PHOTO VIA WIKIPEDIA, CC BY-SA
The picture
Sharks are apex predators that keep ocean food webs in balance, yet roughly a third of shark and ray species are threatened. They grow slowly and have few young, so populations recover slowly once overfished.
The science
Class Chondrichthyes (cartilaginous fish). Sharks predate the dinosaurs and even trees, having existed for around 450 million years.
In numbers
Worth repeating at dinner
Sharks are older than trees - around 450 million years old.
- National Geographic
Some sharks must keep swimming to breathe; others can rest on the seabed.
- NOAA
Removing top predators can unbalance entire reef ecosystems.
- IUCN
What they face
Demand for fins and slow reproduction drive steep declines.
IUCN
Sharks are caught unintentionally in fisheries targeting other species.
NOAA
What is already working
Nations are closing waters to commercial shark fishing.
Bans on the sale and trade of fins reduce demand.
Reasons for hope
Palau protected its entire exclusive economic zone from commercial shark fishing.
Meet them
Small actions that reach them
People doing the big work
Hopeling is also a pocket companion: one fact, one small act a day. Open the app