Madison Stewart -- life dedicated to saving sharks, helping fishermen convert to ecotourism

**Interview episode 121**

Madison Stewart has been focused on sharks since she was 7 years old. Growing up on the Gold Coast she was attached to the ocean at an early age, scuba diving and traveling the world as a teen ager, spending countless hours in the water with sharks of all kinds.

Today we hear of Madi’s commitment to helping protect sharks in Indonesia by working with local shark fishermen to convert their boats and livelihoods into ecotourism. Her story of gaining trust from a fishing village, bringing them a new, sustainable business, and helping locals develop their own sustainable model is really amazing. The horrors of shark fishing are real and present in Madi’s story in Indonesia and back home where she helped document the 80 year shark culling program ran by the Australian government, now being brought to the public with a new movie, Envoy: Cull (you can hear from both the director and Madi in episode 118 to learn more).

Madi balances the reality of shark fishing with her own unique style and feminine strength in the ocean, which you can see more of on her website www.projecthiu.com and Instagram. For now, sit back and enjoy the stories of this dynamic, young woman making a difference in our natural world.

If you like what you hear on the podcast today, I appreciate you following This Ocean Life on your podcast app and/or sharing with a friend. Hope everyone is well and safe. You can find more fun stuff on the ThisOceanLife.TV website, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Host: Josh Pederson, @surfpaddletailgate