• Shark Blog
    • Watching Humans Blog
  • About
    • Monsters - Project Overview
  • White Shark Cafe
  • Education / Events
    • Guadalupe Shark Trip 2020
    • Presentations
    • Upcoming Events >
      • SHARK-O-WEEN 2018
    • Bookings
    • Feedback
    • Past Events >
      • Shark Night
      • Sharktoberfest 2018
      • Surfrider Sharktober 2018
      • Surfrider Foundation (San Mateo Chapter)
      • Night Life 2013 "Killer Personalities"
      • 7 Teepees
      • Great White Lies San Francisco Premiere
      • SF March Against the Cull
      • Great White Night 2012
      • Night Life 2011
      • Gentlemen's Club
      • Scuba Squad Divers
      • Sharks and Beer
      • Launch Party / Fundraiser
      • Of Whale and Man
    • FALSE CONSERVATION >
      • OCEARCH >
        • OCEARCH OVERVIEW
        • Internal Damage
        • Fin Damage >
          • Frodo's Fin Damage Timeline
        • OCEARCH's Pregnant Shark Not Pregnant
        • Science...without the Science
        • OCEARCH Videos >
          • Sinking Away
          • Not Stressed
          • Charlie Rose 1
          • Dorsal Fin Damage
          • PAT tags VS. SPOT tags
          • Tagging Options
          • Message to Australia
  • Videos
    • Stupid Things People Say About Sharks
    • Racism and Sharks
    • Connection
    • 360s Drones and Sharks
    • Footage Licensing
    • Tiger Shark Vs. Turtle
    • Guadalupe Cage Dive Guide
    • minioncam
    • Guadalupe White Sharks 2018
    • Product Reviews
    • Interviews >
      • Guadalupe 2018 Interview
      • Andre Rerekuru
      • RodneyFox
      • Chris Neff >
        • Cape Cod Cull
      • WalterBernardis
    • SharkMinutes
    • Kid Friendly >
      • Blueprint
    • Feature Films >
      • Monsters >
        • Enterprise Documentary Fund
      • Great White Lies >
        • Film Festivals >
          • Dropbox Links Great White Lies
    • Short Films >
      • Victory Over Sharks
      • Mothers and Children
      • Sentience
      • Elasmo
      • Shark Rescue
      • Balance
      • Shark Affection
      • Purpose
      • To Touch a Killer
      • Swimming In Shark Alley
      • White Shark Behavior: Part 1
      • Connection
      • Farallon Islands
      • Sustainable
      • Fear
    • Quick Bites >
      • Nurse Shark Barbels in Slow Motion
      • Do Sharks Get Cancer?
      • Sydney Harbor Video of White Shark is Fake
      • White Shark Swallows Tuna in One Bite
      • Gentle Biting and Ram Ventilation
      • Hammerhead Love
      • Seal Swims Leisurely Around White Sharks
      • Great White High Five
      • Petting a Nurse Shark
      • White Shark Tail Narrowly Misses Woman
      • Shark Shart ( Great White takes a shit )
      • WSV Preview
    • Elasmo >
      • Elasmo 0
      • Elasmo 1 and 2
      • Elasmo 3
      • Elasmo 3 Short Version
      • Elasmo 4 (Blue Sharks)
      • Elasmo 5 - Great hammerheads
      • White Dream (short)
    • Surf >
      • Surfing With Sharks - Wayne Lynch
      • California >
        • Jetty, Half Moon Bay, 2/16/14
    • The Price of Existence >
      • Criminalizing Natural Behavior
      • Price of Existence Excerpts with Chris Fallows
      • Dr. Neil Hammerschlag Explains Responsible Drum Lining
      • Price of Existence Trailer
      • Global Opposition to the Cull
      • Daniel Wolfe Interview Exerpt
    • Outtakes >
      • Surfer Interview Outtake
      • Avoiding Gansbaai
      • The Bag Boy
    • Samples
    • Videos from Others >
      • Good Vids >
        • White Shark Research in New Zealand
        • The Shark Man (60 Minutes)
        • Baby White Shark Caught
      • Bad Vids >
        • All that is wrong with Discovery wrapped up in one vid
  • Get Involved
    • Guadalupe 2020
    • Recurring Donation
    • Donations
    • Join the Team
    • News Letter Sign Up
  White Shark Video
