Finning: A World Without Shark

There’s a good chance that you have never heard about shark finning, not very many people have. “Finning is the inhumane practice of hacking off the shark's fins and throwing its still living body back into the sea. Unable to swim or pass water across its gills, the shark dies from suffocation, blood loss or predation by other species.” (Kelly 2003) You might be wondering why it should matter to you, it should matter to everyone since the shark is the most important equalizer of the sea. It’s important to realize, that mankind will eventually become extinct next if all of the sharks disappear.

Sharks have been long sout out for their fins, the most valuable part of a shark. They are reeled in or netted and brutally discarded of all fins while still alive. They are then thrown back into the ocean alive to suffocate, starve or be eaten by another predator. They lay on the sea floor helpless and slowly dying a painful death. The rest of the sharks body is discarded because it is thought of as garbage, the meat is considered terrible and not nearly as profitable as their fins. The body of the shark would just take up space on the boat and would impede on the amount of profitable parts they could contain on the boat.

An ocean without sharks is actually a catastrophic and unfavorable issue in terms of marine ecosystems, and an extremely possible one if things keep going at the pace they are. “This is a pressing concern, and we are in danger of living in a world effectively devoid of sharks,” said Stuart Sandin, a marine ecology expert from the Scripps Institute of Oceanography. “Fishermen around the world are devastating shark populations.” (Murray 2010) Phytoplankton are the reason the ocean can support life, without this vital pl...

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...e. It would be travesty when animals that outlived the dinosaurs are only going to be seen from books.

You can help by making people aware of the issue, you can sign petitions to ban shark finning in your area, not buy from companies that sell the soup. Protecting sharks means protecting our future, our children, and ourselves. Friends don’t let friends eat shark fin soup.

The reputation of sharks are hurting their conservation, people can donate money to cute little animals and animals that aren't connected with a negative stigma. Hopefully the knowledge of how sharks help humans, can make people understand that sharks are our necessity to survival.

Kelly, Erin, and Jim Waymer. "Sharks' Decline." Florida Today: 1. Aug 10 2003. ProQuest. Web. 16 Apr. 2014 .

Murray, Ben. "A World Without Sharks." TakePart. N.p., 5 Aug. 2010. Web. 16 Apr. 2014.