July 14 marked Shark Awareness Day, an opportunity to recognize the important role sharks play in healthy ocean ecosystems and the collaborative efforts underway to reduce shark interactions in global tuna fisheries.
ISSF advances shark conservation through research, practical solutions to reduce shark bycatch and entanglement, guidance for fishers, and advocacy for stronger science-based fisheries management. This work helps address ecosystem impacts that are increasingly important to fisheries, seafood companies and broader sustainability initiatives while supporting continuous improvement across global tuna fisheries.
Featured Content
Q&A with Sonja Fordham
To mark Shark Awareness Day, ISSF spoke with Sonja Fordham, founder of Shark Advocates International and a member of ISSF’s Environmental Stakeholder Committee, about her perspective on the state of shark conservation.
In the Q&A, Sonja discusses why sharks are important to healthy ocean ecosystems, threats facing shark populations, encouraging advances in international fisheries management, promising innovations to reduce shark and ray bycatch, and the additional actions she believes tuna Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs) should take to strengthen shark conservation.
Featured Resource
Explore ISSF’s Shark Conservation Resources
ISSF’s shark conservation work spans research, practical tools, policy engagement and industry collaboration to help reduce shark bycatch, improve shark survival and advance science-based fisheries management.
Explore our shark conservation resources, including:
- Shark bycatch mitigation research
- Guidance for fishers on safe handling and release
- Information on non-entangling fish aggregating devices (FADs)
- Longline and purse seine skippers’ guidebooks
- Shark conservation recommendations for tuna RFMOs
Whether you’re looking for the latest science, practical guidance or policy resources, ISSF’s shark resource hub brings together the tools and information that support continued progress in shark conservation across global tuna fisheries.
Explore Shark Conservation Resources
ISSF in the News
Talking Tuna: “When science is followed, management works”
Marine Stewardship Council
ISSF HIGHLIGHTS HIGH COMPLIANCE WITH SCIENCE-BASED TUNA MEASURES
Fish Focus
