A gross abuse is taking place on an almost unimaginable scale throughout the world’s oceans. As many as 100 million sharks are being killed each year to meet global demand. For a tasteless ingredient that is not even a main course.
All this ….for a bowl of soup!
There is no animal on earth more vilified than the shark. Pop culture references and annual, over-hyped reports of attacks on swimmers or surfers have put sharks on the top of the list of the world’s most feared living things. There is however, a creature far more predacious than the shark: Humans!
Sharks existed before there were dinosaurs and they pre-date humans by millions of years. Yet, in a relatively short period of time, humans and their technological arsenal have driven most shark populations to the verge of extinction.
This is bad news for the world’s oceans. Sharks are the top predator in the ocean and are vital to its ecosystem. The rapid reduction of sharks is disrupting the ocean’s equilibrium, according to Peter Knights, director of WildAid International.
“These are ecosystems that have evolved over millions and millions of years, as soon as you start to take out an important part of it, it’s like a brick wall, you take out bricks and eventually it’s going to collapse.”
Shark Savers is a grassroots membership organization dedicated to shark conservation. Shark Savers creates educational awareness programs about sharks, their critical importance to a healthy ocean environment, and the severe decimation of shark populations occurring throughout the world, primarily to fill demand for shark fin soup. The organization also empowers people to take action in their own lives and community to further shark conservation and to stop their consumption of shark products.
Shark Savers focus on education and awareness because most people still think sharks are out to kill them, or don’t know that sharks are being fished towards extinction. Many people are unaware of the disastrous impact that shark eradication has on the oceans and food supply and that mercury in shark fin soup is hazardous.
Stopping Demand for Shark Fin Soup in China
Shark Savers has joined WildAid to deliver the most complete campaign ever in China to generate awareness around the dangers of shark fin soup and the commitment to stop eating it.
Shark Conservation Education and Empowerment
Shark conservation is an enormous challenge because sharks are being fished out of the water by the millions each month and cannot reproduce fast enough to overcome overfishing. Sharks are already gone in many of the areas where they were once plentiful. The fishing pressure against them continues relentlessly, largely because of the market demand for their fins. There are signs of hope in the results of actions of people and organizations throughout the world, although not enough to lessen the urgency of this mission.
Glover’s Reef Park for Sharks
Shark Savers has joined with the Institute for Ocean Conservation Science to create shark Marine Protected Areas, or “Parks for Sharks, that not only succeed in protecting sharks, but also can become financially self-supporting and educationally nourish its supporters.
Shark Savers was founded in November 2007 by six divers with a long-held passion for the oceans, the quality of the ocean environment, and sharks. Becoming more aware of how sharks are being destroyed on a massive scale, and understanding the important role they play in the oceans.
Shark Savers is a membership organization, we hope that you will join.
Please help us save the sharks! http://www.sharksavers.org/en/about-us/how-to-and-why-to-donate.html