|
|
New sharks research group launched
|
A new British-based shark conservation group is to major on practical, open-water research.
|
|
The Shark Conservation Society (SCS) has been formed by Richard and Jacqui Peirce who, from North Cornwall, have run a series of seaborne research programmes since 2000, at home and abroad.
Their eight-year-old, privately funded organisation, known as Richard Peirce Shark Conservation (RPSC), is morphing into the SCS in a bid to become a 'larger, better-resourced outfit', allowing work to 'continue, expand and progress'.
Announcing the new group, Richard Peirce said: 'Over the years we've only been able to work due to some great volunteers who have become friends, so the logical thing was to involve them going forward.'
The new society has 'a board of 10 directors, members waiting to join before our launch, panels of scientific and other advisors, a strong group of Honorary Life Members, and limitless enthusiasm and energy'.
The decision was taken to make the group a privately funded members' society rather than a charity so that 'independence and integrity could be maintained and achieved'.
Funding will come from membership and donations so that, beyond membership and the board, the society will not have to 'answer to anyone in terms of deliverables', with no funding channel able to 'influence our actions and policies'.
Peirce has denied any disagreement with the well-established campaigning charity group the Shark Trust, of which he is Chairman. 'Whereas the Shark Trust achieves its credibility and success by being science- and fact-based, SCS will be fact- and practical experience-based, which is a niche currently not occupied by any other organisation,' he told Divernet.
'Starting SCS in no way implies a reduction in my commitment to the Trust or any competition with the Trust. I believe it should work well side by side as a sister organisation.'
The SCS's mission statement will be to 'seek to further conservation through research expeditions, and campaigns based on fact and practical experience, and to promote best practice when interaction with sharks is necessary'.
Peirce added that he was 'quite proud' that, up to now, expeditions run by RPSC had 'broken new ground and achieved solid research and conservation goals'.
Since 2003, the group has run open-water projects in Cornwall, the Adriatic and Kuwait. The latter, carried out in April this year, 'may have discovered a new species'.
The first run of expeditions conducted by the SCS is expected to take in 'Qatar, Syria, the Adriatic, Oman, the Hebrides and Cornwall'. As well as information-gathering, the SCS will 'undertake specific campaigning' on issues of importance.
Shark Conservation Society - www.sharkconsoc.com
|
Start a Forum discussion on this topic
|
