Target: Ban Ki-Moon, United Nations Secretary General
Sponsored by: www.supportoursharks.com

Incredibly, as many as 100 million sharks are killed each year – that is a jaw-dropping 270,000 sharks fished each and every day. This is pushing many species to the brink of extinction. Urgent action is needed if this wonderfully diverse yet increasingly threatened group of species is to survive.

Most sharks serve as top predators at the pinnacle of the marine food pyramid, and so play a critical role in ocean ecosystems. Directly or indirectly they regulate the natural balance of these ecosystems, at all levels, and so are an integral part of them. As they usually hunt older, weaker or sick prey, they also help to keep the prey population in good condition. Thus, they allow the healthy and strong animals that are more fit to reproduce to pass on their genes. The effects of removing sharks from the ocean ecosystems, although complex and rather unpredictable, are likely to be ecologically and economically damaging.

Sign to stop the worldwide slaughter of shark finning