Belle Levisky is a 12 year old grade 7 student who has lead the way for Cochrane to become the first Alberta community to ban shark fin products and could well be the youngest Cochrane resident to successfully lobby council for a bylaw.

On Sept. 25, town council approved an amendment to the business licence bylaw to prohibit the possession of shark fin products for the purpose of consumption, possession or distribution following up on a presentation made by Belle in the spring. At that same May meeting, council agreed to send a letter of support for Senator Michael MacDonald's Bill S-238 that would limit the importation of shark fins and prohibit the practice of shark finning.

Belle was even younger when she embarked upon her mission of protecting sharks that has lead to her creation of Seven Fins Forever Shark Education Foundation. It was a presentation on sharks by her grade 3 teacher that inspired Belle's interest in their plight.

She laid the groundwork for the foundation in grade 5 and has made numerous presentations bringing attention to the issue. That includes speaking in front on 250 people at an International Women's Day event at the Links of GlenEagles banquet facilities when she was in grade 6. 

This may be a crowning achievement for some, but for Belle it's just one step along the way. She said she's thrilled to see Cochrane back her initiative and now wants to see other municipalities adopt a similar bylaw and ultimately see it spread nationwide. She next plans to lobby Crossfield, Chestermere, Banff, Canmore and Airdrie.

"I am so excited and feel this is a win for sharks," she posted after her May presentation to council. "There's lots more work to do, but I will work on getting one community at a time in Alberta fin free until the House of Commons can't ignore that Canadians want shark finning stopped."

Besides her lobbying effort, she has been fundraising by regularly setting up shop at the Cochrane Farmers' Market and Historic Downtown street market selling a unique lime/mint soap she had custom made by PURBotanics that depicts an ocean scene with a shark's dorsal fin rising above the waves. In addition, she sells handmade face clothes, shark stuffies and handmade mini-shark figures. Ever present is her display explaining why her crusade is so important.

Senator MacDonald's bill received second reading in June and an online petition has currently garnered 17,422 signatures.

Every year, it is estimated 73 million sharks are killed for their fins, threatening one-third of open ocean sharks with extinction. As an apex predator, sharks hold the oceans in balance and their extinction would have significant effects on every species below them.