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How to Protect Sharks: What Actually Works (and What Doesn't) · How To Protect The Ocean

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  July is Shark Awareness Month and we just
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  passed Shark Awareness Day.
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  You may or may not have seen it, but you
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  probably noticed there's a
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  lot of hype around sharks
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  in July.
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  You know, we had Netflix has released two
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  documentary style, game
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  show competition style
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  videos that came out.
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  We had Sharkfest from Nat Geo.
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  We have coming up
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  Shark Week from Discovery.
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  And some of these episodes and some of
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  these movies and documentaries are great.
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  And some of them are
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  just absolutely ridiculous.
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  And some of them are entertaining and
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  educational at the same time.
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  You decide which one it is.
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  And if you want to put a comment to say
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  which one you like best
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  over the month, please do
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  so.
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  But the fact is, is that
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  we need to protect sharks.
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  Sharks are facing extinction for most
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  species and we need your help.
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  And it's really difficult once you see
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  all this stuff to
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  understand how to protect sharks.
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  People are telling you, you need to sign
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  up for this or donate
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  to this or do this type
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  of action or this is what we need to do.
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  And some of it's outdated and
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  false and some of it's right.
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  But how do you sift through it?
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  I hope this episode is going to help you
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  understand what we need to do.
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  It's going to be very basic.
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  It's going to be very general.
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  But I would love to see what you think of
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  this episode after
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  you listen to it or you
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  watch it and give me your thoughts on
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  what you have been doing to
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  support shark conservation.
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  We're going to talk about on this episode
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  of the How to Protect the Ocean podcast.
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  Let's start the show.
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  Hey everybody, welcome back to another
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  exciting episode of the How
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  to Protect the Ocean podcast.
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  I'm your host Andrew Lewin.
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  And this is the podcast where you find
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  out what's happening
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  with the ocean, how you
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  could speak up for the ocean or what you
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  can do to live for a
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  better ocean by taking action.
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  Now in today's episode, I'm going to be
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  sharing something
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  that's a little different.
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  It's a little bit of a storytelling
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  method I've been playing with.
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  And I want to really focus on shark
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  conservation in this episode because
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  something that we've
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  been really focusing
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  on this month is sharks.
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  You know, I've done a couple of reviews
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  that have really hit
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  big in terms of getting a
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  lot of engagement on YouTube and also
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  from people on social
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  media where I've posted clips.
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  But I really want to discuss what shark
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  conservation looks like today.
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  So I'm going to do a little thing.
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  It's going to be a little motivational
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  speech or rant, but I put this together.
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  I've written it together and I've tried
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  to put this in a way
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  that I hope that you enjoy
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  and I hope that inspires you to do
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  action, to really take
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  action for sharks, for the
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  protection of sharks, for increased shark
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  research, and for
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  increased shark exploration.
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  We need to find more sharks, discover
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  more sharks, understand
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  the biodiversity and the
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  importance of biodiversity of shark
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  species, but also protect
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  the sharks that we know and
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  we love and we see each and every day on
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  Shark Week, each and
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  every day on Shark Fest
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  or on a Netflix documentary or in a
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  Netflix competition show.
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  We need to understand and protect these
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  and do more research.
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  So here's just what I had cooked out.
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  But before I show you this, I want you to
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  understand that there
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  are ways to take action.
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  The best way is to join the undertow.
• 2:52
  It's a group that I've worked with two
• 2:53
  other wonderful women, my
• 2:54
  co-founders, who on this
• 2:56
  podcast app, we are building a community
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  of wave makers and
• 3:00
  wave finders to be able
• 3:02
  to say, "Hey, you know what?
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  This is how we protect the ocean.
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  It's guided.
• 3:05
  It connects people to the ocean.
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  We talk about the ocean.
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  There's no algorithm.
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  You're getting ocean news, ocean
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  information and ways to
• 3:13
  protect the ocean each and every
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  day.
