current focus
Help us create a future with sharks:
Reaching the required minimum of 1 million votes by the end of 2022, Europe verified and approved the petition initiative. This January, campaign members submitted the official request to stop the EU trade of fins. Initiative speakers have started engagement with the EU Commission and EU Parliament Representatives. Shark Allies will be present during meetings with the Commission and public hearings to present arguments and data relevant. Stay tuned to our social pages (@SharkAllies) for updates and calls to action, to dive deeper into the campaign, please visit www.stop-finning-eu.org.
The West Coasts’ Set Gillnet Fishery, targeting California halibut and white seabass, continues to operate despite nearshore gillnet bans. This fishery is responsible for 64% bycatch rates and is currently the largest threat to juvenile white sharks, endangering 90% of the individuals in critical nursery habitats. Of the 28 shark and ray species caught, 22 of them have no or unknown population assessments. It is time for the California Fish and Game Commission to ban this destructive fishing method in Southern California waters.
Revising the way we value sharks. Billion dollar industries, such as eco-tourism, film and media benefit from living sharks and are economically more viable than killing sharks for one time use. It is time to invest in the protection of these A-list actors.
We must also value the critical part sharks play in the health of our planet, food security and biodiversity. In collaboration with Endangered Wildlife OÜ, from Great Hammerheads in the Bahamas to White Sharks in South Africa, individuals are worth anywhere from $29.4 million to $241.7 million. Check out the first-of-its-kind shark valuation reports here, more to come!
The demand for shark liver oil in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. The markets for shark meat, squalene, souvenirs and countless other products create further incentives to catch sharks and legitimize their bycatch. Addressing the fin trade and other products that are made from sharks will lower the demand for sharks.
To ensure responsible consumer action, learn about the Shark Free label and certification program, as well as Shark Free list and database. On a large scale, we are working to change the name of squalene to distinguish non-animal sourcing, and end the ingredients use in vaccine production.
Roughly 70,000 sharks are taken every season in fishing competitions. With the goal of largest catch, targeted individuals are key to their population, being that of prime breeding maturity — pregnant females are commonly taken for trophy. Sharks under prize-winning size are dumped back into the ocean, unreported and many of them endangered.
Shark tournaments promote a mindset of dominance over nature and a lack of valuing life and resources, killing sharks for sport and entertainment must end. Read more and find out how you can help.