The Decrease of Sharks and Its Effects
The more the better--- so true. If only people believed this worked for sharks. Ever since you’ve been a child, you’ve been told that sharks are impregnable. Not true. Sharks don’t like to attack unless they are forced to. Movies and other media, like Jaws, make us think sharks are monstrous killing machines. Actually, sharks are helpful. They keep the ocean in order, not letting the balance fall. At the head of the food chain, sharks are the strongest, most ferocious creatures in the ocean. But they are being hunted down by something even smarter and more ferocious than them. They don’t have fangs or claws. They don’t even live in the sea. They are the humans.
Over the past 10 years, an average 100 million sharks have been killed every year (Tarshis 6). On any given day, thousands of fishing boats are out on the ocean, prowling the seas. Many trail strong, wire fishing lines hundreds of feet long and studded with as many as 1,500 hooks baited with raw meat
(Tarshis 7). Why are we killing them? Humans have been hunting sharks for thousands of years. The
Native Americans kept the teeth of tiger and bull sharks like trophies. Many Americans depend on oil from sharks’ livers to waterproof their ships. But until the 1990’s, sharks weren’t hunted in such staggeringly large numbers. Shark finning--- chopping off the fins and discarding the rest--- is increasing worldwide to satisfy the demand of shark-fin soup (Verlecar et al. 1). A delicacy in China, a single bowl can cost up to $300. A watery broth filled with stringy stands of shark fin, the soup is not known for its taste (Tarshis 7). Rather, if you serve it at a royal occasion, you are known as wealthy and powerful.
Nowadays, m...
... middle of paper ...
... tools, and much more. Since sharks are so useful to us, let’s be kind to them in return.
Works Cited
Hughes, Helen. "Humans, Sharks And The Shared Environment In The Contemporary Eco-Doc." Environmental Education Research 17.6 (2011): 735-749. Professional Development Collection. Web. 20 Apr. 2014.
Verlecar, X. N., et al. "Shark Hunting -- An Indiscriminate Trade Endangering Elasmobranches To Extinction." Current Science (00113891) 92.8 (2007): 1078-1082. Academic Search Complete. Web. 21 Apr. 2014.
Tatum, Rebecca. "Chapter 524: The Ecology And Controversy Of Shark-Fin Soup." Mcgeorge Law Review 43.3 (2012): 667-681. Academic Search Complete. Web. 21 Apr. 2014.
Tarshis, Lauren. “Saving The Great White Monster.” Storyworks Feb. 2014: 4-9. Print. 21 April. 2014.
“Shark Conservation by divers, FOR divers.”shark gauardian. N.p., 8 October 2008. Web. 27 Apr. 2014.
However, the fact is, and statistics prove that over 100 million sharks are killed every year (according to the Sea Shepherd website), all around the world and for what reason? Shark culling and the hunting of sharks as a solution to beach safety has not been well received by the Australian public. Whilst it is very clear that we need a solution to protect our bathers and surfers, the Herald Sun reported that 82 percent of all respondents to their
But occasionally the younger sharks are preyed on by bigger sharks that do not necessarily have to be Bull sharks they can be become prey to any larger species of shark and occasionally a crocodile. However there are parasites like Pandarus sinuatus, and Periscopus dentatus that use the surface of the shark’s skin and use it to survive (Curtis). Though that does not in anyway decrease or increase the economic uses for the bull shark, its effects on the environment, or level of danger to humans. In certain places around the world the amount of bull sharks is decreasing slightly, because sharks can be harvested to make fish food, for their meat, for oils, and their fins for shark fin soup, or in asia their skin can be used to make “good leather” (“Bullshark”; Curtis). Even though their numbers are thought to be decreasing according to the International Shark Attack Files, otherwise known as the ISAF, has reported that there have been at least 70 reported unprovoked attacks on humans of which 17 were fatal, but that is only the known number of the reported attacks by bull sharks there most likely have been many more attacks that went unreported (“Bullshark”; Curtis). They are known for being one of “the most dangerous sharks in the world” because they along side the tiger shark,and great white they are the most common sharks to attack a human
The bull shark may be responsible for many shark attacks in the world but I believe that we have no right to kill them. Sharks are very important to animals food cycles and if the food cycles get messed up it can greatly effect the world. In fact, the bull shark is more vulnerable to human impact due to their ability to live in fresh and salt water but many sharks that are killed are for either shark fin soup or their liver oil. The sharks liver oil has many uses now but it started as a machine lubricant. Another way that sharks die is by recreational fishing. The sharks can get caught up in the fishermen's nets and eventually suffocate and die. As an environmental community, I feel like we need to inform people about shark habits and how to keep sharks safe. The water is their home and we are
Information (sub-point): Shark finning also has also drastically negatively affected the entire shark population. According to SharkSavers.org, “Shark populations face the threat of extinction in every part of the world primarily due to overfishing driven by the high demand for shark fins” (SharkSavers, 2013). It is also found that the global shark population has decreased by a drastic 90% over the last 50 years, and if change does not occur quickly, the entire shark population could potentially disappear
...mpagno (1984). Sharks of the World: An annotated and illustrated catalogue of shark species known to date. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. ISBN 92-5-104543-7. OCLC 156157504.
