| Ramon Bonfil |
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| Ramón has dedicated his life to understanding and saving sharks. He is an internationally recognized shark expert; he serves at the Conservation Committee of the American Elasmobranch Society and the Advisory Panel for the Highly Migratory Fishes of the US National Marine Fisheries Service, is a US Delegate to the Working Group of Elasmobranch Fishes of ICES (International Council for the Exploration of the Sea) and since 1992 he is a member of the World Conservation Union´s Shark Specialist Group.
As a conservation scientist with a clear focus in sharks he worked with the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) from 2001 to 2005. There he was the founder and leader of several research and policy initiatives to help to bring the great white shark back from the brink of extinction. He set up the first satellite-tagging studies of white sharks in South Africa and New Zealand to try to find out how they use different marine habitats, where they migrate to and where their critical mating and breeding grounds are.
People like Dr. Bonfil are a glimmer of hope for the impressive predator. Unfortunately not only scientists like him feel passionate about great white sharks – highly lucrative trade (sometimes illegal) in teeth, jaws and fins make them a desirable catch.
Ramón Bonfil and WCS launched a study in partnership with the South African Marine and Coastal Management Branch, two South African universities and the South-African-based White Shark Trust. In order to find out more about the movements of great white sharks 43 animals were tagged with satellite tags. In a period of two and a half years the scientists were able to collect fascinating information on the lives of South African white sharks. They found out, for example, that these huge marine predators are keen swimmers which do not care for national boundaries – they just cross them and leave “safe” waters therefore putting themselves at risk.
The outcomes of this special research project were important to obtain improved global protection for great white sharks: In October 2004 the great white got listed in Appendix II of CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, www.cites.org). This means that trade in white shark parts will be closely monitored globally and only allowed if it does not put the species in peril.
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