alaskasharks
Registered
Hey everyone, I just wanted to introduce my diving operation in Alaska. I operate a remote lodge in Prince William Sound and normally cater to fisherman, as this is the huge draw of tourism to the area. But over the past few years, I had chance meeting with some divers that completely opened my eyes to the little known underwater world that exists here. A few people seemed to be specifically interested in the salmon sharks that migrate off the coast of eastern PWS, where the lodge is located. When I first started to advertise these sightseeing trips, shark fishing was the new hot thing to do in Alaska. So it was a struggle to change people's minds that sharks are a dangerous animal and sharks didn't need to be mindlessly killed. But a shark cull continued to a point of near extinction (however alaska fish and game will tell you otherwise).
I'm finally starting to see the population rebound and I'd like nothing more then to get this information out that these sharks are still fragile and will need protection in some form before the next cull comes around. These sharks are pretty amazing creatures. They reproduce of the coast of CA. They then segregate themselves with the males heading to the coast of Japan (which is not a good thing) and the females travel up the coast of BC to Alaskan waters. When they reach Alaska, they travel to only two spots on eastern Prince William Sound. One is Port Fidalgo, where I'm located and the other is Port Gravina. Port Gravina is heavily glaciated so the water clarity isn't great, but the big thing thats happening at that site is that a very quiet mining operation has started underway. You see, since this is very remote part of Alaska, little to no one see's whats happening out here and so mining can commence with little resistance. Mining there will only destroy habitat these sharks use for predation when hunting for salmon.
This would leave Port Fidalgo as the only place that you can see these pelagic sharks stay stationary to an area, allowing amazing shark interactions with divers and snorkelers. You see, both these Ports have very specific underwater formations that allow the sharks to ambush their prey and that's why they migrate here. I'd like to let everyone know that yes there are sharks in Alaska, they are on the rebound and you can swim with them. I think if enough people know about these sharks, there can be a concentrated effort to protect them and eventually ensure their survival for future generations. The fish and game allow 2 sharks per person and when there are thousands of fisherman that come to alaska each year, there simply isn't a population to sustain catch numbers like this. And then there's the commercial fishing industry thats like the wild west out here, with little to no oversight. I tried to turn one in for illegal fishing and was only rewarded with the threat of having my lodge burned to the ground and no help from the local authority's. Please let me know if anyone has input on who to best join forces with to make sure they get the proper publicity, so they don't silently disappear.
Thanks!
alaskasharks.com
[video=vimeo;110508267]https://vimeo.com/110508267[/video]
[video=vimeo;143517078]https://vimeo.com/143517078[/video]
I'm finally starting to see the population rebound and I'd like nothing more then to get this information out that these sharks are still fragile and will need protection in some form before the next cull comes around. These sharks are pretty amazing creatures. They reproduce of the coast of CA. They then segregate themselves with the males heading to the coast of Japan (which is not a good thing) and the females travel up the coast of BC to Alaskan waters. When they reach Alaska, they travel to only two spots on eastern Prince William Sound. One is Port Fidalgo, where I'm located and the other is Port Gravina. Port Gravina is heavily glaciated so the water clarity isn't great, but the big thing thats happening at that site is that a very quiet mining operation has started underway. You see, since this is very remote part of Alaska, little to no one see's whats happening out here and so mining can commence with little resistance. Mining there will only destroy habitat these sharks use for predation when hunting for salmon.
This would leave Port Fidalgo as the only place that you can see these pelagic sharks stay stationary to an area, allowing amazing shark interactions with divers and snorkelers. You see, both these Ports have very specific underwater formations that allow the sharks to ambush their prey and that's why they migrate here. I'd like to let everyone know that yes there are sharks in Alaska, they are on the rebound and you can swim with them. I think if enough people know about these sharks, there can be a concentrated effort to protect them and eventually ensure their survival for future generations. The fish and game allow 2 sharks per person and when there are thousands of fisherman that come to alaska each year, there simply isn't a population to sustain catch numbers like this. And then there's the commercial fishing industry thats like the wild west out here, with little to no oversight. I tried to turn one in for illegal fishing and was only rewarded with the threat of having my lodge burned to the ground and no help from the local authority's. Please let me know if anyone has input on who to best join forces with to make sure they get the proper publicity, so they don't silently disappear.
Thanks!
alaskasharks.com
[video=vimeo;110508267]https://vimeo.com/110508267[/video]
[video=vimeo;143517078]https://vimeo.com/143517078[/video]
