· By Kerry Pengelly
Up the beach
Last week Gary Shark Bug went to Double Island Point with his friend Ash. He spent lots of time thinking about sharks while walking on some wild coastal walks and driving along the sand.
Gary Shark Bug has watched all of the Sea Shepherd videos about sharks and would love to educate everyone on the importance of sharks in the ocean ecosystem. Sharks are over 400 million years old and essential for healthy oceans. Sea Shepherd has a program called the Shark Defence Campaign and Gary Shark Bug would like artists like himself to draw attention to the terrible practice of removing shark fins for soup, and the Australian Government's irresponsible shark culling programs, with the hashtag #sharkdefenders and #sharkdefencecampaign Learn more about why this is an important issue here on Youtube and here.
Next time you think you are 'safe' swimming at Bondi, just remember that 40% of sharks killed by the nets are on the beach side. Also, shark netting programs in Queensland and NSW are indiscriminate killers. Here is an extract from Sea Shepherd's campaign material:
"Both programs substantially impact the surrounding marine environment. Tragically, around 90% of the animals caught and killed in shark nets and drumlines are non-target animals caught as 'bycatch'. The animals include turtles, whales, dolphins, rays, and even seals and penguins. Many of these species are threatened or endangered, including the sharks actively targeted in these programs. These animals are supposed to be protected under Australian law and in accordance with numerous commitments to international agreements.
Thanks to modern technology and decades of research, there are many modern, non-lethal alternatives to shark culling that have been scientifically proven to help make beaches safer for beachgoers without the ecological cost to our delicate marine environment."
You can take action by emailing the Queensland Fisheries Minister, the Hon Mark Furner, and ask him to remove all shark nets and drumlines during the whale migration season and look to replace the program with modern, non-lethal shark bite mitigation measures. Find the form to do so here https://www.seashepherd.org.au/take-action-whales/
Gary Shark Bug was happy to get back to his VW Bug after the Four wheel drive on the beach. He is hoping he can help save the oceans in some small way, by selling his art online at www.garysharkbug.com where he donates 5% of sales to Sea Shepherd, and talking about the issues.
#artistactivism #seashepherd #sharkdefence #sharkbugart #garysharkbug #sharkbug #illustration #sharklover