Shark Attack Survivors Press U.N. To 'Save the Sharks'

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NEW YORK, Sept. 13 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Shark attack survivors hailing from five countries are pushing the United Nations to adopt measures to protect sharks. The survivors-turned- advocates, brought together by the Pew Environment Group, are calling for countries to end the fishing of sharks threatened or near-threatened with extinction, stop the practice of finning and better manage fisheries to ensure long-term sustainability.

Commercial fisheries target sharks throughout the world, mostly for their fins and meat, but also for their cartilage, liver and skin. Up to 73 million of the fish are killed annually to support the fin trade alone, driven by demand for shark fin soup. Thirty percent of shark species are now threatened or near-threatened with extinction, and scientists lack enough data to properly assess the population status of an additional 47 percent.

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Shark Attack Survivors Press U.N. To 'Save the Sharks'

"Do we have the right to drive any animal to the brink of extinction before any action is taken?" said Paul de Gelder, a diver for the Australian Navy. De Ge...

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