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This nonprofit organization, founded by Luke Tipple, aims to reduce shark mortality worldwide by asking marinas to stop allowing fishermen to display and butcher sharks on-site.
"I see the diving community as being a really powerful influence," Tipple says. "They're community-conscious and ocean-conscious, and they have a lot of power with these marinas."
Learn the four ways that you can make a difference today.
1. GO ONLINE
"The best way that the scuba community can help us out," Tipple says, "is to use any type of digital media they have — such as Facebook or blogs or community chat boards to talk about Shark Free Marinas as a good thing for scuba divers to get behind."
Keep the conversation alive by informing people that sharks an endangered and sharing with them the ways that they can help. If you can, link to Shark-Free Marinas.
2. TALK TO DIVE CENTER OWNERS
He also says, "The second best thing the scuba community can do is talk to the dive operators and marina owners and say, 'Hey, we need to support shark-free marinas' even if it's just a tiny dock where there are only two boats tied up, it should still have a shark-free marina initiative."
3. INVITE MARINAS TO REGISTER WITH SHARK FREE MARINAS
If you're willing to take the next step, print the Invitation to Register to make it that much easier for marinas to join the fight. Then follow up until the marinas post shark-free signs.
4. SEND PHOTOS
Tipple is building a database of shark information and photos to help fisherman identify various species (to differentiate between threatened species and those that are less threatened). He's also hoping to add a library of videos, including educating people on how to safely catch and release a shark.
Tipple's goal? "What we're talking about is changing what's acceptable," he says. "Every time a sign like that is seen by a waterway, it's reinforcing that it's not OK to take these threatened animals out of the water anymore."
Look for the profile of Tipple in the October issue of Sport Diver magazine.
To learn more about Shark-Free Marinas, please visit sharkfreemarinas.com.
