Madison Stewart | Shark Girl Madison | Tech Diver | Filmmaker
Growing up in Australia as an avid ocean enthusiast, Madison began her underwater filmmaking journey and mission to protect sharks at the young age of 14.
The Great Barrier Reef was Madison’s home but the same year she began to document its beauty the Australian government proposed dedicated shark fin fisheries inside the marine park. At 17 Madison had logged more than 450 dives, most of which were with ‘dangerous to humans' classified sharks. Creating a global movement, sharing positive stories as well as the brutal truth, Madison uses her filmmaking to shed light on legal shark fishing inside the Great Barrier Reef and worldwide.
“I began to scuba dive at age 11, and by the time I was 14 years old, the sharks I knew and loved and grew up with since the age of 12 had been stripped from the Great Barrier Reef and reduced to a mere few at the hands of unjustified harvesting inside the marine park by commercial gill net vessels approved by the Australian government. I learnt very quickly how easily change can occur, and how conservation was not an option for me, but a necessity. My films are the medium I use to spark awareness. They are my number one form of expression and storytelling. I didn’t start making them because of any particular love of filming, or of editing, I made them because I was desperate to raise a message through a mass of people who could help me.”
Madison Stewart // 2019 - Taking the worlds most infamous and hated shark hunter’s children diving with sharks for the first time.
PROJECT HIU
Years ago, research conducted on fishing communities in Indonesia sought to determine a reason why fishing expeditions should come to a close. The answer becomes clear when speaking with the fishermen themselves…
The fishing communities revealed a sad fact, largely due to the global shark trade, the ocean was changing in a dramatic way. At the beginning of the 21st century, Indonesia was the world’s leading shark producer. Their fins became the prize, the laws protecting them were ignored due to demand, and their decline became imminent.
‘Project Hiu’, Hiu being the Indonesian word for Shark, is an initiative that 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 man them, they sought to engage the fisherman in a very different role. Tourism. A natural, alternative income that simultaneously and effectively protects sharks. Project Hiu is founded on the recognition that the very solution to saving sharks, lay with the men raised to kill them.
“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. We also address the need for our presence to benefit the entire community. An incentive for a whole village to choose tourism over fishing, we re-invest project capital, which in turn aids community development projects such as waste management, and education programs.
Shark fishermen are the villains of most stories, but the hero’s in ours. These men deserve an income free from the threat of prosecution, and the many dangers they face spending weeks away from their families at sea. 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.”
GLOBAL DEMAND REDUCTION
Accompanying their eco-tourism model, they also aim to address the root cause of this underlining crisis, the poorly regulated shark fin trade and its global demand.
By supporting Project Hiu you will be helping equip a team of filmmakers and scientists to expose and monitor threatened marine species, unethical operations and overfished ecosystems.
Project Hiu aims to address this issue by educating the end consumer on two main issues, the toxicity of shark meat and the profound strain and detriment being inflicted to livelihoods above and below the surface.
We asked Madison a few questions and here’s what she had to say…
What are the fondest memories from your upbringing that you feel impacted your life choices and lifestyle today?
I was lucky to be heavily impacted by my youth. I was raised on a sailboat on the Great Barrier Reef and was a certified diver at age 11. I have memories from my childhood of endless sharks and giant schools of fish. I think back and wonder sometimes if I imagined how amazing it was, or it truly was that amazing and the changes the oceans have faced in my short lifetime are so severe.
When did you first pick up a camera and shooting underwater?
I started shooting at age 14. I attended a pretty prestigious private school where I grew up and my father wanted a different life for me. He proposed that I leave school to begin homeschooling and in exchange for no more school fees he would buy me an underwater camera. Its archaic technology now, but at the time it was a small tape recorder and an underwater housing and that was my first ever way, to document the underwater world.
MUST WATCH - A positive story of change, understanding and human nature.
What/who currently inspires you?
I am inspired by nature every day and by people who have revolutionised conservation, such as Rob Stewart.
What path did you choose after leaving school?
It was always my dream to finish school and become a marine biologist. I wanted to film stuff underwater, but I wanted to film how wonderful it was and make nice shows for TV. Little did I know, whatever path I wanted after school was far from what I got. I ended up dropping out, never finishing, getting roped into all kinds of crazy conservation campaigns, jumping on a sea shepherd boat for a while and then making my first doco (shark girl) at 18.
What would you most like to change in the world/environment today?
The general level of respect humans have for animals other than their domesticated pets. I think raising the standards in which we expect our society to treat animals and strengthening the legislation around their protection.
What do you value most in life?
The humans around me and the impact I make on the oceans that raised me. I was always brought up to have a deep and sometimes stressful emphasis on a "wonderful life" which involved travel and adventure. My life now involves sacrifice, trauma and effort, and honesty I wouldn't have it any other way. If I leave this planet having made an impact then I value that. I also put a lot of value on my friends and family, a lot of whom I met through conservation.
Are there any books/documentaries that have guided your thinking?
I read comic books so probably not too many. Docos, well nothing guides me more. I find inspiration and passion through so many. I think Sharkwater was the first doco to change my life, and I think many people reading can relate to that.
What brings you the most joy?
Two things, surfing (even though I suck at it) and seeing sharks alive in the water.
What legacy do you hope to leave?
I could list certain achievements and their impact, but honestly what I want to leave most is not what I have done for sharks, but how I did it. Through compassion and emotional understanding. I would like to see the way we approach our enemies change, not even for their benefit, but because I know how effective this can be.
Other Notable Short Films
Madison has been creating and sharing her short films from ages 14 to age 25
Watch one of Madison’s early films - Man-Eating Shark posted 9 years ago and check out her Vimeo channel for the full library.
Website - www.projecthiu.com
Instagram - @sharkgirlmadison
Donate to help me help sharks!