Shark Petition in Yap

Yap Games 2012 was a greatly anticipated event that took place at the Yap States Sports complex from June 17 to June 30. Some municipalities organized themselves and their youth to participate in the many sports activities and trained well before the anticipated date to get their athletes into shape for the event. This was the second year the Yap Games has been hosted. It was a great event that brought the youth and everyone together to enjoy the sports event and join together in camaraderie, cheering the athletes on to victory. 

To take advantage of the event, an MC awareness booth was setup to provide free water servings to the athletes as well as spectators and passersby. At the tent, information on natural resource management was shared and support for the Micronesia Regional Shark Sanctuary was solicited. Shark sanctuary petitions including informational pamphlets and fact sheets were circulated to the attending crowds at the games. This petition acknowledged each signing individual’s agreement of the importance of sharks in Marine ecosystems, recognized certain threats to the sharks, and agree that legislative actions should be taken to protect shark population within the FSM region. Thanks to the MC booth team the petitions were signed by a good amount of people as well as lots of positive feedback. The movement of “good resource management” through conservation is just beginning.