A Kiwi man's dream to establish a shark sanctuary the size of Mexico has been realised in the Cook Islands.
On December 12, the Cook Islands declared its 1997 million square kilometre Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) a sanctuary for sharks and rays - the largest in the world and with the toughest shark conservation regulations to date.
The sanctuary is the product of an 18-month grassroots campaign led by Auckland-born Stephen Lyon, a marine scientist and founder of the Rarotonga-based NGO the Pacific Islands Conservation Initiative (PICI).

As of the DEMA Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, 38 new 100% AWARE partners do! Many dive professionals support ocean protection but 100% AWARE dive centers and instructors are also committed to ocean protection in an extra special way. They make a donation on behalf of their dive students for each certification – all to support a clean, healthy ocean planet. 

As we turn the page on 2012, we celebrate what we’ve achieved this year and take a look at your ocean wishes for the future. With a movement of AWARE divers one million strong - we’ll continue to elevate solutions for the ocean worldwide.

Time to celebrate! Today in Australia the largest network of marine parks in the world was officially declared and is now legally in place.
Over the last few years your submissions made the Australian Government aware of the broad support for ocean protection amongst the global dive community - well done!
Join us in thanking the Australian Government for this landmark decision to protect our unique marine wildlife and places.

Project AWARE turned 20 this October – that’s when we received the official nonprofit charity status. And we’re kicking off the celebration with you. First stop? The DEMA Show 2012 from 14-17 November in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. If you're a dive professional attending the show, stop by and help launch the next decade of ocean protection. We can’t do it without you!
Step Inside the Photo Booth – Say cheese! The 20 year celebration begins by asking you to share your views on ocean protection. What does it mean to you to have a clean, healthy ocean planet?

Research published today in the journal Conservation Biology presents the most comprehensive assessment of the status of Pacific shark populations to date. The paper, authored by Dr. Shelley Clarke and a team from the Secretariat of the Pacific Community in New Caledonia, shows significant declines in catch rates for blue, mako, and oceanic whitetip sharks, as well as declining average sizes of oceanic whitetip and silky sharks, indicating heavy fishing. These results, along with evidence of shark targeting reported by Dr.

From demons to gods, muses to nightmares, sharks have dominated our imaginations for as long as they've shared the planet with us. So how is it that sharks haven’t landed an equally prominent role in conservation and sustainability efforts?

Just a few weeks ago, Associate Director, Mike Holme helped kick start the Marine Debris Master Plan in Koh Tao, Thailand - one of five Project AWARE Ocean Action Projects being implemented across the globe.
Litter and improper disposal of rubbish is a major problem throughout Asia. The Koh Tao community has worked hard to re-manage the way waste is dealt with. But these methods only treat the symptoms.

During September’s Debris Month of Action thousands of scuba divers around the world took action to tackle the ocean’s silent killer and provide a global snapshot of the debris issues plaguing our ocean planet.
Tires, glass bottles, hooks, fishing lines, discarded fishing nets — you name it, divers removed it from the sea floor and coral reef before bringing it to the surface to be sorted and disposed of properly.

Native sawfish among eleven shark and ray species proposed under wildlife treaty