Sharks are Being Hunted to Extinction

582 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Negative impact of wildlife on human life

According to Animal Planet, sharks, on average, kill ten humans per year, while humans kill eighty-eight to one hundred million sharks per year. Humans hunt sharks for their meat, internal organs, skin, and primarily for their fins in order to make products such as lubricants, make-up, and mainly shark fin soup. The growing Chinese economy has cause an increase in the demand for shark fin soup. Some species of sharks have reduced over 90% in population for a bowl of soup that has no scientifically proven nutritional value. The poaching of sharks as seen in the shark fin trade should cease because it causes a collapse of the marine ecosystem and endangers the shark species.
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 ...

... middle of paper ...

....p., Web. 28 Jan. 2014. .
"The Brutal Business of Shark Finning."Shark Finning - Sea Shepherd. Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, n.d. Web. 28 Jan. 2014. .
Ling, Lisa . "Shark fin soup alters an ecosystem." CNN. Cable News Network, 15 Dec. 2008 Web. 28 Jan. 2014. .
Techera, Erika J. "Fishing, Finning and Tourism: Trends in Pacific Shark Conservation and Management." International Journal of Marine & Coastal Law 27.4 (2012): 597- 621.Academic Search Premier. Web. 28 Jan. 2014.
Verlecar, X. N., et al. "Shark Hunting -- An Indiscriminate Trade Endangering Elasmobranchs to Extinction." Current Science (00113891) 92.8 (2007): 1078-1082. Academic Search Premier. Web. 28 Jan. 2014.

Show More
Related

  • Shark Culling Persuasive

    804 Words  | 2 Pages

    Sharks have also been subjected to medical research, games and competitions, jewellery, souvenirs and cosmetics. We need to take into consideration that sharks play a vital role in the natural world that we live in. it is imperative that we look after these majestic creatures and ensure they remain protected. We need to be aware of the dangers of sharks, swim in protected areas where there are shark nets, and do not swim after dark in the sea (especially not alone) as the sea is the sharks home. Humans should also be wearing wet suits as protection in the ocean. The sea is where they live, they swim freely and they eat – they do not particularly target humans but rather prey on food that is available to them in their habitat.

    Read More

  • Shark Culling should be abolished in Western Australia

    662 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On Shark Culling

    565 Words  | 2 Pages

    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...

    Read More

  • Summary Of Short Story 'The Truth About Sharks'

    625 Words  | 2 Pages

    As Stephen Covey once declared, “Just as we develop our physical muscles through overcoming opposition- such as lifting weight- we develop our character muscles by overcoming challenges and adversity.” This may seem like no sweat, but in reality it is laborious to do. Nevertheless, there are many people who embody this quote in our everyday lives and even in literature. The short story The Truth About Sharks by Joan Bauer, depicts such a person. In this anecdote, the experience that the protagonist, Beth faced, taught her to stand up for herself and therefore feel empowered. She went from a sullen teenager who was unable to stand up to her uncle and one who felt insecure in the shadow of her cousin, to someone with the confidence to rise above. The Truth About Sharks portrays a vital change that happened to Beth as a result of her being falsely accused of shoplifting and the challenges she faced to clear her name. This article renders a dynamic change that occurred in the main character, Beth who demonstrated the theme stand up for what you think is right.

    Read More

  • Bull Shark Classification

    1378 Words  | 3 Pages

    But occasionally the younger sharks are preyed on by bigger sharks that do not necessarily have to be Bull sharks they can be become prey to any larger species of shark and occasionally a crocodile. However there are parasites like Pandarus sinuatus, and Periscopus dentatus that use the surface of the shark’s skin and use it to survive (Curtis). Though that does not in anyway decrease or increase the economic uses for the bull shark, its effects on the environment, or level of danger to humans. In certain places around the world the amount of bull sharks is decreasing slightly, because sharks can be harvested to make fish food, for their meat, for oils, and their fins for shark fin soup, or in asia their skin can be used to make “good leather” (“Bullshark”; Curtis). Even though their numbers are thought to be decreasing according to the International Shark Attack Files, otherwise known as the ISAF, has reported that there have been at least 70 reported unprovoked attacks on humans of which 17 were fatal, but that is only the known number of the reported attacks by bull sharks there most likely have been many more attacks that went unreported (“Bullshark”; Curtis). They are known for being one of “the most dangerous sharks in the world” because they along side the tiger shark,and great white they are the most common sharks to attack a human

    Read More

  • The Bull Sharks: A Description Of The Bull Shark

    922 Words  | 2 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Shark Finning: The Persuasive Speech Against Shark Finning

    1381 Words  | 3 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Shark Culling Persuasive Speech

    664 Words  | 2 Pages

    How many more fatal shark attacks will it take for someone in authority to acknowledge the damages, economically and socially, caused to human beings by sharks? We must legalise the culling of sharks. Sharks do not only brutally attack us humans but they also kill us. Culling sharks may not be the most pleasing way to find a solution but it is the most effective, quickest and easiest method. Scientists have argued that culling sharks will bring the ecosystem crashing down but this in fact is not true.

    Read More

  • Semaphore Beach Case Study

    1388 Words  | 3 Pages

    Kish, P., 2012. Most Shark fishing is now banned from beaches and jetties in a year-long trial. [Online]

    Read More

  • Sharks and Conservation

    892 Words  | 2 Pages

    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 ...

    Read More

  • Shark Conservation

    1941 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The War on Sharks

    774 Words  | 2 Pages

    In early November 2013, the Western Australia government declared war on the sharks that surround its coast. This declaration of war will result in the government killing and culling many sharks in order to create a safe boundary for humans to surf and swim in. In order to create safety zones, the government has already started to implement a plan that involves the killing of many sharks that enter popular beaches such as Forrest Beach and Quinns Beach. According to VOANEWS, a DESCRIPTION, the authorities have started to hire commercial fishermen that will “hunt and kill sharks bigger than three meters in zones, while baited hooks will catch smaller sharks” The authorities intend on catching smaller sharks with baited hooks but this will result in catching other marine life such as fishes and whales. To an addition to these killing tactics, the government will soon install baited drum lines that would attract sharks. According to GUARDIAN, a DESCRIPTION, the drum lines will be “strung up 1 kilometer from the shores of heavily used beaches to catch sharks more than three meters in length” More than $20 million have been spent on the plan to protect the coasts from sharks. With these commercial fishermen, baited hooks, and drum lines, the beaches will no longer contain many marine life which is dangerous for the environment.

    Read More

  • Shark Slaughter

    546 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Sharks: Great White Sharks

    1577 Words  | 4 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Banning Overfishing of Sharks for Their Fins

    840 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

More about Sharks are Being Hunted to Extinction

Open Document