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. A fear of sharks is something that has been around for ages, and …show more content…
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 …show more content…
People are well aware of the declining barrier reef population and the concerns connecting to that, but not many people know that sharks play a very important role in barrier reef health. According to a Canadian and Australian study, a decrease in shark populations are connected to a decrease in herbivorous fish, which are detrimental to reef health. These herbivorous fish actually eat algae off of the reefs. If there are not enough fish to eat the algae, the coral could
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
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.
Before seeing this film and looking into it all I was aware of is what was shown on social media, which is what awful creatures sharks are supposed to be. Saveourseas.com had eye-opening statements comparable to the film. There were many persuasive arguments such as “Great white sharks, like all animals, are individuals with individual behaviors and characteristics. As the largest predatory fish, reaching six meters, they don’t have much to fear and are confident and curious animals.” This is a large point in both the documentary and paper. Since most people are constantly worried about how scary the animals are. It is hard for these creatures to get good publicity since our society is so judgmental and believes every detail the media puts out into the world. There are many points that focus on how hunting great whites is becoming more and more illegal, which is necessary for how important they are in the world. These sharks are able to help maintain a healthy balance in the
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
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
Earth, an endless source of wonder and beauty, produced the Great Barrier Reef. Hustling and bustling, the Reef thrives like a busy city, teeming with life. Sheltering thousands, corals, maintain the well-being of the Reef; however, the world threatens its nature and delicacy. Populations growing and technological advances increasing, the world becomes more and more disconnected with the natural world, posing an alarming risk for the planet we live on. Although many organizations try to keep the oceans clean, because of human interference and unnatural occurrences, the Great Barrier Reef needs scientific help to adapt corals to new conditions for means of survival, putting pressure on the Australian government to save their ocean environment.
To begin with, the influence of consuming shark fin is from unverifiable beliefs while this is academically proven that sharks have neurotoxins. There are many beliefs that become proven later in the later generation, but shark fin eating is yet not one of these. Conversely, instead of finding more nutrition values in sharks, a research found that shark, which some species could have 50 years or more average lifetimes, containing a large amount of poison from eating toxin-laden fish within their bodies along their lives. To illustrate, pregnant women are especially warned not to consume shark meat as mercury could cause dangerous neurological impacts on fetuses(Xu, 2013). The other types of toxin shown in a recent study by Deborah C. Mash, a researcher at the University of Miami, that 79% of shark fins high level of BMAA or Beta-methylamino-L-alanine, a harmful neurotoxin which could lead into higher risk of Alzheimer’s and other diseas...
The world’s coral reefs are quintessential to global biodiversity, so much so that they are often referred to as the "rainforests of the sea". Although their actual space occupied by reefs is relatively small, constituting less than 0.1% of the world's ocean surface, they support over 25% of all marine species on earth. They provide complex and varied marine habitats that support a wide range of other organisms including, but not limited to, fish, mollusks, worms, crustaceans, echinoderms, sponges, tunicates and other cnidarians. Some of these animals feed directly on the corals, while others graze on algae on the reef. The reef also provides a protective habitat for many of these animals.
All over the world coral reefs play an important part in our environment. Not only are the reefs colorful and beautiful to look at but the coral reefs house several different types of fish and other sea creatures. Coral reefs have started to decline over the years due to “climate change, El Nino events, overfishing, pollution and other pressures” (Newnham 1). A healthy coral reef can also collapse due to a natural disaster (Newnham 2). There can be several different reasons why a coral reef has started to decline or has been destroyed.
A big change that has occurred in the oceans all over the world is the Coral Reefs are dying and are predicted to be dead by the end of the century due to the rising acidity of the oceans caused by many different threats to marine ecosystems. Coral reefs cover less than 0.2% of our oceans but they contain 25% of the world’s marine fish species according to Endangered: Biodiversity on the brink, 2010: pg.45). If this is the case that means by the time the end of the century comes around we will have lost close to 25% of the worlds marine ecosystems.
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...
The Great Barrier Reef is home to billions of colorful corals, sponges, fish, and “supports a quarter of all marine species” (Becatoros, “Scientist are Racing…”). One example is sea turtles, who use the reefs shore as grounds for reproduction. Without a healthy reef, there is a high chance that sea turtles will go extinct. Similarly, the reef provides a space for
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.
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.
Hundreds of people, who get in the ocean every year, are almost none that encounter sharks. Even if you're lucky enough to see a shark big enough to bite you, you're much likely to die from a heart attack than getting bit by one. Shark attacks are mistakes and the idea of a shark off every beach waiting for people to come in the water is completely untrue. I will inform you on the background knowledge of sharks and the reasons why humans should not be afraid only aware.