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We want to talk you about SafeSharks, our project for the protection of this species in the lower Adriatic, born in 2017 thanks to the collaboration with other WWF offices in the Mediterranean, other NGOs, researchers and fishermen's cooperatives.

Mediterranean represents one of the most dangerous places on the planet for sharks, at least half of the species that populate it are in danger of becoming extinct. The biggest threat to their survival is accidental capture by fishing gear, which is dropped into the sea to fish for other species.

There are 24 Mediterranean shark species currently protected and for this reason, once caught accidentally, they must be released unharmed. Instead, it often happens that unintentionally caught sharks are introduced into the market, mislabeled and sold illegally, thus fueling the phenomenon known as food fraud.

So it is essential to establish a dialogue with fishing communities to find shared solutions to the problem. Shark individuals should also be labeled with satellite tags to assess their probability of survival after release and to identify guidelines for the best handling and release behavior of fishermen.

Also consumers and civil society in general must be involved in order to raise awareness and increase data collection on the phenomenon.