Project AWARE Foundation is honored to welcome Alex Earl as Executive Director. A committed marine conservationist and enthusiastic diver, Alex has lived and worked in four countries and dived in many regions of the world including the Philippines, Australia, Tanzania, Fiji, Tahiti, Canada and the United States. 
Alex draws from an extensive background in global non-profit management, strategic planning, program development, campaigning, fundraising, and business development as well as extensive cross-cultural and international experience.

Fishing nations of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) today agreed to protect oceanic whitetip sharks based on a U.S. proposal, while an Australian proposal to ban intentional setting of purse seine nets on whale sharks (to catch associated aggregations of tuna) was stalled by Japan.

It's a face only a mother could love. Hammerhead sharks aren't winning any beauty pageants with their oddly shaped, mallet heads and beady eyes peering off in opposite directions. 
During April's Big Shark Shout Out, we'll explore some unique shark features and facts beginning with Cara Hodgson's article shedding some light on hammerheads unique shaped head.

Sharks, and other aquatic species, dominated the 5-day meeting of the Animals Committee of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) which ended last week in Geneva. I was there representing Project AWARE as an accredited observer NGO. And it was another great opportunity to voice our collective support for shark conservation and to connect with representatives of CITES Parties and NGOs on shark issues.

A colleague of ours, Mary Kaye Hester, recently wrote a story for the Undersea Journal, PADI’s professional membership magazine, about the prolific children’s author Dr. Seuss and his cautionary tale of The Lorax – now also a box office smash.

Thanks to all your hard work lobbying MEPs, signing petitions and shouting out for sharks, we are making good progress in closing loopholes in the European ban on shark finning.
With more than 165,000 petition signatures calling on EU Fisheries Ministers to make the push to protect sharks from finning and over-exploitation, your voice is being heard loud and clear!
The European Commission finally produced a proposal during 2011 requiring all sharks to be landed with “fins naturally attached” to update the current ban (one of the weakest in the world).

Project AWARE is pounding the pavement to make the ocean safer for some of the most overexploited sharks. We have less than a year to secure international trade protections for sharks at the next meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES (CITES CoP16) to be held in March 2013, Thailand.

Divers everywhere are uniting like never before for a clean, healthy ocean. Each and every day we’re amazed by your dedication and your ocean actions.
Project AWARE’s My Ocean online community has been helping you connect, organize and shine a light on your underwater actions for change. Every week the underwater data, photos, blogs and events you post are on display. And you’re inspiring others to mobilize around the world.

It doesn't seem possible but a draft plan for a new Coral Sea Marine Reserve leaves most of the area open to shark fishing and fails to protect the coral reefs.
Yes, that’s right. Within the Coral Sea Marine Reserve shark fishing will continue in almost half the area and 90% of reefs will remain exposed to harmful activities.
Does this sound like a Marine Reserve to you?

If you own, manage or work for a PADI Dive Center and you're reading this post, then we can probably agree on a couple of things about you:
1. You're extremely busy and you work hard.
2. You care about ocean protection. A healthy ocean is key to your business and your lifestyle.
Today, the 100% AWARE campaign went global, making it easier than ever to put the ocean at the heart of your business and fund critical conservation initiatives too.