How Much is a Shark Worth?

How much is a shark worth during it's lifetime? 100 dollars? 1,000 dollars? How about $1.9 million!

A recent study by the Australia Institute of Marine Science and the University of Western Australia found that sharks bring in approximately $1.9 million dollars to Palau's tourism industry throughout their lifetime. With about 100 sharks interacting with divers at five major dive sites, these sharks produce $200 million over their lives.

The value of these same 100 sharks as a fishery? Only $10,800!
This is just .00006% of their live counterparts.

Palau is the first country in the world to proclaim a shark sanctuary. And now shark diving alone brings in $18 million a year to the Palauan economy. It also creates 14% of the annual tax revenue and $1.2 million in salaries. That sure is a lot of money!

Sarah
Summer Intern