Shark Guardian
Guarding sharks, to protect our oceans, to save ourselves.
Brendon Sing – Co-Director and Founder, Shark Guardian
Why I Support Them
Sharks are incredibly important to a healthy ocean and yet they have been targeted and vilified and are killed each year in the millions. Shark Guardian’s work is impressive because not only are they working with major corporations and governments to make important policy changes; but they also focus heavily on educating the next generation about the importance of sharks and why we must protect them. This multi-pronged approach (focusing global and focusing local) is the best way to make REAL and LASTING change. Keep up the great work!
How They Help the Ocean
Shark Guardian has 4 arms of operation worldwide: education, conservation, research and expeditions.
We educate thousands of people, mainly children, each year about sharks, our oceans, conservation and how we can all get involved. With the right information we can make better choices – to save sharks and oceans as a whole.
We collaborate with other organisations, supporting and running conservation projects to reduce the sale and transportation of shark fins. And we contribute to research through citizen science projects that run globally – these feature in our expeditions also.
Why Their Work is Important
For over 400 million years sharks have survived at the top of the marine eco-system keeping our oceans healthy and ecologically balanced. Unfortunately various movies and the media have depicted sharks as vicious killing machines when in reality sharks are in greater danger from humans than we are from them.
Up to 100 million sharks are killed each year and a third of all shark species are nearly extinct. This massive reduction in shark populations around the world is having a catastrophic effect on our marine eco-system.
Shark Guardian has successfully stopped airlines transporting shark fins and are currently involved in international campaigns to influence law regarding the fishing and trade of sharks and their fins. (In 2021, Shark Guardian successfully lobbied the UK government to ban the import and export of shark fins!) Changing the attitudes of thousands of children (and adults) and contributing to current research is also crucial for the survival of the planet’s most important species, and thus our oceans.