Marine conservation through

education,  volunteerism, political action. 

Sails for Haiti 

Survivors of the recent earthquake in Haiti now face a 3 month rainy season; thousands of victims have no shelter. From March 7 - March 21 SSF is reaching out to sailing schools, yacht clubs and boaters along the Jersey shore, asking them to donate old, used sails that will be sent to Haiti for temporary housing. Please contact us for information on how to contribute. 

SHSLFoundation@aol.com

about the foundation 

   Dr. Thomas Armbruster, a marine biologist and physician, formed the SandyHook SeaLife Foundation to promote marine conservation through public education, volunteerism, and political action. An independent, self-funded organization, our focus encompasses the status of highly migratory predators (sharks, swordfish, tuna and billfish), maintaining sustainable fisheries and marine mammal populations. 

   To fulfill the foundation's mission, Dr. Armbruster and the SSF staff volunteer for field work with specific marine populations, then publish their findings to create greater public awareness of the issue. The Crimson Broadbill, Dr. Armbruster's first book, explores the world of commercial swordfishing. The book received positive reviews from the marine science community and a recommended reading status by the U N Atlas of the Oceans. Plans are underway to re-publish under a new title for a broader audience, then translate the book to film. The project is gaining momentum as noted Hollywood actor, author and conservationist, Peter Coyote is now onboard with others to follow. We invite your participation; contact us for more information.  

    White Shark Chronicles studies the feeding behaviors and communcations of great white sharks. Published after diving with whites off the Mexican coast,  the article is featured in the May 2008 issue of "Biology Digest." Future studies include sea turtle rehabilitation and giant bluefin tuna migration. 

    SandyHook SeaLife Foundation is a member of Blue Frontier Campaign’s Blue Movement, a national conference of marine environmental groups and The Ocean Project, a multi-national consortium of aquariums, zoos and marine conservation organizations.      

Now available!

White Shark Chronicles

 Thomas Armbruster, MD

Diving with great white sharks off Guadalupe Island, Mexico - the feature article in 

Biology Digest  May 2008. 

For a reprint contact us:  SHSLFoundation@aol.com

Photograph courtesy of Kyle Murdoch

ocean briefs

March 2010:

An international trade ban on bluefin tuna, to be proposed at next month's CITES meeting in Quatar, will be 'ignored' by Japan. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/20/business/energy-environment/20tuna.html?pagewanted=print 

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February 2010:

Australia sets a deadline for Japanese cessation of all whaling in the Southern Ocean. 

http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/printable.php 

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January 2010:

The United Nations announces 2010 as the International Year of Biodiversity. 

Throughout the year events will highlight the vital role of biodiversity in an effort to curb species loss due to human activity.   

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=33393&Cr=envirionment&Cr1=#  

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December 2009:

New additions to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) Appendix II:

Oceanic white tip shark, Porbeagle, Scalloped hammerhead shark, Great hammerhead shark, Smooth hammerhead shark.

Evidence points to future inclusion of the Atlantic bluefin tuna.

http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/38195/icode/ 

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November 2009:

ICCAT cuts eastern Atlantic bluefin tuna catch quotas by one third under threat of a trade ban.

http://www.savethefish.org/conservation_news_bluefin_ICCAT.htm

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October 2009:

Japanese Continue to Slaughter Dolphins for Food 

"Though some bottlense dolpins were released, pilot whales are being killed as usual and the head of the fishermen's union says there has been no change in policy. BlueVoice will continue testing both dolpins and humans for toxins. Bringing proof of the health threat posed by eating dolpins to the people of Japan will end these slaughters." For the story:

http://www.bluevoice.org/savedolphins.php 

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September 2009:

Approximately 55,000 citizens filed comments urging NMFS to protect western Atlantic bluefin tuna by implementing an area closure on long-line gear in the Gulf of Mexico, the only known spawning area for the species. For details: http://www.pewtrusts.org/news_room_detail.aspx?id=54904

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 August 2009:

U. S. places moratorium on commercial fishing in the Arctic Ocean, closing nearly 200,000 square miles north of the Bering Sea. For details go to: htttp://www.pewtrusts.org/news_room_detail.aspx?id=54768

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July 2009:

SandyHook SeaLife Foundation joins NCMC, Oceana, Pew Environment Group, NRDC, MFCN and 60 other ngos in a letter to the U.S.Senate in opposition to the The Flexibility in Rebuilding American Fisheries Act of 2009.

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June 2009:

Obama unveils ocean protection plan

WASHINGTON, June 12, 2009 (AFP) - President Barack Obama unveils ocean protection plan, the first U.S. national policy for sustainably
managing the country’s oceans, drawing praise from environmentalists who said the move was long overdue.

For the full story:

http://www.grist.org/article/2009-06-12-obama-ocean-policy/

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NCMC EMAIL ACTION NETWORK
Atlantic Big Fish

6/16/09

SPECIAL CONSERVATION ZONE DESIGNATED
IN THE GULF OF MEXICO
TO PROTECT BLUEFIN TUNA

On June 12, 2009, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) released its Final Amendment I to the Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS) plan, officially designating a vast area of the western Gulf a special conservation zone to protect breeding bluefin tuna from human-induced impacts. Amendment I and supporting documents are available on the NMFS web site http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/sfa/hms/EFH/index.htm.