  • Shark Blog
    • Watching Humans Blog
  • About
    • Monsters - Project Overview
  • White Shark Cafe
  • Education / Events
    • Guadalupe Shark Trip 2020
    • Presentations
    • Upcoming Events >
      • SHARK-O-WEEN 2018
    • Bookings
    • Feedback
    • Past Events >
      • Shark Night
      • Sharktoberfest 2018
      • Surfrider Sharktober 2018
      • Surfrider Foundation (San Mateo Chapter)
      • Night Life 2013 "Killer Personalities"
      • 7 Teepees
      • Great White Lies San Francisco Premiere
      • SF March Against the Cull
      • Great White Night 2012
      • Night Life 2011
      • Gentlemen's Club
      • Scuba Squad Divers
      • Sharks and Beer
      • Launch Party / Fundraiser
      • Of Whale and Man
    • FALSE CONSERVATION >
      • OCEARCH >
        • OCEARCH OVERVIEW
        • Internal Damage
        • Fin Damage >
          • Frodo's Fin Damage Timeline
        • OCEARCH's Pregnant Shark Not Pregnant
        • Science...without the Science
        • OCEARCH Videos >
          • Sinking Away
          • Not Stressed
          • Charlie Rose 1
          • Dorsal Fin Damage
          • PAT tags VS. SPOT tags
          • Tagging Options
          • Message to Australia
  • Videos
    • Stupid Things People Say About Sharks
    • Racism and Sharks
    • Connection
    • 360s Drones and Sharks
    • Footage Licensing
    • Tiger Shark Vs. Turtle
    • Guadalupe Cage Dive Guide
    • minioncam
    • Guadalupe White Sharks 2018
    • Product Reviews
    • Interviews >
      • Guadalupe 2018 Interview
      • Andre Rerekuru
      • RodneyFox
      • Chris Neff >
        • Cape Cod Cull
      • WalterBernardis
    • SharkMinutes
    • Kid Friendly >
      • Blueprint
    • Feature Films >
      • Monsters >
        • Enterprise Documentary Fund
      • Great White Lies >
        • Film Festivals >
          • Dropbox Links Great White Lies
    • Short Films >
      • Victory Over Sharks
      • Mothers and Children
      • Sentience
      • Elasmo
      • Shark Rescue
      • Balance
      • Shark Affection
      • Purpose
      • To Touch a Killer
      • Swimming In Shark Alley
      • White Shark Behavior: Part 1
      • Connection
      • Farallon Islands
      • Sustainable
      • Fear
    • Quick Bites >
      • Nurse Shark Barbels in Slow Motion
      • Do Sharks Get Cancer?
      • Sydney Harbor Video of White Shark is Fake
      • White Shark Swallows Tuna in One Bite
      • Gentle Biting and Ram Ventilation
      • Hammerhead Love
      • Seal Swims Leisurely Around White Sharks
      • Great White High Five
      • Petting a Nurse Shark
      • White Shark Tail Narrowly Misses Woman
      • Shark Shart ( Great White takes a shit )
      • WSV Preview
    • Elasmo >
      • Elasmo 0
      • Elasmo 1 and 2
      • Elasmo 3
      • Elasmo 3 Short Version
      • Elasmo 4 (Blue Sharks)
      • Elasmo 5 - Great hammerheads
      • White Dream (short)
    • Surf >
      • Surfing With Sharks - Wayne Lynch
      • California >
        • Jetty, Half Moon Bay, 2/16/14
    • The Price of Existence >
      • Criminalizing Natural Behavior
      • Price of Existence Excerpts with Chris Fallows
      • Dr. Neil Hammerschlag Explains Responsible Drum Lining
      • Price of Existence Trailer
      • Global Opposition to the Cull
      • Daniel Wolfe Interview Exerpt
    • Outtakes >
      • Surfer Interview Outtake
      • Avoiding Gansbaai
      • The Bag Boy
    • Samples
    • Videos from Others >
      • Good Vids >
        • White Shark Research in New Zealand
        • The Shark Man (60 Minutes)
        • Baby White Shark Caught
      • Bad Vids >
        • All that is wrong with Discovery wrapped up in one vid
  • Get Involved
    • Guadalupe 2020
    • Recurring Donation
    • Donations
    • Join the Team
    • News Letter Sign Up
SHOP
WATCH
SUPPORT
FOLLOW

