Issues Facing Sharks Sharks Aren't Monsters

Predator or Prey

  • Sharks kill fewer than 4 humans on average each year, while humans kill an estimated 100 million sharks annually. You're more likely to be killed by a lightning strike, bee sting, falling coconut or falling vending machine than a shark bite.
  • Media hype feeds our irrational fear of sharks. In 2008, only 4 people out of the 6.5 billion people worldwide died as the result of a shark bite. During that same year, 793 people died due to bicycle accidents and 49 died due to dog bites.
  • Sharks are perceived to be vicious killers, but humans are not on the sharks’ menu.
  • Of the more than 500 species of sharks in the world, only 10 species have been reported to have attacked a human being.
  • There are 6.65 billion people in the world and in the past two years, only sharks killed a handful of those people.

10 Ways You Can Save Sharks

Earn Your Wings

How Kids Can Help


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The Truth About Sharks

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Predator or Prey

Sharks kill fewer than 4 humans on average each year, while humans kill an estimated 100 million sharks annually.

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Evolved to Perfection

Sharks have been honed to perfection, having existed on this planet for over 400 million years.

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Why We Need Sharks

Sharks play a vital role at the top of the food chain by maintaining balance in the oceans.

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Looming Extinction

* An estimated 73 million sharks are killed each year (that works out to more than 10,000 sharks per hour).

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Shark Fin Soup

Shark fins are tasteless, and may contain high levels of toxic methyl-mercury.

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Laws Protecting Sharks

Only a small number of countries have banned finning - many more need to be encouraged to enact legislation.

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Shark Products

Many people assume that because they don’t eat shark fin soup – then they can’t possibly be contributing to the demise of the sharks and rays.