There are nine species of hammerheads that exist on this beautiful watery planet 🦈🌏 this one here is a great hammerhead shark.
Shark and ray populations have collapsed globally by 70% in the past 50 years. Hammerhead numbers have fallen at an even faster rate due to targeted fishing for the shark fin trade among other threats.

Great hammerheads like this one are listed as critically endangered. They are the largest of all nine species reaching as long as 20 feet and living as long as 44 years (or potentially more!) if they can evade not only natural threats at a young age, but also these monumental challenges humans have created.
Shark finning is the practice of slicing fins of of live sharks and discarding the animal overboard to die, usually of suffocation and blood loss. Shark fin soup is consumed as a luxury or status dish in asian cultures, particularly in high demand in China BUT they aren’t the only consumers.
While shark finning is illegal in US waters, the trade was not made illegal in the US until December of last year. So, it cannot be denied that the US has been an active player in perpetuating the trade in shark fins. In April of last year, almost 400 shark fins were found in the commercial freezer of just one San Antonio restaurant.

In the US it is often easy to think of wildlife crime as an external problem while most stories emphasize consumption and demand in Southeast Asia and China as the driving factor. While that demand is accurate, it is important that we simultaneously recognize and challenge our own involvement in perpetuating wildlife markets and the responsibility that comes with it.

A portion of the proceeds from this painting will support an organization working to protect sharks from the illicit trade.

Watch the process informational video below: