The thing we should fear most about sharks is their looming extinction.

Many people are concerned about the plight of charismatic marine animals such as dolphins and whales. However, few know or even care about the shark’s fate. Each year, up to 73 million sharks are killed. According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), about a 1/3 of shark species are on the path towards or nearing extinction.

In addition to the factors challenging all marine creatures—pollution, habitat destruction, and elimination of food sources—sharks face another urgent threat: relentless over-fishing to feed demand for their highly valuable fins.  With demand exceeding supply, coupled with their slow reproduction, shark populations are quickly disappearing from this planet.

Why the increased demand for shark? Shark fin soup consumption, a traditional cultural delicacy particularly in Asia, has risen from a few million consumers in the 1980’s to more than 300 million today. Demand for shark fin means that sharks everywhere, even the few protected species and those in the few protected areas, are under attack.

“The premium prices commanded by fins have fueled a global shark hunt of epic proportion.”
                     Dr. Ellen Pikitch, Executive Director, Institute for Ocean Conservation Science.

Why should we care? Like them or not, we need sharks for a healthy ocean and planet. As apex predators, sharks are critically important to the ocean and its fragile balance. Recent studies indicate that regional elimination of sharks can cause disastrous effects further down the food chain including the collapse of fisheries and the death of coral reefs.

Indeed, we have little to fear from sharks, but plenty to gain from their survival. And we are witnessing them vanish before our very eyes.

Sharks need a voice. They need our help. They need Shark Savers.