Actress Blake Lively has come under fire from shark conservationists for her starring role in new movie The Shallows.

The 28-year-old portrays a surfer fighting for her life after being attacked by a great white shark in the upcoming horror-thriller, and Valerie Faye, the writer of a new petition on crowdfunding website Care2, believes the movie poses a great danger for the sea creatures.

Her online petition, which has already garnered over 21,000 signatures, reads: "In reality, we pose a greater danger to sharks than they do to us. Blake Lively is responsible for perpetuating the false belief that sharks should be hunted and not helped. According to National Geographic, for every human killed by a shark, humans kill approximately two million sharks!"

USA Today previously reported many breeds of shark face extinction within the next couple of decades due to fishing, pollution and other threats, and to combat the prospect of the species' annihilation, Valerie and the supporters of her petition have urged Blake to use some of the money she earned from making The Shallows and donate it to wildlife conservation efforts.

"We are asking Blake Lively to donate just 1% of her movie salary to Shark Conservation," Faye writes.

The Care2 bid is not falling on deaf ears, as Blake has already expressed her concern over shark devastation.

In a post on her Instagram account on Wednesday (01June16), the actress made it clear the issue is meaningful to her, posting a painting of a shark on her social media site and adding the caption: "Sharks are such majestic creatures that need to be protected. I'm grateful for my time with (shark expert) @mikerutzen and (shark attack survivor) @pauldegelder who have taught me so much about the importance and beauty of these sea wonders."