COARE: news | archives | newsletter: March 2011

MARCHing to the beat of change . . .
Wednesday, 06 April 2011

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Contents:
  - SF Ocean Film Festival
  - Shark fin bans
  - Head-Royce School
  - COARE Blog
  - Dive & Travel Expo
  - Earth Day
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Hello, fellow ocean lovers!

It's only just April, and it's already been a fantastic
year for us.  March was an exciting month, and we expect
the next few months to be eventful as well.

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  - SF Ocean Film Festival
 ---

The eighth annual San Francisco Ocean Film Festival was
a wonderful series of events, and we enjoyed seeing many
familiar faces and making new connections.

The Sharks & Vanishing Marine Life program was sold out,
and much of the packed theater funneled over to the
Aquarium of the Bay for the panel discussion entitled, 
"Sharks, Fins, and Sustainability", hosted by our own 
Executive Director, Christopher Chin.  The discussion
was a lively one with great questions from the audience,
demonstrating a great interest in shark conservation.

 ---
  - Shark fin bans
 ---

Speaking of shark conservation, it's been a thrilling
month for conservation policy.  We reported in our last
newsletter that Guam's proposed ban on shark fins passed
through its legislature quickly and was awaiting the
Governor's signature.  We're pleased to report that on 
09 March 2011, Governor Calvo signed Bill #44-31 into
law, thereby making it illegal to sell, trade, possess,
or distribute shark fins or ray parts.

Stateside, Washington has made some great strides, and
Senate Bill 5688 has been flying through the legislative
process.  Last month we reported that the Senate
unanimously approved the amended Bill, and that it was
about to move to the Washington House of Representatives.  
In just a few short weeks, the Bill was assigned to and 
subsequently released from Committee, and was assigned
to second reading on the House Floor.  We were gearing
up for an extended support campaign, but the Bill 
continued with its momentum and hit the house floor with
welcome arms.

We're thrilled to report that just yesterday (05 April),
the Washington House of Representatives passed SB 5688
with a stunning 95-1 vote.  That, especially combined
with the 47-0 Senate vote, is both an incredibly strong
statement and an act to follow.  The Bill now simply 
awaits the governor's signature.

Last month, we reported the introduction of California 
Assembly Bill 376, which seeks to prohibit the sale,
trade, possession, or distribution of shark fins in 
California.  Assembly Bill 376 has sparked a bit of
debate over the importance of shark fins in Asian
culture, and the media has come out in support of both
arguments.  Most of the reporting has been narrowly
focused or poorly researched, but one recent cover story
article stands out as being extremely well written, 
throughly researched and fairly balanced.  COARE is
proud to be featured in such a fine piece of journalism.  
We have some print copies on hand for our local fans who 
prefer the feel of newsprint, but you can also find it 
online at:

    http://www.eastbayexpress.com/ebx/the-great-shark-slaughter/Content?oid=2519696

AB 376 was heard in the California's State Assembly
Committee for Water, Parks, and Wildlife on 22 March,
and our Executive Director attended to provide
supporting testimony.  The Bill was released from the
Committee with a unanimous vote, and was subsequently
heard in the Appropriations Committee, where it was
assessed for potential costs to the State.  After it was
determined that only "minor unknown costs" were to be
expected, the Bill was released from Committee, and will
be sent to the Assembly floor for its next reading and
vote.

If you're a California resident, please be sure to
contact your Assemblymember and let him/her know that
you support AB376.  Visit http://www.coare.org/act/ab376
for more information and to find your legislator. By
spending five minutes to call your legislator, you can
help protect millions of sharks.

The third West Coast State in the US, Oregon, is also
making progress with its proposed shark fin ban, House
Bill 2838.  It is scheduled to be heard in the
Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee on Friday, 
15 April 2011.  If you live in Oregon, now is the time
to contact your Representatives to urge them to support
this Bill.

For more information, visit:
    http://www.coare.org/act/hb2838 

 ---
  - Head-Royce School
 ---

The Head-Royce School is an independent, college
preparatory day school with classes from kindergarten 
through twelfth grade.  They held a school-wide
celebration called Ocean Week, and invited us to speak
to the middle school about sharks and conservation.
The audience of 230 or so gave their rapt attention to
our Executive Director as he spoke about the role of
sharks in the ecosystem and why they are in desperate
need of our protection.  After the presentation was
complete, the students posed a variety of great
questions, evidencing their enthusiasm.  When asked if
they learned, as a result of the presentation, that
sharks were in need of our protection, the vast majority
raised their hands in agreement.

Many heartfelt thanks to Riva, one of Head-Royce's
graduating students, for the invitation and for
coordinating the opportunity to speak to the assembly.

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  - COARE Blog
 ---

We appreciate your loyal subscription to our newsletter,
and we've heard many positive things about the topics
and content we share.  We are aware, however, that some
of you would like to hear things more often or in more
depth.  This newsletter will continue to be published on
a relatively regular monthly schedule.  More late
breaking news will usually be mentioned on our Facebook
page (http://facebook.coare.org) or via Twitter
(http://twitter.com/coare), but now more in-depth
stories will be posted on our new Blog:
http://blog.coare.org.  We'll look forward to your
comments, suggestions, and feedback.

 ---
  - Dive & Travel Expo
 ---

This coming weekend, (09-10 April) we'll be attending 
the Dive & Travel Expo in Tacoma, Washington.

This will be our second year at the Northwest expo, and
we're excited about seeing familiar faces and making new
friends.  Current arrangements have us in booth D, which
is just outside the main hall.  If we end up moving
inside, we'll post that change to Twitter.  In either
case, if you're planning on coming to the show, stop by
and say hello.  We look forward to talking to you more
in depth.

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  - Earth Day
 ---

On Saturday, 16 April, our colleagues at the Marine
Science Institute in Redwood City, California are
holding an event in celebration of Earth Day, and have
asked us to join the festivities.

The event should be a fun one for all ages, and 
promises to include music, art, and dancing.

If you're in the area, please stop by and say hello!
To learn more about the Marine Science Institute 
and their Earth Day Event, visit: 
     http://www.sfbaymsi.org/earthday.html

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Wishing you healthy oceans, 
 - Your friends at COARE

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