Many shark species migrate great distances across our oceans, crossing various jurisdictional boundaries along the way. These sharks, like tunas and swordfish, call large swaths of the oceans home and their populations cannot be claimed or effectively managed by any one country. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the primary … Read more
Oceana, the largest international advocacy group working solely to protect the world’s oceans, released a new report today that finds less than 1% of the highly migratory sharks reported caught in the Atlantic Ocean are protected from overfishing by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), whose 22nd Regular Meeting is currently … Read more
Oceana, the largest international advocacy group working solely to protect the world’s oceans, is seeking protections for sharks and swordfish at the 22nd Regular Meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), which begins today in Istanbul, Turkey. Without immediate action, Oceana believes that international demand and illegal fishing threaten the … Read more
California Governor Jerry Brown signed a law making it illegal to sell, trade, possess, or distribute shark fins in California. With the governor’s signature, the law completes a West Coast ban. California joined the ranks of Washington State, Oregon and Hawaii, who have all passed similar bans. The coastwide ban on the shark fin trade … Read more
Today Governor Brown signed AB 376 into law, which makes it illegal to sell, trade, possess, or distribute shark fins within California. Oceana applauds Governor Brown for acknowledging the importance of the ocean’s top predator and for taking action which will halt California’s contribution to the global decline of shark species. Building on recent bans … Read more
Sacramento, CA – Today the California Senate acknowledged the importance of the ocean’s top predator, sharks, by voting to enact a ban on the sale, trade, possession, and distribution of shark fins in the state. Oceana applauds the Senate for taking action to halt California’s contribution to the global decline of shark species. Assemblymember Fong … Read more
Today Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber will sign a bill banning the sale, trade, and possession of shark fins within the state. The bill (HB 2838) passed the State House of Representatives and Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support. The bill’s passage moves the U.S. West Coast closer to a full ban on the trade of shark … Read more
Oceana, the largest international advocacy group working solely to protect the world’s oceans, called on the United States government today to ban the import of shark products, including fins, cartilage and meat, from countries with insufficient shark protections. Specifically, the group is urging the U.S. to use its power under the Shark Conservation Act of … Read more
Oceana and Discovery Channel are once again joining forces to help save sharks. The groups are planning Public Service Announcements (PSAs) and online efforts to raise awareness about plummeting shark populations around the 24th annual Shark Week, premiering on Discovery July 31st. Discovery Channel will air a PSA nightly during Shark Week that encourages viewers … Read more
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We have already protected nearly 4 million square miles of ocean and innumerable sea life - but there is still more to be done.