14 July

Shark and Ray Awareness Day

On 14 July aquariums turn the spotlight on sharks and rays, a third of which face extinction.

Half above and half below the water, a pink whipray and a blacktip reef shark in a shallow lagoon at Moorea, French Polynesia — Photo: Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Shark and Ray Awareness Day is marked on 14 July. Aquariums such as the New England Aquarium use the day to share the research and conservation work that protects these animals and the ocean they live in.

The situation is serious. The New England Aquarium, using figures from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), says that a third of shark and ray species are facing extinction. Yet these animals play a key role in keeping the ocean healthy.

Many species breed slowly, so losses are hard to replace. NOAA Fisheries reports that the giant manta ray usually gives birth to one pup every two to three years, after a pregnancy of about a year.

Sharks and rays are also more sensitive than their image suggests. Small pores around the mouth lead to jelly-filled canals called ampullae of Lorenzini, which pick up the weak electric fields that all animals give off. Researcher Stephen Kajiura told KQED that scientists only discovered this electric sense in sharks in 1966.

To help: avoid buying shark products, support marine protected areas, and choose seafood from well-managed fisheries.

From Waste to Wonder at AVALON Artisan Gallery starts with what the sea leaves behind: more than 50,000 tonnes of green mussel shells discarded in Thailand each year, reclaimed as MyraShell and MyraGem. Meet Little Shark in the Sea Soul collection.