Since man has existed, we have fished, harvested, hunted, pillaged, and overused the seemingly endless oceans and their resources. For thousands of years the seas have been able to provide us with sustainable amounts of these resources. One of the most relevant current issues in the oceans today is the act of shark finning. Shark finning is the removal of fins, then the discarding of the finless bodies, most of the time while the sharks are still alive. Since the fins are pound for pound worth more than ten times the amount the rest of the shark bodies, it is just more economic for the fishermen to discard of the bodies at sea.
When you attempt to grasp the trillions of pounds of aquatic life that have been so crucial to the perpetuation of
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Some animals like many species of sharks do not produce a large amount of offspring in their lives and it takes some sharks many years to reach their sexual maturity.
The bottom line is that over finning is diminishing an animal population that not only will affect the entire ocean if taken too far, but also a population that is quite difficult to repopulate. In this proposal we will discuss the history and culture of shark finning, impacts, laws and regulations, and the conservation movements. Our most pressing goal in this is to educate and inform those who lack the knowledge or resources to make informed decisions on what can be conceived as too much harvesting of a 2 resource whether that resource is an abundant blade of grass or a 400 million old species that the entire aquatic ecosystem hangs on the balance of. The history and culture of shark fins is arguably the most logical explanation as to why these shark fins are being harvested well into the millions every year. Shark fins’ value stems from the invention of shark fin soup in 968 AD, by an emperor of the Sung
Dynasty. In ancient times, the soup was a delicacy only to be enjoyed by the emperor
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...
Information (sub-point): The solution to the problem of shark finning is to sign petitions and force the government to pass legislature that will ban shark finning, as well as ban the import of shark fins. In 2000, Bill Clinton signed the Shark Finning Prohibition Act of 2000 (SFPA), which “banned finning on any fishing vessel within United States territorial waters, and on all U.S.-flagged fishing vessels in international waters” (Speigel, 2011). Currently, it is also illegal to hunt sharks in many parts around the world due to various restrictions set by other government, but it is not illegal to import and sell shark fins. Finding shark fins in the US can be as easy as walking into an Asian restaurant and ordering shark fin soup. If we truly want to make a difference, and see a rise in the shark populations around the world, we need to ban the sell and trade of shark fins
To summarize, shark fins consumption for benefit of health still remain as a belief. However, it has been clarified with modernized science which disproves almost all beliefs about eating shark fins. Furthermore, it causes destructive marine system without reasonable reason. People are willing to destroy specie to improve their health, invade their living areas without morality. Shark fins today is just a case study which strongly needs people’s help to maintain what they have to maintain to equalize all natural system as it play a significant part in the ocean. As a result, to solve this problem, legality will be a powerful solution to those becoming extinct creatures as they do with the animals like elephant in Thailand, or even panda in China.
Shark finning began as a Chinese tradition around six-hundred years ago. (Techera 602) In Chinese culture, eating shark fin soup signifies a person’s wealth and status. According to the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, when Fishermen hunt and catch sharks, they cut off their fins regardless if their alive or not. (The Brutal Business) Fishermen do not keep the whole body of the shark because it is considered valueless and there is limited space of the fishing boats. (Ling) So most of the sharks are thrown back into the ocean, where they are unable to swim without their fins. Furthermore, the sharks will bleed out and/or get eaten by other marine animals. (Verlecar 1078) Verlecar reports that sharks fins are being sold for more than seven hundred dollars per kilogram. (Verlecar 1078) Close to one-hundred and twenty-five countries are involved in the industry of shark fins. (Verlecar 1078) As reported by the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, “…the oceans are literally being scoured clean of sharks…Poachers are invading national marine parks like the Galapagos ...
Shark finning is the practice of slicing off the shark's fins while the shark is still alive and throwing the rest of its body back into the ocean. Sharks thrown in shallow water will fall to the ocean floor die from either bleeding to death or drowning. If the shark is thrown back in deep water they can actually implode due to rapid changes in pressure within the shark’s limp body. They can also die by starving to death, being eaten by other fish. Shark fins are used to make a soup that is considered an Asian "delicacy". The reasons that sharks should be admired and not hunted are almost endless. Despite creating easy income for third world nation’s, shark finnig is a barbaric practice that needs to end
Arising over 350 million years ago, the shark species has been labeled as a human devourer. Now, with the increase in human population, the demand for shark meat, fins, and cartilage are at an all time high; therefore, the existence of the shark is becoming a concern (Budker 1971). Individuals are conditioned to think of sharks as a negative aspect to the environment, which is prolonging the effort to save shark species from becoming extinct. With that in mind, some private as well as national organizations have accepted the challenge of educating and informing people about the existence of the shark specie and its importance to the sea.
