It’s hard to believe that 18 months has passed since historic decisions were made for sharks and rays. Together with you and our partners, we had campaigned for this moment.
On 15th March 2013, we were thrilled and relieved when an unprecedented number of commercially valuable shark and ray species won protections from international trade under CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) – the largest, most effective wildlife conservation agreement in existence.
We’re now celebrating these victories all over again, as September is the time when these international trade protections officially go into effect. Today we also celebrate you - the ocean advocate! We’re grateful for your involvement and the support that helped bring about last year’s decision to list oceanic whitetip sharks, porbeagles, three species of hammerheads, and two species of manta rays under CITES Appendix II, not to mention the uplisting of “freshwater sawfish” to Appendix I. We couldn’t have done it without you!
Check out the Project AWARE Flickr photo album featuring hundreds of diver advocates around the world who helped make it happen. Stay tuned for a whole new opportunity to rally together for global shark protections next month.
