent representation to the EU, for NGO PEW’s Shark Alliance campaign during the EU legal proposal to close the loopholes in the EU finning legislation.

Pictures Shark Alliance yearly member meeting

Pictures launch EC proposal to close the loopholes in the EU Finning Ban 

Pictures handing over the European Shark Week photo book to the Belgian attaché of permanent representation to the EU

Coordinate and execute the “European Shark Week” awareness demo for NGO PEW’s Shark Alliance and as a board member of Belgian NGO Sea First.

Pictures European Shark Week 2011 second week

Pictures European Shark Week 2011 first week

Pictures European Shark Week 2010

Initiating and executing the grand scale mailing. Contacting NGO's, dive tourism companies and travel companies all over the world, to gather support for the legal proposal to establish a shark sanctuary in Raja Ampat.


Mentioned in the Shark Savers press release

Co-found, administer and initiate a multitude of grassroots campaigns for Facebook page “The Global Shark Initiative” with 26.200 members. (Page was removed on the request of the co-founder in November 2011)

Article by Michelle Kirk Marks on GSI and involving top chef Gordon Ramsay in shark conservation.

Campaign featured on the Let Sharks Live Blog

Mentioned in this iCNN-report


Grand scale e-mailing aiming to prevent the construction of a mega resort with a marina at an ecological extremely important and fragile area.
The campaign was successful and the area was later designated a world heritage area.

Mentioned on the Save Ningaloo website 

Speech on the influence of oceans on climate chance at the "Rise for the Climate" protest on November 3 in Brussels

Speech

 

video about the protests

Open letter

Compose a file with copies of articles concerning the facts around shark cartilage for volunteers to take to shops and convince the owners to remove shark cartilage products from their shelves.

File of articles on shark cartilage

Hosting 80 minute shark conservation presentation for the film festival attendees.

Announcement Film Festival

Pic of presentation

 

Open letter to MSC

Discussion with MSC at Brussels Seafood Expo

Meeting with MSC London

 

Letter in reaction to statements made by PhD student David Shiffman.

Letter in .pdf

 

Participating in the Project Aware "Divers for Mako" campaign by contributing to a "Shark advocates speak up" series of short clips and by donating pictures. The campaign aimed to convince ICCAT to set limiting fish quota's for Mako sharks in the Atlantic Ocean.

Clip

Publication of the BlueShark article "The shark whisperers of Beqa lagoon" in Scubaverse online magazine. 

Article online 

Article in pdf

 

Advising the producers of "Second Nature", a Dutch documentary TV show for the production of the series "Save the Sharks" with biologist Freek Vonk. 

Draft Announcement

 

Hosting 80 minute shark conservation presentation for the visitors of the "Shark" exhibition.

Hosting 80 minute shark conservation presentation for the volunteers and supporters of Sea Shepherd Belgium.. 

To use during the ICCAT summit aiming to strengthen the finning ban by banning at-sea removal of fins and set precautionary, science-based catch limits for blue sharks.

 

Example

 

Hosting 80 minute shark conservation presentation for the visitors of the "Shark" exhibition.

Giving interview about diving with sharks and shark conservation during the opening celebration of their six months ongoing exposition on the biology and plight of sharks. 

Invitation card

Donating multiple BlueShark pictures to the Maastricht (Netherlands) Museum of Natural Sciences for their "SHARK" exposition, a six months ongoing exposition on the biology and plight of sharks. 

Pictures of exposition and official opening

Writing 7-page article on the bull shark feeding dives of Fiji Beqa Lagoon and the conservation benefits of this activity titled "De haaienfluisteraars van Beqa Lagoon".

Published in the Belgian "Hippocampus" dive magazine.

Donating marine pics to use for lobbying in support of the 2016 CITES shark proposals and in preparation of their attendance at the COP.

Example

Example

Example

Writing article on Sea World's decision to stop the orca breeding program and on the possibilities to retire the orca's to ocean sanctuaries.

Published in the newsletter of "Duiken" diving magazine

Published in the online magazine PiepVandaag

French translation

English translation

Publishing a 9-page BlueShark article on the marine biodiversity in Fiji waters and reefs. 