Every year, there are about 100 million Sharks killed, ultimately for its commercial success. Their fins are used as the main ingredient for a dish so-called Shark soup. However, many are unaware of the actual importance of Sharks' existence on Earth. They do a number of things to control and balance aquatic life down below, which in return affects how we live on the surface. Sharks have existed in our world for over 400 million years, if they were to suddenly disappear for industrial purposes, much problems will be encountered throughout the world. We must preserve the lives of Sharks, for many reasons most importantly that shark hunting is morally wrong, it may provide economic failure in a given time, and it may serve a critical unbalance of a healthy environmental state.
Shark slaughter is a cruel and violent act, to say the least. Granted that there is economical profit to be had from shark finning, the massive loss incomparably outweighs the profit. Most, if not, all humans would not enjoy having their limbs cut off and being left to die. It is simply inhumane and brutal. However sharks are experiencing this very thing, and the fact that they cannot express or protect themselves, is leading to the death of hundreds of millions of innocent sharks annually. Odds are that as you are reading this, a shark was killed. While sharks may not be the most adorable animals on the planet, they certainly are living creatures, and they feel pain just like us.
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
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.
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.
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
It is no secret that sharks have a bad reputation for being blood-thirsty man-killers. Sharks are known as the “killers of the sea.” Every year, on average, 10 people are killed by sharks; however, every second 3 sharks are slaughtered by humans. So who is the real “killer of the sea?” Sharks are victims to a cruel and inhumane practice known as finning. Finning is a practice that is more practiced in the pacific today but used to be practiced all around the world. Finning refers to when commercial fishermen will pull a shark onto the boat and slice off the fins. The typical target fins that are cut off the shark are the primary dorsal fin, secondary dorsal fin, the lower caudal fin, anal fin, pelvic fin, and the pectoral fins. The removal of these fins leaves the shark a slender, finless carcass. After cutting the fins off, the fisherman toss the still living shark back into the water to die a gruesome and painful death. The practice of finning sharks should be banned and enforced internationally.
Oceans are such so vast that people underestimate the impact their actions —seeming so insignificant— have on them. Humans have by and large taken the oceans for granted; not considering how important a healthy ocean is to our survival. A popular mind-set is that the oceans are a bottomless supply of fish, natural resources, and an infinite waste dump. There are myriad reasons why the oceans should be saved and the most obvious one is marine life. With 71% of the Earth being covered by water, it is obvious that sea creatures are predominant form of life, making up 80% of the species of life on Earth. However, as important as marine life is, that is not the only reason why saving the oceans is crucial. The ocean floor provides natural resources such as, oil, natural gas, petroleum, minerals, medications, and ingredients for foods and products. The economic benefits of the oceans are huge and significant, as well. Fishing and fish products have provided employment to 38 million people and have generated about $124 billion in economic benefits. However, oceans are on the verge of crisis, marine life, natural resources, transportation, the economy, and important ingredients are at risk due to overfishing, pollution, and acidification. Thus, in this essay I will argue that, oceans are not impervious to human activity and threatening the health of the ocean threatens the health of humanity, since oceans key to our survival.
Did you know that more than 90 percent of all organisms that have ever lived on Earth are extinct? According to Pandey, the author of Humans Pushing Marine Life toward ‘Major Extinction’, nearly 10,000 species go extinct each year, and this rate is estimated to be 1,000 times higher than the natural extinction rate (1). Human beings are causing irreversible damage to the oceans and their wildlife, which is being led by two major reasons: Commercial fishing or over-fishing, which damaged the marine environment and caused a loss in the marine life diversity, and pollution, which is a primary way of the extinction causes that drastically modifies the marine life habitat. As a result of the commercial fishing and pollution, many of the marine species will start disappearing of the oceans. Briggs emphasizes that over-fishing “has induced population collapses in many species. So instead of having less than a hundred species at risk, as was the case some 30-40 years ago, there are now a thousand or more (10).”