Malapascua - Rare Thresher Shark birth captured on camera

I've stood on this sea mount many times but wasn't lucky enough to see this

http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00338-014-1249-8/fulltext.html

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-30747971

As you know, I do not dive. Dont like putting my head under water, to be honest. But my interest in the area and the sharks is that the mother in laws employers daughter has made the thresher shark sanctuary project in Monad Shoal, Malapascua, her baby. She won a financial award a couple of years ago, (50,000 Euros) and has not only invested that money in the project but invests a lot of her time to it. It is obviously her passion.

I have not met her, personally, but have met some of her family.

I try and keep up with what she does. Quite facinating.

A recent article...

http://www.sharkdefenders.com/2015/04/youth-ambassador-profile-anna-oposa.html

It is great to see people trying to help sharks, John.
It would be very helpful if the local government in Daanbantayan, Cebu province limited the amount of dive trips to Monad shoal to give thresher sharks more time to relax!

Likewise with the daily circus in Oslob. Conservation in the very loosest terms in my opinion.

Here's one I caught earlier . Snapped it about 60 miles out in the Red Sea, hovering around Daedlus Reef.

I thought that was the idea of the sanctuary.

No unfortunately, it is a shame that so many dive boats visit Monad Shoal.
Far too many IMO.

This was incidentally in CDN today.

http://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/57638/the-bounty-of-tanon-strait

Witnessed my first banded coral sea snake within 10 seconds of diving off Pescador

You might be right. But here is the rational behind the sanctuary.

http://stevedeneef.com/monad-shoal-and-the-thresher-shark-research-and-conservation-project/


The objective is not profiteering. It is conservation. But the first element of that is to prevent the fishing for these species and them winding up on the dinner table in one form of another.
And to protect the reef environment.


"The Thresher Shark Research and Conservation Group is a community based non-profit research organization. Our mission is to promote and disseminate shark research, education and conservation to a broad local, regional and international public and scientific outreach. Collectively we bring expertise in shark biology, ecology, ethology (behavior), conservation, scientific diving, coral reefs, oceanography, marine environmental protection and coastal zone management. Our academic competency in the area of thresher shark behavior and biology, and shark cleaning mutualism is unrivalled.
Aspiring marine/shark scientists may apply to assist TSRCP in conducting fieldwork. This is a unique opportunity for individuals with a keen interest in marine/shark science to gain hands on experience in shark survey methodology, behavior, biology, ecology and conservation. Volunteer research assistants will be based on Malapascua Island and shuttled to Monad Shoal aboard a dedicated research vessel. Sea operations will run from 05:00 to 20:00 five days a week and include SCUBA survey, underwater video observation, tagging (pending funding) and photographic ID databasing. Evenings will be spent in academics, training, reviewing video observations, analyzing data for scientific paper writing, and preparing for the next day’s ops.
All volunteer research assistants will receive comprehensive hands on training in shark research methodology, marine videography and analytical approaches to behavioral science. Research assistants will also receive academics in shark biology, ecology, conservation and ethology (behavior) and will apply learned concepts to the analysis of real data that they acquire on a daily basis. "

And a video on the people involved and what they seek to achieve.

Bantayan is where Oposa's father is from. They have a School of the Sea there. He has spent his life trying to protect the seas there from over exploitation and to encourage sustainable fishing. They have or had ( hit by the typhoon in 2013 ) a family home there.

Difficult job I'm sure. Sustaining a 100 million people isn't easy, especially with so many relying on the sea as their main income. I went to the Bantayan market in January, full of dried fish and selling for little money.

Danggit?

My wife loves that stuff. Its a speciality of the region, apparently.

Yes Dangiit. Plenty of different varieties to be honest. All very small in size but I suppose it's quicker drying out smaller fish. But if all the small fish disappear there won't be any bigger fish.

Somebody has to have a go at it. Main objective was to get the point across that if you overfish then you have nothing left to fish for eventually. It was getting that way.

Yep for sure and hats off to them for their efforts. The process of educating can be slow but the benefits are much more welcomed. There are always two sides to the story I guess, those with the resolve to educate for the betterment of the whole and those that plunder and don't give a damn. You still read about the turtles being sold illegally in the markets which is inexcusable but some gov't departments are trying to change habits.

Yes. Here is an attempt to deal with the turtle soup bit....


http://savephilippineseas.org/post/45651079224/open-letter-to-mayor-mike-rama-of-cebu-city-on-the

How do you get so close without being their lunch?

I'm no expert John and this was my first encounter with a shark. I think on the whole they are tolerant as long as you are respectful and not doing anything daft like splashing around on the surface trying to fix your camera, ooops! In fact the week after this a woman was bitten by a shark, she was just snorkeling and maybe all that splashing and being on the surface was too much of an attraction for the shark. They dragged her on a boat with the shark still attached, it wouldn't let go.

You wouldnt catch me going close to one of those.

I recall working off the coast of Angola. The sharks used to come in under the rig for the food waste. The water was crystal clear so you could easily see them in action.