Shark Supply LLC
The Big Shark Supplier with the Tiny Little Environmental Footprint
You have found the world's best shark supplier for display!

WILDLIFE CONSERVATION POLICY

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We maintain proper permits for all sharks.  We are not fly by night amateurs or poachers.
We are skilled pros with more than 15 years in shark collection for aquaria.

Direct statement from Ken Moran:

Public and Private Aquarists, Fish keepers, Educators & Legislators,

I appreciate your concern with conservation and management of our national resources and your willingness to take time out to read this policy of mine.  That investment of time is an indication, I trust, of your own responsibility in this important area of our industry.  It is also the shared responsibility of all commercial and recreational fisherman in America and the world.  Like farmers, we have long known that over-working the water like over-working the land leads to destruction of livelihood not prosperity.

I, personally, have always maintained a position of resource responsibility in my marine collection and permitting.  This position has hurt me financially quite often.  It has brought me into disagreement with those whose job it has supposedly been to help protect the future of our natural resources.  Often times popular media ideas about the environment have no foundation in scientific research or practical resource management.  While I love the Discovery Channel and National Geographic and all the great shows they display, I do not look to television channels to tell me what policies and steps are needed in managing our resources.  I look to the trends in populations, development of estuarine lands, pollution levels, harvest rates, public demand on resources and scientific research when available to assess my own practices warranted to help maintain our fisheries.

On my special permits, I have never used up all of my limits as they were only there as a back up plan to meet the needs of my clients.  I also assessed the viability of a given species before bringing it to market or continued harvesting.  I am glad to report that most species of sharks in the Western Atlantic show signs of excellent population growth.  However, I am seeing the probable destruction of one species due to the improper overprotection of another species.  This is sad mismanagement.  I prefer to harvest shark species that are durable enough for the trade and have a sustainable birth rate and population to accommodate necessary demands of the industry.  In keeping with that, I have introduced smaller species to replace Pacific Blacktips and Sandbar sharks which have almost excessive populations.  I have promoted the use of neonates or sub-adult sharks rather than big breeders for display to great acceptance by my clients.  Though I understand the need of Grand Openings of Large Public Aquaria to have sufficiently impressive display animals, in other applications and smaller displays, I push the use of sub-adults as their use does not impact the total population significantly (if at all).

I coordinate such policies with the leading opinions of shark reproductive biologists who check my work and my opinions.  I do not rely on my own assumptions as valid on the merit of my prior proper assessments.  I feel it is important work that we all do in educating the public and displaying the magnificence of our world's aquatic ecosystems.  Without your work, the world would not appreciate the overall importance of resource management and pollution control.  Accordingly, I continue to support efforts in such areas as population research, captive breeding, and proper responsible legislation for resource management in America.  It is important for us to lead this endeavor of resource management not just tag along for the ride.

As aforementioned, I have financially suffered for not abusing the system and for standing up to impractical and erroneous practices in resource management.  Regardless of loss, I will continue to do so.  Adversity is no excuse for surrender of principles or ethics.  I am exploring more aquaculture practices and have planned more captive breeding this season of various species.  On most of those experiments, I will make a note in our stock list of which species are captive borne.  In that way, those wishing to promote that policy in their own aquaria may do so and use it to further educate the public in the possibilities of aquaculture and proper resource management.  Further, though I look forward to stocking some animals extra this season, as is my usual practice, stock collected will be based on orders received.  Though not having stock out of season for those ordering late has cost me sales in the past, I still think it is the fairest and most humane treatment for animals.  Even though I could collect more animals than any two public aquaria could hold in a season, there are more sharks available next year.  I do not wish to over-harvest and stress animals needlessly. 

All held stock will be from species that are currently maximally populated or which will most likely sell in short order.  I feed all held stock properly (which leads to more cost for holding) as this is proper husbandry.  Also, I avoid holding animals that will incur injuries such as rubs or stress induced infections beyond the safe period.  I ask that all of you support me in these practices by placing your orders either before the season of early in the season.  Please, make certain all of your needs are met prior to late summer not beginning in late summer.  I understand that your budgetary years may not be compatible with shark seasons, but, please, do your best.  Also, if you are working with us in this policy, we will do our best to accommodate your schedules as well.  In keeping with that, I am offering a future plan to be able to hold more animals for an opening or construction schedule.

That is, for large residential construction schedules or large displays under construction that will end in the off season and where acclimation systems on site are not sufficient for the whole display population, we can look at holding that stock for you until the date.  Now this would not be a free service.  But, it is one we are expanding in order to be able to offer.  In this way, you can meet your opening dates while being responsible and planning ahead when the collection season does not cooperate with your opening.

As I advertise on this web site, my aim has always been to have an environmental footprint that is nearly invisible.  I can say with confidence that in almost 15 years of working with sharks, I have not negatively impacted the shark populations at all.  I have done more than my part in promoting and maintaining our aquatic resources.  I plan in future to continue in this policy of resource responsibility.  Regardless of how large or sales may grow, the overarching concern is the minimizing of our impact on the environment.  I hope to continue in the forefront of ideas and experimentation in promoting population friendly solutions to the demands of our industry.

Sincerely,

Ken Moran
Shark Wrangler