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Sharkproject is one of the largest international shark protection
organisations. With over 100,000 visitors a month, the Website
www.sharkproject.org is the most frequently visited shark
website in the world.
Over 2,000 members from around the world support the organisation,
including large international companies such as Lufthansa,
Sony, Fuji and Lapp AG. Our own posters, TV and radio adverts
inform the public at large about the current desperate situation
of sharks.
A lot of organizations and initiatives revolve around shark
protection and conservation. (see: recommended links). Points
of emphasis are raising awareness, spreading information
and education concerning the importance of sharks and the
human threat by overfishing. However, only a few of these
initiatives offer real help, and too often, internal costs
exceed the benefits and hence the work is of rather theoretical
meaning. That is where SHARKPROJECT comes into play. SHARKPROJECT
is a non-for-profit organization where every member dedicates
time and his own money to the cause and for the sole benefit
of sharks.
SHARKPROJECT stands for better understanding of sharks, with
special emphasis on protection, conservation and research
of these misunderstood creatures.
Scientific projects mainly focus on the way too long neglected
interaction between men and sharks, the core element of devastation
and misunderstanding since the raise of JAWS.
SHARKPROJECT organizes seminars, lectures, public talks
and cooperates with the media to reach the general public
on a broad base. Online-news, chat lists, and productions
of independent shark documentaries enhance the outreach of
SHARKPROJECT.
SHARKPROJECT units divers, scientists, and every interested
party to be an instrument for the cause of sharks.
Sharkproject is a totally unsalaried organisation. This
means that Sharkproject can guarantee a direct donation use
of almost 97%. Research into sharks and shark protection
projects receive the greatest support. All our projects are
controlled by Sharkproject itself as umbrella organisation.
SHARKPROJECT (registered association) is recognized as a
non-profit organisation and all donors and/or project godfathers
receive a tax-deductible donation receipt. We secure a purposeful
use of the donation funds. High cost blocks like rent or
telephone are covered by self-donations of the founders and
team-board. The entire team works without fee and only minimal
expense allowances are passed to the local project managers
work. Everything for the sharks - is our slogan.
Main objective of the organisation is the protection of sharks
for ecological reasons
Annually, between 100 and 200 million sharks are killed
around the world; a depletion of the marine eco-system that
the sharks are defenceless against. Late maturity, long pregnancy
times and sparce offspring, make sharks an easy victim of
over-fishing or targeted shark hunting.
The threatened extinction of many shark species is no longer
fiction but grim reality. As sharks have been at the top
of the ocean’s feeding chain for 450 million years,
their disappearance will inevitably lead to an ecological
disaster in the seas. A study carried out by Dalhousie University
in Halifax shows a dramatic decrease in the number of different
shark varieties in the North Atlantic.
Government agencies and protection legislation react too
slowly – and this is why the general public must act.
But the general public is not reacting.
The general public is not reacting to the need for protection
because the general public is afraid of sharks. This fear
gets in the way of the necessary protection of these animals. “Who
would want to protect something they fear?” This
human attitude is the main obstacle to the formation of
an effective lobby group for sharks.
(Bertrand Russel)
However, the reverse is also true:
This latter, basic concept is the driving force behind Sharkproject.
All our projects are aimed at “decriminalising” the
shark by gathering information and disseminating this among
the general public.
For this purpose Sharkproject has published a number of
books, one on the body language of sharks, another that explains
the background to notorious shark attacks. The latest in
this series of books also deals with the Great White Shark
but contains personal stories about this fascinating predator,
which shows the animal in a totally different non-threatening
light.
Additional publications such as the Shark News, films, lectures
and many interviews on television and in the press assist
in spreading interesting and objective information about
sharks to the general public and the fact that they, whilst
being powerful predators, are not the bloodthirsty monsters
of ”Jaws-Fame”. Instead they are intelligent
animals, ecologically extremely important, that need to be
protected to prevent extinction.
Most of Sharkproject’s “decriminalisation projects” are
concerned with the Great White Shark, because the general
public still believes this creature to be the typical representative
of this “fearsome, sharp-toothed, man-eating” species!
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Fight
for sharks!