The IUCN/SSC Shark Specialist Group
Shark News 3: March 1995
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Chairman's message to the Shark Specialist Group
I first became seriously interested in shark conservation when, in
1988, I was forced to abandon a six year study of juvenile lemon
sharks after they slowly but relentlessly disappeared from the Florida
Keys. I wrote a few angry articles and appeared in some media
presentations railing against this senseless slaughter. Imagine my
surprise when, two years later George Rabb, Chairman of the IUCN
Species Survival Commission asked me to establish and chair a Shark
Specialist Group (SSG). Never mind that I had no special knowledge
of conservation principles, George said the time was right and that
I could do it.
Dr S.H. Gruber, Shark Specialist Group Chairman, with friendly tiger shark.
Photo: © Jeremy Stafford-Deitsch
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In hindsight, organising and running the SSG has been like an
emotional roller coaster. The initial optimism at the thought of our
group changing the world gave way to mild concern at the reality of
the situation and finally to pessimism and even depression when
funding failed to materialise concurrent with the logarithmic increase
in the killing of sharks.
Yet the gloom was punctuated by feelings of elation at some hard
won victories: The passage of the US Atlantic Shark Management
Plan, the protection of white sharks and the banning of long line gear
and drifting gill nets in many places.
Today, because of interest in sharks and their conservation as
exemplified by the many television programs, newspaper articles,
magazine stories and most importantly the flurry of resolutions at the
recent CITES convention, we are in a period of intense optimism - up
on a high!!
Looking back over the work of our group, I am proud of our many
VOLUNTEER accomplishments: three international meetings
punctuated with scholarly reports, obtaining meagre funds by helping
produce a CD-ROM on sharks with conservation overtones, producing
and distributing a slide set for use in public lectures on shark
conservation, making good progress on the Action Plan, including a
full blown proposal for its funding, and forming a coalition to ban the
use of long line fishing in the Bahamas ... and getting long line gear
banned. Possibly most important, we have raised consciousness for
shark conservation on a world-wide basis,
The founding and funding of this newsletter, SHARK NEWS, is
testament to our deputy chairwoman, Sarah Fowler, who among
all our diligent members makes the greatest effort and has enjoyed
the highest productivity. She has earned my deep respect and
gratitude.
But there have been failures as well. On a personal level, I had
hoped that the SSG would take the leading role in global shark
conservation. That did not happen. We have not even been able to
attract sufficient vice chairpersons to cover every part of the world's
oceans. And of course my funding record has been dismal. I must
take full responsibility for these problems because I failed to exercise
the leadership to get the job done.
Nevertheless, our future is bright; but we must seize the
opportunity! I am certain funding the work of the SSG is far more
likely in today's climate, and we have several grant applications in
the pipeline.
I believe our first priority is to complete the Action Plan.
Simultaneously, we must identify priorities as regards research and
conservation goals. And finally we must vigorously pursue our CITES
petition for 1997, In the end we just might really make adifference
after all.
Samuel H. Gruber
Chairman, Shark Specialist Group
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