Scientists estimate that worldwide up to 73 million sharks are killed every year and as a result 50 species are listed as vulnerable or in danger of extinction. Vast fishing fleets comb our oceans catching sharks primarily for their fins, a sought after commodity used in shark fin soup. One of the greatest challenges in marine conservation today is to instill in people a sense of wonder in the ocean that will not only awaken a feeling of ownership but also foster responsibility towards its inhabitants, especially sharks.

The Senegalese philosopher Baba Dioum said ‘In the end we will conserve only what we love, we will love only what we understand, we will understand only what we are taught.’ Every person who gains an understanding of and love for sharks will bring us one step closer to putting a permanent end to the destructive activities of the shark nets, long-liners and trawlers that are collectively killing millions of sharks and ultimately destroying two thirds of our planet in the process. The ocean is our planet’s switch of life and in more ways then we care to acknowledge, we too, just like sharks depend on a healthy marine realm for our own survival. 

My new BLOG: "Saving the Ocean - One Photograph at a Time" is finally up and running.

I have one single minded mission. I am determined to create photographs that make a difference and change human behavior that is damaging to the ocean. I want my images to educate, inspire, mesmerize and create an appreciation for the fragile marine realm and, in a small way, contribute to safeguarding the world’s oceans for future generations.

My website will continue to be my platform for image galleries and longer features. I hope that my new BLOG will be a more immediate tool to share my thoughts and ideas and to communicate conservation concerns and successes.

Watch a video of the assignment here

Please visit:  www.saveourseas.com/sharknets

I have just returned from a very succesfull 18-day expedition to Djioubti, a small rarely visited country on the Horn of Africa sandwiched between Somalia and Eritrea. The expedition, a collaborative effort between the Marine Conservation Society Seychelles, MEGAPTERA and the Save our Seas Foundation, researched and documented a unique populations of whale sharks. We accomplished a few photographic and scientific world firsts so watch this space for more information.

With a foreword co-authored by eminent Harvard biologist E.O. Wilson and actor Harrison Ford the book examines the enormous impact of climate change on biodiversity and focuses on how nature itself might provide some of the solutions to this challenge. This lavishly produced volume is illustrated with over 175 photographs by esteemed members of the International League of Conservation Photographers, a nonprofit organization that uses the power of photography to help educate the world and to further conservation goals.