Sharks have roamed our oceans since before the time of dinosaurs, but their long reign at the top of the ocean food web is in jeopardy. 

Each year, at least 63 million and as many as 273 million sharks are killed in the world’s commercial fisheries, many solely for their fins, which are used in shark fin soup. Almost half of the shark species and their relatives assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) are threatened or near threatened with extinction.

Sharks are vital to ocean health. Protection and management of these species provide ecosystem, environmental, cultural, and economic benefits. To reverse the decline of sharks and rays, Pew works internationally to influence fishing nations and the treaty organizations that regulate high seas fisheries and trade in endangered species. We also work with governments to designate sanctuaries in waters that still have diverse populations of sharks and to advocate regionally and internationally for shark conservation.

PROJECT GOALS:

• reverse the global decline of shark populations
• work internationally to influence fishing nations and treaty organizations that regulate high seas fisheries
• work with nations whose waters still have diverse populations of sharks to advocate for international shark conservation