Sustainability
The Shark Trust
Safeguarding shark populations through positive change
The Shark Trust is the leading UK-based charity that works to safeguard the future of sharks through positive change. The Trust works from local to global level to push for effective management, enforced protection and responsible trade in shark products.
A science-based organisation, the Trust thrives on collaboration, bringing people together and finding pragmatic solutions to advance the worldwide conservation of sharks. The Shark Trust believes that everyone has a vital role to play, and it is the combined efforts of scientists, industry, decision makers and the public that is making the difference in protecting shark, skate and ray populations.
Sharks have evolved over millions of years to be highly successful top predators in our oceans. They are intelligent, highly sensory creatures that play an important role in our complex marine ecosystems. Many shark populations are now in critical decline through over exploitation by humans. To ensure we have a balanced marine ecosystems for generations to come we must ensure we manage their exploitation.
Sonardyne International is a marine instrumentation company and we are keen to support marine ecosystem conservation where we can provide financial, and where appropriate, technical support. We have a research centre in Plymouth UK, where the Shark Trust is based, and so have local connections. We are keen to see changes in international fishing legislation to control wasteful practices. In addition we have the ability to help with provision of research time on our trials vessels in Plymouth and potentially with technical programs with academia to help detect and track sharks. We hope that other companies in our industry will also help protect declining populations of sharks and rays and so promote the excellent conservation and legal work that is being done.
The trust’s activites include:
Policy
Working at national and international levels to secure policy and ensure implementation to safeguard sharks.
Stakeholder engagement
Working with the fishing industry and business to achieve change.
Public engagement
Providing inspiring education, targeted communication and accurate information on sharks, skates and rays.
Citizen science
Creating projects that inspire people to get involved and record data to support shark research and conservation.
The trust’s work is critically important and involves influencing national, European and international fishing regulations to minimise by-catch, ensure catch quota are sustainable and reduce waste. I encourage other companies in the maritime technology sector to also support shark and ray conservation.
Simon Partridge, Chairman, Covelya Group
Key aims
There are numerous potential threats to shark populations, the most significant of which is unmanaged, unsustainable fishing. Building on the key fisheries management and wildlife protection successes over the past 20 years, the Shark Trust is now gearing up to push harder and faster for effective management, enforced protection and responsible trade across the globe.
Their conservation strategy for the next 10 years is based on three pillars:
Fisheries Management
Achieve sustainable management of non-threatened sharks and any associated fisheries.
Responsible Trade and Consumption
Influence supply chains and reduce consumer demand for non-sustainable shark products
Wildlife Protection
Improve conservation of threatened shark species
These aims will be achieved through a mixed portfolio of campaigns and projects that combine science, policy work, stakeholder engagement and targeted communication to drive change. Sonardyne hopes to play it’s part by supporting the Shark Trust reach these targets.