Convincing Fishermen to Save Sharks | Nat Geo Live

( Intro music )

Four years ago, I was standing in front of a group of local fishermen on a tiny island called Mitiaro in the Cook Islands. And I was there to tell them why they needed to protect sharks. Except there was one problem. They hated sharks. Sharks stole fish from their lines that they needed to feed their families.

So, these are the guys that I had to try to talk to who had very real experiences with sharks. They're in canoes every day trying to feed their families and sharks are literally ripping the tuna off of their lines.

And, so when the man who's sitting behind me in the turquoise shirt raised his hand, he told me how much he hated sharks. He literally said, like, "I hate them. They've terrorized me in my canoe. I wish they would all disappear from the planet." I'm like, "Oh, this is not going well."

And then he said, "But I've learned something today. I wasn't sure of the importance of them to our reef. I have children, I have grandchildren, and I would like for them to fish, and for that reason I will support you."

For me, that was the single most powerful moment of the entire two years of the campaign. And soon after that happened... ( Audience laughter )

We made front page of the paper. This small group of farmers, fishermen voyagers... They came together and were successful in getting regulations that ban the import, export, sale, trade, possession, and trans-shipment of sharks and rays in the entire exclusive economic zone of the Cook Islands.