Aktuelles bei SHARKPROJECT.

Today we celebrate Earth Day; an opportunity to consider the health of the world and our duty to protect it. The Earth Day Network mobilises millions of people worldwide to support environmental justice, conservation, and climate action.

As apex predators, sharks are essential to the health of our oceans. Their conservation is important because of their function in maintaining food webs, safeguarding coral reefs, and boosting biodiversity.

Shark populations are currently declining alarmingly worldwide. Every year, shark finning and targeted fisheries kill millions of animals, while habitat degradation and climate change exacerbate the situation. The end effect is fewer sharks, poorer ecosystems, and increased susceptibility for the planet’s blue carbon systems.

Shark conservation is an effective approach that strengthens ocean resilience and ensures the planet’s future, highlighting the interdependence of human wellbeing, biodiversity, and climatic stability.

This Earth Day, recognising that saving sharks is equated with protecting the Earth, serves as an important call to action for everyone.

#EarthDay #MarineConservation #OceanConservation #SharkScience #sharkproject ...

This Q&A with Hugues de Kerdrel, founder of the Mission William Project, explores the origins of the initiative, the challenges of whale shark conservation, and the vision behind this growing international effort. Read the post to learn more about how the project began and what it means for him to be named by the Explorers Club as one of the 50 Most Influential Guardians. Follow @overtheswell to stay up to date with Hugues projects🦈

#SharkConservation #OceanHealth #whalesharks #SilentSeas ProtectOurOceans ...

Imagine diving a thousand meters below the surface, where no sunlight has ever touched the water.
It`s pitch black, impossibly cold, and crushing with pressure. And yet something glows.
Scientists have discovered that several deep-sea shark species, including the kitefin shark, the blackbelly lanternshark, and the southern lanternshark, are bioluminescent. They produce their own blue-green light through a chemical reaction in specialized cells in their skin. No external source. No reflection. Just pure, self-made light in the darkest place on Earth.
But here`s what really blows my mind, we still don`t fully understand why. Some researchers believe they use it to camouflage themselves against the faint light filtering from above (a trick called counterillumination). Others think it plays a role in communication, helping sharks recognize their own species in the dark. Some even suggest it could be used to attract prey. The ocean is full of questions we haven`t figured out yet.

The deep ocean covers more than 95% of Earth`s living space, and we`ve explored less of it than we have the surface of the Moon. Creatures like these sharks are a reminder that nature`s most extraordinary secrets aren`t always found in far-off galaxies — sometimes they`re right here, quietly glowing in the dark, waiting to be discovered.

Stay curious. The world is so much stranger and more beautiful than we give it credit for. 🌊💙
#Bioluminescence #DeepSea #SharkScience #Sharkproject #MarineBiology ...