Sonja Fordham

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Biographical Information

"Sonja Fordham currently serves as Deputy Chair for the Shark Specialist Group of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and as Chair of the American Elasmobranch Society Conservation Committee, the world’s foremost association of shark scientists. Sonja Fordham directed shark conservation projects at Ocean Conservancy from 1991- 2009, and starting in 2006 served as policy director for the Shark Alliance, working to improve European shark policies. Sonja continues her work with the Shark Alliance coalition to build support for amending the EU shark finning regulations. She founded Shark Advocates International as a project of The Ocean Foundation in May 2010. Sonja’s advocacy work through Shark Advocates International includes identifying priority shark conservation needs, building informal coalitions of conservationists and scientists to unite around a common stand, and making timely written and in-person appeals to governments on behalf of those interests."