Marine Life & Conservation

Join Fins Attached and Dr. Sylvia Earle for a shark & turtle research expedition to Cocos Island

Published

8 years ago

June 20, 2016

Every so often opportunities come up that you just can’t say no to. Here is one of those moments. Fins Attached has partnered with Mission Blue and the Dr. Sylvia Earle Alliance to conduct an extraordinary expedition to Cocos Island Costa Rica. However, the trip is only open to eight people, four Mission Blue donors and four Fins Attached donors. You need to contact Fins Attached as soon as possible to get your name on the list for this small and intimate group experience.

You will be a part of an expedition that is hosted by:

Dr. Sylvia Earle
Dr. Alex Antoniou
Randall Arauz
Kip Evans

Dr. Sylvia Earle

Dr. Sylvia A. Earle is Explorer in Residence at the National Geographic Society, Founder of the Sylvia Earle Alliance (S.E.A.) / Mission Blue, Founder of Deep Ocean Exploration and Research Inc. (DOER), Chair of the Advisory Council for the Harte Research Institute and former Chief Scientist of NOAA. Author of more than 200 publications and leader of more than 100 expeditions with over 7,000 hours underwater, Dr. Earle is agraduate of Florida State University with M.A. and PhD degrees from Duke University and 27 honorary doctorates. Her research concerns the ecology and conservation of marine ecosystems and development of technology for access to the deep sea. She is the subject of the Emmy®Award Winning Netflix documentary, Mission Blue, and the recipient of more than 100 national and international honors and awards including being named Time Magazine’s first Hero for the Planet, a Living Legend by the Library of Congress, 2014 UNEP Champion of the Earth, Glamour Magazine’s 2014 Woman of the Year, member of the Netherlands Order of the Golden Ark,and winner of the 2009 TED Prize, the Walter Cronkite Award, the 1996 Explorers Club Medal, the Royal Geographic Society 2011 Patron’s Medal, and the National Geographic 2013 Hubbard Medal.

Randall Arauz

Randall is the founder and president of PRETOMA, a Costa Rican non-profit NGO founded in 1997. Randall was the 2010 recipient of The Goldman Environmental Prize. PRETOMA is a marine conservation and research organization working to protect ocean resources and promote sustainable fisheries policies in Costa Rica and Central America.

Costa Rica has an image as a conservationist country. Indeed there are many positive laws and regulations on paper in Costa Rica. However, marine conservation is far behind land conservation, and furthermore, many of the positive laws and regulations that do exist go unenforced.

As a result, Randall and PRETOMA directs their efforts in the following categories:

Direct in the field conservation projects
Research and outreach onboard commercial fishing vessels
Public awareness and education
Litigation and policy advocacy

Kip Evans

For more than two decades Kip has been exploring the ocean and guiding conservation efforts through his documentary photography projects. He has participated in or led over fifty expeditions throughout the world including recent explorations in Alaska, Cuba, Costa Rica, Chagos, and Chile. Working on a number of National Geographic Society projects including the Sustainable Seas Expeditions, he served as the chief photographer for noted oceanographer and marine biologist, Dr. Sylvia Earle. In 2008, Kip joined Mission Blue as the Director of Photography and Expeditions, documenting “hope spots,” critical areas around the world’s ocean that need protection. As a diver and submersible pilot, Kip holds a number of certifications and spent 17 days living underwater at the Aquarius Habitat as part of Mission 31. Kip graduated from the University of California at Santa Barbara where he studied environmental studies marine biology.

Alex Antoniou

Dr. Alex Antoniou has been working with and studying sharks for over 20 years. In 2010 Alex founded Fins Attached: Marine Research and Conservation, a non-profit organization based in Colorado Springs.

He began his work by establishing a field station for the Shark Research Institute in the Honduran Bay Island of Utila and subsequently convinced the Honduran Government to enact protection laws for the whale shark in their territorial waters. From Honduras, Alex moved on to study sharks in Mexico and the Galapagos Islands, and Cocos Island, Costa Rica. This research is ongoing with with Randall and PRETOMA in Costa Rica.

Dr. Antoniou also works with Dr. Maurcio Hoyos in Mexico. In 2008 he helped to tag white sharks with acoustic transmitters and also helped deploy acoustic receivers for data collection. The work in Mexico also includes the tagging of sharks at the Revillagigedo Islands.

To find out more about the trip and how you can reserve a place email alex@finsattached.org.

Marine Life & Conservation

Shark Trust launches Oceanic 31 Shark Art Auction

Published

3 weeks ago

November 1, 2024

Shark Trust

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 7^th 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.

: Bigeye Thresher Shark by Janina Rossiter

: Carcharodon carcharias by Jimmy Higgs

: Croc VR 2030 by Tom Mead

: Oceanic Whitetip by ATM

: 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 29^th 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 26^th November until the 7^th 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

Marine Life & Conservation

Meet Steve Backshall in the Bite-Back Prize Draw

Published

1 month ago

October 21, 2024

Team Scubaverse

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 20^th 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.