There are many things you can do to get involved in the world around you (above and below water). Here are a few:

Species Under Pressure

>> Sharks - Sharks are being killed at an alarming rate and you can help educate the public and make simple changes to help make a difference for this species.

This is what you can do every day to protect sharks:
• Tell your family and friends about the pressure on sharks
• Support the work of shark conservation programs
• Whenever you see shark fin soup or other shark products on the menus of restaurants, fish stores, or grocery stores, ask the owner why he or she buys shark. Explain that they should avoid such purchases in the future because shark populations are strongly endangered worldwide.
• Refuse to buy any shark products and ask if shark was used in your Fish & Chips.
• Refrain from buying or eating shark steaks.
• Avoid preparations made of shark cartilage which are of no more help than, say, powdered pig's ears. Refuse to support an industry which kills millions of sharks each year.
• When spending your vacation near the ocean, avoid going on fishing excursions aimed at also catching sharks.
• Also avoid "Tag and Release" fishing trips during which sharks are "only" caught and tagged. Sharks can often get hurt during such actions and later may be attacked by other sharks.
• Divers should avoid underwater rodeos where sharks are fed by hand or with a stick. This can lead to accidents and changes the sharks' natural behavior.
• Call up your TV station and complain if for the hundredth time they show "The White Shark" or some similar sensation film involving sharks.
• If you read articles or see TV shows which portray sharks as being bloodthirsty monsters, write to the authors or those responsible. Explain that such sensational reports are extremely damaging to the worldwide shark populations.

>> The Shark Foundation - Each year, Gary Adkison visits St. Louis to speak at the Gateway Hammerheads annual banquet in November to give an update on the state of sharks. The Shark Foundation has been committed to the protection and research of sharks since 1997 and sees itself as the sharks' lobby. Sharks are not a threat to humans! Humans are a threat to sharks! Without the ecologically important control mechanism exercised by sharks, our oceans would be in danger. Help us to protect these fascinating "hunted hunters." The Shark Foundation was established to actively protect and research endangered shark species and and preserve their natural habitats.

>> Project AWARE/Hot Issues - Conservation begins with understanding the need to protect waters necessary for life. Each year Project AWARE introduces a new public awareness and education campaign to address environmental issues and involve individuals in solutions. Project AWARE also teaches enthusiasts how to sustainably interact with aquatic resources and apply these skills to conservation.

>> Shark Research Institute - SRI works to correct misperceptions about sharks and stop the slaughter of 100 million sharks annually. A primary conservation strategy of SRI is creating value for sharks as sustainable natural resources for tourism industries, particularly in developing countries. By so doing, a steady revenue stream is also generated for local fishers that might otherwise slaughter the sharks for immediate gain. Current programs involve visual and satellite tracking, behavioral and DNA studies of sharks, ocean advocacy, publications and public education. Membership is open to all who share our goals including the scientific community, individuals and organizations concerned about the health of the ocean ecosystem and marine resource users: subsistence fishermen, sport divers, governments, corporations and the tourism industry.

>> NOAA Fisheries Service - NOAA Fisheries Service is dedicated to the stewardship of living marine resources through science-based conservation and management, and the promotion of healthy ecosystems. As a steward, NOAA Fisheries Service conserves, protects, and manages living marine resources in a way that ensures their continuation as functioning components of marine ecosystems, affords economic opportunities, and enhances the quality of life for the American public.

>> Shark Alliance - The Shark Alliance is a not-for-profit coalition of non-governmental organizations dedicated to restoring and conserving shark populations by improving European fishing policy. Because of the influence of Europe in global fisheries and the importance of sharks in ocean ecosystems, these efforts have the potential to enhance the health of the marine environment in Europe and around the world.

>> Monterey Bay Aquarium White Shark Conservation - Despite popular perceptions of sharks as invincible, shark populations around the world are declining because of overfishing, habitat destruction and other human activities. Of the 350 or so species of sharks thought to exist worldwide, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature lists 79 as imperiled, ranging from "critically endangered" to "near threatened." White sharks are considered "vulnerable." Like all sharks, white sharks play a vital role in the ocean's food web. They're top predators in the sea but—like most sharks—they're in grave danger of being depleted. Includes videos.

>> Earthwatch Institute - Earthwatch is an international environmental charity which is committed to conserving the diversity and integrity of life on earth to meet the needs of current and future generations. Our mission is to engage people worldwide in scientific field research and education to promote the understanding and action necessary for a sustainable environment. Earthwatch works with a wide range of partners, from individuals who work as conservation volunteers on research teams through to corporate partners, governments and institutions. Includes volunteer opportunities.

>> Guy Harvey Research Institute - The GHRI and its collaborators are conducting an extensive, worldwide research program aimed at providing the scientific information urgently needed for conservation and management of sharks and their relatives (the rays). This multidisciplinary research program encompasses field and laboratory studies on the migration, reproduction, habitat requirements, genetics, and biodiversity of sharks and rays.

>> Shark Research - The Undersea Explorer Shark Research Project Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea, Australia. The opportunity to spend a week diving at the remote Osprey Reef in the Coral Sea with resident whitetip, grey reef, silvertip and hammerhead sharks and expert shark biologists is only possible with Undersea Explorer. A wide variety of shark species can be encountered during an expedition to Osprey Reef. Resident sharks are the whitetip reef, grey reef, silvertip and scalloped hammerheads, while occasional encounters with whale sharks, thresher, tiger, oceanic whitetip, leopard and great hammerhead sharks occur. Includes videos.

>> Shark Trust - Look out for the Shark Trust’s displays at aquaria around Europe this summer. Kicking off in May in the UK, where 4.5 million people visit aquaria each year, the project will tour 12 countries including Germany, Sweden, Spain, Italy, France, Portugal and Poland before continuing to the Netherlands, Denmark, Finland and Greece later in the summer. If you can’t make it to any of the aquaria, you can still join the on-line community campaigning for an end to shark finning and sign the on-line petition. Includes the Great Egg Case Hunt, the Basking Shark Project, the Whale Shark Project.

>> Wild-Aid - WildAid's Shark Campaign seeks to reduce the threats to sharks caused by over-fishing and over-consumption of shark products and by wasteful practices such as finning and needless bycatch. We also aim to improve data-collection and research, to advocate protection for individual species under international agreements and conventions and to support Marine Reserves and other key areas where sharks are protected. Includes downloadable reports and news updates.

>> ReefQuest Centre For Shark Research - Founded in 2001, the ReefQuest Centre for Shark Research is dedicated to shark and ray conservation through its scientific research and public education programs. The Centre maintains research equipment and facilities, reference collections of fossil and extant elasmobranch specimens, a scientific library, elasmobranch data bases, and public education materials.

>> Ichthyology at the Florida Museum of Natural History - shark information, projects, programs, reference guides, links and lots of information.

>> SeaWorld/Busch Gardens - Sharks & Rays - Information about sharks.

>> Shark Tagging - listing of shark tagging projects.

>> Recommended Shark Sites (from ReefQuest) -

>> Bite-Back - Formed in 2002, Bite-Back continues to be the UK's only organisation dedicated to the protection of sharks by reducing consumer demand for its meat and fins. With the law of supply and demand at its cornerstone, Bite-Back works together with restaurants, fishmongers and retailers to remove shark products from menus and fish counters, effectively lowering the trade in this threatened species. Includes downloadable fact sheets (pdf).