The Shark Friend

If only sharks were able to communicate with humans, most probably the first word will be ‘Lets be friends’. Shark friend came with the purposes of listening to the sharks as a friend, not as predators or dangerous creatures. There are many organizations trying to save sharks but where are we at today? We are still at the same square trying to blame the fishing industry and trying to stop people from eating shark fin soup. Instead, we can sacrifice our ego and start educating ourselves by listening to them. What do they want and how do they feel when we interfere with their territory and reefs? Have we, the cleverest and most creative creatures on earth thought about this?

The Shark friend program will be focusing on research to attract sharks and make them stay near local reefs and educating locals to be friends with the sharks. The key to protecting sharks is not to enact heavy laws or start wars but create awareness through long term and integrative education. In order to make this successful, everyone must play a role. In education, the important elements include protecting and growing our reefs, monitoring human activities, and continuing scientific research. By educating people, as time goes by, sharks may procreate and live freely, thereby benefiting local industry and businesses via shark tourism.

The Shark friend program is designed with sustainability in mind since we want to contribute to the highest level of awareness in the future. We would like to invite local and international organization (or individuals) to support us to realize the program.

We aim to be the leader in shark conservation through joint efforts internationally. As divers or snorkelers, we are by nature ambassadors to the underwater world. Shark friend will guide you by providing you the techniques and knowledge in every shark dive, do research and collect data for future references. You will also be disclosed to local shark issues that contributes to the current sharks issues.

In the recent decade, shark numbers has decreased to a very risky stage. Shark numbers of most species has been dropping at a drastic pace, the statistics showing that 100 out of about 400 shark species are declining in numbers, most of it declined in between 50-80% in total population in just 20years, such as hammerhead and thresher shark sunk by 80%, tiger and blue sharks sunk by 70%, just to mentioned a few. And this is happening globally! If the trend continues at this rate, shark’s species will cease to exist.

Many have forgotten that shark has been playing an important role in marine chain. Sharks distinction means the existence of other species as well. You might be asking what are the sharks doing in helping the healthy ocean. For example, removing sharks will increase octopus populations resulting in greater predation on lobsters by octopus. This was the very reason that the spiny lobster fishery collapsed in Tasmania.

Sharks remove the ill and diseased animals from the ocean, also attracting and encouraging eco tourism especially to divers and snorkelers. Shark has no mean to attack human, it is our fault to enter their territory and disturbing them. Comparing the data, fatality from shark attack is still low comparing to other predators.

Shark finning is largely unregulated around the world. Overfishing, bycatch and finning-slicing off shark’s fins and throwing away the body at sea- killed thousand of shark everyday. Finning is usually defined as cutting off a shark’s fins and throwing the rest of the body back to the sea. Beside shark finning, there are many shark based products, contributing to the shark’s peril. This includes:

• Teeth and jaws for souvenir
• Shark leather for shoes and belts.
• Shark liver oil and for shark cartilage for pseudo cancer cures.
• Sharks are used in cosmetics, skin care products and in medicines.

Although shark finning is banned international and trade implementation in many part of the world, the policies and enforcement is still at a very low level. Hence, to ensure the survival of sharks, we should act now locally, nationally, regionally and also globally.

Shark is an attraction in dive industry and tourism. Most research shows that the value of a shark in tourism is hundreds times more than the price of shark fin itself through their lifetime. Even though the number maybe inaccurate, it is certain those sharks are one of the biggest attractions to most of the destination.

Human and shark having direct relationship, in fact, sharks are not aggressive at all unless the are threatened. Most shark attacks are results of human intervention in their territory, false of sense contributing to the accident. Lets take this opportunity to be shark’s friend and spare some places on earth for sharks.

S          Strong policies to ensure the continued existence of shark

H         Hesitation in using shark’s products

A         Assist in Shark rehabilitation programs

R         Reserved the important reefs for sharks

K         Kits development for the awareness education

-Sharks exist over 400m years ago and went through great evolution.

-Having about 360species.

-Sharks occupy mostly all type of water

-The biggest is Whale shark while the smallest is Dwarf Lantern.

-Sharks skeleton is made from cartilage, same as our nose substance.

-Sharks has low blood pressure and have no swim bladder.

-Sharks keep swimming to pump the blood and avoiding from sink.

-Sharks take between 2-3years for every cycle to bread.

-Nearly 100m sharks are killed globally every year.