HOW YOU CAN HELP
Be informed about Products
Be aware of products made from shark meat, fins, cartilage and squalene. Hundreds of thousands of sharks are being harvested each year to produce these products. Often it is a cleverly hidden ingredient. In Europe the name “dogfish” used in fish and chips hides the fact that it is actually the meat of sharks.
Jewelry and Shark Jaws
When purchasing jewelry with sharks teeth, only buy fossilized teeth, which are usually blue or brown in color. The white teeth are modern and most likely have been harvested illegally. The same goes for sharks jaws and products made from sharkskin.
Shark Finning
Support organizations that work towards fighting the practice. Contact your representatives and request that they work towards ending the practice of shark finning. When traveling, don’t purchase shark fin products and shark fin soup. It is represented as a “delicacy” but in reality it has almost no taste and no nutritional value. And the fact that the whole animal gets slaughtered just for the fins makes it an outrageously cruel and wasteful practice.
Pass on your Knowledge
Tell your friends about your experience and what you know about sharks.
What’s on TV isn’t always true – Demand better quality of information
Support educational TV programs and encourage your kids to watch them. Avoid the sensationalistic programming that continues to portrait sharks as nothing but bloodthirsty killers.
Be Pro-Active
Don’t support recreational game fishing for sharks.
- Support, or even join an organization that promotes shark and ocean conservation
- Learn about marine life, their behavior and the dangers. Entering the ocean is a wilderness experience and you should be aware of situations that can be dangerous. Sharks are only one aspect, as by far more people are hurt or killed by jellyfish or drowning.
Stay informed and learn more about the urgent issues that affect sharks Check out SharkAllies.org
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