DIVING COMMUNITIES TAKE ACTION TO END SHARK OVERFISHING

November 2021 saw our successful shark conservation programme secure what is one of our greatest victories. A three year advocacy campaign in collaboration with our Shark League partners culminated in the banning of catches of endangered mako sharks throughout the entire North Atlantic.

Mako sharks are known as the fastest species of shark, reaching speeds in excess of 30mph, yet in the North Atlantic, their populations are hurtling towards extinction due to excessive overfishing. In 2019, scientists studying mako sharks in the Atlantic found that their populations were so dangerously low that they advised that all catches of makos should end immediately to give them even a slim chance of recovery. In fact, populations were so low that even if mako fishing ended immediately, populations would still require over 50 years to recover.

Commercial fishing in the North Atlantic is overseen by the multi-national management body known as the International Convention for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna, known as ICCAT. ICCAT is made up of 52 members of different countries and territories, each with a say in how commercially fished species, including sharks, are managed in the Atlantic. Mako sharks are caught primarily by the European Union countries of Spain and Portugal, prized for their meat and fins, with the US recreational fishing sector also catching a significant number for sport.

Due to the economic value of mako sharks to these countries, the European Union and the United States blocked efforts by other countries such as Canada and Senegal to ban catching mako sharks. Many influential ICCAT countries, such as South Africa and Brazil, don’t have a fishing sector that catches makos, so neither supported nor opposed the ban.

This inaction only contributed towards the demise of makos, so in February 2021, PADI AWARE called on dive centres in South Africa and Brazil to mobilise the public to demand action to prevent the imminent extinction of mako sharks in the Atlantic.

With support from the Shark League and the Shark Conservation Fund, PADI dive operators across South Africa and Brazil held dedicated AWARE Shark Conservation Courses for both divers and non-divers to learn about the extinction threats facing sharks across the world, and to highlight the plight of the Atlantic makos. They asked for anyone taking the course to publicly demonstrate their support for mako protection by joining the #MakeTime4Makos social media movement as well as directly contacting their government representatives.

#MAKETIME4MAKOS

The response from the community was immediate and overwhelming. In South Africa, the dive centers collaborated in setting up an email petition directed at the Fisheries Minister, which resulted in hundreds of emails from concerned divers flooding her inbox demanding action to protect makos.

This resulted in the Minister reaching out to the operators outlining South Africa’s intention to support any mako fishing ban at the 2021 ICCAT meeting. Brazilian operators and divers held similar courses and called on the Brazilian government to support a mako ban. This campaign was so successful the ministry dedicated a member of their staff to work directly with PADI AWARE and the Brazilian recreational diving sector to address our shared concerns.

As 2021 progressed, PADI AWARE and our Shark League partners worked across all ICCAT members to gain support for a mako shark fishing ban proposal led by the governments of Canada and Senegal. More and more countries publicly announced their support for mako protection, including the historically silent countries of South Africa and Brazil.

When the proposed ban came up for discussions at the 2021 ICCAT meeting, the level of support for the ban was so great, coupled with the realisation that time for saving makos was running out, the proposal was adopted despite efforts from the European Union to water down the measures.

Thanks to the huge efforts of PADI AWARE supporters across the globe, finally Atlantic mako sharks had some hope for their recovery and the basis, and the decision highlighted how local actions can have global impacts. While this landmark decision was very welcome news, ICCAT limited the ban for an initial period of two years.

As ever, PADI AWARE Foundation will continue to monitor the health of shark populations and drive local action for global ocean conservation.

Grants

To further support communities around the world in advancing the PADI® Blueprint for Ocean Action, the PADI AWARE Foundation has launched the new Mission Hub Community Grant Program. This cornerstone initiative is designed to accelerate participation, education and advocacy for ocean protection.

The Foundation’s goal is to provide direct financial resources to PADI Mission Hubs and community-based non-profits in support of projects that address one of the following five program areas:

MARINE1DEBRIS

2

VULNERABLE SPECIES PROTECTION

CORAL3REEFS

CLIMATE4CHANGE

5

MARINE PROTECTED AREAS

“We are thrilled to launch this new fund that directly supports community-based ocean conservation projects. There are so many PADI Dive Centers and NGOs driving meaningful local action, often with little or no funding support,” says Danna Moore, PADI AWARE Foundation’s Global Director. “To help ensure these efforts succeed, PADI AWARE is committing 24% of our donations this year to the Community Grant Program, with a goal of reaching $1million USD in funding by 2024.”

On October 1, 2021, PADI AWARE Foundation opened its first call for proposals. Applications were received from all regions of the world, almost 50 in total.

Of those, 17 proposals were funded, 6 in coral reef restoration/protection, 2 related to marine protected areas, 3 related to marine debris removal, 4 in vulnerable species protection and 2 related to climate change. Funding was disbursed early in 2022 for a one-year term. We are very excited to see the outcomes of these project.

Stories and updates will be available on our website and social media as project milestones are reached.