The Effects of a Decline in Sharks to Ecosystems Predation has strong effects on the structure of communities and ecosystems. Many different types of predators have been studied, both terrestrial and oceanic. Although larger marine animals like sharks have barely been studied. Since sharks are some of the largest and wide-ranging predators in the ocean, their ecological role must be of importance. Recently shark populations have declined due to fishing. This has brought them the attention of ecologists and has given them a reason to be studied. Marine biologists are debating the effects sharks have on the ecosystems and other species. Meanwhile, they are also wondering whether sharks are the fundamental cause of these changes or will they …show more content…
Larger and less resilient species of sharks known as carcharhinids are often caught by industrial fisheries looking to fish tuna and swordfish. A large percentage of their population has declined over time and many of their species have either disappeared or have gone extinct. The loss of the carcharhinids have actually seemed to improve the population of more prolific species such as blue and mako sharks. This then causes the reorganization of elasmobranch communities and the rise of smaller sharks and …show more content…
The lack of verifiable or practical studies makes it difficult to form strong conclusions and reach hard facts. Prediction models of the decline of sharks demonstrate effects like: complex changes in communities, mesopredators domination and trophic cascades in the ecosystem, which not to mention affects some commercial fish and may cause declines in their species. Another noticeable impact is the fact that the decline in sharks affects not one but various different ecosystems. The decline of sharks should most definitely be studied and ways to reduce it should be considered. Although changes in population is one of the most noticeable traits, other aspects like the behavior and health of the fish in the ecosystem should be greatly considered. Even though we benefit commercially and pleasurably (as a sport) from fishing it is also a main source of food that needs to be respected and
The Great Shark debate – to cull or not to cull, has been at the forefront of the minds of conservationists, as well as the general population for many decades now. The opinions of everyone are divided, according to their personal experiences, and views on what is right and wrong for the environment.
So why do we need sharks? Well, Sharks help keep the ocean healthy and clean for over 450 million years. They also help remove half of the worlds green house gases and produces oxygen more than all of the rainforest's combined! Sharks are just as important as all the trees in the world because they have one thing in common, provide us with oxygen. Without the sharks help we wouldn't be able to get rid as much of the greenhouse gases as we want to, which means global warming would have a lower rate of happening faster. Most importantly they provide us with food. How? They would usually eat the old, sick or slower fish in the population of the ocean to the right size so the prey species don't cause harm to ecosystem by becoming to populated. They are also at the top of the food web. If all the sharks went extinct the entire food web would collapse causing many other species of fish to disappear. So instead of killing the sharks, we could lure them away to somewhere else. As they have a huge impact to the environment.
As they are at the top of the food chain, sharks play a very important role in the oceans in a way that an average fish does not. Sharks keep populations of other fish healthy and in proper proportion for their ecosystem. By preying on the old, sick or slower fish in a population, they prevent the spread of disease and prevent outbreaks that could be devastating. According to Ransom Myers from Shark savers, “sharks may be gone within the next decades if we continue to kill them, resulting in the loss of important foods that we depend on for survival, causing a marine ecosystem imbalance.” At the same time, I accept that shark nets could be useful, especially in shark infested areas that have been renowned as spots where many attacks have occurred, but I still believe, as you would, that scientists should spend more resources on working out why it is becoming more common for sharks to be entering shallower waters, looking for food – namely seals, who just happen to look like
One of the governments main reasons for culling the sharks is because they are coming in too close to the shores and becoming a potential threat to swimmers. But why is this happening? This is due to a change in shark feeding habits, but because they are eating more human of course not! Rather because us humans are over fishing and eliminating the fish/food sources of which sharks normally feed on. This is forcing sharks to come in closer to find food. Us as humans have forced sharks to come in closer and are now killing sharks because of our a...
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
“Misinformation is not like a plumbing problem you can fix. It is like a social condition, like crime, that you must constantly monitor and adjust to.” -Tom Rosenstiel. There is a wide range of information online because people are allowed to express their opinions freely.
As I mentioned earlier, Sharks maintain the balance of the entire marine ecosystem! If the ocean’s ecosystem were to collapse, it would greatly affect life even on the surface. Sharks tend to eat fish who are much slower and sickly therefore they keep the population of fish in a healthier state. We depend on the oceans for the oxygen that we breathe because of certain species in the ocean that produce oxygen such as Phytoplankton, if Sharks were to be extinct, we would lose a great amount of the oxygen on Earth because the balance of living Phytoplankton and other species would not be enough. Furthermore, Sharks have been maintaining the balance of our ecosystem for 400 million years, if these sharks were to be gone, who would balance this heavy task? A number of scientific studies demonstrate that depletion of Sharks results in the loss of important fish and shellfish species from the food chain, including key fisheries such as tuna, which help the health o...
Shark slaughter has led to shark populations being rapidly decimated all around the globe. Fishermen report that sharks are also getting smaller because they are not being given enough time to fully mature. Although there are other fish that are targeted more than sharks, they are not exactly affected by the kind of endangerment that sharks are currently experiencin...
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
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.
This statistic is pushed aside as "they are only sharks! " They may not be as loyal as a dog or as friendly as a dolphin, but I believe that all living things have the right to live their lives without fear of being killed for fun or to fulfil barbaric cultural desires. To call all sharks' man-eating monsters is like comparing the entire human race to serial killers and rapists. The primary factor that is affecting sharks conservation is the large finning industries which treat sharks like rubbish they can discard. These industries cut off sharks’ fins to make a Chinese delicacy, shark fin soup.
Rowat, D., and K. S. Brooks. 2012. A review of the biology, fisheries and conservation of the whale shark Rhincodon typus. Jour. Of. Fish. Bio. 80:1019-1056. (DOI:10.1111/j.1095-8649.2012.03252.x).
Introduction One particularly interesting sea creature is the whale shark, formally known as Rhincondon typus; it was first discovered in 1828 by Andrew Smith (Rowat 2012). This large fish is found globally in warm tropical oceans and prefers to stay within 200 meters of the ocean’s surface in waters ranging from 4.2 to 28.7 degrees Celsius (Stevens 2006). This creature can be found all across the globe in warm tropical seas. Aggregations of whale sharks have been seen off the coast of Australia at times, although it is primarily a creature of solitude. Whale sharks are filter feeders that consume plankton as well as small fish and are harmless to humans.