January Jones is Scared For Sharks - by Oceana/January Jones

I’m very excited about the release of “X-Men: First Class” on June 3^rd and starting back up on Mad Men this summer, but prior to those projects taking up my time I’d like to focus on an incredibly important endeavor I was involved with last Spring – filming Oceana’s new “Scared For Sharks” public service announcement, which was released this week.

Last May, I accompanied Oceana to Belize’s Gladden Spit Marine Reserve to photograph and film whale sharks for the PSA. It was my second time swimming with sharks, so there wasn’t as much nervousness about the project, especially since whale sharks, like most sharks, are not a threat to humans.

It’s humans, in fact, who pose the greater risk to sharks because of our insatiable desire for shark fins, shark livers, shark teeth and every other shark product you can think of. Scientists say that tens of millions of sharks are killed every year for their fins, which is directly causing some shark populations around the world to crash.

This is devastating news because sharks are not only amazing wildlife, but also critical players in healthy marine food webs – reefs, rocky outcrops and undersea ridges all have something in common when they are in good condition – lots of sharks.

Following my first “Scared for Sharks” PSA in 2009, I came to Washington DC to talk to Senators Tim Johnson, Frank Lautenberg and John McCain about the need to protect sharks and, with their backing and Oceana’s persistence; the Shark Conservation Act was signed into law in January. This law ensures an end to shark finning in the US.

Now, it’s the time of year when whale sharks aggregate in large numbers around the Belize Barrier Reef, so Oceana and I are using this time to call for increased protections for sharks around the world. I know it’s easier said than done, but we can all do our part by taking action at www.oceana.org/scaredforsharks.