As an avid aquarium hobbyist, fisherman and active shark tagger I have always had a passion for all life aquatic. Since the age of 5 when my father got me my first aquarium I have been fascinated by fish. I started fishing the shores with my father who wrote for the long island fisherman at the age of 10, and was hooked. All I wanted to do was be around fish. By the age of 12, I was propagating Florida Riccordia mushroom corals, along with many other soft coral species. I was tagging sharks by the age of 14 and continue to do so to this day. Now at the age of 43, I am even more passionate about corals, conservation of estuaries, mangroves, and most important the coral reefs around the world. Sharks play a huge role in our oceans, and are not understood by many. Mindless killers they are not. Please educate children as to how delicate our world really is. Bring them to the beach, let them develop a passion that will span their life time. Stewards of our oceans are needed, and it starts with children .