How to Protect Sharks: What Actually Works (and What Doesn’t)

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July is Shark Awareness Month and we just

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passed Shark Awareness Day.

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You may or may not have seen it, but you

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probably noticed there's a

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lot of hype around sharks

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in July.

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You know, we had Netflix has released two

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documentary style, game

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show competition style

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videos that came out.

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We had Sharkfest from Nat Geo.

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We have coming up

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Shark Week from Discovery.

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And some of these episodes and some of

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these movies and documentaries are great.

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And some of them are

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just absolutely ridiculous.

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And some of them are entertaining and

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educational at the same time.

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You decide which one it is.

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And if you want to put a comment to say

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which one you like best

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over the month, please do

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so.

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But the fact is, is that

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we need to protect sharks.

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Sharks are facing extinction for most

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species and we need your help.

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And it's really difficult once you see

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all this stuff to

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understand how to protect sharks.

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People are telling you, you need to sign

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up for this or donate

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to this or do this type

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of action or this is what we need to do.

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And some of it's outdated and

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false and some of it's right.

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But how do you sift through it?

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I hope this episode is going to help you

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understand what we need to do.

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It's going to be very basic.

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It's going to be very general.

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But I would love to see what you think of

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this episode after

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you listen to it or you

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watch it and give me your thoughts on

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what you have been doing to

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support shark conservation.

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We're going to talk about on this episode

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of the How to Protect the Ocean podcast.

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Let's start the show.

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Hey everybody, welcome back to another

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exciting episode of the How

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to Protect the Ocean podcast.

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I'm your host Andrew Lewin.

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And this is the podcast where you find

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out what's happening

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with the ocean, how you

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could speak up for the ocean or what you

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can do to live for a

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better ocean by taking action.

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Now in today's episode, I'm going to be

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sharing something

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that's a little different.

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It's a little bit of a storytelling

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method I've been playing with.

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And I want to really focus on shark

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conservation in this episode because

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something that we've

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been really focusing

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on this month is sharks.

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You know, I've done a couple of reviews

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that have really hit

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big in terms of getting a

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lot of engagement on YouTube and also

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from people on social

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media where I've posted clips.

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But I really want to discuss what shark

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conservation looks like today.

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So I'm going to do a little thing.

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It's going to be a little motivational

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speech or rant, but I put this together.

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I've written it together and I've tried

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to put this in a way

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that I hope that you enjoy

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and I hope that inspires you to do

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action, to really take

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action for sharks, for the

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protection of sharks, for increased shark

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research, and for

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increased shark exploration.

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We need to find more sharks, discover

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more sharks, understand

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the biodiversity and the

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importance of biodiversity of shark

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species, but also protect

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the sharks that we know and

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we love and we see each and every day on

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Shark Week, each and

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every day on Shark Fest

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or on a Netflix documentary or in a

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Netflix competition show.

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We need to understand and protect these

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and do more research.

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So here's just what I had cooked out.

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But before I show you this, I want you to

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understand that there

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are ways to take action.

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The best way is to join the undertow.

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It's a group that I've worked with two

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other wonderful women, my

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co-founders, who on this

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podcast app, we are building a community

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of wave makers and

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wave finders to be able

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to say, "Hey, you know what?

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This is how we protect the ocean.

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It's guided.

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It connects people to the ocean.

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We talk about the ocean.

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There's no algorithm.

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You're getting ocean news, ocean

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information and ways to

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protect the ocean each and every

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day.

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So if you go to speakupforblue.com

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forward slash join the

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undertow, you will be able

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to take part in that very

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shortly once we launch the app.

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We're testing it right now and I can't

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wait for you to be able to use it.

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All right.

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So here's the episode.

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Enjoy.

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Love to hear what you think.

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Here we go.

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Sharks have ruled the ocean for over 400

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million years, essential to

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healthy marine ecosystems.

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As apex predators, they balance food

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webs, influence fish

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populations and even help seagrass

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grow.

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But there are survivals in crisis, not

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just from overfishing,

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but from misinformation.

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Around the world, people claim to love

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sharks while promoting harmful practices.

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Tourism posts show them grabbing fins,

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swimming too close,

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baiting sharks for selfies.

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The real danger isn't just shark finning.

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It's the false sense that

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awareness equals action.

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Some influencers use sharks for clout

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while ignoring science

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and conservation ethics.

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Documentaries dramatize personal

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connections with sharks, but

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skip policy and local context.

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While over 100 million sharks die each

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year, many conservation campaigns profit

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off the fear or fantasy.

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The ocean is drowning in noise and sharks

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are running out of time.

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The real shark conservation starts with

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learning from science-backed sources.

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IUCN, Mote Marine Lab,

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Shark Trust, The Lost Shark Guy.

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It means sharing facts, not fear.

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Sharks are not monsters. They are

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misunderstood keystone species.

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You can combat myths on social media and

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call out staged awareness stunts.

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But advocacy matters.

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Support bans on shark finning,

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longlining, and

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unsustainable fishing practices.

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Push for marine protected areas with real

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enforcement, not just paper parks.

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Donate with purpose. Fund grassroot

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organizations, independent researchers,

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and local conservationists.

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Ask, does this group show results? Does

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it empower communities or

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just post-merch and hashtags?

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Choose ecosystem operators who respect

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sharks. No rioting, no

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harassment, no excessive baiting.

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If you're diving, follow a code of

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conduct guidelines and

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amplify ethical businesses.

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Want to help from home? Use sustainable

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seafood guides and say no to shark liver

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oil or cartilage products.

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The turning point is simple. Stop asking,

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is this viral and start

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asking, is this working?

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Conservation isn't sexy. It's long-term,

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policy-driven, and grounded in science.

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It happens in government meetings, data

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labs, coastal villages,

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not underwater TikToks.

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Sharks don't need influencers. They need

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enforced protections

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and thriving ecosystems.

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Don't get me wrong. Influencers can make

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great awareness if they

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follow the right rules.

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Real change comes when communities,

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scientists, and advocates collaborate,

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not compete for attention.

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If you want the right resolution, and if

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you want to help, host a shark talk at

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your school or library during Shark Week.

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Join a clean-up, support marine protected

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areas, and back

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policies that protect habitats.

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Educate yourself, then educate others,

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especially about how

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sharks help ecosystems thrive.

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Support youth, indigenous, and

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underrepresented leaders

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in marine conservation.

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Be an advocate, not a spectator. Because

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when you hype fads, sharks will still be

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out there facing extinction or recovery.

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It depends on whether we choose clicks or

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action, whether we listen to science or

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chase spectacle, whether we just said,

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we love sharks or actually help them

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survive. The ocean will remember which

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one we did, and so will

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our future generations.

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To protect the ocean and don't forget to

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sign up and join the undertow. Go to

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speakupforblue.com forward slash join the

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undertow. I want to thank you so much for

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listening to this episode of the how to

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protect the ocean podcast. I'm your host,

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Andrew Lewin from the true North strong

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and free. Have a great day. We'll talk to

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you next time and happy conservation.