• 3:15
  So if you go to speakupforblue.com
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  forward slash join the
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  undertow, you will be able
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  to take part in that very
• 3:22
  shortly once we launch the app.
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  We're testing it right now and I can't
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  wait for you to be able to use it.
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  All right.
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  So here's the episode.
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  Enjoy.
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  Love to hear what you think.
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  Here we go.
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  Sharks have ruled the ocean for over 400
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  million years, essential to
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  healthy marine ecosystems.
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  As apex predators, they balance food
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  webs, influence fish
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  populations and even help seagrass
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  grow.
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  But there are survivals in crisis, not
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  just from overfishing,
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  but from misinformation.
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  Around the world, people claim to love
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  sharks while promoting harmful practices.
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  Tourism posts show them grabbing fins,
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  swimming too close,
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  baiting sharks for selfies.
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  The real danger isn't just shark finning.
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  It's the false sense that
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  awareness equals action.
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  Some influencers use sharks for clout
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  while ignoring science
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  and conservation ethics.
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  Documentaries dramatize personal
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  connections with sharks, but
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  skip policy and local context.
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  While over 100 million sharks die each
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  year, many conservation campaigns profit
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  off the fear or fantasy.
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  The ocean is drowning in noise and sharks
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  are running out of time.
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  The real shark conservation starts with
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  learning from science-backed sources.
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  IUCN, Mote Marine Lab,
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  Shark Trust, The Lost Shark Guy.
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  It means sharing facts, not fear.
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  Sharks are not monsters. They are
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  misunderstood keystone species.
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  You can combat myths on social media and
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  call out staged awareness stunts.
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  But advocacy matters.
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  Support bans on shark finning,
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  longlining, and
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  unsustainable fishing practices.
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  Push for marine protected areas with real
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  enforcement, not just paper parks.
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  Donate with purpose. Fund grassroot
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  organizations, independent researchers,
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  and local conservationists.
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  Ask, does this group show results? Does
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  it empower communities or
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  just post-merch and hashtags?
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  Choose ecosystem operators who respect
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  sharks. No rioting, no
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  harassment, no excessive baiting.
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  If you're diving, follow a code of
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  conduct guidelines and
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  amplify ethical businesses.
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  Want to help from home? Use sustainable
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  seafood guides and say no to shark liver
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  oil or cartilage products.
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  The turning point is simple. Stop asking,
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  is this viral and start
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  asking, is this working?
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  Conservation isn't sexy. It's long-term,
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  policy-driven, and grounded in science.
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  It happens in government meetings, data
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  labs, coastal villages,
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  not underwater TikToks.
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  Sharks don't need influencers. They need
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  enforced protections
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  and thriving ecosystems.
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  Don't get me wrong. Influencers can make
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  great awareness if they
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  follow the right rules.
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  Real change comes when communities,
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  scientists, and advocates collaborate,
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  not compete for attention.
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  If you want the right resolution, and if
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  you want to help, host a shark talk at
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  your school or library during Shark Week.
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  Join a clean-up, support marine protected
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  areas, and back
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  policies that protect habitats.
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  Educate yourself, then educate others,
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  especially about how
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  sharks help ecosystems thrive.
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  Support youth, indigenous, and
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  underrepresented leaders
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  in marine conservation.
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  Be an advocate, not a spectator. Because
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  when you hype fads, sharks will still be
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  out there facing extinction or recovery.
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  It depends on whether we choose clicks or
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  action, whether we listen to science or
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  chase spectacle, whether we just said,
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  we love sharks or actually help them
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  survive. The ocean will remember which
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  one we did, and so will
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  our future generations.
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  To protect the ocean and don't forget to
• 7:30
  sign up and join the undertow. Go to
• 7:31
  speakupforblue.com forward slash join the
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  undertow. I want to thank you so much for
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  listening to this episode of the how to
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  protect the ocean podcast. I'm your host,
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  Andrew Lewin from the true North strong
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  and free. Have a great day. We'll talk to
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  you next time and happy conservation.