Shark Conservation Project | The Great Garbage Patch

Shark Conservation Project

What is the Shark Conservation Project?

• WildAid's Shark Conservation Program aims to:
• Raise awareness globally about threats to sharks
• Promote sustainable management of shark populations
• End the practice of finning globally
• Reduce excess demand for shark fin
  

Fact: Some sharks will loose over 30,000 teeth in a lifetime!
What an amazing renewable resource.

Frequently, divers find a shark tooth while diving with us at the Aquarium during our Shark dive. Diver's are invited to take those teeth found and in return asked for a donation. 100% of the donation is used for shark conservation and field research projects. Those who donate proudly leave wearing a "Shark Saver" wristband. Wristbands can also be purchased and just like the teeth, 100% of the funds are going to the cause.

Are sharks endangered?

Annually, nearly 100 million sharks are being removed from our oceans, in fact, some shark species have depleted by 80% in the past couple of decades (including hammerheads and great whites). The majority of which are being killed only for their fins. In most cases they are caught, stripped of their fins (which do not grow back) and tossed overboard to die a slow death as they suffocate sinking to the ocean floor.

Why their fins? To produce shark fin soup.

What Is Shark Fin Soup?

Shark fin soup is a delicacy reserved for the wealthy on special occasions and it has been part of Chinese culture for centuries. For years, only rich Chinese mostly in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore consumed it, so the impact on the overall shark population was negligible.

Over the last decade, the exploding middle class in China has changed the fate of the shark. With an unprecedented number of people making more money than ever, the demand for all things that signal an improvement in status is gargantuan. The ability to serve and consume shark fin soup is among the most revered of activities, because it signifies that one has made it.

Shark fin soup is expensive. A bowl of imperial shark fin soup can cost over $100. These days, shark fin soup is so fashionable that it's becoming commonplace. Buffets serve versions of it for as low as $10 a bowl.

The irony is that shark fin is flavorless -- its cartilage has a chewy consistency. Millions of sharks are being killed for a gelatinous thing in a soup.

Where can I learn more?

More information can be found in the shark report.

How can I help?

Coming soon

 

The Great Garbage Patch

What is the Great Garbage Patch?

Roughly half way in between Hawaii and San Francisco there lays the world's largest dump. This dump is 300 ft deep and covers an area twice the size of Texas, consisting of 3.5 million tons of trash.

How did it get there?

This garbage patch is formed by the rotational pattern of currents created by the North Pacific Gyre. The currents draw in waste materials from across the North Pacific Ocean, including the coastal waters of the United States and Japan.

Garbage Patch Facts

• 80% of ocean pollution comes from people on land
• 20% comes from people on ships
• Scientists estimate that for every 1 fish in the ocean, there are 6 pieces of plastic.
• There is no current effort for clean-up!
• Studies show that plastics biodegrade in the ocean. That process releases dangerous chemicals into the ocean, changing the ocean's chemistry.