The work of mulit national organizations has their place at international events and in attending various regional and international fishing forums, but most importantly, people need to start in their own back yard first.

That is exactly what I did. Through the Pacific Islands Conservation Initiative (www.picionline.org) I formed the Cook Islands Shark Sanctuary Project in 2011. Our programme manager of the time, Jess Cramp, was instrumental in our success, it took us about 19 months to have the entire Cook Islands EEZ of almost 2 million square kilometres declared a shark and ray sanctuary on 12/12/12.

This linked the existing sanctuaries of Tokelau and French Polynesia to create a mega sanctuary of over 7 million square kilometres. Along with the sanctuary came harsh penalties for breaches, with minimum fines of $100,000 per offence (piece of shark found on board).

The project was not the usual type of project we carry out. We usually focus on research and education, with conservation as a bi-product. But this project was all about advocacy. Helping people understand why sharks needed protecting, and persuading the government to take action.

We were fighting against the unseen force of Asian fishing fleets and the personal position of our Secretary of Marine Resources, who sees sharks as a commodity and a nuisance. In the end common sense prevailed and the Minister, the Hon. Teina Bishop, moved the regulations through government to be passed by executive council.

More of our story can be found at www.picionline.org