SHARK ALERT

July 14 – World Shark Day

Sharks have ruled the oceans for over 400 million years. Older than dinosaurs, they’ve shaped marine life as we know it. As apex predators, they keep ecosystems in balance – eating the sick, keeping fish populations healthy, and maintaining the food chain from top to bottom. For this reason sharks have been nick-named the architects or doctors of the sea; they even keep seagrass meadows and phytoplankton hotspots safe, species we desperately need in our fight against climate catastrophe.

But today, sharks are disappearing fast. Every year, over 100 million are killed – many for nothing more than their fins. Caught in nets, finned, dumped back into the sea. Species that survived multiple mass extinctions are now being wiped out by humans in a blink of an eye, causing the ocean to die. Today over 90% of certain shark species are gone, with an overall decline in shark populations of 75%.

That’s why this July 14, we’re turning International Shark Day into a global day of action. Honestly ever day should be Shark Day. It might seem a challenge to help sharks from your desk or local supermarket at home, but actually there’s much you can do. Shark meat is found in fish and chips and in restaurants sold under fake names – like rock salmon, flake, dogfish and other names, while shark oil is used in skin creams, medicated creams, lip balms and supplements. It has even been found in hemorrhoid ointments. It’s highly probable that you carried some shark produce into your home, unknowingly.

Shark fin soup is still heavily consumed in many countries around South-East Asia. But this region is not the only culprit; 45% of all shark fin trade consumed by Southeast Asian countries is imported from EU fisheries, fishing in EU waters and non-Eu waters where they have obtained fishing rights. This is both highly problematic for the ocean and the local communities who depend on local fishermen.

Tattoo artists
Use your art to spark conversation, raise awareness, and give the world a lasting way to show you stand with sharks, and support Sea Shepherd’s shark defense campaigns by donating part of the proceeds from every shark (or other marine wildlife) tattoo you create.

Tattoo lovers
Get inked. Raise awareness. Protect the ocean. Get a shark tattoo that tells the world where you stand. Help fund real protection for the ocean’s most misunderstood guardians. Together, we can make noise – and make a difference.