Only recently have scientists begun to study the magnificent creatures we know as sharks. Unfortunately, along with the recent influx of curiosity regarding sharks and shark species has come a development of taste for the shark and the scarce resources it provides. Shark populations are disappearing faster than ever before, and studies about sharks have come along just as these cartilaginous fish fade from the face of the planet. Shark populations are crashing due to many reasons. For one, sharks have oftentimes been depicted as bloodthirsty predators that prey on humans. This has caused them to assume the role of the unwanted predator, similar to how wolves prey on sheep herds. Sharks are also disappearing due to fishing accidents, as they …show more content…
The shark is embraced and respected, and shark callers regularly capture sharks for food and ceremonies in the village. Many myths and stories involving sharks circulate the village, and the creation story of the New Guinean people states that God created the shark before He created man. Eilperin has come to Tembin in order to meet “the world-famous shark caller”, Selem Karasimbe, whose fame stems from a small documentary done on sharks that aired on television. Shark calling is an ancient method of fishing in the tropics, and is practiced by many males. Females are not allowed to call sharks due to superstitions that women drive sharks away. In shark calling, a rattle is used to create sounds reminiscent of a struggling fish or other prey. The shark caller will then wrestle with the shark hand to hand, oftentimes using a noose-like device and struggling for hours. Successful callers bring much glory to themselves and their families during their lifetime, and many myths and legends surround the practice. However, what was once a practice used only to provide “protein” for the village has now evolved. Shark calling is now more of an economical and commercial occupation rather than a traditional one. Callers oftentimes sell the dorsal fins of sharks to traders for around $7 a fin. This has lead to a decline in …show more content…
For example, concerning reproductive abilities, the pelagic thresher is capable of producing two young per litter. This is in stark contrast to the whale shark, which is capable of producing up to 300 young per litter. Sharks also vary in their tail shapes, feeding habits, and hunting techniques, which have been perfected through natural the natural selection of advantageous genes over millions of years. Multiple senses also aid sharks when feeding. For example, electroreception or the ability to detect injured fish through water vibration. In order to further study shark habits for both hunting and travel, scientists typically tag sharks with trackers in order to expand their understanding of sharks. Tagging allows scientists to draw conclusions and inferences with regard to shark behavior, such as migration patterns. Through tagging, scientists were able to find that the great white shark is a pelagic fish, swimming across vast expanses of open ocean. Another example is the reef shark, which was thought to dwell near the surface exclusively. Through tagging, it was found that the reef shark can oftentimes be observed diving to depths ranging from 400 feet and onward below the surface of the
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.
Throughout the film there are many experts about the ocean and the animals that live in it. Researcher Ritter the misconception of the shark’s species is blown out of proportion by the media, which is why sharks have such an awful reputation. Experts touch up on this subject adding how even one of the biggest movies Jaws is a very large portion from where people get their fears from or it could be from all of the “shark attacks” on the news. Rob discusses how at the rate we are going we can destroy all of the food chains in the marine ecosystem, and this is where most of our oxygen comes from. Throughout the film experts Rob Stewart and Paul Watson are trying to get long lining banned in Costa Rica. Paul makes a really interesting point saying how the biggest problem is that we do not understand what we are and we are just a bunch of “conceited naked apes” that are out of
The Carcharhinus leucas commonly called the "bull shark" is a very unique shark. The bull shark can live in both salt water and fresh water but is commonly found along the Mississippi River and around Nicaragua. The bull sharks has a very blunt rounded nose giving it a bullish type of appearance thus giving it the name bull shark. The sharks are a dark black to a light grey with a white underbelly. Bull sharks can grow to be about 350 cm long and weigh around 230 kilograms. Bull sharks also tend to have smaller eyes compared to many other sharks which indicates that the bull sharks have limited vision. The bull sharks have triangular teeth like the great white shark (one of the bull sharks cousins). The bulls teeth are heavily serrated and are about 1.5 inches long which makes it easy to tear apart the flesh of their prey.
waters off Cape Hatteras and has also been found in the Gulf of Maine. The shark usually lives in cool water ranging from 2-7deg Celsius (II 63). However the sharks has also been found in the waters in the Artic Circle. (I 65) Typically the Greenland sharks live at extreme depths. In the winter months the Greenland sharks can be found at the surface and at the edges of ice burgs and glaciers. The sharks will also enter fjords during these months. However in the warmer months of summer, the sharks dives back to depths and lives at an average depth of 100-400 fathoms and has been caught in water as deep as 600 fathoms (II 63). Depending on season and water temperature, the shark’s habitat moves.
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 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
One of the previous papers in English class required the class to pick a paper to explore, this question will be concentrated on further in the synthesis essay. What evidence do scientist have to prove that prehistoric sharks existed? The reason behind picking this question wasn’t just to find proof that these monsters swam the seas, but to learn more about them from different resources. One of the resources that were used was a chapter in Angelo Mojetta’s book Sharks, called “ The Birth Of A Legend”. The other resource that was used for information was an article in Discovery Channels website called “ Prehistoric Sharks”. Sharks and Discovery Channel are the two resources that led to many other questions about their different, and similar views on prehistoric sharks existence.
...s. According to studies and statistics done, you are more likely to be struck by lightning than killed by a shark. They are often misinterpreted as scary and violent creatures, however this is merely due to media. Shark based films such as Jaw show that these sharks are harmful when they really aren't. Tapes/recordings of sharks slaughtering humans are published so often because of its actual unusualness.
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.
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
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.
Most people think that sharks are large, fast-swimmers, and savage predators. This is true of some species and groups should be interested of the appealing aspects of biology found within it: all sharks have an excellent sense of smell; some can detect electrical discharges; some sharks give birth to one of the
The morphology of whale sharks is mostly similar to aquatic fish species, but many specific traits help differentiate them from the rest. Whale sharks are the largest fish in the world and can reach a size of around 20 meters (Martins, C., and C. Knickle). This is often compared to the size of a school bus. The shark has a very large transverse mouth. They have 5 very large gill slits and have a larger first dorsal fin compared to the second one (Whale Shark). They have a distinctive spotted “checkerboard” pattern with stripes (Martins, C., and C. Knickle). It is not exactly known why they have this specific body marking. It is believed that the body markings act as a camouflage. The strange thing about whale sharks is that they have 300 rows of teeth that play no role in feeding (Martins, C., and C. Knickle).
One particularly interesting sea creature is the whale shark, formally known as Rhincondon typus it was first discovered in 1828 by Andrew Smith (Rowat 2012). This large fish is found globally in warm tropical oceans and prefers to stay within 200 meters of the ocean’s surface in waters ranging from 4.2 to 28.7 degrees Celsius (Stevens 2006). This creature can be found all across the globe in any warm tropical seas. Aggregations of whale sharks have been seen off the coast of Australia at times, although it is primarily a creature of solitude. Whale sharks are filter feeders that consume plankton as well as small fish and are harmless to humans. The whale shark is a species with a fascinating ecology, life history, behavior, anatomy