Sharks are one of our oceans' top predators, keeping the entire ecosystem in check. They are vital to the health of our oceans, and studies have shown that reduction in one species causes effects on other species, and sometimes these effects are unexpected and detrimental to local and regional economies.

Animals at the top of the food chain, such as sharks, have few natural predators, are slow to mature, and have very few young. Some sharks take decades to reach sexual maturity, have a long gestation period (upwards of a year), and only have a few offspring in the end. As a result, they are extremely sensitive to fishing pressures, and are slow to recover from overfishing. Many shark species have declined in population precipitously in the last few decades. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) 17% of sharks and rays are threatened with extinction, with another 10% considered near threatened.

Sharks are often caught accidentally ("bycatch"), but sadly, they are also sometimes targeted intentionally by fishermen for their fins. After their fins are cut off, sharks are often thrown back into the water where, unable to swim and bleeding to death, they suffer a slow and torturous death.

The mission of the Shark Safe certification program is to protect oceanic ecosystems by encouraging practices that do not negatively impact shark populations. Fishing gear, methods, and practices that typically produce significant shark bycatch are often damaging to the ecosystem or habitat as a whole.

By increasing public awareness of the need for shark conservation, we endeavor to change the way people think about sharks, thereby reducing the sale, use, and trade of shark products.

Goals of the Shark Safe certification program:
- Increase public awareness of the need for shark conservation.
- Reduce the sale, use, and trade of shark products.

The Shark Safe certification program uses an easily recognizable logo to endorse restaurants and select businesses that distinguish themselves through their manifest dedication to shark conservation.

Since sharks are universally recognizable and tend to attract attention, customers and potential customers not already familiar with the program will still be drawn to the displayed logo and will be inquisitive. Participating establishments can provide literature about the Shark Safe program, explain the basic premises, and direct people to the sharksafe.org website.

COARE commits to working with fisheries, supply chains, restaurateurs, and other market partners, and to continue collaborating with other organizations, and to continue engaging consumers in order to reduce the demand for shark fins and other shark products, and to encourage improvements in marine fisheries within the timeframe of the Sustainable Development Goals.

With this commitment, marine fisheries will increasingly operate with concern for non-target bycatch, threatened species may be relieved of some fishing pressures, and overall food security will be improved as fish stocks and marine ecosystems will enjoy greater resilience.