Save Our Sharks!

The mission of "Save our Sharks" travel bug is encourage all of us to do our best to save sharks. Did you know, that ca 100 million sharks are killed each year for their fins. That's why sharks are really endangered creatures, and worth of saving!

Let's move this travel bug (with a small shark) around the world, and after visiting in all the continents I hope it could some day return to home; Espoo, Finland .

This travel bug consists of normal Groundspeak plate with tracking code, and carries a miniatyre shark attached to it.

Facts about sharks

• Sharks have been around for more than 400 million years. Fossil records indicate that ancestors of modern sharks swam the seas over 400 million years ago, making them older than dinosaurs! Throughout time sharks have changed very little.
• There are 375 shark species
• Sharks are intelligent and can be trained
• The largest shark, and also the largest fish in the ocean is the Whale Shark, which can
  grow to be 15 m long. The second biggest fish and shark is the Basking shark (ca 12 m). The Great White shark grows to ca 6 m. The smallest shark is a deepwater Dogfish shark. This species which is found in the Caribbean Sea is mature at under 20cm.
• Whale sharks are not aggressive. They eat zooplankton, small fish and squid.
• When a shark loses a tooth, a new one grows in its place
• Mako and Blue sharks are the fastest swimming sharks
• Sharks can take hours or even days to die after being finned
• Sharks are a critical part of marine ecosystems

• Shark finning refers to the removal of shark fins and the discarding of the rest of the shark.
• The shark is most often still alive when it is tossed back into the water. Unable to swim, and bleeding to death, the shark suffers a slow death.
• 95 per cent of the animal is wasted.
• Shark finning takes place at sea.
• Shark meat is considered low value and therefore not worth the cost of taking the bulky shark bodies to market.
•  Long lines are the most widespread method of fishing for sharks.
• Shark finning is largely unmanaged and unmonitored.
• Shark finning has increased over the past decade due to the increasing demand for shark fins (for shark fin soup and traditional cures) and improved fishing technology.
• Shark specialists estimate that more than 100 million sharks are killed for their fins annually.
• Shark finning threatens the stability of marine ecosystems.

More information? Want to see sharks?

• Do you know which are the most endagered sharks? Have a look at htis video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsBAneWVTTU
• Do you want to see a shark closer, with your own eyes, in real life? Start scuba diving! Some nice diving videos from the owner of this "Save Sharks!" travel bug can be found at the address: http://www.youtube.com/user/Dive2video