Campaign Week Day #3 : Shark conservation.

Greetings everybody, 
It is Day 3 of campaign week, meaning only 2 more days of this series and we have a good one lined up for you tomorrow! But all in good time people. 
Today's post is on...

Save our sharks, save our seas.

All of us marvel at the elegance and beauty of the submerged underwater world, we often see it for its beauty through the colourful fish that inhabit it and marvel at how little we truly now of this aquatic kingdom. As we sit back and watch our television screens we look in awe at such images like the one below...

But did you know that you cannot have the above picture, without these?

Yes, sharks. But why we hear you say? Two simple words. Apex predator. Sharks were always guaranteed a seat at the head of the food chain, as very few things eat sharks other than... other sharks. It has been widely studied and there is evidence to support that apex predators such as the shark are crucial for the regulation of the food web structure and the ticking over of ecosystem processes. 

So lets take a look at the campaigns that will help our sharks!

Shark finning: 

Sadly, it does what it says on the tin, shark finning is the process of removing the sharks to pectoral fins and the dorsal fin whilst the shark is still alive, and then is  pushed back  of the boat and left to sink to the bottom of the ocean, left to either starve, drown or be eaten by other fish. 

Take a look at the video below, that goes into how important sharks are to the ecosystem they inhabit.

Caution: some  parts of this video shows a shark having its fin being cut off and maybe distressing for some people. 

Over 73 million sharks a year hare finned for the dish shark fin soup, many have described it to be a tasteless meat but is eaten anyway as it carries a stigma with it. Though it is not seen  a lot China is taking a stand against the shark fin soup. 

In a recent merger featuring some of the biggest names in conservation including the NGO shark savers, WildAid, National Geographic, Nat Geo Wild and WWF- Hong Kong, they launched the campaign...

With hollywood style broadcast messages, billboards, magazine ads and an online recruiting platform  created by Chinas most popular micro blogging platform, it was not surprising that they got the response they did. More than 100 celebrities joined in the first four weeks, 300,00 users pledged not to consume shark fin through an array of media from texting to photos and so on, it got to the point where they gained  2 million subscribers!! The support was amazing and maintained in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. 

WWF released a leaflet below on the gravity of shark finning: 

What is a Biobunch post without some awesome info graphics and of course only the best for our readers: 

On Biobunch we strive to leave each post we d to end on a good note  and why not with this inspiring story!

This angel is called Maddie Cranston, she is 11 years old and she already hold the titles activist, conservationist and ocean warrior and to top that of she is also an international ambassador for AfriOceans Conservation Alliance. Her path was set in stone when she was 6 years old and watching a movie called 'Oceans', she sat there and watched as she saw the harm and pollution that was inflicted upon our oceans. From this, determination was born, and so was her inner ocean warrior. 

"I may be little, but here's what I know: it is never too early or late to make positive change happen. Even the smallest effort is important. All you need to do is try, every day. Our oceans and planet are worth saving now and for future generations."

- Maddie, Cranston

Check her page out and keep in touch with her, here

This concludes our post today, we hope that you are inspired to stop shark finning and to stop the needless killing of sharks, if not for the sharks, then for every other living organism in our oceans. Have a look at the links below that will tell you how you can help out!. 

It is people and children like Maddie, Cranston that bring home the message what an individual can do! always remember that

because....

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot,
Nothing is going to get better. It's not.”
-Dr Seuss, The Lorax.

Thanks, Maddie and Lorax.

Biobunch, 

over and out.