Our programs

Shark fin soup campaign

Reducing demand for shark fin soup is the most important thing we can do to protect sharks from being driven to extinction. This demand has created the unsustainable, virtually unrestrained killing of an estimated 73 million sharks s a year.

Shark fin soup consumption has long been traditional in Asian culture, but until fairly recently it was reserved for the wealthy few. As the middle class has grown in China and other Asian communities, so has consumption. Traditionally associated with status, wealth, and health, shark fin soup is now a must-have at many weddings, business dinners, and banquets. Shark Savers’ Shark Fin Soup campaign informs, encourages different perspectives, and persuades consumers to stop eating the soup.

Shark Sanctuary Program: Protecting our Remaining Shark Populations

Sharks are among the most essential animals on the planet and yet they are being systematically destroyed for a non-essential purpose: shark fin soup. While our Shark Fin Soup Campaign focuses on reducing this demand, it is imperative that we also act quickly to protect shark populations that still remain.

Shark Savers is working to establish Shark Sanctuaries: marine areas where sharks are fully protected by strong laws and enforcement and with the support and cooperation of local communities. Our program addresses both economic and environmental considerations, creating Shark Sanctuaries that are viable because they will produce a tangible economic benefit to local populations and provide sustainably financed enforcement of fishing regulations.

Manta Ray of Hope

With global shark populations largely exploited, shark fin and dried seafood traders are looking to push additional products to make up profits. The trade in manta/mobula gills, used in an "unofficial" traditional Chinese medicine tonic, is now on the rise in China. Artisanal fisheries are transforming into commercial fisheries to meet this demand and manta/mobula populations cannot withstand the pressure.

Shark Savers has partnered with WildAid and a team of the top manta researchers in the world on the Manta Ray of Hope project, the only concerted global effort working to save mantas and mobulas from this unsustainable trade. The goals of this project are to legislate trade bans, establish sanctuaries and encourage tourism before it’s too late for these magnificent animals.

Ban the Fin Campaign

At Shark Savers, we are frequently asked by people interested in sharks what they can do in their communities and localities to help protect sharks. Our Ban the Fin campaign is designed to help people organize grassroots support in their communities through education. The goal is to motivate community groups to pledge not to condone the sale, purchase or possession of shark products.