More and more people have been introduced to a very dangerous practice called shark-finning. Even the people who are aware of the harmful effects they bring still continue on doing it. People are afraid of sharks due to their fierce appearance and the bad publicity they get such as the movies wherein sharks attack humans. Only about 5 people are killed by sharks every year. In fact, vending machines has a higher death rate of 13, while ants can kill about 30 people annually. Sharks are very beneficial to us, why do people keep on harming them? Why is shark-finning so important? Shark-finning gives both advantages and disadvantages economically, politically, cultural, societal, and environmental. It is important to recognize the significance of shark finning and its relationship with the government and how it affects a country’s economic state, how it relates to culture, and to know if it benefits or harms the environment.
Economic Factors determine the production and distribution of goods and the use of income and wealth. What economic factors relate to shark finning and shark products? Most countries are engaged in Shark fin trade. By 2008, the world’s top exporters of shark fins are Spain, Singapore, Taiwan, Indonesia, and United Arab Emirates who exports them to Hong Kong. Most countries have been introduced to a really popular dish called Shark fin soup is considered a traditional delicacy in China. The Chinese beliefs have driven demand for shark fin soup. They are one of the most expensive seafood products in the world, which can cost up to 500 euros or $676 per kilogram. A whale shark pectoral fin can be sold for up to $100,000 US dollars, while a Basking Shark pectoral fin can cost up to $250,000 US dollars. It serves the ...
... middle of paper ...
...fin soup.
In conclusion, Shark finning is more of a disadvantage. The shark fin trade and shark finning contributes billions of money, but in exchange, they eliminate millions of sharks. They great dame our eco-system, and the practice is un-monitored. Some Asian cultures may think that they are beneficial to our health, however they do not contain nutritional value and may even be harmful to us. In my opinion, it is not morally right to kill sharks, or any other species, especially millions and billions of them. The best solution would be to end this method altogether.
Works Cited
http://www.stopsharkfinning.net/shark-fin-soup-facts/ http://www.sharkwater.com/education.htm http://www.seashepherd.org/sharks/shark-finning.html http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/biology/b103/f00/web3/mccabe3.html http://sharkangels.org/index.php/issues-facing-sharks/shark-fin-soup
Every year hundreds of sharks get killed just because people fear them. Western Australia has brought in the Shark Culls after a series of fatal attacks. Most of these people attacked are usually surfers, swimmers or shark haters. Now imagine this, what if you were a shark swimming and suddenly someone tries to hunt your down, how would you feel? We wouldn’t like it very much if the sharks did the same thing to us. In the following paragraphs, I would give you three reasons on why Shark Culling should be abolished not only in Western Australia but also all around the world.
Under those circumstances, it is only appropriate to preserve the lives of Sharks and acknowledge their importance to the ecosystem, because without them, the aquatic world may collapse and affect the world on the surface likewise. With the ecosystem gone, the niche of the Sharks are gone too, which lead to depletion of the rest of the marine life. This will cause much economic stress and lead to failure. We must know killing sharks are wrong, and we must stop it.
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.
Miller, Barbara. "The World Today - New shark attack sparks political frenzy." 2 March. 2009. Web. 15 Apr 2014. Available at: http://www.abc.net.au/cgi-bin/common/printfriendly.pl?http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2008/s2504985
In addition, I understand that this is a tradition for china to do shark fining, but they need to stop. If they do not, the sharks will be extinct. The people in China will also have a shortage in shark meat. After I read Finning Endangers Sharks, Ocean Ecosystem, and watching Should We Save sharks, I realized how horrible people can be. Due to the ethnical attitudes and behaviors of the people, I
Everyday tens of millions of sharks are murdered and hunted primarily for their fins to be used in soup. The definition of shark fining means the removal of shark fins while the rest of the body is thrown back into the ocean to drown, starve or get eaten by another animal all leading up to death. Although shark fining has been around for several decades the practice needs to be stopped. Killing sharks for their fins used in soup is known to cause serious health issues and is also unbeneficial towards the oceans ecosystem.
So if shark finning is such a horrible practice, then why does it still continue? The reason is quite simple: money. It 's mind boggling to see what people will do for a simple piece of paper, and shark finning is no exception. It is estimated that the fins of a shark can sell for up to $500 per pound! With these kind of profit margins, it 's no wonder that restaurants in China still sell shark fin soup.
Everyone knows someone who is afraid of sharks. They might even advocate for the killing of sharks when they hurt someone or wonder why they exist on the first place. Every summer, shark attacks are a hot topic. There are news articles every summer about at least one person spotting a shark close to shore, and it seems like every other summer there is a blockbuster film about surviving a shark attack. Everyone knows that sharks are predators, but not everyone knows that sharks are on the decline. This is because of many reasons such fishing, and specific shark killings. Sharks are essential to our marine ecosystems, and the continued culling of them can cause the extinction of the species as well as a devastated ecosystem within our oceans.
Back in the dynasty the Emperors would serve the dish to honor the guest, because they believed it had healing benefits from the concurring of a shark (Fairclough, Caty). Fin soup still occurs today even when not on special (Fairclough, Caty). In addition the shark fins for can sell for a pretty penny anywhere from $500 a pound or even $1,000 a kilogram (Fairclough, Caty). As a matter of fact, fishermen in Melbour, Segal would export $1300 pounds worth of shark fins a week. It was recorded that a single adult fin sells for $80 and a two-meter monster can sell for $300. Additionally, 1 out of every 100 sharks reported killed between 2000-2008 comes from these fisherman(Hinshaw, Drew). (commentary) about Its question that fisherman practice “unsustainable finning” because it does pay nice , but the amount of money gained by finning isn’t comparable to how much sharks are worth to our economy. The global value of shark finning is around $630 million but is declining, while shark tourism is worth $312 million and promises to be worth $780 million in 20 years ( source 8). Human activity of finning isn’t the only reason to the decline of Great White sharks, human protection is another
Sharks kill an average of about 12 humans per year. Humans kill an average of about 11,417 sharks per hour. Unfortunately, that number may not stop growing unless action is taken. Shark slaughter is becoming an ever expanding issue that could have devastating effects if it is not stopped. As a result of a tremendous increase of demand in shark fins in recent years, sharks are being finned and thrown back into the water where they are left to suffer an excruciating death which can take days to occur. Not only is the act cruel, but it also disrupts the natural ecosystem and may cause irreparable damage. Due to all of these effects, shark slaughter needs to be stopped, sooner than later.
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
Sharks have been on this earth for nearly 450 billion years. To put that into perspective, the first modern humans date back to about 60,000 years ago ("Our Mission: To save Sharks and Mantas”). Since then, both humans and sharks have evolved into the predatory mammals they are today. However, with the quick development of humans, civilization and technology, humans have not been able to fully understand the ways of sharks, although the motives of other human celebrities have been easy to understand and decipher. Because shark attacks have been becoming more televised, and sharks have been known to be more of a “threat” to humans, shark research foundations, such as the Shark Research Institute and the Pelagic Shark Research Foundation, have been created to help give an understanding to these creatures. Over 100 million sharks are being killed each year, and there is a counter on the Bite-Back Shark and Marine Conservation website. As one spends more time on the home page, the number on the counter is constantly increasing, showing how many sharks are slaughtered in the year to come (“Bite-Back – Shark and Marine Conservation”). Even with research to show that sharks are valuable to the ocean and vulnerable, there are people that think otherwise (“The Pelagic Shark ...
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...
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
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.