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There are many human activities in the world that are grotesquely wasteful when it comes to exploiting the bounty provided by the Earth.

Right up there at the top of list, right next to elephants being poached for their ivory, is the practice of shark finning.

Just as taxes ensure vital services to our communities, sharks are critical to the functioning of marine communities.

And, just like taxes, some of us may not like sharks. In fact, we might prefer to avoid thinking about them. But without sharks, our marine communities would fall into disrepair.

Ocean First Education and Mission Blue share a passion for educating the public about the criticality of the ocean and a vision for developing greater respect for it. Because of this shared dedication and vision, Ocean First Education has joined Mission Blue as an affiliate partner.

Sharks Don't Get Cancer

This is completely untrue, in fact there have been many documented cases of sharks getting cancer. Sadly, this is one of the bigger misconceptions in the Chinese medicine industry (where shark fins remain highly prized) and that is helping drive the severe reductions in shark numbers worldwide.

How do we engage students in learning about science? This is an urgent matter. Afterall, the National Math & Science Initiative reported that only 36 percent of U.S. high school students are ready for college-level science.

Have you hugged an invertebrate today?

If you had to choose one message that students would remember about the ocean, what would it be? The ocean is a unifying thread that can be pulled through any lesson in any subject at any grade level. Very broad, right?

People ask me why I moved from the sunny beaches of South Florida to the snow-capped Rocky Mountains of Colorado to write marine science curriculum. And with good reason. Who would leave the warm, salty sea air and 24-7 access to the Atlantic Ocean for, gasp, winter!?! To be honest, it was an easy decision to make.

It didn’t matter what science class I was teaching – Introduction to Physical Science, Genetics, AP Biology, Aquatics – if I mentioned “the ocean”, students’ eyes would light up and they would hang on my every word. Every teacher’s dream.