Pelagic Life | The Call of the Shark

the call of the shark
BAJA PENINSULA - MEXICO - 2012/13

OBJECTIVE

The idea is to buy and release live-hooked sharks from fishermen in the Baja Peninsula. Besides freeing potentially dead sharks, the main purpose of this project is to show the fishermen the economic benefits of a live shark. Ecotourism provides higher and less risky income for the fishermen. Not only with direct pay from customers but from indirect income spent by explorers in the local towns. We believe this project will bring the necessary attention and customer flow to the selected towns in the Baja Peninsula while preparing the fishermen to receive shark divers.

For further information or if you wish to participate in this project please email us at info@pelagiclife.com

by: Eduardo Martinez

COST/FUNDING - 29%
cost of entire project: $241,000 MXN
money raised: $72,200 MXN

help us now
YOUR DONATION WILL GO DIRECTLY TOWARDS:
phase 2 of call of the shark - implementing ecotourism
During April the Pelagic Life crew spend an entire week in the Baja Peninsula training the local fishermen how to make a shark diving operation. Several chumming experiments will be performed and scouting for the best locations will be critical. We appreciate your continued support and your help will go directly towards funding this experimental operation.

contributors wall

critical milestones
	NOVEMBER 2011 1) Finding a Shark Haven by Mistake In search of stripped marlin the Pelagic Life crew stumbled upon an area that was loaded with several species of sharks. After noticing blue, mako and great white sharks in the hunting buoys and realizing some of the sharks were still alive we decided to buy the hooked shark from the fishermen. This was a critical milestone because it was the weekend that sparked the idea of saving the sharks of this area.
	MARCH through APRIL 2012 2) Setting up the Project & Initiating Phase 1 After being puzzled several months the members of Pelagic Life decided to make a specific project dedicated solely to freeing 100 hooked sharks in the Baja Peninsula. Puzzled by the exact steps and measured that had to be taken, the crew decided to make three phases for the project. Phase 1 consisted in freeing hooked sharks and paying a premium to the fishermen directly. We asked around social networks to fund the price that a dead shark was worth in the Mexican Market.
	MAY 2012 3) First Episode a Total Success A small crew went into the cold and turbulent waters of the Baja Pacific in search of hooked sharks during the first episode of the call of the shark. The crew was able to liberate eight sharks (Shark 1, Shark 2, Shark 3, Shark 4, Shark 5, Shark 6, Shark 7, Shark 8). With rough seas and large sharks liberating these creatures was an epic adventure. At the same time the Pelagic Life crew was subtlety trying to influence the shark fishermen of the benefits and rewards of ecotourism vs shark fishing.
	AGUST - SEPTEMBER 2012 4) Nets & Hurricanes Stall the Project During both these episodes the Pelagic Life crew was unable to free any hooked sharks. During Episode 2 the shark fishermen were using nets to capture the sharks and would bring in seven different species of sharks in one single day (blue, mako, thresher, galapagos, black tip, hammer head & silkies). Witnessing the slaughter in the beach was a terrifying spectacle. During episode 3 the shark fishermen were unable to perform their duties because a hurricane had recently passed. This was proof that the living conditions in which the shark fishermen live in the island are well below poverty standards where hygiene is an immanent threat to the shark fishermen.
	NOVEMBER 2012 5) Bitter/Sweet Disposition by the Shark Fishermen \| Episode 4 - 5 Freed Sharks Pelagic Life crew continued the efforts to release hooked sharks. Although this weekend Pelagic Life was able to release five sharks (Shark 9, Shark 10, Shark 11, Shark 12, Shark 13) the relationship with the fishermen was at a very fragile state. During this last visit the fishermen on the boats were informed by the leaders that they should not continue to support our project. Our crew was politely asked to end our project since they would no longer continue to allow us to buy the hooked sharks from their buoys. The project seemed to have stalled immediately.
	FEBRUARY 2012 6) The Turning Point - getting the leaders on board Pelagic Life crew made an unplanned trip to the Baja Peninsula with a single purpose: talk with the leaders of the shark fishermen. This was a turning point in the project because it would mean the inclusion or exclusion of the shark fishermen in our efforts to introduce ecotourism. If we failed we would be facing this group of fishermen every time we went to the Baja Peninsula. It was critical to succeed in this meeting because without the support of the local fishermen establishing ecotourism would have eventually failed. By having them on board, it meant they would be seeing the benefits of ecotourism and would be the first to protect the local sharks. After a couple of beers at a low key bar in La Paz, the Pelagic Life crew was able to present the project to the leaders. After several questions and a couple of laughs in between beers they agreed to support the project. The leaders even want to start taking shark divers before we expected! And this suddenly got very very real.
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