Published in the Dutch "Duiken" magazine

Supporting campaigns of likeminded organisations. Examples:

* Atiracan Asociación Amigos de los Tiburones y Rayas: For the establishment of a shark and ray sanctuary in the Canary Islands.

* The Global Shark Conservation Initiative: To put an end to the Australian shark cull policy.

* Singapore without fins: For a ban on the consumption and trade of shark fins in Singapore.

* Great British Oceans: For the establishment of fully protected marine reserves at British overseas territories.

* Alex Hofford campaign: To ban shark fin transports by UPS

Advising the producers of this Belgian VTM TV-channel on the plight of sharks, shark behaviour and referring them to contacts for extra information and filming opportunities. 

Excerp of the tv show (test if sharks are attrackted by human blood)

 

 

BlueShark Conservation participated in the Climate March in Ostend with ocean related climate change information. 

Video impression of the Belgian Climate March 

Co-writing an article on the request of diving magazine "Duiken", on the stigmatization of white sharks in Australia.

Article

Donating marine pictures for the campaign to ban finning and establish limiting fishing quota's for endangered shark species in international waters of the Atlantic Ocean at the ICCAT conference 10-17 November 2015.

Example

Example

Hosting 90 minute shark conservation talk at the Belgian Marine Ecological Centre in Ostend.

Annoucement

Drafting the letters and sending them after approval by the coalition, asking the Belgian Minister of Animal Welfare for investigation and the closure of the Belgian Boudewijn Seapark dolphinarium. 

Second letter to Flemish minister of animal welfare Ben Weyts

Drafting the press release and sending it + submitting it for publication after approval by the Jurat and coalition. The press release refutes the lies in a statement by Boudewijn Seapark and asks the Flemish minister of welfare to investigate the dolphinarium.

Press Release

Published in zeezoogdieren.org

Drafting the letter and sending it + submitting it for publication after approval by the coalition. The letter informed the Flemish Governments Social Service of grave irregularities at the Belgian Boudewijnpark dolphinarium, because the departement sold discounted tickets to the dolphinarium to their employees.

Due to our letter, the Flemish Governement Social Service ceased selling entry tickets for the dolphinarium to their employees.  

The open letter was also published, in online magazine PiepVandaag.

Reading this published letter prompted the jurat of Flemish municipaly Herent to ban their local summer school from visiting the dolphinarium.

Open Letter published in the Dutch online magazine PiepVandaag

Co-organising a European demo in Brussels along with other national and international NGO's for the closure of all EU dolphinariums.

Clip European demo Brussels

Article published in the online magazine PiepVandaag

The self-explanatory loop presentation centered around the plight of sharks and the lack of fishing quota's for sharks in the Atlantic Ocean. In coöperation with The British Shark Trust, the presentation was accompanied by the No Limits - No Future .pdf petition and documentation.

Presentation

Poster Aquatopia

Shark Trust No Limits petition

Open letter expressing deep concerns as the Spanish Atlantic longline fleets are in no way sustainable.

Open letter

Donating marine pictures to Project Aware, for use during their ocean and shark conservation campaigns.

Example

Example

Writing conservation foreword for the "Little Book of Scuba Diving" by Kelvin J. Knight titled "Giving back to the Ocean". 

Foreword (in English) in the link, click on the book and read at page 3

Sending opinion to support the proposed rule to ban the at-sea removal of smooth dogfish fins and to apply science based dogfish catch limits.

Comment

BlueShark Conservation led the coalition campaign "Warrelniet": a Belgian national campaign in coalition with Sea Shepherd Belgium, Natuurpunt and Sea First Belgium.
Within three weeks after handing over the petition with +22.600 signatures, the Flemish government decided to issue a ban on the recreational use of gill nets nation wide.

Prime time Belgian TV-news covering the cabinet meeting and hand-over of the petition signatures

"Warrelniet" website

Drafting and publishing an article on the illegal import and sale of three individual porbeagle sharks in Belgium.

Due to the BlueShark Conservation article and reporting, the Belgian CITES officer investigated the matter and apprehended the importer.

