Save The Sharks — Education Hub
Everything You Need
to Know About Sharks
Facts, species, threats, myths debunked — and how you can help protect the apex predators our oceans cannot survive without.
Top 10
Essential Shark Facts
100 million sharks are killed by humans every year
An estimated 100 million sharks are killed annually through commercial fishing, finning, bycatch, and targeted hunts. That is roughly 11,000 sharks every single hour — a rate their populations cannot sustain given their slow reproductive cycles.
Sharks are older than trees
Sharks have roamed the oceans for over 450 million years — predating trees (360M years), dinosaurs (230M years), and the breakup of the supercontinent Pangaea. They survived all five mass extinctions in Earth's history. Human activity is the first thing that has genuinely threatened them.
Remove sharks and ocean ecosystems collapse
As apex predators, sharks regulate the populations of every species below them in the food chain. Without them, prey populations explode, seagrass and coral reefs are destroyed, and the cascading losses ripple through every species — including humans who depend on the sea for food.
Up to 73 million sharks are killed for their fins alone each year
Shark fins can sell for over $300 per pound dried. Fishermen slice the fins off — often while the shark is still alive — and discard the body at sea. The shark, unable to swim, sinks and drowns. The fin trade is the single largest driver of shark population decline worldwide.
More than half of all shark species are now threatened
The IUCN Red List classifies over 50% of shark species as Vulnerable, Endangered, or Critically Endangered. The Great Hammerhead and Oceanic Whitetip — once among the most common large sharks on earth — have declined by more than 80% in recent decades.
Sharks reproduce too slowly to recover from overfishing
Most sharks take 7–15 years to reach sexual maturity and produce only a few pups at a time. The spiny dogfish carries pups for up to 24 months — longer than an elephant pregnancy. This makes overfished populations near-impossible to recover on any human timescale.
Shark fin soup has no nutritional benefit — and contains toxins
Shark fins are tasteless cartilage. The flavor in shark fin soup comes entirely from the broth. Studies have found fins contain high levels of mercury and BMAA, a neurotoxin linked to Alzheimer's and ALS. The product destroying shark populations offers nothing that safer ingredients can't provide.
Shark fin bans are growing — but illegal trade continues
Over a dozen U.S. states have banned the sale and trade of shark fins, including California, New York, and Florida. Despite these gains, fins continue to be sold illegally at restaurants across the country. Reporting these entities is one of the most direct actions citizens can take.
Humans are not on the shark's menu
Fewer than 10 people die from shark attacks globally per year. By contrast, humans kill 100 million sharks annually. Sharks do not target humans — most bites are investigative, and sharks typically release humans immediately. We are simply not their prey.
Citizen action has already forced real change
Consumer pressure has led major hotel chains, airlines, and retailers to drop shark products from their menus and supply chains. Every report filed, every social share, every conversation with a restaurant owner is a measurable act of conservation. You have more power than you think.
Field Guide
Shark Species at Risk
Great Hammerhead
Sphyrna mokarran
Critically Endangered- Can reach 20 feet and 1,000 lbs
- Population declined 80%+ in 25 years
- Highly valued in the fin trade
- Hunted in nearly every ocean
Oceanic Whitetip
Carcharhinus longimanus
Critically Endangered- Once among the most abundant sharks
- Declined over 98% in Gulf of Mexico
- Long fins make it a prime fin trade target
- CITES Appendix II listed since 2013
Scalloped Hammerhead
Sphyrna lewini
Endangered- Forms large migratory schools
- Declined 95% in Northwest Atlantic
- Fins highly prized in Asian markets
- Listed on CITES Appendix II
Shortfin Mako
Isurus oxyrinchus
Endangered- Fastest shark — up to 45 mph
- Takes 18 years to reach maturity
- Targeted for fins, meat, and sport
- North Atlantic population near collapse
Bull Shark
Carcharhinus leucas
Vulnerable- Thrives in fresh and salt water
- Critical to river and estuary health
- Heavily fished for fins and meat
- Key indicator species for coastal health
Whale Shark
Rhincodon typus
Endangered- Largest fish on Earth — up to 40 feet
- Filter feeder — eats only plankton
- Killed for meat and fins in some regions
- Worth far more alive for ecotourism
Great White Shark
Carcharodon carcharias
Vulnerable- Estimated fewer than 3,500 remaining
- Takes 26 years to reach sexual maturity
- Jaws and fins illegally traded
- Critical for marine mammal population control
Blue Shark
Prionace glauca
Near Threatened- Most heavily fished shark in the world
- 20 million caught annually as bycatch
- Fins used widely as filler in soup
- Relatively resilient — but numbers falling
CR = Critically Endangered · EN = Endangered · VU = Vulnerable · NT = Near Threatened · LC = Least Concern. Source: IUCN Red List.
