Dive Brief
YOUNGBLOOD HAWKE ROCKS DEMA SHARK FINNING PSA
D
EMA and Youngblood Hawke, a Los Angeles-based band, have teamed up to film a public
service announcement (PSA) that draws attention to the increased demand for shark fins and the devastating effect this has on the global shark population. Youngblood
Hawke’s single ‘We Come Running’
breakout features
the band SCUBA diving with sharks at Stuart Cove’s Dive Bahamas, a member operation of the Diving Equipment and Marketing Association. Despite
the video’s environmental playful conservation
the band delivers a deeper message of
feel, in
the soon-to-be-released PSA. Before making the music video all members of the group became certified divers. “Aside from the challenge of facing our fears, we wanted to get in the open water with giant sharks to prove to people that they aren’t the bloodthirsty killers Hollywood would like us to believe that they are,” the band told Rolling Stone. “We swam face-to-face
with 14 Magazine these creatures.
They wanted nothing to do with us. They were curious … but they had no intention of ripping us in half.” “Youngblood Hawke is known for
using their celebrity status to advocate worthwhile causes and we’re privileged to work with them on this important endeavor, DEMA Executive
Tom Ingram said. The 30-second PSA will
finning
inform consumers and emphasize
for frivolous
about the
effects that killing one of the top ocean predators
items,
Director shark
drastic such
as shark fin soup, has on the marine environment, and beyond. Set for launch later this fall, the PSA will encourage consumers to join the diving industry in its commitment to ban shark finning. “DEMA and the dive industry are
committed to putting an end to shark finning in the U.S. and everywhere,” Ingram said, noting that the industry has already taken initiatives to assist several activist organizations in the U.S. in their effort to ban the practice. He said the PSA is intended to reach all generations
Youngblood Hawke aboard
the Westbound and fi lming
DEMA's shark fi nning PSA for release this year
and make a lasting impression while reinforcing the vital role sharks play in our ecosystem. More than 70 million
sharks are
killed each year, many just for their fins in the soup that is a delicacy in some Asian cultures. After the fins are removed the remainder of the animal is often discarded into the sea to die. “Sharks are being slaughtered and are in danger of being wiped out,” the band said. “They’re intelligent and curious and represent the power and mystery of nature. We’d like to be a part of preserving
that video will help.” Without the presence of this apex
ocean predator, the ocean ecosystem is thrown out of balance. Taken to the extreme this imbalance endangers not just the oceans but life on the entire planet. For more information on DEMA’s public service announcements and the non-profi t organization’s other diving and snorkeling promotional activities, visit
www.dema.org
and hopefully this
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68