It’s that time of the year again! The Discovery Channel’s 25th annual Shark Week is underway - a week-long series of programming dedicated to sharks placing the shark conversation at an all time high around the world.

But for shark lovers here at Project AWARE, every week is Shark Week!We’re working every single day to protect some of the world’s most threatened species of sharks.

In the last few months alone we’ve been part of some exciting victories for sharks:
* Protecting the Coral Sea! It’s now the largest marine reserve, the second largest marine national park in the world, and a safe zone for 52 species of sharks and rays.
* The EU Council confirmed that EU nations – some of the most powerful shark fishing nations - want EU-registered boats and all boats in EU waters to land sharks with their fins attached. We’ll know this October if the EU finning ban will become one of the most enforceable shark protection tools in our arsenal.
* Reached a milestone: 100,000 signatures strong for sharks – a loud and clear message to global policy makers that divers and shark advocates demand trade protection for sharks under CITES – the world’s largest and most effective conservation agreement in existence.

These achievements show the power of community action. But can our collective voice for CITES save sharks? CITES has worked for the Nile Crocodile, the South African white rhino and some populations African Elephants.

So amplify your voice for sharks today. Sign and share the CITES shark petition to Give Sharks a Fighting Chance to let CITES representatives know shark protection is our community’s  #1 priority.