An activity that welcomes all no matter the age or size, surfing for some become a lifestyle and the ocean becomes their home. The ocean is a surfer home but it is an also a sharks’ domain, so we should do our best to protect it. People know the risk they take when they go out into the ocean; they know that they may never come back. If this happens people want to create a hysteria and they go and hunt for the “ killer shark”. These thoughts were then distinguished for some because of an ambassador for a campaign called “ fin for a fin”.
The goal of This campaign is to let people know that a shark’s life does not have to be taken just because the surfers are. I seen this ad posted on a website called “Adweek” that had an article dated June 16, 2017. This campaign allowed the surfer to have a voice when theirs is taken in the event of a shark attack. Most enjoy the ocean and the animals that inhabit it, we all wish to protect it whether it be preventing oil pollution or overfishing. Surfers are taking a stand that allows them to protect themselves and the sharks inside. Surfers are the epitome of a risk taker, they risk their lives every time they decide to go out and surf. When you look into the news you rarely see a shark attack that happened but when you do chaos is created because you now have that “eye-for-an-eye” mentality. It upsets me at the fact that we want to take so much from the ocean but can rarely find time to give back. “If we kill sharks, we’re killing our oceans, we’ll kill ourselves,” says Coot (fin for a fin movie). Humans kill approximately 273 million sharks every year all because of an unprovoked shark attack (The smell of dead sharks is helping to keep humans safe; Tom Ward). We are killing sharks in order to obtain their fins for commercial use, we as humans would not like it if our most valuable body part was cut off for the shark to use as a tool.
This campaign was an eye-opener for many because they finally found something in between do nothing and killing everything. The image of a shark being hung and bleeding out is devastating because it is not as if the shark knew better it just went off its instinct as we humans usually do. We are the smartest species to be created and the best we can do to prevent shark attacks is by killing them? There is no one to blame in the event of a shark attack, it is nor the surfers or the sharks’ fault if a life is lost. When a fin for the surfboard is bought there is an option that allows the next of kin to be aware that they wanted sharks protected. In the ad, it reads “if my life’s taken, don’t take their” its written in white letters so that when the surfboard is retrieved they then know what the victim would have wanted, this serves as a watermark on the surfboard fin.
This fin embodies hope and fear for some because they know that sharks are protected but family members of the lost are saddened by not being able to find the remains of the victim. The use of the fin speaks to surfers globally. If you purchase the fin you are making a difference in your oceans. One thing this fin does offer while protecting sharks is its performance. The fin allows power and a controlled flex, the material used is laminated fiberglass for strength and durability. If you think about it resembles a shark fin because of its strength and power. Regardless if you are a surfer or a bystander you can make a difference in the oceans by either donating or purchasing a fin. The bystander may have a different perception of the fins “watermark” than a surfer but that may simply be because they share a love for the same thing but in different ways.
Through this image the message was effective in many because the campaign is steadily growing and becoming well-known; in doing so sharks get to keep their lives even if they take one. The ocean is a shark home and we should respect as we would want others to respect ours. We should not seek revenge because that will not bring the surfer back it will only bring us one death closer to killing our oceans. The campaign’s word usage appeals to the emotional side of the reader because there is finally someone speaking for the lives of sharks. Fin for a fin was an effective campaign that was created for a great cause.