The Lies Chris Fischer and OCEARCH tell us about white sharks

7/16/2013

Comments

 
Pretty bold title isn't it?  Don't worry, I back it up.  Unfortunately, most people, including the news, don't know the difference between fact and fiction when it comes to sharks. OCEARCH is no exception.   These guys are good at saying the right things in order to get support...unfortunately, what they are saying is not true.  

Back that up with examples you say?  Gladly.

These are direct quotes from Chris Fischer, on camera, from an interview with CBS First Watch.  

  • LIE 1 "We don't know where they (white sharks) feed."  - CF

    • Hmmm, let me unravel the mystery for you, Fischer.  The places they feed are each of the aggregation sites that OCEARCH has traveled directly to in order to tag the sharks.  Let me put that another way.  The sharks are at exactly the place you went to because you knew they would be there.  It was not a mysterious voyage out to sea.  You went from Isla Guadalupe to the Farallones to False Bay, Gansbaai, Cape Cod, etc. because these areas are well documented.  These are the same places the shark’s food source can be found, the same places islands of pinnipeds are found, the sames places documentaries are filmed and the same places white shark cage-diving exists because the people running cage diving KNOW THAT'S WHERE THE SHARKS ARE.

  • LIE 2 "We don't know where they go." - CF

    • Wow.  Scientists around the world tracked the movements of white sharks way before OCEARCH ever came around and did so without harming the sharks.  For example, in South Africa, one specific study of white sharks conducted between 2002-2003 led to the discovery of intercontinental travel between Australia and South Africa, most notably by the shark Nicole.  In California, TOPP provided extensive migratory data showing white sharks moving along the California coast, movements between California and the Farallon Islands, movements between California and Hawaii, movements between Baha and Hawaii as well as to a mysterious spot in the Pacific Ocean known as the White Shark Cafe.  Not only do we know where they go, but we know when they go and for how long and where they go next.  All this data was published before OCEARCH and was provided using PAT tags, which are attached harmlessly to the shark as it swims by.  While we don't know everything about these sharks, lack of data isn't the problem. Lack of action is.   This leads to the next lie.

Picture
Data map provided by TOPP years before OCEARCH came to existence.
Picture
"...these scientists would go out to study the sharks and kill them all" - Chris Fischer would like you to believe scientists have been in the dark about white sharks until he came along.  

  • LIE 3 "We can't put policy in place to protect them until we have this data." - CF

    • Let me address this lie in multiple parts.

      • Policy is already in place, so his quote is flawed immediately.  The enforcement of policy, rather the lack of enforcement, is the problem.  Multiple countries around the world have laws setting forth fishing regulations on sharks.  White sharks specifically have been protected since the 90s.  In certain waters it is against the law to even approach these animals.  So, again, I say that policy is in place, but it’s ineffective, as evidenced by OCEARCH.  The fact that a group of former trophy hunting fishermen have been able to enter marine sanctuaries and disfigure, harass, damage, and even kill these sharks is a good sign that policy in trampled on and ignored.

      • Funding seems to be an issue in enforcement of policies.  The ocean is big, even when broken down to smaller sections such as marine sanctuaries, thus it is difficult to patrol these waters effectively.  The money OCEARCH is receiving is money that could be used to fund more boats and officers patrolling areas we already know the sharks frequent.  Even if a patrol boat pulls over someone illegally fishing for sharks, it is easy to dump the bodies or claim the shark was caught accidentally.  Californians worked hard last year to move white sharks to “endangered” classification because this would make it easier to prosecute anyone caught with a white shark, accidental or not.  Unfortunately, NOAA stepped in and overturned this decision.

      • OCEARCH has been doing its thing for the better part of a decade.  What have they done to improve policy?  What have they donated to conservation programs?  What improvements have we seen as a result of the “data” they have been collecting?  NOTHING. NADA. 

      • Based on the fact that the data OCEARCH says is needed already exists, why would anyone be inclined to think that protection for sharks will improve if OCEARCH goes on tagging or re-tagging sharks for another decade?  (I say retagging because many of the sharks OCEARCH pulls out of the ocean already had tags.)  I personally have seen a shark with three tags on it.

