The FinForce is a group of committed, behind-the-scenes champions who help power Sharks Pacific’s policy and advocacy work across the Pacific. These remote volunteers bring curiosity, dedication, and a love for healthy oceans to projects that sit at the crossroads of science, policy, and real-world conservation.
FinForce members support our team by digging into the big issues shaping ocean conservation, including everything from illegal fishing and high-seas transshipment to labour rights, transparency, and the role of local communities in decision-making. Their work might include building simple spreadsheets, pulling together resource lists, writing short policy briefs, or crafting social media posts that help explain why shark and ray conservation matters.
Each volunteer takes on at least one meaningful project during their placement, meeting regularly with Sharks Pacific staff for guidance, mentorship, and plenty of encouragement. For those who want a closer look at how global ocean governance works, FinForce Volunteers may even join our accredited observer delegation for online meetings with regional or international bodies.
FinForce is perfect for anyone who’s self-motivated, loves research and writing, and wants hands-on experience in shaping policies that protect the Pacific’s most threatened species. It’s remote, flexible, collaborative…and represents a chance to make a real impact from wherever you are.
Read on to meet our newest FinForce volunteers and learn why they chose to support Sharks Pacific:
Tamara Simunovic
I’m passionate about Sharks Pacific’s multi-disciplinary, comprehensive, and pragmatic approach to shark and ray conservation and am committed to their inclusion of local community insights and perspectives, which I believe are essential for the long-term success of conservation efforts. What drew me to volunteer with Sharks Pacific was their research, advocacy and outreach approach to shark and ray conservation, and their dedication and commitment to the local communities in the Cook Islands and the Pacific. I’ve had a lifelong passion for oceans and sharks, and believe that conservation efforts need local, regional and global involvement and support to have long-term success. To this end, my personal philosophy is that we, humans, are part of nature as all other animals are and that we should strive to be good stewards of our planet.
My hope for the future is a world in which we all live in cooperation with and respect for nature.
Jamie Jones
What drew me to Sharks Pacific is the connection they make between shark conservation and the everyday security and wellbeing of Pacific communities. I volunteer because I’m intrigued by how strong policy is created and advocated for, and this work lets me bring together my legal background and my experience in the Pacific Islands. Sharks Pacific operates in a way I genuinely respect — combining science, community insight and practical policy advocacy — and their thoughtful, community-centered approach to protecting sharks and ocean health is exceptional. Volunteering with them is a meaningful way to use my experience in support of goals I deeply believe in.
A simple philosophy that reflects my hope in how we work together globally for ocean protection is to use soft words and hard arguments — to engage gently, listen deeply, and hold fast to the science required for real change.
