The 2022 Sharks International Conference is coming to Europe, and we are hosting it! 

The fourth edition of the conference will bring together the shark research, communication, and advocacy communities to explore what's happening with sharks and rays globally. 

Following the success of the 2018 conference in Brazil and leading up to the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030), we successfully applied to host the 2022 event which will take place in Valencia, Spain. 

SI2022, the conference, will be different from the previous editions in Brazil, Australia, and South Africa. Working across multiple time zones, the conference will be half physical, half digital – a hybrid event as we call it. Leading up to the three-day physical conference (which will be streamed live), there are five days of digital workshops to get the researchers, communicators, and advocates talking and working together. 

But the conversation doesn’t wait until then. Well over a hundred shark conservation professionals have already signed up to our portal where they will soon begin shaping the conference through videos, podcasts, and community discussion. 

So, what about the event itself? The conference will be based out of L'Oceanogràfic, the largest aquarium in Europe and partner to the prestigious conservation group, the Oceanogràfic Foundation. Located in the avant-garde architectural complex of the City of Arts and Sciences, the site offers a stunning location close to the Mediterranean Sea. As Sharks International’s first European destination, we are confident that València will not disappoint! 

All of us at Shark Trust, as well as our partners in Submon and Lamna are extremely excited to open the discussion around shark conversation to the professional community over the coming weeks and months. As a truly international event dedicated to shark conservation, the potential to make real-world change is huge.

If you work in shark conservation or research please sign up to our portal and consider attending the event. Whether it’s in Valencia or online, SI2022 gives you the opportunity to be part of the conversation going on inside the world’s largest international shark conference.