Article published in "Duiken" dive magazine newsletter

Drafting and distributing the plea letter to Belgian and Dutch dive centers, urging them to support the campaign and to sign the petition against the dumping of steel slag use in order to reïnforce the shores.

Letter

More info and online petition

The BlueShark Conservation article explains the sightings and defuses the panic surrounding these sightings

Article published in the newsletter of "Duiken" dive magazine

Donating marine pictures for the proposal to list mobula rays on the CMS (Convention on the conservation of migratory species) protection appendices in November 2014.

Proposal to list mobula rays on CMS appendices.

Drafting and publishing an update article on the Warrelniet-Mailles Fatales campaign on behalf of Sea Shepherd Belgium, Natuurpunt, Sea First Belgium and BlueShark Conservation. 

Article published on Newsmonkey.be

Drafting and publishing an article to oppose the distribution of free tickets for Boudewijn Seapark dolphnarium by Flemish P-magazine, on behalf of Sea Shepherd Belgium, Bite Back, Dauphins Libres and BlueShark Conservation.

Article published on Newsmonkey.be

Writing 30 minute shark talk for kids approx. 12 years old with powerpoint presentation, video clips and a Shark Quiz, for DiveWise Training and Education Centre in Antwerp, Belgium.

DiveWise Training and Education Centre website

Writing articles, press releases and application letters for permits to conduct activities, as the Communication / Public Relations Manager of Sea Shepherd Belgium.

 

Cooperating with NGO’s Natuurpunt, Sea Shepherd Belgium and Sea First Belgium in a campaign to establish a nation wide ban on the recreational use of gill nets on Belgian shores.

BlueShark services included among other things: Designing and implementing a campaign strategy. Attracting NGO Natuurpunt (largest nature organisation in Flanders) to take part in the campaign. Designing, organising and preparing a beach event to launch the campaign (with information booths, a Kids Club, a sand sculptures contest with prices, a maze contest with a Belgian VIP and a music preformance by a Belgian band). Designing a 50x30 metre maze with poles and rope and constructing it on the beach. Finding sponsors for the funding of the event. Announcing and promoting the beach event and campaign in the media. Conducting research on the issue and writing an extensive motivation for the campaign. Also writing all other texts of the campaign website including the updates in the news section. Contacting NGO's and governmental organizations, requesting permission to use their pictures for the campaign. Creating the online and .pdf campaign petitions. Creating e- and printed postcards for supporters to send to the mayors of coastal municipalies which allow gill nets on their beaches.

Campaign website

English version online petition(main petition lists were in Flemish and French)

Video clip with impression of the beach event

Article written for gill nets campaign, published in Dutch online magazine “PiepVandaag” and copied into several other websites like “Zeezoogdierennieuws”

Article written for gill nets campaign, published in Belgian "Hippocampus" diving magazine.

Drafting and sending a letter to the Flemish Government on behalf of BlueShark Conservation and Sea First Belgium, opposing their decision to shelve two separate cases of illegal basking shark (parts) retention. Both times the boat crew was (partially) the same.
In the first case the crew aimed to land a basking shark in the harbour of Zeebrugge. Two years later, during a routine check, two sliced off basking shark fins were found hidden in the ships freezer. Both cases were shelved.

Letter PDF

Donating marine pictures to Project Aware, for use during their ocean and shark conservation campaigns.

Example

Example

Example

Example

Supporting campaigns from likeminded organisations. For example:

* PEW:  overfishing

* Alex Hofford campaign to ban shark fin transports on planes: examples: Thai Airlines, Cebu Pacific

Grand scale distribution of a manta ray survey on request of NGO Shark Savers, for Manta Ray of Hope, Manta Trust, the Indonesian Manta Project and Blue Sphere Media campaign to establish nationwide legal protection for manta rays in Indonesia. 
Reference: Mary O’Malley (Shark Savers / Wild Aid / Manta Trust).

Press Release manta rays protected in Indonesia

PLOS One Paper which was written using conclusions of the survey

Publication of a 9-page+cover article on the conservation of sharks of the Azore Islands and the Atlantic Ocean in the Dutch diving magazine “Duiken”.

