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Shark Alliance Goes Global

For the last three years, the Shark Alliance, a coalition of shark conservation organisations of which Project AWARE is a steering group member, has successfully campaigned to improve the European Union's management of shark fisheries. 

Following the decision by the Pew Environment Group to increase investment in shark conservation on a global scale, the Shark Alliance Steering Group voted in July to expand its work.  The global coalition is now pursuing the following goals:

• Stronger shark finning policies
• A nation-wide US prohibition on the removal of shark fins at sea
• Safeguards and conservation guidance for sharks through CITES
• International shark fishing limits in accordance with scientific advice and the precautionary approach
• Improved domestic measures and international positions on sharks from key nations
• Stronger, more specific calls for shark conservation from the United Nations

Project AWARE has enthusiastically voted to support this move and remains a steering group member of the coalition under this broader purpose.  With offices in the United States, Australia, Europe and the United Kingdom, Project AWARE looks forward to contributing to the expansion of the Shark Alliance work and its successes.

The Community Plan of Action for Shark adopted earlier this year paves the way for greater protection of vulnerable shark species,  more precautionary and scientifically based limits on fishing and the opportunity to close loopholes in the European anti-finning ban. "Sharks have received poor press over the years, but with over 100 million sharks killed each year, we now have to move quickly to protect these magnificent, but vulnerable creatures - with the Shark Alliance going global we anticipate increasing further the number of partners in international shark conservation and welcome the opportunity to collaborate to achieve more successes for shark conservation", says Suzanne Pleydell, Director, Project AWARE Foundation. 

For more information about the Shark Alliance, please visit www.sharkalliance.org

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