Sharks

Lots of people think that sharks are scary – they’re not. Most of them are scared of us. Sharks are cool, because –

• They’re ancient. They have been swimming in our oceans before dinosaurs roamed the earth.
• They have six senses, not just five like us. They can sense electricity and vibration. This helps them to navigate through our oceans.
• They are super-smellers.
• They breathe oxygen from the water using their gills
• They are cold blooded, though most fish lay eggs, many sharks have live babies.
• They live for a long time and they breed late in their life.

In New Zealand there are 112 types of sharks.

Shark rescue

Sharks are being hunted by humans because some people think that their fins make great soup. This is called sharks fin soup.

This type of soup is very popular in countries like China. Some people pay hundreds and hundreds of dollars for one bowl of sharks fin soup.

Because sharks are so big and their meat is not worth much, fishers will cut the fins from their bodies and then dump their bodies in the water. This is called finning.

Finning is illegal in many countries like Australia, USA, South Africa, Ecuador, Mexico and Brazil, and many countries in Europe. It is legal in New Zealand.

We think it should be made illegal here because it is endangering many of our shark species and it is a wasteful practise.

You can help!

• Make a pledge to support our ban on shark finning.
• Tell your friends how they can help save our sharks.
• Say no to shark fin soup and other shark products.