Picture
"Now we at least have a system where we let them all go alive." - Chris Fischer, in an interview with CBS claims that his method of study is the only one that doesn't kill the sharks.  Ironically, his method has actually killed at least one white shark (n camera) and some suspect more.


In the image on the left, 5 flotation devices have been attached to the shark's jaw via a large hook in order to keep the shark at surface and drag it for hours to the point of mortal exhaustion before being hauled out of water for further mishandling. Also pictured, Captain Brett McBride jumps into the water whenever the near dead shark is brought onto the platform for no apparent reason other than TV drama.

  • LIE / MISLEADING STATEMENT 4 “Back in the day when these scientists wanted to study sharks they would go out and kill them all and sample them.  Now at least we have a way to study them and let them all go alive.” - CF

    • This is directly misleading.  Fischer insinuates that his method is the only method that is used to study sharks without killing them (when in fact his method is the only one that has killed them).  

    • Fischer basically says that until he came along all scientists killed sharks in order to study them and his method is the only one that releases them alive.  I think some scientists might like to argue that one.

  • MISLEADING STATEMENT “We don’t know where they mate or give birth”.

    • No, it's not on film, but scientists have a pretty good idea of where birthing happens based on the size and number of small white sharks found in specific areas.  These are the waters that already need protection.  More data from OCEARCH won’t change that.  In the meantime OCEARCH is hooking, dragging, and hauling out of water adult female white sharks that are essential for the next generation of white sharks.  This action can cause pregnancy issues or disrupt mating habits.
    • Honestly, I'd hate to see what organizations like OCEARCH will do if they find out where birthing and mating take place.
Reflection:

Let’s put this in a best case scenario...

    • Let’s say Fischer and crew are allowed to do this do white sharks for another decade.  Let’s say every shark in the ocean is tagged.  Let’s say we know their blood types and can call them by name.  How will that change the future of the sharks?  How will that stop sharks from being caught in long lines or drowning in nets?  Tagged sharks are already dying in nets just offshore of areas we already know they migrate to.  More data is not what we need.  Action is what we need!

    • Put the shoe on the other foot and now provide data against my argument.  Please give me an example of how and why data from OCEARCH’s tag collection will change the status quo for sharks.  
Comments
    DONATE
    SHOP
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Debra Canabal of Epic Diving in the WSV hoodie. Get yours!

    CAN SHARKS SHOW APPRECIATION?  SHARK RESCUECan sharks show appreciation? Watch this rescue and decide yourself

    Daning Into Extinction, New Shark Shirts from White Shark Video
    Shark Shirts - Order Today!
    Donate Today
    Picture
    About the Author
    Skyler Thomas is the primary blog contributor, cinematographer, and lead editor at White Shark Video.

    Archives

    June 2020
    March 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    November 2016
    September 2016
    July 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    August 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    May 2010

    Categories

    All
    1000 Ways To Die
    Baby Great White
    Beach Safety
    Chris Fallows
    Chris Fischer Lies
    Colin Barnett
    Corruption
    David Mcguire
    Deforestation
    Dusky Shark
    Epic Diving
    Extinction Soup
    Fear
    Finning
    Graeme Pateman
    Great Barrier Reef Dumping
    Great White
    Great White Lies
    Great Whites
    Great White Shark
    Great White Sharks
    Kelly Slater
    Legislation
    Lions
    Nicole
    Noaa
    Obama Administration
    Oceanic White Tip
    Ocearch Kills Sharks
    Ocearch Lies
    Oil Spills
    Patagonia
    Pat Tags
    Phil Waller
    Price Of Existence
    Profiting Behind The Mask Of Science
    Public Safety
    Rescue
    Sea Stewards
    Shark
    Shark Attack
    Shark Attacks
    Shark Cull
    Shark Culling
    Shark Humor
    Shark Rescue
    Sharks
    Skyler
    Skyler Thomas
    Spot Tags
    Surfers
    Wayne Lynch
    Western Australia
    What's Wrong With Discovery Channel
    White Shark
    White Shark Cafe
    White Sharks
    White Shark Video
    WSV

