It’s that time of year again! News is buzzing about sharks, for more than one reason, and Upwell is here to help you navigate the shark infested - err, shark inhabited - waters. Read up for your dose of local and national news about shark fins this week, and sign up for this year’s biggest event (after Shark Week itself), the second annual Upwell SHARKINAR.

It’s a SHARKINAR. (again.)

(Know what it is already, and just want to sign up? Register here.)

In a typical week, Upwell measures between 40,000 and 70,000 mentions of sharks online. During Shark Week 2012, there were over one million social mentions of sharks. Shark Week 2013 is imminent, beginning Sunday, August 4, and the Discovery Channel has already made a big splash with their predictably shocking video promo (beware if you <3 seals).

We told you last year, and we’re here to tell you again: Shark Week is responsible for the single largest bump in the online shark conversation for the entire year.

The spike is too big to fit on the graph.

Shark Week provides an unparalleled opportunity to talk about the ocean, and Upwell wants to help you jump into this conversation armed and ready. Last year, we held two sharkinars - hour long webinars to share our data, learn what campaigns will be happening, and share ideas about how to promote conservation during Shark Week. As well as your friendly neighborhood Upwellians, a shiver of activists, scientists, blogger, journalists, super-tweeters, and nonprofits convened to discuss how we could change the Shark Week online conversation together. Then we all hopped online, photochomped, livetweeted, and said #savesharks together, and we made a big difference:

Percent increase in Shark Week social mentions from 2011 to 2012: Upwell-engaged Conservationists (+210%) vs Shark Week (+109%)

We’re doing it again, and this time it’s going to be even bigger and better. We want you to join. We’re busy crunching numbers and analyzing data from last year, and we’ll have lots more to share with you in the coming weeks. But for now, go ahead and register for the Sharkinar, scheduled for July 16, at 11 AM Pacific/2 PM Eastern.

To get a sense of what you’re in for, check out the data we shared last year about Shark Week, our 2012 Shark Week toolkit, and our post-Shark Week summary of what we did and learned together. We promise, there’s really good stuff in there, like this gem. Click through to see what it means.



Best pie chart ever. Find out why.



Amplify This: Once you’ve signed up, why not ask your friends to come too? Once you’ve signed up, why not ask your friends to come too? Tweet this : I’m going to this year’s #sharkinar to learn how to save sharks with the internets. http://bit.ly/11We3Jh #sharkweek

Shark Fins Making the News



In California

Yesterday marked an important day in California - the ban on possession or sale of shark fins in the state went into effect. News coverage of this has been all over the map, most of it noting the “ethereal” texture of shark fin soup, or its significance to Chinese culture, relegating conservation messages to well below the fold. An

starts with the sentence: “An ancient Asian dining tradition comes to an end in California on Monday, and grocer Emily Gian is none too happy.” In an even worse offense, SF Weekly’s Erin Sherbert

to “find some time to slurp down a bowl of shark fin soup, since it will may well be your last.” We encourage you to submit comments on these, and other articles, sharing your views.

Let’s use our social media prowess to make sure the right message gets out, and celebrate this historic day. The Mercury News put out a much more balanced article, which we encourage you to share.

Amplify This: on twitter: Long-awaited shark fin ban in full effect in California. A triumph for conservation! Share a conservation message on twitter: Long-awaited shark fin ban in full effect in California. A triumph for conservation! http://bit.ly/17zNkTC #savesharks



In China

In other news, SF writer Bonnie Tsui penned a fantastic op-ed for the New York Times celebrating the “precipitous drop” in shark fin imports to China. The piece quotes our friends at WildAid and Shark Advocates International.

Amplify This: Share Bonnie’s article with Share Bonnie’s article with this tweet ! A “fantastic awakening” in China. @bonnietsui shares evidence that efforts to #savesharks are working: http://nyti.ms/17zP0wj

In the United States

The US government is moving ahead with implementing the Shark Conservation Act, which prohibits the removal of shark fins at sea, and requires that all shark fins must be landed while still attached to the body of the shark.

This rule, from NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service, would preempt and potentially nullify many of the state-level laws banning shark fins (state rules regarding shark fishing in state waters wouldn’t be affected). This is particularly pertinent in context of the California news. Organizations and shark advocates have varying views on this rule, but a desire for sustainable shark populations is shared, across the board.

If you’re a supporter of shark fin bans, there’s still time to submit comments on the NMFS rule. You can encourage your followers to do it here. Pew has put together a primer on why this rule would be detrimental, encouraging its supporters to sign a petition asking NMFS to let states’ shark protection measures stand.





Share this image with a link to Pew’s petition in order to push back on the NMFS rule.