The Crisis
What Is Killing Sharks
Shark Finning
Up to 73 million sharks are killed annually for their fins. Fins are sliced off — often while the shark is alive — and the body is discarded. Driven by demand for shark fin soup, this practice pushes species to extinction for a product that is essentially tasteless cartilage.
Bycatch
Tens of millions of sharks are killed each year as unintended bycatch in nets and longlines targeting tuna, swordfish, and other commercial species. Many are thrown back dead. Bycatch is one of the leading causes of shark population decline and is largely unregulated globally.
Targeted Fishing
Sharks are directly targeted for their meat, liver oil (used in cosmetics and supplements labeled as "squalene"), cartilage (sold as a cancer remedy with no scientific basis), skin, and teeth. Global demand for these products is often hidden behind misleading labeling.
Habitat Destruction
Sharks depend on healthy nursery habitats — mangroves, seagrass beds, shallow coastal reefs — to raise their young. Coastal development, pollution, and climate-driven coral bleaching are destroying these nursery grounds faster than sharks can adapt, pushing already stressed populations further into decline.
Climate Change
Rising ocean temperatures are shifting shark ranges, disrupting migration patterns, and altering prey availability. Ocean acidification degrades the coral reefs and seagrass beds that form the foundation of the ecosystems sharks depend on. Climate change compounds every other threat sharks face.
Countries With No Protection
Fewer than 30 countries have meaningful shark protection laws. In over 140 nations, sharks can be caught, finned, and sold with no restriction or oversight. International waters — where many migratory species spend most of their lives — remain almost entirely unprotected.
Setting the Record Straight
Myths vs. Reality
✗ Myth
Sharks are mindless killing machines that hunt humans
Movies like Jaws created a cultural image of sharks as relentless human predators. This myth has fueled decades of culling programs and public indifference to shark conservation.
✓ Reality
Fewer than 10 people die from shark bites globally each year
Humans are not shark prey. Most bites are investigative — the shark releases immediately. You are more likely to be killed by a vending machine, a cow, or a lightning strike than a shark.
✗ Myth
There are so many sharks — they don't need protection
Because sharks are rarely seen and live in the ocean, many people assume their populations are vast and healthy. Out of sight, out of mind.
✓ Reality
Over 50% of shark species are now threatened with extinction
Some species like the Oceanic Whitetip have declined by over 98%. Many shark populations have collapsed within a single human generation — faster than almost any other group of large animals.
✗ Myth
Shark fin soup is a nutritious traditional delicacy
Shark fin soup is often defended as a cultural tradition with health benefits, particularly in parts of Asia where it is served at weddings and business dinners as a status symbol.
✓ Reality
Fins are tasteless cartilage containing mercury and neurotoxins
The flavor comes entirely from the broth. Studies have found fins contain BMAA, linked to Alzheimer's and ALS, as well as high mercury levels. The "tradition" is recent — driven by 20th century prosperity, not centuries of culture.
✗ Myth
Sharks don't matter to the average person
Most people see sharks as irrelevant to their daily lives — a distant ocean creature with no bearing on human food, economy, or climate.
✓ Reality
Sharks underpin the food security of over 3 billion people
By maintaining ocean food webs, sharks protect the fish stocks that billions of people depend on for protein. Their decline threatens global fisheries, coral reef tourism, coastal protection, and climate regulation that affects every person on earth.
✗ Myth
Shark populations can recover quickly if we stop fishing them
People assume that like other fish, shark populations will bounce back within a few years if given a chance to recover.
✓ Reality
Recovery takes decades — and some species may never recover
Sharks take 7–26 years to mature and produce very few offspring. A collapsed shark population cannot recover at fishing speed. Some species that were abundant 50 years ago may already be functionally extinct in certain regions.
Get Involved
How You Can Help
Report an Entity
Know a restaurant or business selling shark fin soup or shark products? Report them directly through our system. Every report is investigated.
Report now →Volunteer
Join our global network of advocates. From street-level outreach to social media campaigns, there is a role for every skill set.
Get involved →Donate
Fund investigations, legal advocacy, education campaigns, and the infrastructure to track and respond to shark product sales worldwide.
Donate →Log a Sighting
Spotted a shark in the wild? Your sighting contributes to real scientific data that informs conservation decisions globally.
Log sighting →Write About Sharks
Use your voice. Write letters to legislators, op-eds, or social posts. Words change minds and minds change votes.
Learn how →Dive With Sharks
Experience sharks in their natural habitat. Ecotourism is one of the most powerful economic arguments for shark protection.
Find dives →