DURHAM, N.C. – Jim Toomey, creator of the nationally syndicated comic strip, “Sherman’s Lagoon,” is using his popular cartoon in a new initiative to raise awareness of shark conservation – with a little help from some Nicholas School faculty members.

On April 20, Toomey dedicated an entire Sunday strip of “Sherman’s Lagoon” to encourage readers to contact James Balsiger, director of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), and urge the agency to play a leadership role in setting international catch limits for sharks. He also did a three-minute interview on shark overfishing and conservation for National Public Radio. 

Many populations of sharks worldwide have been overfished to the edge of extinction in recent years.  

Toomey, a 47-year-old father of two, will graduate this spring from the Duke Environmental Leadership Master of Environmental Management (DEL-MEM) 91 program. 

His cartoon, “Sherman’s Lagoon,” runs in about 300 newspapers nationwide. Its hero is Sherman, a happy-go-lucky great white shark who lives in the turquoise-blue waters off the fictional island of Kapupu with a cranky hermit crab, a bookish sea turtle and other assorted sidekicks.

In the April 20 strip, an unusually somber Sherman tells readers, “Many kinds of sharks have been overfished to the edge of extinction around the world and we need to act quickly to save what’s left of them. Like lions and tigers and bears, they are beautiful predators and a vital part of nature.”

The strip encourages children to draw a picture of their favorite type of shark and send it to NMFS Director Jim Balsiger along with a clip-and-mail preprinted letter reading, “Dear Dr. Balsinger: With your leadership, the United States can continue to play a pivotal role in establishing international catch limits for sharks. Please do the right thing.”  

The idea to devote the April 20 installment of the usually light-hearted cartoon to the issue of shark overfishing stemmed from an independent study DEL-MEM course Toomey took last fall with Michael Orbach, professor of the practice of marine affairs and policy at the Nicholas School.

With the assistance of Orbach and Norm Christensen, professor of ecology and founding dean of the Nicholas School, Toomey contacted Sonja Fordham, international fish conservation program manager at the Ocean Conservancy, to develop a timely and accurate message about shark overfishing.  

Orbach then worked with Toomey to give Balsiger advance notice, so NMFS could help promote shark conservation initiatives in conjunction with the April 20 strip.

“Balsiger was so enamored of the idea that he arranged a meeting with Jim and Sonja,” Orbach says.

Christensen says, “It’s a wonderful example of how our DEL students are combining their coursework at the Nicholas School with their workplace experience and talents to make a positive difference on environmental issues.”

In addition to appearing in nearly 300 newspapers, “Sherman’s Lagoon” has also been featured in 12 books and can be found online at .

For more information about the DEL-MEM program, call (919) 613-8082 or check out the program’s Web site at .