Shark conservation organizations MigraMar and Fins Attached have entered into a cooperative agreement to share resources for the purpose of research and education efforts to help save susceptible shark species.
“When organizations come together for the common good, a much more powerful front is presented and greater things can be accommplished,” Fins Attached founder and CEO Alex Antoniou said.
The objective of this agreement is to coordinate initiatives and activities in order to support research and scientific knowledge of the Eastern Pacific region, that includes marine waters, coastal areas and islands from the Central Pacific to the coasts of the American continent, including California, Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Chile.
This is a highly dynamic region due to the convergence of climate and oceanographic factors, and a complex tectonic activity that is reflected in the rugged coastal geomorphology, seamounts and associated erosive processes.
“Our partnership with Fins Attached significantly increases our ability to generate more scientific knowledge that will ultimately be used to better protect vulnerable migratory species in this extraordinary marine region, the Eastern Pacific,” MigraMar president James Ketchum said.
Both organizations are committed to supporting the following areas:
- Support efforts to develop, disseminate and implement MigraVías initiatives in the Eastern Pacific.
- Promote opportunities for research and monitoring of Eastern Pacific ecosystems.
- Improve and augment the transfer of scientific knowledge and the training of environmental managers, resource managers and other stakeholders.
- Offer support and technical assessment in topics of interest, decision-making processes and projects related to the study, use and management of ecosystems in the oceanic islands and coastal ecosystems of the Eastern Pacific for specific projects and initiatives.
- Cooperate in the coordination and organization of activities, workshops, conferences for the dissemination of information and discussion of processes, projects and initiatives related to research, conservation and sustainable development of ecosystems. Issues for consideration include, but not limited to climate change, species population monitoring, research results, impact of human activities, habitat destruction, overfishing, and pollution.
- Support, in conjunction with other national and regional organizations, the development, dissemination of information and implementation of various MigraVías initiatives in the Eastern Pacific.