Swimming Foveaux For Shark Allies

In the summer of 2021/2022 I hope to swim across Te Ara A Kiwa, (or “Foveaux Strait”) to raise money and awareness for shark conservation (specifically Shark Allies). Te Ara A Kiwa is the channel between Stewart Island and the bottom of the South Island in New Zealand. The strait is cold and has a reputation for sharks, especially great white Sharks. 

I’m doing this to raise awareness around Shark conservation. Sharks often get a bad rep. To be honest, I have a big fear of them and swimming this channel is going to be a real mental battle. But we need sharks. The threat they pose to humans is so minuscule compared to the threat we pose to them. On average, ten people every year due from sharks. But an estimated100 MILLION sharks die every year from human activity. The Marine Policy paper that conducted this study also found thatthis number could be as high as 373 million. Shark populations have dropped 90% in the past 30 years due to human exploitation.

This is a massive issue because sharks balance the marine ecosystem. They play a crucial role as apex predators, and we can’t have a healthyocean without them. It’s in our best interests to protect them and the timing has never been more urgent.

I have chosen Shark Allies to fundraise for. Shark Allies are a non-for-profit dedicated to the protection and conservation of sharks and rays. They do awesome work taking actions, raising awareness and guiding initiatives that reduce the destructive overfishing of sharks. I love Shark Allies kaupapa/values, and our donations can help them continue this important mahi/work. 

I am keen to help educate people about this issue as much as possible. I’ll be doing updates on this fundraiser page about other ways we can help protect sharks, such as writing to governments, signing petitions, refusing the buy products with shark in it, and education on what some of these products are (you may be using them without even knowing!). You can also stay updated by following my Facebook page “Swimming Foveaux For Sharks” or my Instagram page “Swimming_Foveaux_4Sharks.

Thank you so much for your support. Let’s help make a difference in protecting this beautiful species, and by consequence the ocean itself!