Hi!

Thanks for signing our petition to  maintain protection in large areas of the Pacific Ocean.

Today is International Shark Day, a day to recognize and celebrate sharks, and share the need to protect them.

Check out our new whale shark video- shot in Hawaiian waters now open to commercial fishing- we believe and the cvourts will decide- to be illegal under the Trump Administration.

These endangered sharks, including hamemrhead sharks and oceanic whitetip sharks need large areas to migrate and safely forage.

Here is an excerpt from an article we wrote on MPAs.

Do Sharks Benefit From MPAS
The benefit of marine protected areas depends on the location, the scale, fishing restrictions, and the enforcement. Small sharks that do not range far, like coral cat sharks or swell sharks, will benefit from fisheries protection and habitat protection inside an MPA. Mid ranging species like Big skates or migratory species like white sharks require larger protected areas or additional protection from fishing, as they experience in US waters. These sharks will benefit from fishing and the additional biomass of food sources in marine protected areas, and in the case of white sharks, the protection of their food from hunting, namely marine mammals. For wide ranging species, large MPAs will protect them from fihsing and protect large intact areas of habitat. National Marine Sanctuaries in the USA are large MPAs that still allow recreational and commercial fishing. However, these MPAs will protect the migratory rays and skates from bottom trawling, and prohibit harmful oil exploration and drilling. The newly proposed Papahānaumokuākea National Marine Sanctuary will provide large scale protection and scientific management protecting large wandering species like tiger sharks from commercial longlining. However, sharks and other species are still vulnerable to external impacts like sea surface temperature or pollution crossing the lines into the MPA.

By regulating trophic levels in marine ecosystems, sharks can regulate health and stability of ecosystems and facilitate carbon sinks.

Please share our other petition, and this one to uplist Whale sharks, Scalloped hammerhead sharks and oceanic whitetip sharks at CITES 

If you havenʻt signed up for our newsletter- here is our last one for International Shark Day and our shark events.

Thanks for your support!