Energy & Climate
‘Rivers are Life’
UN Patron of the Oceans Lewis Pugh announces new campaign during historic 315-mile Hudson River swim.
16 August 2023
Endurance swimmer and UNEP Patron of the Oceans Lewis Pugh has finished his historic, 60-mile unassisted swim around Martha’s Vineyard to raise global awareness about the devastating decline in shark populations worldwide.
50 years after the blockbuster film Jaws turned sharks into the world’s most feared underwater villains, Lewis was determined to rewrite the narrative on sharks for a new generation.
The 12-day challenge (15-26 May) saw Lewis swim the 60-mile (96 km) circumference of Martha’s Vineyard — the same waters that terrified millions — to raise awareness about the slaughter of sharks worldwide and its effect on ocean ecosystems.
Although ocean swimming carries inherent risks, Pugh’s team took precautions to reduce encounters with sharks.
‘I’m frightened of sharks’, Lewis admits. ‘But I’m more terrified of a world without them, and that’s what we’re looking at if we don’t act now. Without sharks to keep them in balance, marine ecosystems are unraveling at frightening speed. We need a new narrative about these magnificent animals because the one we’ve been hearing for the past 50 years threatens our oceans.’
Since 1970, shark populations have plummeted by approximately 70% worldwide through overfishing and habitat destruction, the Lewis Pugh Foundation noted.
Each year, an estimated 100 million sharks are killed — that’s 274,000 every single day — for their fins, meat, oil and sport.
The result isn’t just species loss – it’s ecological collapse, with devastating consequences for ocean health and global food security.
‘Sharks are integral to ocean health, and ocean health is integral to human survival’, Lewis continued. ‘This is not just about future generations. We must learn to respect and protect sharks today, and this will be my key message.’
Over the past few decades great white shark numbers have recovered around Martha’s Vineyard thanks to conservation efforts.
In addition, Pugh says, Massachusetts, to its credit, has recently taken efforts to protect white sharks from on-shore fishing. But this is not the case worldwide, where great white sharks are under increased threat.
‘When we damage the environment, we create conditions that are ripe for conflict. But when we protect the environment, we foster peace.
‘For centuries we have not only been fighting over the environment, we have been fighting against it. We must learn to make peace with nature for the sake of future generations.’
LEWIS PUGH
Endurance swimmer and UN Patron of the Oceans
As an endurance swimmer Lewis is unparalleled. He has pioneered swims in some of the most vulnerable ecosystems on Earth to campaign for their protection.
Most recently, in 2023 he swam the 315-mile (507km) Hudson River to praise its clean-up and highlight how rivers affect ocean health.
The Shark Swim marks the launch of a three-year campaign by the Lewis Pugh Foundation to engage over one billion people with science, education and acts of advocacy. It’s a central thrust of LPF’s 30×30 initiative: to fully protect 30% of our oceans by 2030.
‘Migratory species like large sharks are nature’s messengers – they reveal the health of our oceans and, by extension, our planet. Their decline is a clear signal that we are pushing marine ecosystems to the brink. We need ambitious action to protect all marine biodiversity – and we need it now.’
INGER ANDERSEN
Executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme
UN Patron of the Oceans Lewis Pugh announces new campaign during historic 315-mile Hudson River swim.
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