Shark Poaching is an epidemic on social media. Some of the most popular fishing pages on the internet openly and routinely violate legal protections for prohibited species, delaying mandatory releases by pulling sharks' gills or entire bodies out of the water to record social media content while they gasp for oxygen.

Peer-reviewed research demonstrates that the stress of these events can be lethal to sharks, in some species, such as critically endangered hammerheads, resulting in approximately 50% mortality within hours after catch and release. Yet these species are among the most sought-after by land-based shark fishermen on social media and scientists have been tracking great hammerheads disappearing along the US southeast coast. Wildlife codes are meant to discourage fishermen from targeting habitats for prohibited species, yet these fishermen zero in on them and catch these rare predators over and over again, specifically in areas where they can catch the largest and most critical individuals to the survival of the population.

These sharks are not hooked by accident, as the process of catching and reeling them requires specific bait such as stingrays and expensive equipment such as massive reels, specialized drones, and "fighting plates". This activity also does not meaningfully contribute to conservation science, as the prime coastal shark habitats revealed by these catches are not being protected and shark populations on US coasts — the epicenters of this activity — are extensively mapped and monitored by professional researchers.

To make matters worse, many accounts featuring illegal shark handling content solicit opportunities to be photographed with beached sharks, further incentivizing the worst poaching practices. State wildlife agencies have looked the other way and social media sites have allowed this illegal activity to grow on their platforms for too long.

We, the undersigned, including scientists, environmentalists, and members of the public, implore social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook to take swift action to restrict posts and users featuring illegal shark handling. Further, we ask that state wildlife enforcement agencies such as Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and Virginia Marine Resources Commission enforce release regulations for prohibited shark species.

This frenzy to exploit sharks for social media clicks is but one of many threats to sharks, but it has a serious impact on several of the most endangered shark species on our planet and it is one of the easiest to solve.