Australia's endangered and threatened sharks continue to be killed for their fins, including in our World Heritage Great Barrier Reef.
As life on earth heavily depends on the health and stability of our oceans, damaging the fabric of our ocean ecology by removing the top predators is a threat to us all.
Please make an urgent donation to protect the last 10% of our shark populations and our oceans in this time of dangerous climate change.
I know it is astounding, but sharks continue to be relentlessly hunted for their highly valuable fins and flesh at a rate that is pushing our oceans' top predator to the brink of extinction. In some areas of the Great Barrier Reef our World Heritage shark populations are at very dangerous levels, as low as 3%.
You can help stop this outrageous and unacceptable culling of our precious sharks by making a donation today. Unbelievably, our shark's fins are being served in restaurants all over Australia right now! We cannot allow this ancient predator to be eaten into extinction.
You and I rely on sharks to hold the underwater world in balance. Right now, by allowing shark populations to slide towards extinction we are disturbing the delicate balance in our oceans.
Problems for our seas and their wildlife quickly become problems for us. Our oceans are the climate control room for the planet. They absorb massive amounts of carbon dioxide and produce 50% of the world's oxygen. In other words, you and I owe one out of every two breaths to the ocean. The impacts of removing its top predator may leave us gasping for breath.
At a time when dangerous climate change is altering our oceans and already threatens our marine ecosystems, the human impact on our ancient ocean patroller is outrageous, with potentially severe consequences for us. I cannot let this happen on my watch and I'm sure you feel the same way. Together we must take action.
It is a disgrace to think that Australia participates in the shameful international trade in shark fin. Not only is this practice completely unsustainable, it is anything but humane. I know you will be as disturbed as I am when I tell you that Australian fisheries are allowed to slice the fins off sharks while they are still alive!
But we can save our shark populations. Together we are able to stop the incredibly inhumane and disgraceful practice of throwing live, butchered sharks overboard once their valuable fins had been hacked off. This is now banned in Australia. I believe we will succeed again. However I can't do it without your support.
Please make an urgent donation today to help protect our precious sharks and our oceans. There is little hope that shark populations will ever recover in Australian waters unless the export of shark fins is prohibited.
To make matters worse, tens of thousands of threatened and endangered sharks are killed as a result of long line fishing and by-catch. These long line killers are up to 100kms long with an astounding 10,000 hooks that don't discriminate between endangered or protected species.
Ending targeted fishing of sharks is achievable but we must act today. Please help by making a donation today to end shark fin exports and complete your letter to Minister Garrett. You and I must demand tougher regulations on Australia's fisheries and urge the government to protect our remaining 10% of sharks before they disappear.
Taking the pressure off sharks by ending shark fin exports from Australia will enable Australian shark populations to recover and ensure they continue their role in stabilising the marine ecosystem.
There is hope. With your help, myself and the AMCS team will not stop until Minister Garrett bans all shark product (fin and meat) exports from Australia and puts an end to targeted shark fishing in Australia, especially in our World Heritage Barrier Reef.
Unless people like you are committed to solving these problems with us, nothing will change. We only need a small number of people to care enough to make a difference. You and I are those people. I urgently call on you to act today, and help avoid an otherwise tragic outcome.
Public pressure resulted in a moratorium on whaling. Together, you and I can achieve the same results for sharks. But we need to act quickly.
I'd like to thank you in advance for any support, no matter how large or small, that you can give.
