RESOURCES

You Can Make a Difference to Help Save Sharks

It’s easy to feel helpless when an issue is so large and daunting, but every single person can make a difference. Below are some simple suggestions to get you started:

Educate Yourself and Others About Sharks

Many people have preconceived notions about sharks based on what they see in movies or TV, and unfortunately sharks have gained a reputation as killing machines not worthy of sympathy or protection. Take the time to learn about the many different types of sharks, their behaviors, and their importance in the environment. Understand how the reduction of shark populations creates a cascade of negative effects that impact the entire ecosystem, and which human activities contribute to this decline. Use social media to share your knowledge and spread awareness about sharks and shark conservation.

Be a Conscious Consumer

Be aware of what you’re putting in or on your body, whether it’s food or cosmetics. You may be consuming and using shark products without even knowing it.

Shark meat is often relabeled under many different names, including dogfish, rock salmon, and even imitation crab. Do not support any restaurants or businesses that sell or store shark fins. This resource lists restaurants by state that are believed to sell shark products, and it includes a reporting form if you find shark fin products in a state that has a ban.

If you take chondroitin supplements, make sure the chondroitin isn’t sourced from shark cartilage. Check the labels of your cosmetic products and make sure they don’t contain Squalene or Squalane, which comes from shark liver oil. If Squalane is in the ingredients, make sure the label indicates that it’s 100% plant-derived or vegetable based. Even better, choose only cruelty-free products. Make sure your handbags, shoes, belts, and clothing are not made with shagreen, which is shark skin.

Additionally, learn what your environmental impact is with your food choices, and seek to reduce food waste in general. Check out the Siitch Website in Beta to reduce your event’s impact.

Choose Sustainable Seafood

The largest threats to sharks are overfishing and bycatch, which is the unintentional capture of non-target species. Thousands of miles of fishing nets and lines are used in commercial fishing, catching everything in their path. The undesired species that are trapped with the catch—often sharks, turtles, and dolphins—are discarded back into the ocean dead and unused. When you choose to buy sustainable seafood, you push suppliers and businesses to source more environmentally responsible products, driving significant improvements throughout the industry. A great resource to determine the sustainability of the seafood you’re eating is the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch. They have national and regional consumer guides you can refer to.

Write Your Legislators

Although shark finning is illegal in the United States, the sale and trade of shark fins is still allowed in most states. Currently, there is a ban on the sale and possession of shark fins in 13 states (California, Delaware, Florida, Hawaiʻi, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Texas, and Washington) and 3 US territories (American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands). In 2010, Hawaiʻi was the first state to ban the sale or possession of shark fins, and in 2021, Hawaiʻi became the first state to ban shark fishing. This small yet forward-thinking state continues to set positive examples for the rest of the nation and world. Write your representative and encourage them to introduce legislation that will recognize sharks as protected species and ban shark finning and fishing.

Eliminate Single-Use Plastics

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation predicts that by 2050, plastics in the ocean will likely outweigh the fish that live inside it. It’s estimated that plastic pollution kills 100,000 marine animals every year, as a result of ingestion, suffocation, drowning, and entanglement. Making simple adjustments in your daily life—such as using reusable water bottles, utensils, and shopping bags—can make a huge difference in reducing single-use plastics. For additional ways to reduce your plastic use, check out the suggestions from the Plastic Pollution Coalition and ConsumerNotice.org’s “A Consumer’s Guide to Reducing Pollution.”

Donate Your Time and/or Money

There are numerous organizations dedicated to shark conservation that you can support, whether you volunteer or donate money towards their efforts in saving sharks. You can research organizations in your local area, and you can also check out these shark conservation organizations:

• Shark Stewards

• Ma'o Mana Foundation

• Project Hiu

• Oceana

• PADI Aware Foundation

• Shark Angels

• Sharks Pacific

• Shark Research Institute

• Sea Shepherd

Support Shark Ecotourism

Sharks are worth more money alive than dead. “In Palau, where more than half of tourists are drawn by diving excursions, each reef shark brings in about $179,000 in tourism revenue annually, or about $1.9 million during its lifetime, according to a study by the Australian Institute of Marine Sciences. By comparison, a single shark’s fin, sold for shark fin soup, fetches only about $108.”

Governments are much more likely to set up conservation zones when sharks bring tourism revenue to an area. Whether you go cage diving with Great White Sharks or snorkel with Nurse Sharks, shark tourism will help support local conservation efforts. Check out the efforts of Project Hiu, whose mission is providing alternative incomes to shark fisherman through tourism.