3/9/2010 An Important Message from Dr. Charles...

Aloha All-

If you aren't aware, this Thursday NMFS will be going in front of the Hawaii Land Board for the issuance of our shark removal permit. As many of you are aware, shark predation on young pups at French Frigate Shoals continues to decimate that atoll's population. This is a behavior unique to Galapagos sharks at this single atoll. Based on all our attempts to mitigate the problem through non-lethal measures and over a decade of research and observation, we feel the only path left is the removal of a small number of Galapagos sharks who are undertaking this predatory behavior.

The Land Board offers an opportunity for the Agencies, our partners, and the public to present testimony in support or in opposition to the proposed activities. This is a very polarizing topic, and no one is comfortable with the removal of these amazing creatures, however, the action proposed is a critical step in our recovery activities intended to increase survival of juvenile seals.

It is important for you to share your opinion, for or against, to help decision makers to decide on approval or denial of our permit.

This link will bring you to a webpage with the submittal information and an agenda: http://hawaii.gov/dlnr/chair/meeting

If you go down the page you will see links for submittals (background docs) and the agenda for the 3/11/10 meeting. Or just click here for all the background documentation: http://hawaii.gov/dlnr/chair/meeting/submittals/100311/F-DAR-Submittals-F7.pdf

There is no way of determining when our permit might come up for review, so it is generally an all day investment. So if you are interested in observing the process or providing testimony please check out the links above.

Cheers,
Charles