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December 30, 2025
Thanks For Responding to our Call to Save the ESA
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| Our coalition has submitted nearly 300,000 signatures to the US Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service, and 10% of those were Shark Stewards! The Trump Administration is proposing to dismantle protections under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Thank you for your signatures to our petition and providing comments we submitted. Since 1973, this important law has been 99% effective in protecting endangered species listed under the ESA. There is a cascade of proposals to undermine 50 years of marine protection in the USA and our voice for sharks is needed more than ever. Our mission is to save endangered sharks and rays from extinction, like the oceanic whitetip, the scalloped hammerhead and the soupfin shark. Follow our Voices of Extinction Campaign and help us defend the ESA, the Marine Mammal Protection Act and our National Marine Sanctuaries in the Congress in 2026. Hammerheads and other endangered sharks and rays need your help, and these laws protect them. |
In California, white sharks have been in the news with several incidents in December, including the tragic fatality of ocean swimmer Erica Fox in Monterey last week. While we at Shark Stewards regret any harm to humans from sharks, sharks have a critical role in ecosystem balance and health.
White sharks are protected in the USA and although the population is recovering, the species is still threatened. As apex predators, white sharks control middle predators like seals and sea lions. Thanks to protection under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the sea lion population has increased, almost beyond the marine ecoystemʻs ability to sustain them. An ecosystem management approach is needed to supplement species protection, such as large marine protected areas.
News accounts of white shark encounters tend to override the fact that 1/3 of shark species are threatened with extinction. A new study reveals that white sharks in the Mediterranean are critically endangered and may soon go extinct. As surfers, ocean swimmers and divers we believe we can coexist with sharks. We accept the risk, while enjoying the wildness and ocean health that sharks represent. Click the button below, and read the article on the Red Triangle Myth and tips on preventing a dangerous shark encounter.
Voices of Extinction Volunteer of the Year, giving voice to endangered sharks and rays
For almost 20 years Shark stewards has endeavored to save sharks from the shark fin trade and overfishing with huge legislative and regulatory success. This year government funding was abruptly lost, cutting support that helped fuel our science, advocacy, and education work. To respond to cuts in the Endangered Species Act, The Marine Mammal protection Act and the Sanctuaries Act, we created a youth campaign: The Voices of Extinction.
We work to inspire youth to protect ocean health and save sharks. Like our Volunteer of the Year, Ren Hampton, we engage the power of youth and passion, developing hope for the future.
This year we engaged over 2000 kids in Hawai’i and California in education and events, and published a new plastic branding report on our cleanups. We are 60% toward our goal of $10,000 to defend the ESA and other laws in 2026. Thanks to support from the Ignite Foundation we are developing the voices of youth to speak for wildlife and Save Endangered Sharks.
Silence is not an option. Help amplify the voices of kids for the sharks who cannot speak for themselves.
Time is short. Please act now and add your voice for the sharks and othere endangered marine wildlife.
Save the Sharks,
David McGuire
Director, Shark Stewards
With your support, we keep sharks swimming and the ocean healthy. Shark Stewards is 4-star rated by Charity Navigator, Platinum-ranked by Candid and a top rated charity by Charity Watch., We are a member of 1% for the Planet, a proud project of the Earth Island Institute, a federally registered 501(c)3 non profit.
Will you help us save sharks with your donation? 91% of all your donation dollars go to program.
Copyright © | 2025 | SHARK STEWARDS | All rights reservedOur mailing address is:
Shark Stewards, PO Box 617, Sausalito, CA 94966
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