Seaweek 2005: Save our Sharks
March 6 - 13
Another highly successful Seaweek is now over for most of us. Special thanks to Dr Carolyn Stewardson and the rest of the Seaweek Working Party, the scientists who wrote the excellent and comprehensive information sheets and to Jody Plecas and her team for producing the Activities Booklet which has been downloaded over 8,000 times already.
As well we had an all time record number of vists to the site in March with over 87 000. Thanks for your interest and we hope you will return many more times.
All the educational materials developed for the theme 'Saving Our Sharks' are still available free of charge to all schools and the general public.
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Preparing for the live webcast
for
Sharks@School
Find out what happened.
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Seaweek 2005 Launch
Senator Hon. Ian Macdonald (Minister for Fisheries, Forestry and Conservation) launched Seaweek 2005 at Sea World on the Gold Coast on Sunday.
After his opening speech, the Minister experienced a Shark Encounter Dive in Shark Bay's Shark Lagoon.
(left) MESA president Angela Colliver - MESA at the Seaweek 2005 launch at Sea World on the Gold Coast.
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Activities Booklet
The MESA Seaweek 2005 Activities booklet can be downloaded from here. pdf 1.9 Mb (61 pages)
The intent of this booklet is to offer ideas and inspiration with, we hope, enough information help you to push off from the shore on your shark adventure. The material was drawn together from the imagination and practical expertise of marine educators across Australia.
The activities in this booklet are not tied to particular curricula as this differs from state to state, country to country. Enjoy.
more information . . |
(February to April 2005)
Sunshine Coast Grammar School has put the miracle of life directly onto the Internet.
They have extended the Adopt a Shark program supported by Underwater World at Mooloolaba by hatching a brownbanded bamboo shark embryo in a clear glass substitute for the opaque brown egg case of Chiloscyllium punctatum.
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Sharks @ School
Sharks are coming to a school near you
… LIVE from Reef HQ!
Through the use of Internet and live video streaming technology, ‘Sharks @ School’ will bring the thrill of discovery into the classroom by taking students and their teachers on an exciting underwater adventure.
more information .. |
Cartoon courtesy of Phil Watson
Phil Watson is a cartoonist and kids' illustrator. He has kindly
allowed us to use a selection of his shark cartoons to help
promote Seaweek 2005.
http://www.onewhale.com
Did you know?
It is often beyond our comprehension to discover that everyday things done on the land can affect life far out in the ocean including sharks. It has a lot to do with the nature of water itself. To find out more about stormwater and it's impact on sharks have a look at . "Stormwater – an issue for sharks" in the MESA Seaweek 2005 Activities Booklet. |
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Sponsors
The following individuals/organisations are Seaweek 2005 sponsors and supporters: Natural Heritage Trust; Fisheries Resources Research Fund; the Bureau of Rural Sciences; Sea World; the Australian Marine Conservation Society; Ken Hoppen - Ocean Notions; Paul (Wags) and Kelly from www.exmouthdiving.net; the Seaweek Working Party (Kerrie Trees, Billy Harass, Carolyn Stewardson, Jacqui Foster, Jody Plecas, Mark Rodrigue, Harry Breidahl and Tara Ellard); and MESA State Delegates (NSW–Michael O’Connor; Vic.–Brooke Connor and Peter Johnstone; Qld–Sheree Bell; WA–Melinda Wild; SA–Alex Gaut; and Tas.–Jacqui Foster). |
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MESA has developed high-quality educational materials focusing on the theme 'Saving Our Sharks' which are available free of charge to all schools and the general public:
Download Student and Adult Information sheets
General Biology of Sharks and Rays
The Diversity of Sharks, Rays and Chimaeras
The Role of Rays in the ecosystem
The Role of Sharks in the Ecosystem
The Whale Shark
The Great White Shark
The Grey Nurse Shark
The Cultural Significance of Sharks and Rays in Aboriginal Australia
Commercial Shark Fishing
Release of Sharks in Recreational Fisheries
Recreational Fisheries for Sharks
Australian Shark Attacks |
The grey nurse shark,
Carcharias taurus
(© Ken Hoppen Ocean Notions)
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Other Resources available
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Seaweek Themes
Theme 1 - Sharks are an important part of marine ecosystems.
Theme 2 - There is a wide variety of different types of sharks, and their relatives the rays and chimaeras, in Australia.
Theme 3 - Sharks are generally long-lived, late maturing, have low fecundity and often have small population sizes. Consequently, such species are particularly susceptible to overfishing and are slow to recover if overfished.
Theme 4 - Some shark species are threatened by human activities, notably the great white, grey nurse and whale sharks.
Theme 5 - While most sharks and their relatives are not aggressive towards humans there are some strategies you can adopt to reduce the risk of shark attack when swimming or diving.
Theme 6 - Sharks and their relatives are important to many cultures including to Indigenous Australians. |
Reef Ed Web quest!
This year to celebrate Seaweek the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority has developed a new Web Quest 'Save our Sharks' available online .
A Web Quest is an inquiry-oriented activity in which some or all of the information that learners interact with comes from resources on the Internet.
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Dear MESA members
My name is Maddie I am 9 and in year five at Port Vincent S.A. For sea week I did a shark egg poster and would be pleased if I could have some spare shark or ray egg cases sent to me (not Pt Jackson cases).
If you can help me please send them to: Maddie, Port Vincent Primary, Box 116, Pt Vincent SA 5581
Thank you Maddie |
Maddie sharing her research
with Rodney Fox during
his pre-Seaweek visit
to her school. |
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The National Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management
of Sharks (Shark-plan) can be found
on the Australian Government
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry web site:
www.daff.gov.au/sharkplan |
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