As the hands of the clock approach midnight for Sharks, organizations working for their protection have joined forces and declared 2009 The International Year of the Shark.
The motion aims to raise global awareness of their imminent extinction and the oceanic crisis at hand.
Recent findings of the Global Shark Assessment indicate that at current rates of decline, extinction of the most threatened species of Shark is forecast in 10 to 15 years. In large regions, species that were once numerous have virtually disappeared, in a massacre comparable to that of the buffalo on the North American plains 200 years ago, but on a much larger scale. For example, studies of oceanic Sharks estimate 80 to 90% of heavily fished species are gone. Yet these intelligent animals are still fished intensively, and finned, usually while still alive, for shark fin soup.
As part of the International Year of the Shark, Beqa Adventure Divers and Shark Reef Marine Reserve have partnered with local and international organizations to offer you the Fiji Shark Conservation and Awareness Project.