Show Your Love for Sharks This Valentine's Day
Artwork made in photoshop by @seventh.voyage
Corals are red, oceans are blue, the planet needs sharks, and sharks need you!
Valentine’s Day is about honoring the one you love, but let’s be honest. Our real true love is sharks! Read on for three reasons we love sharks this Valentine’s Day...and every day.
Sharks keep our blue planet healthy.
Every single person around the globe should respect and appreciate sharks because the Earth needs them. The ocean is our planet's life support system, supplying half its oxygen, and sharks play an integral role in keeping it healthy.
Dubbed as the white blood cells of the ocean, sharks take out the slowest, weakest, and sickest individuals. This keeps the ocean clean, prevents the spread of disease, and keeps populations vibrant and healthy. The presence of sharks often dictates the behavior of other species, making them the major driving force behind natural selection in the ocean realm. Sharks and rays have evolved into roughly 500 different species, each of them adapted and specialized to function in a particular niche and layer of the ocean world.
Sharks are the reason we scuba dive.
Well, maybe not the only reason… but a big part of it! It’s easy to fill up a bucket list with sharky dive destinations, like Guadalupe Island or Tiger Beach. Although many species tend to be elusive, there’s nothing more exciting than catching a glimpse of them underwater. Any diver will agree that the thrill of a shark encounter is unmatched!
Photo by Laurel Irvine
Sharks support livelihoods globally.
Sustainable fisherman, dive guides, tour operators… sharks are responsible for keeping entire economies afloat in some regions of the world. There are destinations that are popular for the sole reason that they’re surrounded by pristine reefs or sharks. That means that hotels, local restaurants, and tour operators all benefit from having sharks in the surrounding waters. The shark diving industry alone generates $314 million per year and directly supports 10,000 jobs. If protected, sharks represent a renewable resource that can fuel the economy for years to come.
Photo by Stefanie Brendl
Love them or hate them, the ocean needs sharks, and we need the ocean. This Valentine’s Day, show your love for the sea by donating to Shark Allies or shopping at the Shark Cafe. 100% of proceeds directly fund conservation efforts, like creating Marine Protected Areas and advocating for shark-free products.
