CN&CO and Cover Magazine donate to Shark Spotters

What do sharks  and an 80s themed party have in common? CN&CO of course! Our friends over at Cover Magazine recently celebrated 30 years in the industry. First published in 1988, Cover Magazine is South Africa’s original intermediary publication and has been providing readers with quality editorial content produced by industry experts to allow them to stay at the forefront of developments in the financial services industry, gain technical knowledge and to be exposed to brands operating in their space. To mark this milestone, Cover hosted an 80s themed party at Higher Ground Restaurant.

Given the close relationship between CN&CO and Cover, as a birthday gift, we made a donation on behalf of Cover to Sharks Spotters, a charity organization dedicated to shark safety and research. The organization was started in 2004 by  Greg Bertish in response to an increasing outbreak of shark bite incidents and increased shark sightings. Greg’s brother, Conn Bertish spoke at one of our confabs.

Some of the Shark Spotters objectives include:

• Providing environmentally and socially responsible shark mitigation measures at appropriate beaches around Cape Town
• Conducting applied research on shark species in Cape Town to inform conservation and management strategies, public safety policy and education and awareness campaigns
• Increasing awareness of shark safety and conservation and promoting a rational, objective and non-sensational approach to shark related issues in the public domain
• Providing employment and skills development opportunities for previously disadvantaged South Africans

Shark Spotters’ mission is to promote sustainable coexistence between people and sharks to pro-actively reduce the interaction and conflict between  recreational water users and sharks.

This is done by:

Spotting which refers to the constant surveillance by trained professions to detect potentially dangerous sharks that may be close to shore.

Exclusion nets form a complete barrier from the sea surface to the sea floor that completely encloses an area and prevents sharks and other marine animals from entering the “exclusion zone”.

Shark safety advice is a set of basic principles provided to not only decrease your chances of encountering a great white shark, but also increase the odds of a safe ending for both shark and humans.

Education and awareness are key to a successful shark safety strategy. Shark Spotters works hard to provide factual, non-sensational information about sharks and shark safety to the public, so that they can make informed decisions about risk when entering the water. This will ultimately change people’s perception of sharks, from fear to acceptance. To foster this, Shark Spotters Info Centre at Surfers Corner on Muizenberg beach was opened in 2014.

The organisation does some amazing work; however, it needs any support they can get in order to continue. Your generous sponsorship and donations  are more than welcome to keep this initiative running.

CN&CO is passionate about the environment and giving back. Our own Blake Dyason is an environmental activist and encourages awareness and active participation in all things pertaining to the environment and conservation.

“We live in a world faced with challenges from hunger and animal abuse to homelessness and pollution. Our social media feeds are littered with friends sharing videos and articles about these issues, some are so disturbing I can’t even watch it.” says Blake.

“This makes us all activists but how do we make our voice count. Most of the time we end up throwing mud, hoping someone will do something about the issue at hand, but the change starts with us. Blake continues, “I was once asked, if you had to burn a building down, where would you start the fire? The answer, is the corner. The small flame will quickly grow and spread up the walls and across the floor.”

“If you want to make a difference in the world, pick your corner, something that’s close to your heart, this too will spread.  This means share articles, support businesses that make a stand against your chosen cause and volunteer wherever you can. We only have one earth, let’s make it our number one priority!” concludes Blake.

Keep abreast with Shark Spotters on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.