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Shark Blog
    • Watching Humans Blog
  • About
    • Monsters - Project Overview
  • White Shark Cafe
  • Education / Events
    • Guadalupe Shark Trip 2020
    • Presentations
    • Upcoming Events >
      • SHARK-O-WEEN 2018
    • Bookings
    • Feedback
    • Past Events >
      • Shark Night
      • Sharktoberfest 2018
      • Surfrider Sharktober 2018
      • Surfrider Foundation (San Mateo Chapter)
      • Night Life 2013 "Killer Personalities"
      • 7 Teepees
      • Great White Lies San Francisco Premiere
      • SF March Against the Cull
      • Great White Night 2012
      • Night Life 2011
      • Gentlemen's Club
      • Scuba Squad Divers
      • Sharks and Beer
      • Launch Party / Fundraiser
      • Of Whale and Man
    • FALSE CONSERVATION >
      • OCEARCH >
        • OCEARCH OVERVIEW
        • Internal Damage
        • Fin Damage >
          • Frodo's Fin Damage Timeline
        • OCEARCH's Pregnant Shark Not Pregnant
        • Science...without the Science
        • OCEARCH Videos >
          • Sinking Away
          • Not Stressed
          • Charlie Rose 1
          • Dorsal Fin Damage
          • PAT tags VS. SPOT tags
          • Tagging Options
          • Message to Australia
  • Videos
    • Stupid Things People Say About Sharks
    • Racism and Sharks
    • Connection
    • 360s Drones and Sharks
    • Footage Licensing
    • Tiger Shark Vs. Turtle
    • Guadalupe Cage Dive Guide
    • minioncam
    • Guadalupe White Sharks 2018
    • Product Reviews
    • Interviews >
      • Guadalupe 2018 Interview
      • Andre Rerekuru
      • RodneyFox
      • Chris Neff >
        • Cape Cod Cull
      • WalterBernardis
    • SharkMinutes
    • Kid Friendly >
      • Blueprint
    • Feature Films >
      • Monsters >
        • Enterprise Documentary Fund
      • Great White Lies >
        • Film Festivals >
          • Dropbox Links Great White Lies
    • Short Films >
      • Victory Over Sharks
      • Mothers and Children
      • Sentience
      • Elasmo
      • Shark Rescue
      • Balance
      • Shark Affection
      • Purpose
      • To Touch a Killer
      • Swimming In Shark Alley
      • White Shark Behavior: Part 1
      • Connection
      • Farallon Islands
      • Sustainable
      • Fear
    • Quick Bites >
      • Nurse Shark Barbels in Slow Motion
      • Do Sharks Get Cancer?
      • Sydney Harbor Video of White Shark is Fake
      • White Shark Swallows Tuna in One Bite
      • Gentle Biting and Ram Ventilation
      • Hammerhead Love
      • Seal Swims Leisurely Around White Sharks
      • Great White High Five
      • Petting a Nurse Shark
      • White Shark Tail Narrowly Misses Woman
      • Shark Shart ( Great White takes a shit )
      • WSV Preview
    • Elasmo >
      • Elasmo 0
      • Elasmo 1 and 2
      • Elasmo 3
      • Elasmo 3 Short Version
      • Elasmo 4 (Blue Sharks)
      • Elasmo 5 - Great hammerheads
      • White Dream (short)
    • Surf >
      • Surfing With Sharks - Wayne Lynch
      • California >
        • Jetty, Half Moon Bay, 2/16/14
    • The Price of Existence >
      • Criminalizing Natural Behavior
      • Price of Existence Excerpts with Chris Fallows
      • Dr. Neil Hammerschlag Explains Responsible Drum Lining
      • Price of Existence Trailer
      • Global Opposition to the Cull
      • Daniel Wolfe Interview Exerpt
    • Outtakes >
      • Surfer Interview Outtake
      • Avoiding Gansbaai
      • The Bag Boy
    • Samples
    • Videos from Others >
      • Good Vids >
        • White Shark Research in New Zealand
        • The Shark Man (60 Minutes)
        • Baby White Shark Caught
      • Bad Vids >
        • All that is wrong with Discovery wrapped up in one vid
  • Get Involved
    • Guadalupe 2020
    • Recurring Donation
    • Donations
    • Join the Team
    • News Letter Sign Up