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Register a Shark-Friendly Business
Your business is marine related, discourages shark
harvest & does not sell shark products

Register a Shark-Free Marina
Your marina prohibits shark harvest.
Catch and release shark fishing is permitted
  • Guy Harvey
  • Celebrity

The Shark-Friendly Marina Initiative

"Reducing Worldwide Shark Mortality, one marina at a time"

The Shark-Friendly Marina Initiative has a singular purpose, to reduce worldwide shark mortality.
We encourage shark conservation at sport fishing and resort marinas by prohibiting the landing of any shark at the participating marina.

What is a Shark-Friendly and a Shark-FrEE Marina?

SFMI-SHARK-FRIENDLY-sign-th
SFMI Sign

A Shark Friendly Marina or Business discourages killing or landing sharks. They do not serve shark products or promote activities that intentionally harm sharks

A Shark-Free Marina does not allow
sharks to be killed and landed at their facility.
This is a ZERO TAKE policy

Why have two classifications?

We'd like to register every marina as Shark-Free, however, some State laws or private companies have policies that do not allow for a complete ban on killing sharks. In these cases we offer the Shark-Friendly classification which discourages the intentional killing of sharks.

This allows for educational materials and participation in a conservation program by facilities which would otherwise not have access to our program.

To register your business, click here

SFMI is supported by

  • ghof
  • pegasus
  • fishpond
  • autoswag
  • cei
  • fcf
  • project-aware
  • sport-diver
  • sport-fishing

Our Work & Members

Registered 'Shark-Free' marinas participate in a voluntary program under which they agree to prohibit sharks from being landed at their facility. Working in tandem with businesses and fishermen we develop sensible protocols under which threatened species of shark are permitted to recover and replenish their populations. We also work with policy makers at local, state and federal levels to create and enforce community conscious policy and increase the awareness of the need to protect our sharks and our ocean.

Fishing from a Shark-Free Marina

As a fisherman you should know what it means to launch from an SFMI registered marina. Catching non-endangered shark is not illegal or prohibited however our members encourage sport shark-fishermen to exercise catch-and-release techniques. Some SFMI registered marinas are also access points for tagging programs and catch & release shark-fishing tournaments. Catch-and-release fishing techniques represent a significant step in protecting valuable marine resources as well as providing valuable data for research organizations.

Why SFMI is important

Currently between 60 and 100 million sharks are slaughtered worldwide each year. This massive cull of apex predators is unsustainable and poses a serious threat to the oceans health. The recreational fishery in the United States alone kills tens of thousands of sharks per year, removing them from an already struggling breeding population. Worldwide, the numbers are staggering. Shark-Free Marinas will reduce the mortal take of sharks and encourage responsible use of our ocean.

Who We Are

The Shark-Free Marina Initiative is a project of the The Pegasus Foundation and the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation. It is strongly supported by Fishpond Inc., Mote Marine Laboratory, The Fisheries Conservation Foundation and the Cape Eleuthera Institute.