WHAT WE WANT TO DO

The survival of this moment rests on donations; everything achieved by Madison Stewart in the past can be attributed to the generosity of the general public who donate to make the projects possible. With continued support we hope to not only further current projects and research but chase new leads and create new change.

Project Hiu

‘Project Hiu’, Hiu being the Indonesian word for Shark, is our ongoing initiative which aims to provide alternative income to fishermen in one of the largest shark fisheries in Indonesia, and the world. By hiring the shark fishing boats and locals that crew them, we seek to engage the fisherman in a very different role. Tourism. A natural, alternative income that simultaneously and effectively protects sharks.

Equipment

It is without a doubt the biggest ask and also the most essential part of what I do. In order to create content, we need the tools to do so. Footage is our medium for communicating my message to the world, a camera has always been the most powerful tool in this work, weather its filming the many things happening to sharks in order to raise awareness, or making cinematically beautiful images of them.

Safety

A huge focus of the Hooper collective is to research factors that contribute to shark attacks around the world and making these factors public information so we can better protect people from the very real danger of sharks. There is a noticeable separation between the people who fight to protect sharks and those at risk from them, which shouldn’t be the case. By sharing our knowledge and working towards protecting people we in turn help sharks. One huge focus is a project relating to linking the live animal trades that occur along the Australian coastline and their correlation to the increased presence of sharks and unprovoked shark attacks.

MORE MERCURY TESTS

Testing for mercury and other toxins in shark meat is an essential move in having an impact on the shark trades around the world, but its also expensive. Funding to complete series of these tests is important and will help us continue to build a case, local and international, against the commercial harvesting and unsafe trade of shark meat.  

FILMING THE SHARK FIN TRADE

There are certain locations around the world we would like to travel to that require funding. These locations provide us with the opportunity to witness the shark fin trade first hand and raise awareness. Everything we have done in the past to document these trades has been used to build cases against companies that profit from them, or find alternative for the fishermen, and all made possible through donations.