“If we Empower the Community, then we Empower the Ocean” – quote from the film, Long Tails and Long Lines
CSP is pleased to share two short films from Thresher Shark Indonesia, a nonprofit founded by CSP class of 2021 alum, Rafid Shidqi!
CSP helped Rafid kick off the project, which now has 22 people as full time staff. From Rafid: Our organization started in 2018 with a single project focusing only on research about endangered thresher sharks. Six years later, we have employed full-time staff and projects covering the region of Alor, Flores, and Banda. Since 2021, Thresher Shark Indonesia has engaged shark fishers of Alor and assisted them in transitioning to alternative livelihoods, reducing shark mortality by more than 50%. Fishermen also gained up to 400% of their income after adopting the new livelihoods with their wives, and family members also participated in this positive transition.”
Dr. Anne R. Kapuscinski, Director of CSP, says the videos are a “wonderful testimony of how the big goal and initial outcomes of Rafid’s CSP capstone project have scaled to an ever growing and deepening marine conservation effort centered around thresher sharks.”
The pelagic thresher shark is a globally endangered species. Their population has declined by up to 80% in Indonesia due to targeted fisheries and bycatch. Thresher Shark Indonesia (TSI) has been working alongside communities in Eastern Indonesia since 2018 and just recently expanded the conservation efforts of this species to the Banda Archipelago, a region rich in history, biodiversity, and, most importantly, its recent discovery of thresher shark habitats. Through our work with communities and government, we have started a bycatch release initiative to protect the thresher shark population in this region. Watch video.
A story of a shark and the community that saves it. A story of creating a lasting legacy of coexistence. Long Tails and Long Lines: A Story of Community Empowerment. Watch video.
Alor Island communities have depended on pelagic thresher sharks for over 50 years. These sharks are important as livelihoods, sources of proteins and foods, and income for the local economy. But as the population of pelagic thresher sharks continues declining and is classified as endangered, what can we do to safeguard their remaining population while simultaneously protecting the rights of livelihoods for people who depend on them? Watch the recent Thresher Shark Indonesia documentary, Long Tails and Long Lines. This film explores the story of Thresher Shark Indonesia, a youth-led nonprofit whose mission is to conserve this charismatic species and work with local communities. The organization is working to benefit the species and engage the entire community through science, education, community development, and policy change.
View the Thresher Shark Indonesia 2024 Impact Report online here.
Follow the projects: https://threshershark.id 
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