SHARKS
SHARKS
ABOUT SHARKS
Sharks and rays actually almost same. They are both Cartilaginous Fish (Elasmobranchii). Of the approximately 1,250 species of sharks and rays in the world, 218 are found in Indonesia.
These top-level predators of the marine food chain play a major role in determining the balance of the food web below them. If they become extinct, small fish populations can increase uncontrollably. This would also lead to the disappearance of microorganisms that feed on small fish, as they are less abundant than their predators.
THE THREATS
Sharks and rays share the same fin composition. This makes them a target for hunting to meet market needs. The ray fin itself has a price of Rp.1,500,000/kg, so fishermen are eager to hunt ray fins. Until now, rays have a critical status according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
WHAT WE DO?
WWF created a campaign named Save Our Sharks or SOSharks for short. The campaign's mission is to reduce and stop the trade and consumption of sharks and rays. SOSharks seeks to increase public commitment to this issue by becoming part of Shark Buddies.
We have also created Sharkulator. A calculator app to calculate the number of sharks and rays that can be saved when people choose not to consume sharks. The use of Sharkulator is expected to reduce shark consumption especially in big cities such as Jakarta, Surabaya, Denpasar, Medan, and Makassar.
