HEPCA recently put together a video focused on their shark protection campaign in response to the illegal killing of sharks in the Red Sea, following a spate of shark attacks in November, 2010. HEPCA managing director, Amr Ali, referred to the illegal shark killings as “criminal insanity” that has to be “stopped immediately.”

In addition to addressing the legal issues associated with shark fishing, the video also points out that the presence of sharks in the Red Sea is a tourist draw for a lot of diver who wish to see sharks, particularly Oceanic Whitetip sharks (Carcharhinus longimanus), in the wild. Elke Bojanowski, HEPCA shark specialist, points out that sharks over their entire life span can bring in “huge amounts of money” for the tourism market.