URGENT HELP NEEDED from all Tobago visitors

[Caribstu]

In recent weeks a fishing boat from roxborough has been coming into Speyside and shark fishing off little Tobago. They are using long deep lines and targeting sharks. Unlike game fish such as Marlin, Tuna, Kingfish etc.. sharks are endangered and have a slow reproduction rate. This kind of targeted fishing is also indiscriminate, as sharks of all species, including endangered hammerheads and tiger sharks, of all ages, many too young to breed are being caught.

This is not the livelyhood of entire communities, nor is it the local fishermen of Speyside but one boat, just four individuals getting rich quick by plundering the waters around the Speyside reef, catching ten or more sharks each day everyday for several weeks to sell the shark meat in Trinidad.

This kind of action can lead very quickly to an environmental disaster, no sharks mean a dramatic change in smaller fish population who in turn eat out the coral reef.

Please help us get this practise stopped before it's too late, i urge you to send your protest or copy and paste the below message, add your name and any comments and email it to the Tourist development corporation, attention

Ms. Ethlyn John
Manager
Tourism Development Corporation

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

Thankyou for your support

As a visitor to Tobago i am horrified to hear that sharks, including rare species such as hammerheads and tigersharks are being fished out from the reef area of Speyside. I had assumed that because Tobago is promoting itself as an eco-destination that this area was a protected marine national park and cannot believe this practise of shark fishing is permitted to go on, uncontrolled, in such a beautiful place.

I understand that is is not Local fishermen from Speyside who are shark fishing but a small group of four or five individuals from a nearby village who have come into this area and are fishing out large quantities of sharks on a daily basis.

Targeted shark fishing is indiscriminate and catches sharks of all species, including rare spieces and all ages including those which are not yet old enough to breed. Many countries around the world have already banned shark fishing in their waters.

Sharks are a very important part of the marine eco system. Without sharks the numbers of smaller fish will go unchecked and suddenly in as little as six months there can be an imbalance of species where by small reef fish reach massively high population levels. Small reef fish such as parrotfish, angelfish and damsells eat coral polyps and spongues, if there are no sharks to control their levels then they will eat out all the reef, leaving nothing but dead corals and dead reef. This would be a tragic loss to the island of Tobago. Not just the loss of foriegn currency revenue from the numbers of divers, snorkelers, glassbottom boat etc.. but for the children of Tobago who face losing their natural inheritance.

The reef in Speyside is probably some of the healthiest coral reefs in the whole of the Caribbean and deserves to be protected. Tobago had the foresight to proudly make its rainforrest a national park and boasts that Tobago has the oldest protected rainforrest in the western hemisphere, even banning hunting from March 1st to September 30th, but still nothing has been done to protect it’s marine life. Speyside is the jewel in the crown and is now facing a threat which could destroy it forever.

Please we humbley and politely ask that you consider an immediate ban on shark fishing in a zoned area around Speyside from St Giles in the north to Merchiston in the south and around the eastside of little tobago.

A positive action like this will not only help create a sustainable fishing industry outside of the zone but also will show the world you care about your environment and aim to protect and preserve your natural resourses making Tobago a truely eco destination and one to which many more divers and tourists will choose to visit.

This is not a time for sticking, procrastination and debate but a time for swift prudent possitive action. Action like this will show the whole world you care about your environment and stand to preserve and protect your natural heritage. You never miss the water till the well run dry.

[Steve Wooler]

Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention, Stuart.

May I please endorse Stu's appeal and beg as many readers as possible to register complaint about this situation with the Tourist Development Corporation and the Tobago House of Assembly. In fact, I think I will prepare a circular and send it to all registered members of the forum. Mind you - please don't wait for that - please show your support for Tobago by doing as Stu recommends.

[Kevin Hampson]

Hi Steve & Stu,
Fully agree this needs to be stopped now!
I have already sent a copy to the Shark Trust in Plymouth

Regards
Kevin

[Caribstu]

Thank you Steve for your endorsement, i have emailed all my previous clients as well as the other local dive business and asked them to do likewise, however it appears that some of the emails are coming back undelivered, there may be a problem with the TSTT.NET.TT server, please can you confirm to your readers the correct email address for the TDC and THA.

