Part OneBy Rob Stewart
Director & Star of the film Sharkwater
In August of 1999, I was a 19-year-old photographer on assignment to photograph sharks in the Galapagos Islands. Instead of finding sharks in all their majesty underwater, I wound up cutting dead and dying sharks from kilometers of illegally set long lines with thousands of baited hooks—sometimes extending 50 to 60 miles in the ocean. The experience launched me on a journey to uncover why there was such a huge demand for sharks, even in the most protected national parks on earth.
The simple answer was the growing demand for shark fin soup. Through much of Asia, shark fin soup is a status symbol of wealth and served as a sign of respect. A single pound of shark fin can sell for more than $300 USD. Shark bodies don’t have substantial value, so fishermen started finning: discarding the bodies and keeping only the fins, wasting 95 per cent of the animal.
The huge demand for fins, and poor fishing regulations have decimated shark populations in every ocean on earth. Studies from Dalhousie University in Halifax have shown that shark populations, as well as populations of all large predators in the oceans have dropped an estimated 90 per cent in the last 30 years. Some species of shark, such as the tiger, bull and dusky shark have dropped by more than 95 per cent.
I realized that sharks were going to be wiped out, largely because nobody knew what was going on in the oceans, and if they did know, they didn’t care because they were afraid of sharks. Sharks are viewed by most as dangerous predators, which if removed from the planet, would make the world a safer place. The reality, which most scuba divers know, is that sharks are mostly benign to humans, and are incredibly important animals to life on earth.
Therefore, in 2002 I set out to make Sharkwater, a film that would bring the public closer to sharks than ever before. I thought if people could understand sharks, and see them as beautiful, necessary animals, they would fight for their protection.
I joined Paul Watson, founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, in Los Angeles. Watson’s ship, the Ocean Warrior, was going to Cocos, Costa Rica, by invitation from the Costa Rican president to deter poaching within the ill-protected marine reserve. Through my journey with Paul, we collided with a pirate finning boat, were charged with attempted murder, exposed corrupt governments, fled for our lives from machine gun toting coast guards, and started filming ourselves to keep ourselves out of prison. This journey changed the film from a beautiful shark movie to a human drama spanning four years, 15 countries and nearly ended my life.
To be continued....(see part 2)
