For over a decade Saving Our Sharks has been a leader in shark research, conservation and education. Through wide ranging programs across the region we have saved thousands of sharks and gathered hundreds of allies that have made possible a change in the way people see sharks.
Our latest and most ambitious project is to work with shark fisherman to protect sharks in a massive effort that we have named the:
Isla Mujeres, an island northeast of Cancun is home to one of the biggest shark fishing community in the area. Every year an average of 18,000 sharks of 24 species are captured for the fishing industry. This practice has existed for more than 60 years and some of the people involved have been devoted to this activity for over 3 generations.
At the same time, in many places in the region, ecotourist diving activities are starting to grow, bringing along the message of conservation for many species including sharks. These activities have caught the eye of the fishermen who are now interested in changing their old ways and using their knowledge to achieve a sustainable living in harmony with the sharks.
Trading professions can be a challenging enterprise, especially for people that live day to day and with income directly from shark fishing. Therefore, Saving Our Sharks has created a strategy designed to open the opportunity for the fisherman to start their own conservation and ecotourism businesses and giving thousands of sharks the opportunity to stay alive.
Our plan is to create a community fund to compensate economically for what they would be earning by fishing sharks for a year and instead, invest their time and efforts in professional training for them to be able to start their own eco tourism and conservation operations.
In this first year of the initiative we anticipate an increase of the price of Shark fins and related products due to the lack of it being available, because the fisherman are not catching sharks. To offset this additional loss of income, we are planning in a non-monetary incentive plan that includes health and life insurances, school fees for relatives, food or building material coupons as well as other long-term commitments.
The fishermen will be responsible for the surveillance of the area as well as of the continuous monitoring of sharks. In collaboration with local environmental authorities and Saving Our Sharks, we are planning a complete involvement of the former fishermen in the scientific and eco-tourism activities. They are willing to share their knowledge and experience now in regards of conservation.
Saving Our Sharks Foundation is a 501(c)3 public charity in the USA Tax ID 87-0921468 donations are tax-deductible
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