Sharks always seem to be taking the rap as man-eating villains –- in the media, movies and books. So let’s get a little perspective. Your chances of being attacked by a shark are just one in 11.5 million, according to the University of Florida’s International Shark Attack File. On average, there are about 65 shark attacks worldwide each year; a handful are fatal. You are more likely to be killed by a dog, snake or in a car collision with a deer. You’re also 30 times more likely to be killed by lightning and three times more likely to drown at the beach than die from a shark attack, according...

Sharks and tourists just won a new favorite vacation spot. The Maldives today declared its 35,000 square miles of Indian Ocean waters to be a shark sanctuary – a move that may send a message to an international meeting next week where countries will consider worldwide trade restrictions for some shark species. In the Maldives – a top eco-tourist destination – fishing for the predators is now banned and so is the import and export of shark fins – a worldwide trade that kills up to 73 million sharks annually. Fins are sliced off sharks and used mostly as a soup ingredient. The sanctuary,...

The Shark-Free Marina Initiative has a singular purpose, to reduce worldwide shark mortality. We encourage shark conservation at sport fishing and resort marinas by prohibiting the landing of any shark at the participating marina. The SFMI works with marinas, fishermen and like minded non-profit groups to form community conscious policy and increase awareness of the need to protect our sharks, our ocean and our legacy. Over the last 5 years the recreational fishery in the United States has harvested an average of ½ a Million sharks per year, removing them from an already struggling breeding population. Shark...