Studies suggest that a “live shark, over the course of its lifetime, is worth $1.6 million, which is a great deal higher than the $200 the dead shark can sell for” (Fairclough). This statement holds true because of shark ecotourism, or shark-related activities such as shark viewing, is an industry that is expanding rapidly. If people would instead invest in shark ecotourism rather than shark fisheries, business would be far more profitable: “Shark ecotourism currently generates more than $314 million worldwide and is expected grow to $780 million in the next 20 years” (McGuire). For example, “a single whale shark fin can fetch up to $15,000 in some Asian markets,” but in stark contrast, the annual profit made worldwide from whale shark viewing "brings in an estimated $47.5 million” (Williams). When compared whether shark finning or shark tourism reap more profit from an economic standpoint, then it is clear that a live shark is more valuable than its fins. Furthermore, both industry and sharks alike would benefit from shark ecotourism, without the damage caused by shark finning
When most people think about sharks, they probably picture something like this. A big, horrifying shark, with many sharp teeth longing for the human flesh. They are scary, dangerous and killing machines. But it isn’t the truth. In fact, this is a fake.
The Ecologist posted an article by Nick Kettles Revealed: How Demand for Shark Fin Soup Fuels Bloody Harvest tells of the large amount of shark blood shed for the Chinese delicacy, shark fin soup. There are many efforts being set up to help the conservation of sharks but many fall short. One of the many reasons for this is that people flat out fear sharks. Why would they want to help an animal that has been portrayed as a dangerous and seeking to kill humans? The author of Jaws makes a point in saying he had no idea the impact his book and film would make on todays beachgoers. This attitude towards sharks needs to stop for shark conservation efforts to really take off.
In 2015 only 59 shark attacks have occurred around the world compared to the millions of sharks killed by humans every year. Due to these accidental shark attacks people tend to think that sharks, especially Great Whites are evil creatures with malice intentions when attacks do occur; but, on the contrary that is wrong. Sharks are not the only beautiful and unique creatures in the ocean, they also play a vital role in our ecosystem; however, due to human interference they might not be around much longer, through awareness sharks can be protected from endangerment.
One way to lessen the effect of finning and sport hunting on shark populations is to flood the market with artificial yet genetically real fins, such as has been done with rhinoceros horns. If the price drops, the amount of sharks killed annually will fall with it. Doing this will also help return ecosystems back to the way they were before the top predators had been hunted out of the area. This will aid in managing fish populations as well, especially those not fished commercially such as jacks and
Over the course of the existence of humans we have caused quite a lot of chaos. We all have heard that the ocean is one of the most unexplored areas of the planet we live on. Although the vast majority of the oceanic terrain has yet to be pioneered, the notion that it has gone unscathed is ill-informed one. Sharks tend to be forget sometimes, because of their menacing presence. But like all forms of nature, sharks face dangers of their own. Humans seem to be the main culprit of their demise, mostly because of overfishing.
The issue that will be discussed hereafter is the debate about baiting for sharks using a method called chumming for a variety of purposes. “[It] is the practice of luring animals, usually fish such as sharks, by throwing ‘chum’ into the water. Chum often consists of fish parts and blood, which attract fish, particularly sharks owing to their keen sense of smell. Chumming is illegal in some parts of the world, such as Alabama, because of the danger it can pose by conditioning sharks to associating feeding with the presence of humans.” (Wikipedia, 2014).
Thesis: Sharks should be conserved because they are an important part of the ocean, attacks are often incidental, and human behavior influences the behavior of sharks.
Well, the movie Jaws showed sharks, specifically Great White Sharks, to be ravenous, blood-thirsty creatures that can exact revenge on humans. This has led people to have severe misconceptions about sharks that last through generations. In my own personal experience in volunteering at an aquarium that had sharks on display, I was constantly asked questions by small children on why sharks are evil, are these sharks mean, why aren’t the sharks attacking the other fish? Even adults asked me questions about the morality of sharks and have expressed their intense fear of the ocean because of
Sharks are wonderful and mysterious creatures that many people demonize and fear. They are mysterious because they have lived for over 420 million years and survived five massive planet extinctions events that killed most animals. Later most people started to fear sharks because of the movie Jaws The movie showed people that sharks kill for joy and that’s when started to demonize them. As a result people started to fin the sharks and sell the fins to Asian markets. Moreover sharks