( CNN ) -- As the summer ocean waves wash up onto America 's beaches , we find ourselves thinking , nervously , about Steven Spielberg 's `` Jaws '' and the paralyzing fear that sharks inspire in us . Yet , paradoxically , we celebrate global attempts to protect the declining number of sharks . The world has figured out we need these species , along with all creatures of the Earth , to maintain a delicately balanced ecosystem . Sharks , in particular , are `` in '' these days . Thanks to good public policy and the power of public education and multimedia campaigns featuring stars such as Yao Ming , Jackie Chan and Ang Lee , killing sharks for shark fin soup is no longer cool . The demand has been rising for decades , threatening sharks with extinction -- up to 100 million sharks are killed each year just for their fins . But we have started to reverse the trend , particularly in affluent areas of the U.S. and overseas where restaurants once proudly displayed shark fin delicacies on the menu . In California , and other states , a ban on the sale and possession of shark fin soup has gone into effect this year after aggressive marketing campaigns by WildAid and other organizations . Overseas , marketing and public diplomacy efforts featuring posters on public transportation systems and TV ads have been underway for the past few years . These efforts all show signs of success , on both the supply side and the demand side of trade in shark fins . Hong Kong 's Census and Statistics Department tracked 3,100 metric tons of shark fin being imported from the island to China last year , but this year 's numbers are way down . Stopping the killing of sharks is part of a broader movement to stop the killing of wild animals and the trafficking of wildlife products around the world -- products that come from poaching elephants , tigers and rhinos , in addition to killing marine life . Opinion : Elephant slaughter surges as ivory funds terror . In November , former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called for a global strategy to protect wildlife , raising the level of urgency to a growing national security threat . For example , the poaching of elephants in search of ivory tusks for luxury goods had became a full-scale war between poachers , who are sometimes terrorists , and governments in parts of Africa . Illegal shipments of tusks across porous borders bring in the prizes of money and weapons . Once a marginalized issue of U.S. foreign policy , Clinton and current Secretary of State John Kerry have placed wildlife trafficking at the top of the agenda , given its wide tentacles to Africa , Asia , Russia , Indonesia and consumers in almost every country . According to National Geographic , which has been tracking elephant poaching , the financial losses place the issue on the scale of global drugs and crime , with an estimated 30,000 African elephants being killed for their tusks last year -- a rate of slaughter , say wildlife experts , that could drive the animals to extinction within the century . The dwindling of African elephant populations is alarming . Much of the ivory is destined for China to make chopsticks and jewelry , and the Far East , where it can fetch upward of $ 1,300 a pound . Whether it is shark fin soup or ivory piano keys , killing animals is big business . Together with international partners , conservation groups , nonprofits and businesses , the United States is leading the worldwide effort to reduce demand for high-end jewelry , herbal medicines , skins , foods and other products that rely on killing animals and marine life . Working with governments through existing protocols and conventions , the U.S. is convening stakeholders to pressure those who provide sanctuary for the poachers or allow parts and goods to make their way out of countries to market . Public diplomacy and public education , together with sound policy , give us a model for success . Using Facebook , Twitter , public service advertisements , the media , celebrity interviews , videos and classroom teaching , we can martial the forces to convince consumers that buying products that come from slaughtered elephants or harpooned sharks is simply wrong and dangerous . And we can track the results of wildlife trafficking and punish the offenders . This is one of those rare international tales of where the public and private sector , along with Hollywood , can create a very different kind of movie . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Tara Sonenshine .
Tara Sonenshine : As China gets richer , demand for shark fin soup rising . International campaigns and help from China have increased the demand for the soup , she says . She says eating sharks is part of a movement helping elephants , birds , other animals .