The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) has finally passed a historic regulation to increase rules and limits for trading 54 more species of sharks.

Source: TODAY/YouTube

Almost all shark species traded internationally for their fins will be overseen by CITES. However, the fight is not over. All 186 CITES participating countries to commit to enforcing these long overdue protections.

Over a third of shark and ray species are at risk of extinction, and their populations are plummeting. Shark populations have lost over 70 percent in the last 50 years. Sharks are vital for healthy ocean ecosystems, and we need to work to protect them in international agreements!

The new regulations only work if the CITES countries fully enforce the protections and shark fishing bans.

Sign this petition to tell all CITES participating countries to prepare to enforce these amazing new protections and shark fishing bans!

To continue speaking up, sign these other petitions as well:

• Protect The Once Extinct Somali Elephant Shrew
• Pledge to Recycle Your Christmas Tree
• Investigate Doctor Who Let Male Medical Student Give Woman Pelvic Exam Without Consent
• Demand Mayor Eric Adams Stop Involuntarily Locking up People With Mental Illness in NYC
• Make Sure This Woman Who Neglected Almost 200 Dogs Gets a Lifelong Ban on Animal Ownership
• Tell Alabama to Ban the Death Penalty After Three Botched Lethal Injections
• Demand Shein Abide by Labor Laws and Stop Exploiting Workers
• Demand the DEA Revise the Opioid Regulation Strategy
• Demand Proper Oversight for Edmonton Zoo After Years of Welfare Concerns
• Free Two Beagle Puppies Who Are Facing Death in Police Custody

Easy Ways to Help the Planet:

• Eat Less Meat: Download Food Monster, the largest plant-based Recipe app on the App Store to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals and get healthy. You can also buy a hard or soft copy of our favorite vegan cookbooks.
• Reduce Your Fast Fashion Footprint: Take the initiative by standing up against fast fashion Pollution and supporting sustainable and circular brands like Tiny Rescue that raise awareness around important issues through recycled zero-waste clothing designed to be returned and remade over and over again.
• Support Independent Media: Being publicly funded gives us a greater chance to continue providing high-quality content. Please consider supporting us by donating!
• Sign a Petition: Your voice matters! Help turn petitions into victories by signing the latest list of must-sign petitions to help people, animals, and the planet.
• Stay Informed: Keep up with the latest news and essential stories involving animals, the environment, sustainable living, food, health, and human interest topics by subscribing to our newsletter!
• Do What You Can: Reduce waste, plant trees, eat local, travel responsibly, reuse stuff, say no to single-use plastics, recycle, vote wise, switch to cold water laundry, divest from fossil fuels, save water, shop wisely, Donate if you can, grow your own food, volunteer, conserve energy, compost, and don’t forget about the microplastics and microbeads lurking in common household and personal care products!