PROJECT HIU ORIGIN
Years ago, research conducted on fishing communities in Indonesia sought to determine the reason that any one fishing expedition would come to a close. The answer was clear from the fishermen themselves… “We come back when the boat is full of fins, or when we’ve run out of cigarettes. These days we always run out of cigarettes first”. Powerful words that in a truly organic way put into perspective, the dramatic shift in our oceans. Not long ago, sharks averaged less than two precent of the catch produced by fisheries in Indonesia. Then at the beginning of the 21st century, Indonesia was the world’s leading shark producer. Shark fins became the prize, their status and the laws protecting them became insignificant hurdles, and their decline became imminent.
I was brought to Indonesia to document this trade by an Australian film crew, for the first time in my life I was seeing species I had only seen in books, but they were on the floor of the market. At this moment I began to think of how I could possibly work my way into this issue to effectively create change as an individual. This wasn’t my first time seeing dead sharks, but it was my first time seeing the men who’s next meal depended on the dead sharks, this caused a conflict of everything I thought I knew. It wasn’t until a year later I would return with a very different intention. I originally travelled to this market to expose the shark trade and the men at it’s heart…I went back, to offer those men an alternative.
‘Project Hiu’, Hiu being the Indonesian word for Shark, is an initiative which aims to provide alternative income to fishermen in one of the largest shark fisheries in Indonesia, and the world. By hiring the shark fishing boats and locals that crew them, we sought to engage the fisherman in a very different role. Tourism. A natural, alternative income that simultaneously and effectively protects sharks.
This small village and the fishermen we work with represent far more than a simple project, they represent the preservation of a vast ocean that connects us all, and an opportunity to drive a wedge between the hard working, often desperate fishermen and the foreign buyers who profit from them.
These men deserve an income free from the threat of prosecution, and the many dangers they face spending weeks away from their families. They deserve a secure future that doesn’t rely on the fishing of these apex predators. In a rapidly changing ocean, our approach must change too. The goal of Project Hiu is to improve conditions above and below the surface, and enforce the idea that one person, and one shark fishermen, can make a difference.
WHY WE DO IT:
The future of the oceans was not something on the minds of previous generations. They saw a never-ending resource and spoke of the ocean as if it was here for us. The idea of protecting it, withstanding from taking from it or even the concept of a species disappearing, was a notion deemed puerile. Yet my generation would only see a remnant of the ocean they left us. Oceanic shark and ray populations have collapsed by 70 percent over 50 years. 80% of the species identified in Indonesian markets are either considered endangered, vulnerable or near threatened. Today, 37.5 per cent of the more than 1,200 shark and ray species are threatened with extinction, including more than 200 endangered and critically endangered species. Some of the latter have not been seen for decades and might already be extinct. Despite the scientific advancements that show us the relevance of sharks in our oceans, there are many that would see the numbers of sharks decreasing as a positive thing. Monster, terror, maneater. They have many names, solid reputations, and a place in the minds of all who fear them. It is within the shark the greatest tragedy of our species is revealed, that we need to love something, in order to protect it.
Our Project is essential for the lives of sharks, to place a small but significant price on their survival, and also to prevent the trade that fuels their decimation from taking vulnerable ocean communities down with them. In a world where shark fishing is so powerful, and so set to destroy our oceans, my drive from this project comes from a childhood spent amongst sharks, and early teen years watching their numbers decline on reefs I grew up diving. It instilled a fear in me that they were vulnerable in a way even five mass extinction events couldn’t infiltrate. Humans are the greatest threat to sharks, but humans are also the answer. The idea of approaching our goals with compassion towards the humans hunting them, is what we need now more than ever. The oceans are drastically changing, and with them, so must our approach. I believe there is no animal in the ocean in greater need of our focus, our innovation and our collaboration to ensure its survival. Compassion over hatred, heroes over villains, this is the new world, this is Project Hiu.
ABOUT THE FOUNDER;
My name is Madison Stewart, born & raised in Australia & growing up on a sail boat from the age of 2, the ocean has been my life. I have been diving with sharks since I was 11 years old and my adventures took me as far as the outer Great Barrier Reef. It was there I saw my first Indonesian boat, a small vessel that in no way appeared seaworthy. Yet it was there, in the middle of the ocean, this vessel caught my eye. Fishing boats travel all the way from Indonesia to fish our reefs, often illegally. They would do a lot of damage, take our sharks, use dynamite, but they came so far because at their home, nothing was left. I was witnessing one for the first time, a small artisanal fishing vessel in the waters I grew up diving. I will never forget landing in ground zero of Project Hiu many years later and an adult, and thinking to myself as I gaze upon the fishing community I was determined to infiltrate… “I’ve seen these boats before”. They were the same style boats I witnessed as a child, on our reefs, the distinctive Indonesian fishing vessel, the symbol of destruction to an ocean lover.
I have had my share of shark encounters through my involvement in film & television from a young age. I consider myself truly lucky for everything I have experienced & at the same time, obligated to help the oceans in return, despite this, conservation was never truly my plan. I never would have imagined in a million years, that I would find a home amongst my enemies. A purpose and a revolution from their collaboration, and a way to save the reef that raised me. Project Hiu entered my life at a difficult time, it’s the reason I am still standing, and to be able to share that with people form around the world over the years who continue to believe in me and support, who also get to step foot in the homes of fishermen, is the most important and amazing thing to ever happen to me.
When I was a kid, I wanted to start a war to save sharks. Now that I’m older, I want to start a war for the men that fish them. A great man once said, this isn’t just about saving sharks…It’s about saving ourselves. Rob Stewart remains my inspiration for everything I do for the oceans… and I see his face in all of them. Project Hiu is a group of men raised amongst the world largest shark trade, that are now turning their back on it… and I think they are the answer to saving our oceans. I thought I knew what I was fighting for. But I knew nothing, until I knew them. And If I could show the world anything. It’s that the men killing sharks are not the enemy. They are the answer, and they are going to change the world….Project Hiu is a revolution, one that must change the way we see our enemies, shape the way we help our oceans, and teach us each something about ourselves, that we never knew could be learned.
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