In just a few weeks the fate of vulnerable shark and ray species including the beloved Manta Ray and Hammerhead Shark will be decided by CITES authorities. The 16th meeting of  the Conference of the Parties (CITES CoP16) to be held in Bangkok, Thailand from 3 to 14 March 2013 offers an unique opportunity to secure trade protection for the most vulnerable species. We can’t let these magnificent creatures disappear on our watch. CITES delegates need to hear loud and clear that we want them to vote YES for sharks and rays. Extinction is NOT an Option. Take Action!

3 Easy Ways to Voice Your Support for Shark Conservation at CITES 2013:

1. Sign the Petition – Join more than 120,000 concerned citizens who are urging decision makers to protect sharks. Sign the petition and ask your friends, family and colleagues to do the same.
2. Send a Letter to CITES Leaders – All you need to do is fill in the form and hit the send button. The letter asking CITES delegates to vote YES for sharks and rays will go direct to those who could make all the difference in just one click.
3. Spread the word that Extinction is NOT an Option:
   - Download the sign and contribute a photo to Project AWARE‘s CITES 2013 photo album
   - Add the #CITES4SHARKS  Twibbon to your Facebook or Twitter profile picture.

Whether you like sharks or not, saving them from becoming extinct is vital. The loss of sharks threatens the stability of the marine environment, and also threatens the socio-economically important recreational fisheries.

Sharks have been waiting a long time to get the protection that many terrestrial animals have received from CITES.  They can’t wait any longer. Populations of several shark species have been decimated by over 95% and experts estimate that most of them will be lost within a decade if we don’t take urgent conservation measures to protect them from over-exploitation, including targeted fishing, bycatch and finning.

With your petition signatures in their hands, the Project AWARE team who has been campaign for better shark protection for years is ready to represent your voice and demand that sharks and rays receive trade protections they desperately need but they need your support. The time to protect sharks and rays is NOW!

Related articles

• Guest post by Sonja Fordham: The ten best and worst events in shark fisheries management of 2012 (southernfriedscience.com)
• Fishing drives loss of shark and ray in the Adriatic (worldfishing.net)
• U.S. backs adding teeth to global shark protection (rawstory.com)