Marine Life & Conservation
Marine Conservation Organisation The Black Fish To Give Talk In Manchester
The Black Fish, a European based, community driven, marine conservation organisation, will be giving a talk at Wright Robinson College in Manchester on the 22nd September 2014 in conjunction with www.freedivers.co.uk.
Through investigation, enforcement and prosecution, the Black Fish organisation works to expose and challenge illegal and destructive fishing practices.
You don’t need a degree in science to do your share in ocean conservation, but you need the right training, tools and resources to be able to apply the talents and skills you already have. With that in mind, The Black Fish have taken a few unprecedented initiatives that aim to lower existing barriers for people interested in getting involved, namely their recently launched Citizen Inspector Network and Training Programme.
The Citizen Inspector Network involves training volunteers as inspectors over the coming years, realising independent monitoring of fishing activity in Europe’s fishing ports and markets.
The Black Fish train you all the way; you’ll visit fishing ports and learn how to recognize and document illegal fishing nets. They will introduce you to the world of coastal patrolling, which will be done by Citizen Inspectors with the required training. To make it sound even more adventurous, since 2013 The Black Fish has made use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to document fishing activity off-shore. This, together with numerous other speciality courses, offered in collaboration with European partner organisations, will give you the opportunity to be a Citizen Inspector with valuable skills of use in the organisation’s work to end illegal fishing.
Through this training, The Black Fish aim to make ocean conservation accessible to everyone by giving talented people the opportunity for specialist skills and capacity building. the organisation’s projects also facilitate networking between activists involved in conservation work in different European countries and inspire and support people to raise awareness on contemporary conservation issues through education.
As a talented diver, perhaps already doing your share in ocean conservationism, you know better than anyone else how happy spotting a whale shark makes you feel. And probably close to nothing makes you more excited than that manta ray flying over your head. Seeing those tiny creatures like seahorses and shrimp, you know life under water is vulnerable and needs protection.
Because besides all the breath taking beauty of the oceans you see every day when diving, you also witness first hand the ghost fishing nets spread out as blankets of death over your favourite dive spot, and you are also the one watching when the first fishermen go out to sea to catch the fish you would like to admire under water. And isn’t there a decline in the number of turtles every year?
Tickets are available for the event in Manchester on the 22nd September from the event’s Facebook page, which you can find here (directions to Wright Robinson College can be found here).
To find out more about The Black Fish organisation and the work that they do, visit their website: www.theblackfish.org/uk.
After a two-year tour of UK art galleries, community spaces and aquariums, the Shark Trust’s acclaimed Oceanic31 exhibition takes its final bow at the Royal Geographical Society later this month. And the unique collection of artwork, depicting 31 species of oceanic sharks and rays, donated by 31 artists, is now open for bids from art lovers and shark enthusiasts. The online auction, launched today, will close on the 7th December at 8pm (BST). The money raised will support the Shark Trust Oceanics Programme.
People can now bid on 27 of the artworks by visiting this website:
https://superstars-auctions.com/sharktrustauction
It is a chance to own a beautiful piece of original art and to support the Shark Trust. The timing of the auction also means that these would make a very special Christmas gift for any shark-lover.
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- Bigeye Thresher Shark by Janina Rossiter
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- Carcharodon carcharias by Jimmy Higgs
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- Croc VR 2030 by Tom Mead
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- Oceanic Whitetip by ATM
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- Silky Street by ScapaJoe
The diversity of pieces mirrors that of the sharks and rays they represent. You can bid on paintings, digital creations, sculptures, mixed media and more. You can pick your favourite artist or species of shark. Or you can select the perfect artwork to make a statement in your home or office. Whichever you choose, you will be supporting the work to protect these amazing animals.
One of the pieces of art has been selected to be auctioned live by Steve Backshall at the For the Love of Sharks event at the Royal Geographical Society in London on the 29th November. In addition to this, two further pieces will be raffled at this event, giving people a chance to win an incredible piece of shark art. For the Love of Sharks is the Shark Trust’s flagship evening. A night to celebrate sharks. Steve Backshall is the headline speaker at this event that will see other prominent shark advocates join him on stage.
Tickets for the event can be snapped up here:
https://thesharktrust.org.uk/Event/flos24
Those that would like to see the Oceanic 31 exhibition have one final chance. It is being displayed at the Pavilion at the Royal Geographic Society from 26th November until the 7th December. Entry is free.
Find out more here:
https://www.rgs.org/events/upcoming-events/oceanic-31
Paul Cox, Shark Trust CEO, Said “This exhibition has given us the opportunity to reach out to a new audience. And inspire more people with the wonderful sharks and rays on which our Big Shark Pledge campaign is based. We are immensely grateful to the 31 artists who have worked so hard to create these works.”
Bid for your favourite Oceanic 31 artwork here:
https://superstars-auctions.com/sharktrustauction
Banner Image: Smooth Hammerhead by Alicia Hayden
Until 28 November, prizes worth a massive £10,000 – including experiences, products and tuition – feature in a line-up of items that can be won for £5 in an online prize draw to celebrate Bite-Back Shark & Marine Conservation’s 20th anniversary and help generate crucial funds for the future.
Top of the list of prizes is the chance to spend time with adventurer and wildlife expert Steve Backshall, a workout session with Nat Geo star Aldo Kane, a kayaking trip alongside white-water expert and diver Sal Montgomery and a Zoom call with ‘shark whisperer’ Cristina Zenato.
On top of that, some of the most admired companies in the diving and scuba industry have been quick to support the charity with fabulous prizes that make the £5 ticket price worth more than just a flutter.
Master Liveaboards, BSAC, Midlands Diving Chamber, Go Freediving and Blue Shark Snorkel have all generously donated experience prizes, while celebrated photographer Alex Mustard has donated a print and artists Scott Gleed and Olivier Leger have donated a sculpture and illustration to help boost the fundraising pot.
Fourth Element has donated Ocean Positive gear and LA watch company Nodus has gifted the charity a stunning dive watch. For land lovers, the charity has included a five star London hotel stay at Bankside Hotel plus a family visit to Longleat Safari Park in the roster of prizes.
Campaign director for Bite-Back, Graham Buckingham, said: “We’ve been overwhelmed with support from companies and individuals that we truly admire and who have supported us on our 20 year journey and we’re truly grateful to them all. While we feel incredibly proud of our achievements over the past two decades – and we are super excited about the next chapter – this prize draw isn’t a vanity project. It represents a real lifeline to our work and important advancements in the global protection of sharks. So we hope divers, dive clubs and even bargain hunters grab some tickets to make this a massive success.”
The charity hopes that the prize draw will generate crucial funds to launch a brand new, ground-breaking, campaign to enrol the public and increase support for the protection of sharks around the world.
To enter the competition visit www.bite-back.com/prizedraw. The prize winners will be announced on 1 December 2024.
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