How can I save the sharks?

One of the sharks’ most pressing problems is the belief that people just don’t care. Here are some ways you can demonstrate that you DO care about sharks.

1. Write to your representatives in Congress and urge them to pursue legislation that bans finning and promotes the conservation of shark species.

2. Join or donate to a marine conservation organization such as the Center for Marine Conservation or the World Wildlife Fund. Your dollars will go towards the conservation of sharks and the ocean environment.

3. Avoid shark when you are making seafood choices.

4. When you buy your seafood or eat in a restaurant, ask questions about how the fish was caught and if the store or restaurant buys seafood that is fished responsibly.

5. Do some research on which fisheries are in good shape and which are in trouble. The following Web sites can help:

   • Seafood Watch at the Monterey Bay Aquarium http://www.mbayaq.org/efc/efc_oc/dngr_food_watch.asp

   • Audubon Society’s Guide to Seafood http://magazine.audubon.org/seafood/guide/

6. Learn to dive, take a class or visit an aquarium. Learn all you can about sharks and then share it with your family and friends. Learning about sharks helps make them less frightening and more fascinating.

7. Conserve water, recycle and do all those things that make our lives more environmentally responsible. They contribute to a healthy ecosystem, which, in turn, benefits sharks.