Oceana and Discovery Channel have teamed up again for Shark Week, marking the 3rd consecutive year of the partnership. This year Discovery is celebrating Shark Week’s 25th anniversary, which kicked off on August 12th.
As a Shark Week conservation partner, Oceana will raise awareness among viewers about the troubles facing sharks and engage them in policy campaigns that will save sharks.
On August 16, Discovery Channel will air Great White Highway, a show that follows the secret lives of great white sharks off the Pacific Coast to investigate many unknowns, like where they mate, give birth and spend their summers. Great White Highway is narrated by actor and Oceana board member Ted Danson.
Oceana and Discovery are urging viewers to help protect great white sharks off the Pacific Coast where there might only be a few hundred adult great white sharks remaining. Because sharks are slow to reproduce, they are equally slow to recover from threats like overfishing and bycatch, and these great whites need help.
Just last week Oceana submitted federal and state petitions to list the US West Coast population of great whites as endangered species and is asking the public to sign a letter of support here.
“Oceana’s partnership with Discovery allows us to engage millions of shark lovers each year around shark conservation and the need to protect these incredible animals,” said Oceana campaign director Beth Lowell. “Through this collaboration we’ve been able to educate viewers that sharks are more than just powerful, toothy animals with a bad reputation – sharks are critical to the ocean ecosystem and need stronger protections. With the support of this community Oceana has made real progress to save sharks, like helping to secure the 2010 Shark Conservation Act that banned shark finning in U.S. waters. With continued support, we’ll be able to ensure even more protections.”
“Discovery is proud to partner with Oceana for Shark Week for the third year in a row,” said Shark Week executive producer Brooke Runnette. “Shark Week has allowed Discovery to bring these amazing animals into the living rooms of millions of Americans for the past 25 years and once again our partnership with Oceana offers viewers a practical way to learn more about these misunderstood creatures and find out what they can do to help protect them.”
For more information about the partnership and the trouble facing sharks, visit Oceana.org or Discovery.com.
