A call for action on marine conversation in Playa del Carmen

[cavew0man]

Yes, the sharks were killed. I'm posting this on behalf of a local (Playa del Carmen and the Riviera Maya) group, including dive operators, for whom this event was the straw that broke the camel's back. Marine parks surround us - Cozumel, Puerto Morelos, Cancun - yet the reefs here (and their residents like these unfortunate bull sharks) remain largely unprotected. Whether or not international or national protected area regulations apply, in practice, our marine resources are wide open to irresponsible exploitation.

Whether or not this particular fisherman was infringing on the Reglamento del Equilibrio Ecológico y Protección Ambiental, and whether or not he was legally in the area, there was no one there to stop him. If this had been in the Cozumel marine park, we likely wouldn't be having this discussion. And he wasn't the first fisherman this year to kill a bull off of Playa.

Please visit the website - www.blueheartsociety.org - and if you support this call for action, sign the online petition, which will be presented to local authorities.

If you are a PDC or Riviera Maya business, please contact them directly through the site to be included as a supporter and to obtain petition materials for your use.

We need to stop talking about it, and do something about it.

 

[cavew0man]

Conversation... conservation... apparently my internal spell-check ain't working today.

 

[Geofish Dive in Playa]

Entire shop signed it. Thank you for bringing this petition to our attention. Hopefully enough people will sign it to actually be able to have some sort of momentum with this.

 

[cavew0man]

The momentum will be the challenge, but the shark event seems to have everyone furious - so let's turn that into change.

 

[Geofish Dive in Playa]

Just put it all over Facebook, this thing will get rolling!

 

[cavew0man]

Just put it all over Facebook, this thing will get rolling!

All over it like white on rice!
Blue Heart Society | Facebook

 

[scubawife]

I just found out that Akumal Beach Resort serves shark meat (and someone had the buffet photo to prove it). I don't stay at resorts and have never seen shark on the menu at any restaurants I've been to in many years of traveling around mainland Q.Roo, Cozumel and Isla Mujeres. I'm totally disgusted that a resort does that. Just because it's not illegal it doesn't make it acceptable.

If this one small resort is doing it, I'd suspect they aren't the only ones?

 

[elletek]

It was me that posted the shark meat photo at ABR
Picasa Web Albums - Elle - ~Akumal Vacat...

Yes, we were upset about this and told them sharks were on the endangered species list. The reply we received was that shark was a "normal' Mexican diet...

 

[Spratman]

Okay, I signed it. Gotta get this nipped in the bud!

 

[driftwood]

Here is a thread that was started on Playainfo, Recent shark killings in the area. - Playa del Carmen, Mexico forum

If you know other boards/sites where cavewOman can get a bit of support, she will need all we can give her.