How to help sharks

Whether you live on an island or far from the oceans, there are active changes you can make to your daily lifestyle to help shave sharks. Here are some suggestions for ways to improve your impact on the ocean ecosystem.

Don’t use shark products

Although most people don’t knowingly consume shark meat (due to it’s high levels of mercury, heavy metals, and neurotoxins) you could potentially be consuming shark meat without knowing. Be weary of labels such as “flake, dogfish, grayfish, whitefish, rock salmon, gummy, moki, and more” that are used as commercial tactics to sell cheap shark meat under other more appealing names. Don’t purchase products containing shark parts such as shark cartilage pills, non-fossilized shark teeth jewelry, shagreen shark skin sandpaper, and more. Many products contain shark that you would never expect; facial creams, pet food, imitation crab meat, medical vaccinations, energy drinks, and more. To see a list of every day products found to contain shark please click the link below.

Support sustainable seafood

Although most seafood is considered not sustainable, we recognize that an island environment has the opportunity to support local, more sustainable methods rather than long-line major corporations. Know where your seafood comes from and support local spear-fishermen or fishermen that purposefully select their catches rather than unbiased methods that promote bycatch.

limit your single use plastic usage

The amount of use of plastic in modern day society has become entirely out of control. Plastic never truly deteriorates over any length of time, it only becomes gradually broken into smaller and smaller pieces called microplastics. These nodules collect toxins and are in turn ingested by fish and travels through each stomach up the food chain. This along with larger plastic pollution choking, entangling, and harming wildlife directly is a major concern for the ocean ecosystem. Try to eliminate your plastic usage (ditch plastic bottles for a reusable thermos, say “no straw please” when ordering drinks, have a travel set of reusable cutlery rather than accepting plastic take-out ones, and bring your own reusable grocery bags to the market). For tips on how to cut out plastic from your daily life, click the link below.