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Marine Life & Conservation

Barbados Dive Operators Find More Sea Turtles In Urgent Need of Rescue

Published

7 years ago

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This past week has been full of turtle rescues in Barbados, some with less fortunate endings than others. The responses from locals and tourists have been truly remarkable but the divers in Barbados believe these sweet endangered animals need more than just a video to be shared, they need voices to be heard as well. They have started a petition to expand their Marine Protected Areas and ban fishing in the zones frequented most often by turtles.

PADI Ambassadiver, Andre Miller and his team at Barbados Blue filmed one of their turtle rescues yesterday. “We’ve been fighting to expand MPAs for years without success. We’re hoping the images and footage of our turtle rescues will help motivate the general public to get involved and have their voices heard. Our government should step up if they see we have enough passionate people out there looking to make a difference,” says Andre Miller, Marine Biologist & PADI Ambassadiver.

“It’s shameful to see so many fishermen blindly dropping hooks where we bring tourists to swim with the sea turtles. Putting fishing lines in front of hungry turtles [in an area they have become accustomed to human interaction and feedings] is not only harmful to an already endangered species but to our tourism industry as well,” adds Kiera Bloom, PADI DiveMaster with Barbados Blue.

The videos and images gathered from this week’s turtle rescues have been shared throughout Barbados and in many other countries around the world. The Barbados Blue team is hoping to use the attention gained from these stories to keep their message alive and motivate their Coastal Zone Management Unit to expand the Marine Protected Areas to include the zones where the turtles visit most often, and where fish nurseries will be most beneficial to the island.

Barbados Blue is a dive shop located at Needham’s point, Carlisle Bay, in Barbados. Their Manager and Director, Andre Miller is an established Marine Biologist and PADI Ambassadiver. The team at Barbados Blue offers more than scuba certifications and snorkel tours. They lead numerous Dive Against Debris clean-ups, lionfish hunts and are often the first to respond when a marine creature is in need of saving. They work closely with organizations like The Barbados Sea Turtle Project, Coral Reef Restoration Alliance – Barbados, Bellairs Research Institute and the University of West Indies to survey coral transplanting sites, establish coral nurseries and help protect the sea turtles. Find out more at www.divebarbadosblue.com.

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Marine Life & Conservation

Shark Trust launches Oceanic 31 Shark Art Auction

Published

3 weeks ago

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November 1, 2024

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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.

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

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Marine Life & Conservation

Meet Steve Backshall in the Bite-Back Prize Draw

Published

1 month ago

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October 21, 2024

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steve backshall

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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