Article published in the Dutch "Duiken" dive magazine

Cooperating with NGO's WWF Belgium and Natuurpunt, to draft a press release opposing the Flemish Fisheries Marketing Centre (VLAM)'s recommandation to buy and consume spiny dogfish/spurdog. 

Article

Supporting campaigns of likeminded organisations. For example:

Shark Defenders:  CITES protection for endangered shark species

Project Aware: CITES protection for endangered shark species

“The Shark Project" included a year-long contest for secondary school students, a press conference, a prize ceremony, a guided field trip to encounter marine life in Florida for the grand prize winners and the production of a short documentary on ocean conservation. The documentary was distributed back to the secondary schools in Belgium to raise awareness among the students through the experience of their peers while they were in Florida and to promote discussing ocean exploitation and preservation in the classrooms.

The Belgian National Lottery was convinced of the necessity of this project which was executed at the time of the EU legal proposal to ban shark finning in the EU and therefore funded the campaign with a grant.

Campaign Teaser

Campaign website (after the contest the website was taken offline, but it is currently being restored as a seperate part of this BlueShark website  (under construction).

Articles and Press Releases

Radio Interview on Flemisch National 
French National Radio

Pictures Press Presentation

Pictures Prize Ceremony


Pictures study trip conservation contest grand prize winners Set 1,  Set 2,  Set 3 

Pictures premiere of the Shark Project documentary "Sea and Learn"

Shark Project Documentary "Sea and Learn" Online

Publication of an article in the Dutch online magazine “Piep Vandaag” on the decision of the West-Australian government to cull white sharks in the vicinity of popular beaches.


Article 


Drafting a press release in cooperation with NGO’s WWF Belgium and Natuurpunt, urging the food sector to discourage the consumption of porbeagle meat in Belgium.

Article in food sector magazine (page 6)

Published in the online version of the Dutch diving magazine "Duiken" and referred to by several other websites.

Article

Publication of three co-authored articles on Raja Ampat (conservation part) with Dos Winkel (Founder Belgian NGO Sea First) in the Diving Magazines “Duiken”, "Hippocampus"
 and "Onderwatersport"

Article Duiken magazine

Article Hippocampus magazine

Article Onderwatersport magazine

Hosting shark conservation lessons and talks

Program World Ocean Day Belgium 2011 off line

Pictures Sea First Ocean Week

Pictures Sea First World Ocean Day

Pictures shark conservation lessons in schools

Publication of a 5-page article on the plight of sharks, shark finning, shark legislation and shark byproducts in the Belgian diving magazine “Hippocampus”.

Article

On behalf of the Belgian NGO Sea First and as a board member of this organisation, contacting and convincing restaurants to cease selling shark meat in their restaurants.

Lobby he Belgian attaché of permanent representation to the EU, for NGO PEW’s Shark Alliance campaign during the EU legal proposal to close the loopholes in the EU finning legislation.

Pictures Shark Alliance yearly member meeting

Pictures launch EC proposal to close the loopholes in the EU Finning Ban 

Pictures handing over the European Shark Week photo book to the Belgian attaché of permanent representation to the EU

Coordinate and execute the “European Shark Week” awareness demo for NGO PEW’s Shark Alliance and as a board member of Belgian NGO Sea First.

Pictures European Shark Week 2011 second week

Pictures European Shark Week 2011 first week

Pictures European Shark Week 2010

Initiating and executing the grand scale mailing. Contacting NGO's, dive tourism companies and travel companies all over the world, to gather support for the legal proposal to establish a shark sanctuary in Raja Ampat.


Mentioned in the Shark Savers press release

Co-found, administer and initiate a multitude of grassroots campaigns for Facebook page “The Global Shark Initiative” with 26.200 members. (Page was removed on the request of the co-founder in November 2011)

Article by Michelle Kirk Marks on GSI and involving top chef Gordon Ramsay in shark conservation.

Campaign featured on the Let Sharks Live Blog

Mentioned in this iCNN-report


Grand scale e-mailing aiming to prevent the construction of a mega resort with a marina at an ecological extremely important and fragile area.
The campaign was successful and the area was later designated a world heritage area.

Mentioned on the Save Ningaloo website 

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