As apex predators, sharks directly and indirectly affect all levels of the food web, maintaining a healthy ocean environment for many species. Unfortunately, today many shark populations are on the decline. The loss of these amazing animals could prove devastating to our oceans and our planet.
Twenty years ago, French Polynesia created the largest shark (and marine mammal) sanctuary in the world, encompassing the whole of the five million square kilometers of the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Polynesians have always understood the critical ecological role of sharks and they occupy an important place in the culture as totems and messengers.