Many thanks

Stuart

[Ronald]

Hi

I´d send it to some newspapers in T&&T too, and also and to the Shark Trust in UK.

I´d also send it to a life guard I know in Tobago. The more peoples who get the message the better.

As I´m going down next week on Wednesday, I´ll keep my eyes open and see if I read something in the papers.

Ronald

[Alex Bindy]

message sent.

[Mel M]

Done!

[Steve Pitts]

Hi Stuart

I'll contact Save Our Sharks and The Shark Alliance here in the UK and ask all of my angling contacts to drop The THA a line.

Regards
Steve

[Jill M]

Done

[Jane H]

Count me in too!

Jane

[Hugh S]

Protest sent. Thanks for alerting us to this crime.

[Lisa Keith]

Me too, Stu. I've sent two - one from the business address and one from my personal one. Let's see how quickly we can get this awful thing stopped!

L.

[Caribstu]

Thank you for the emails of support, both here and to my email address. I went to the Tourism Department today and had a good meeting with Ms Eleanor Lewis, she in turn is getting onto the Ministry of Fisheries and marine affairs. The battle is not over though.

I have contacted the Association of Tobago Dive Operators and hope they will officially endorse this protest, and obviously any other Tobago Tourism/hospitality businesses that may read this to do also

I am writting personally to Mr Neil Wilson the Secretary of department for Tourism hoping he will step in and stop this thing immediately. In the meantime I urge that you all continue to voice your protest and see if we can get this stopped, please send your emails to

Ms. Shelly Ann Edwards
Tourism Development

[email protected]

and c.c them to Eleanor Lewis

[email protected]

alternatively you can write in person to the Tourism secretary Mr Neil Wilson

[email protected]

Many thanks for your support

[CaroleW]

Done

[David Watkins]

Done!(and they shoulg be)

[Tony G]

Yeah... emails sent, though the one to Tourbago bounced back. Ill try again.

Tony

[Steve Pitts]

Hi Stu

Sent the following email and got a prompt reply -

Good Afternoon,


Subject: Shark massacre

Dear Sirs
As a regular visitor to your beautiful island, I was shocked to learn of the indescriminate killing of significant numbers of sharks around the Speyside and St Giles reefs by a very small number of fishermen.

The sustained removal of this top predator will surely upset the delicate balance of the reef's ecosystem and the damage may be significant in its effects.

I have always thought of Tobago as a forward looking nation, especially where tourism and the protection of the island's natural resources are concerned. Because of this, it saddens me greatly to hear of these fish being caught in such large numbers and in such an unsustainable way.

I would most sincerely urge you to contact your colleagues in the fisheries department to take action to protect Tobago's sharks from over-zealous and indescriminate acts, as are being widely reported.

No-one begrudges fishermen a living from the sea, but the many fishing charters and dive operators who show the island's visitors some of Tobago's undersea wonders are having the goose that lays the golden egg stolen from under them.

I hope that you can save the sharks of Speyside before it is too late.

Yours very sincerely
Steve Pitts (England)

Reply -
Thanks for your concern. Your message was forwarded to the relevant officer.
I can garantee that action will be done to remedy this situation as soon as possible.

Best Regards

Webmaster


Hopefully actions will speak as loud as words.

Cheers
Steve

[Ronald]

I had same problem with [email protected], "unknown", had to remove it from the list

Ronald

[Gisela Grell]

done and gave the information to all friends to support the protest

Hope this can stop them

Cheers
Gisela

[Matt]

Stu,

Good skills chasing this up fella... I've also just emailed and added a few choice extra comments about them allowing the foolishness of short term gain for long term pain, etc... and hopefully it'll do its bit to help get this stopped asap!

Not sure if you're able to get the contact details of that US radio DJ who was there when I last was- he was staying in the hotel in Speyside where you met him with us that night. He's a hugely keen diver and has a lot of contacts- he 'found' the Scissor Sisters- and could help

If all else fails, cut their lines underwater!