Divers are hitting the streets to help protect sharks!

Shark lovers from Bristol – including divers in their full scuba gear – will be outside Cabot Circus on Thursday 19th May, from 5:45 pm until 8pm, in a bid to change people’s perception about sharks and garner signatures for Project AWARE's "Give Sharks a Fighting Chance" petition campaign. Come and join them if you're in town!

Sharks have had a very bad press in recent years. They are seen as scary and dangerous animals. This is a Hollywood made image that makes it difficult to gain public opinion in favour of their conservation.

Yet, their decline has been reported to be 70-80% globally. 1 out of 5 shark species assessed by the IUCN are threatened with extinction.

The Cabot Circus Shark Rally, organised by Project AWARE Foundation – the PADI-backed international marine conservation charity – will go some way towards telling the true story and highlighting the risks of extinction many shark species are currently facing.

Why should people care? Because sharks are at the top of the food chain, so they keep the whole ocean eco-system in balance. If the trend continues and some shark species were to become extinct, it would have catastrophic consequences on our ocean planet.

“If you remove apex predators from an ecosystem the result is the same as removing the foundations from a building - total collapse” comments Mark Caney, PADI International Ltd Director and Project AWARE Foundation Trustee.

With support from divers and shark enthusiasts from around the world, Project AWARE has already collected over 62,000 petition signatures. The charity’s goal is to reach its 100,000 target by World Ocean Day, 8th June 2011.

Shark populations are devastated by overexploitation. The Give Shark a Fighting Chance petition signatures will help Project AWARE close loopholes in existing global shark management policies, and build toward full protection for Endangered and Critically Endangered sharks.

If you or your dive buddies are around in Bristol on May 19th, why not join PADI & Project Aware staff & other local divers and concerned citizens in giving Sharks a fighting chance? We’re not asking anyone for money, but the Sharks need their signatures!

For further information, please contact:
Jennifer Edmonds, +44(0)117 3007313 – jennifer.edmonds@projectaware.org.uk
Domino Albert, +44 (0)117 300 7313 - domino.albert@projectaware.org.uk