Friday November 16th - Shark Angel Education presentation, Malibu California

Written by Lisa Harris, Director of Events and Educational Programs

Walking into Point Dume Marine Science school in gorgeous Malibu California, is like walking into another world… the sea. I wanted to be 8 yrs old again and jump into their art adorned walls of whales, sharks, rays and seals. Is this really a school one would ask? Hey sign me up for this one. Who wouldn't want to be surrounded by all these amazing animals, oh and don’t forget their aquarium or what they refer to as the ' SCIENCE CENTER." 

We started our presentation with eager 5 and 6 yr olds all smiles, waiting patiently sitting crisscrossed on the auditorium floor. We were surprised, ...not really, THIS IS a marine science school lol, at their astonishing knowledge of the sharks and their habitats. Both Jamie and I led the presentation with our multiple choice power point that had the kids giggling away, especially when Jamie took out the puppets and showed them how a Hammerhead shark begins his delicate dance of eating his desired prey.

Outrage over Ontario Superior Court Judge’s decision to overturn Toronto’s ban on the sale and possession of shark fin

Toronto, Canada, December 1st, 2012 – Fin Free, the coalition of shark conservationists working together to ban the sale, trade and possession of shark fin, urges the Toronto City Council to immediately appeal Justice James Spence’s ruling against Toronto’s ban on shark fin.

On October 25, 2011, the Toronto City Council voted overwhelmingly in support of the bylaw (38-4), following suit with several other municipalities across Ontario and several states in the US. Since then, the Fin Free movement has spread internationally as well as Canada-wide, where similar bans have been adopted or proposed throughout British Columbia and Alberta.

The passage of Toronto’s shark-fin bylaw satisfies two key sections of the City of Toronto Act; including section 8(2)(5) respecting, “[e]conomic, social and environmental well-being of the City”, and section 8(2)(6) respecting, “[h]ealth, safety and well-being of persons”. Despite this, FARGA - an organization developed to fight shark fin bans - alongside four members of the Chinese business community, funded and organized an appeal to strike down Toronto’s bylaw, heard by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice on November 5th. Subsequently, Justice James Spence declared Toronto’s ban as invalid based on the City’s perceived lack of power as it pertains to the enforcement of such a bylaw. The four individuals challenging the ban claimed that the bylaw unfairly targets the Chinese Community, which often notes incorrectly that the shark fins are obtained legally and do not come from endangered shark species.

Ocean enthusiasts (scientists, scuba divers, surfers, or simply those with a love for the ocean) have been exposed to information regarding the drastic decline of shark populations and the scientific ramifications of that decline through a number of increasingly visible sources in the past few years. Unsatisfied with limiting our audience, we sought a method to try and go a step further and broaden our reach beyond this market to new people. Our hope is to create this calendar that highlights these fascinating creatures and the institutions that study them, and also to inspire people to become more educated and involved in the movement to save our sharks (and in doing so, save our oceans).

All proceeds from calendar sales will be donated to our Fin Free campaign, a global movement to push and support shark friendly legislation and our Youth Shark Education campaign, which seeks to inform and inspire the next generation of conservationists. All contributions to the cause are greatly appreciated.

If you are a business and are interested in selling our calendars please email: cheryl (at) sharkangels.com for wholesale prices and more details.

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