Help me save the sharks. Shark finning is a real problem throughout the world and it’s becoming worse with more and more people becoming afraid of them for something they are not.
savesharkfins
Australia
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Fin Free Short Film from Maja Zonjic on Vimeo.
Fin Free supporter Maja Zonjic had a vision; to create a video about shark finning without any images of finning. The result? An inspiring short film celebrating the people who helped make six Ontario cities Fin Free.
The Fin Free film focuses on the positivity of the movement and the passion of the individuals supporting it, whilst raising awareness about the global issues facing sharks. Instead of focusing on bloody images of dead sharks, the film takes an alternative approach to the issue by focusing on the people who love sharks and have taken steps to protect them through personal projects, legislative action or campaign support.
Voiced by shark lovers of all ages, backgrounds, religions and races, the short film encourages other cities throughout the world to become Fin Free as well, to save our sharks, our oceans, and our planet.
Maja would like to thank producer and editor Roop Gill and score composer and audio editor Dave Ljubanovich for sharing her vision. Special thanks go out the the film’s stars - the Fin Free supporters from Brantford, Oakville, Mississauga, Toronto, Pickering, and London have banned the possession and sale of shark fins in their jurisdictions.
The Fin Free movement is spreading and it starts with all of us. Please share the film with your friends, family and teachers. Talk to people about finning and help CELEBRATE SHARKS everywhere! You can be a hero to a shark, today!
A grade 5 class at Thousand Islands Elementary School in Lansdowne, Ontario, Canada, has taken it upon themselves to speak out to save the sharks. During a Biodiversity unit studied in science the students watched the movie Shark Water. They were so devastated by what they learned, they wanted to do something about the needless killing of the ocean’s top predator in an effort to protect the ocean’s ecosystem before it is too late. They decided to write letters to persuade readers to save the sharks. This website gives these 10 year old students an opportunity to make a difference, because their voices will be heard by people all over the world.
Here is one of the letters … Read the rest of this entry »
Dear Sharkwater Team
I am writing to you on behalf of the proposed shark project called the “Semporna Shark Sanctuary”. This is a project based in Sabah, Malaysia, whereby more than 8000 square KM of the worlds most bio diverse marine habitats and also one of Asia’s last strongholds for sharks could, with your help, become South East Asia’s first and largest Shark Sanctuary!
The project has already been approved by the Local government and the Department of Fisheries and in early 2012 the proposal will be submitted to the Sabah State Government for approval. The proposal will be submitted by representatives of the Sabah NGO Borneo Conservancy and also the local Semporna Council.
Together with the submission of the proposal we hope to pass to the Sabah State government a petition with more than 10’000 names of marine enthusiasts around the world who are in favor of such a Shark Sanctuary.
This is where we need your help: We need you to please mention this proposal on either your Facebook site or your website as we need as many marine/shark enthusiasts as possible to put there name on this petition.
We basically need your help to spread the word and hopefully get the support we need to make this Shark Sanctuary succeed
If you can help in any way the Sharks in Sabah would be forever grateful!
Regards
Daniel
Target: United Nations
Sponsored by: Tim Jones
400 Million years of Evolution is being decimated for SOUP by the Chinese.
The Sharks are mostly caught illegally and dumped live back into the sea after their fins have been cut off.
This would never be allowed to happen to an animal on land but because it’s at sea and nobody can see it happening, nobody does anything about it!
Hieram Weintraub’s “Art with a Conscience”, 988 Queen Street West
Hieram Weintraub, an artist and children’s book illustrator, has brought the Shark Fin Soup controversy to TORONTO’s West QueenWest Art Village. “LV Whale Shark”, in the front window of Studio Lighting, is accompanied by some startling info on the wholesale slaughter of the ocean’s #1 predator.
- Shark Fin Soup can sell for $400 a bowl
- an estimated 100 million sharks are slaughtered annually
- shark fins have no flavour and no nutritional value
-”finning” is when fishermen hack off a shark’s fins and dump the still living animal back into the sea to drown
- removing the apex predator from the ocean’s ecological chain will have global consequences
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 1, 2011 – Muskoka, Ontario Canada
When 7-year-old Kassidy heard that over 100,000,000 sharks a year were being killed just for their fins, she jumped into action. For this 1st grade student from Barrie, asking her family and friends to sign the petition to save sharks simply wasn’t enough. In three short days she gave a presentation in every classroom at Algonquin Ridge Elementary in Barrie, collecting over 600 signatures to support shark fin ban legislation in Toronto.
Rob Stewart, the award-winning filmmaker behind SHARKWATER was blown away when he received her petitions. “Kassidy has done more to save sharks than most adults have. Kids have the power to change the future of our planet; we’ve seen it happen in Saipan, Guam and now it’s happening here in Ontario. We can all learn something important from her.
To thank her personally, Stewart invited Kassidy to the recent “Making Waves for Wildlife” fundraising event for the Muskoka Wildlife Centre where Stewart gave a keynote address about species and ecosystem conservation.
“I feel that this experience has profoundly affected Kassidy.” Said Kassidy’s mom, Suzanne, “I was so surprised to see her tongue tied - that is a very rare occasion.” Kassidy, who aspires to become a veterinarian, learned that even though she is young, she can make a difference.
And, Kassidy’s efforts continue to grow; the Muskoka Wildlife Centre has placed her petition at their facility and is collecting even more signatures. Stewart continues his mission to save sharks worldwide, hosting a fundraising event in his hometown of Toronto to help support the Fin Free Toronto campaign launched by his non-profit organization, United Conservationists on September 14th.
ABOUT ROB STEWART:
Rob Stewart is a wildlife photographer, filmmaker and passionate speaker who travels the globe to share his message of conservation. His groundbreaking film SHARKWATER has earned over 35 international awards and inspired a shark conservation movement that has helped change government policy worldwide. For more information visit www.sharkwater.com
ABOUT UNITED CONSERVATIONISTS: United Conservationists (UC) is a revolutionary not-for-profit organization that uses cutting edge media to engage and inspire grassroots movements towards conservation, like we did with the movie SHARKWATER. Through media, we are building awareness and creating a community of advocacy. Most importantly, we are inspiring hard-hitting, unified environmental activism all over the world to create real, lasting, scalable change. For more information please visit www.unitedconservationists.org
For Media Inquiries please contact:
Jennifer Zabawa
jen@unitedconservationists.org
416-897-0457
Hi Rob,
My name is Kari, I live in Alberta Canada, and am a loud, proud animal lover. I just watched Sharkwater - wow.
I have to be honest, sharks are one of my biggest fears… Their eyes, their movements, and obviously their teeth.. everything about them sends shivers all over me. I went to an aquarium and when I saw the sharks swim by the glass it took my breath away and I took a step back. I fear them - but I respect them and love them as part of our ecosystem. I deeply wish I could understand them more and maybe move past my feelings for them one day. Your movie Sharkwater had me bawling on the couch, the image of the finless shark descending helpless into the deep will be on my mind for a long time. It’s disgusting, and I hate those people for that.
Thank you so much for making such a moving, truthful film. More people need to watch Sharkwater and not so much Jaws. I switched from an engineering degree to a degree in biology/international community development because more movements need to be made to develop, preserve, and save the world we live in. So thanks for being an inspiration 
You’re wonderful.
Best of luck on all your travels, keep fighting!
Yours truly,
-Kari R
August 5, 2011
We are United Conservationists from Built By Wildman on Vimeo.
United Conservationists is a different kind of conservation group. We believe in you, in humanity, and the fact that we are all inherently good deep down inside. In fact, we’ve already proven it …. Rob Stewart introduces United Conservationists.