Sea Shepherd Conservation Society supports Palau in protection of marine sanctuary and law enforcement

Sea Shepherd to send one of its vessels to patrol the territorial waters of Palau

Koror/Palau, March 31, 2011 – The support of a high-tech vessel will have a signifi-cant impact on the marine law enforcement against illegal fishing practices after Palau declared its waters a marine sanctuary.

On March 11, 2011, H.E. Johnson Toribiong, President of the Republic of Palau, Paul Watson, President and Founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and Steve Roest, Chief Executive Officer of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society signed a Memo-randum of Agreement through which Sea Shepherd, a global marine conservation organi-zation, will undertake an initial patrol campaign in the territorial waters of Palau and will provide advice in assessing options and best procedures for ongoing marine conserva-tions operations. In addition, Sea Shepherd will fully fund the operations of its vessel M/Y Bob Barker, a former Norwegian whaler, and assets and will provide support and training to local authorities where needed or appropriate.

The well equipped conservation society taps into high-tech resources such as helicopter surveillance, drone (UAV) technology, fast interceptor boats, and radar tracking systems, putting the marine enforcement entity of Palau at par with the illegal fishing operations it is trying to fight since the implementation of the world’s first shark sanctuary in September 2009, followed by the extension to a complete marine sanctuary in November 2010.

Dermot Keane, Founder of non-profit organization Palau Shark Sanctuary, who estab-lished the contact between Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and the Presidential Of-fice of Palau, and signed the Memorandum of Agreement as a witness, comments: “This is a major milestone for Palau’s conservation efforts and clearly sends the right message to the world: our nation is serious about the enforcement of our marine protection laws, and with the help of Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, even small nations can make a big difference.”

For further information on Sea Shepher Conservation Society, please visit www.seashepherd.org
For image material, please visit: http://media.seashepherd.org

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For more information on Palau Shark Sanctuary, please contact Judith Hoppe, Tourism Unlimited.
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		Generally the grey reef shark is found on the outer walls of Palau's barrier reef, congregating in areas of heavy upwelling and stronger currents. It is not uncommon to see loose schools that number in the dozens. The grey reef shark feeds on reef fish, cephalopods, crustaceans and even bony fish. Image credit: © Todd Essick/Sam's Tours Download options: Print (jpg, 4,7 MB) Online (jpg, 29 KB )