Press Release
Aggressor Fleet (www.aggressor.com), one of the largest LiveAboard companies in the world, has announced they will sponsor Shark Savers (www.sharksavers.org), a leading international shark conservation organization. The Aggressor contribution will support Shark Savers’ program to create Shark Sanctuaries to protect sharks in critical locations throughout the world.
Sharks have been shown to play an irreplaceable role in maintaining healthy marine environments. Recent studies indicate that elimination of sharks can cause disastrous effects further down the marine food chain including the collapse of fisheries and the death of coral reefs. Despite their important role, sharks are being destroyed at a rapid rate. Tens of millions of million sharks killed annually, primarily for use in shark fin soup. Up to 90% of some shark populations are already gone and the IUCN has determined that as many as a third of shark species are threatened with extinction.
“The ocean and its sharks need the support of the diving industry. As divers, we actually experience the undersea world and come to know its beauty,” said Wayne Brown, CEO of the Aggressor Fleet. “At Aggressor, we know we can make a real difference by supporting Shark Savers’ plans to develop Shark Sanctuaries.”
The Shark Savers’ program seeks to establish Shark Sanctuaries that include local financial incentives and funding to enforce fishing regulations. Viable Shark Sanctuaries should result in more sharks, more biodiverse ecosystems, as well as opportunities for responsible diving eco-tourism. Diving tourism is one component of the solution to provide an economic alternative to destructive over-fishing.
Michael Skoletsky, Executive Director of Shark Savers, notes that “Keeping sharks alive have been shown to be far more valuable than killing sharks for soup. We especially appreciate the Aggressor contribution because one of the most respected brands in diving is setting an example for divers everywhere by taking responsibility for ocean conservation.”
This sponsorship is in the form of a contribution of $30 for each of its thousands of live-aboard guests during the coming year. The Aggressor sponsorship follows by six months a similar commitment by the Dancer Fleet to support Shark Savers' "Say 'no' to shark fin soup" campaign. That campaign brings a message to the people of Asia and Asian communities worldwide to motivate them to stop eating shark fin soup.
For more information about this sponsorship, please click here.
