Sharks and rays are amongst the world's most threatened species, yet many small-scale fishing communities depend on sharks and rays for their food and income.

Based on three years of interdisciplinary research, led by Oxford University in collaboration with IPB University and University Nahdlatul Ulama NTB, we have established a unique project to tackle this problem for nature and people: we are offering compensatory payments to fishers who voluntarily release Critically Endangered species that become entangled in their nets and lines.

These payments are typically ~$5 per individual shark/ray, and have been priced according to the money fishers would usually get from keeping and selling these species. The money is paid on recipet of video proof, and shared between fishers from participating vessels, which they typically use to buy food for their families or pay for school fees for their kids.

This provides a win-win solution: fewer endangered sharks are captured, killed and sold; and small-scale fishers and their families are no worse off.

The project has been piloted for almost 2 years now, and we have already had almost 1,000 successful live-releases since it launched in May 2022 (you can see some of the footage on our Instagram page here: @kebersamaan_untuk_lautan, the name means 'togetherness for the ocean'). We are now looking for a long-term sustainable finance source, via crowdfunding and marine tourist donations. Your donations will go directly towards saving sharks and supporting fisher livelihoods.

For more information about this project, please check out the following links:

https://mcem.web.ox.ac.uk/incentive-based-marine-conservation

https://saveourseas.com/project-leader/hollie-booth/