Source: Dive News Wire
The PADI AWARE Foundation™ is working with PADI® Dive Centers, Resorts and Professionals in Brazil and South Africa to encourage the public to rally their respective governments in support of mako shark fishing bans in the Atlantic Ocean.
“Mako sharks are particularly vulnerable to overfishing, especially in the North Atlantic, where we have seen populations decline severely. It is currently estimated that the shark population will take 50 years to fully recover if fishing bans were implemented today,” says Ian Campbell, Associate Director, Policy and Campaigns of PADI AWARE Foundation. “By working directly with PADI Members to raise awareness of the issue with the diving community, we aim to enlist governmental support of mako shark protections in the Atlantic.”
The PADI AWARE Foundation, collaborating with the Shark League NGO coalition, launched the mako shark campaign in February 2021. In addition to the global #Divers4Makos petition that has earned nearly 30,000 signatures to date, the campaign focuses on two key countries—Brazil and South Africa— whose governments have yet to publicly support the ban. The campaign provides PADI Dive Centers, Resorts and Professionals in the regions with the PADI AWARE Shark Conservation course so they can directly educate divers and members of the public on the importance of mako sharks for the ocean.