In Chinese tradition, Shark fin soup is called as “a celebration soup”, which people eat it to celebrate in various occasions. Moreover, people also believed that shark fin consisted of diverse nutrition values which provide them virility, wealth, and power(Wolchover, 2011). These beliefs lead to the beginning of poaching for sharks, the top of food chain in the sea world. Surprisingly, although people are aware of the decreasing number of sharks since the old days, around hundred million of sharks are still hunted each year(Heltus, 2013), to be served on luxury tables surrounded by those believers in things that they do not even prove whether the belief is reliable. Therefore, in the generation that people are mostly educated, sharks should no longer have to be continuously killed for their fins.
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...
... middle of paper ...
... numerous herbal ingredients which are beneficial to human health; still, it is not directly because of on 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.
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.
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
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.
While shark conservation has come a long way in the past decade, research indicates that more efforts need to be made to prevent sharks from going extinct. Chinese culture plays a large role in shark conservation. They found that most people were unconcerned about the sustainability of their seafood resources, but perhaps a consumer awareness campaign could spark some interest in shark conservation. Attention also needs to be drawn to the fact that shark fins do not have the health benefits the Chinese think they do (Jefferies, 2012).
Spielberg’s 1975 thriller Jaws made over $7 million opening weekend, was the highest grossing film of all time, and won 3 academy awards all while exploiting and exacerbating human beings’ natural fear of sharks (cite 1). The film, set in a small coastal town called Amity, follows a police chief who tries to save the town’s inhabitants from the gigantic and vengeful killer shark occupying their water. The horrifying and mysterious style in which the shark was depicted captured the imagination of the audience and brought shark attacks to the forefront of popular culture. American society became focused on the danger sharks posed, completely buying into the fear of this large cartilaginous fish. The reality however, is that sharks are for the most part completely harmless and do not prey on humans, and our fear for them is completely unfounded.
Scientists have researched that sharks could help cure some diseases. Sharks tissue appear to have anticoagulant and antibacterial properties. Viruses like the flu or the common cold could helb be cured quicker because of the shark’s tissue. This also explains why sharks aren’t likely to give humans diseases. It’s because they cannot get sick themselves thanks to their skin.
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
SAVE THE SHARKS: Their Lives Are In Our Hands A sharks natural environment is the sea and it has every right to live and swim in it. Humans need to be accountable for their own actions. When you enter their domains, you accept the risks. Just like any other activity we participate in! We must realise before it’s too late that there are consequences to our actions……………………...
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.
Shark fins can be sold at a cost of up to $50 US dollars per pound (Yaukey 1999), to put this number into existence, a regular dorsal fin can weigh as much as 3-5 pounds. This means that one soup from the dorsal fin can roughly cost $250 US dollars, which shows that money is an incentive to continue this illegal act. Sharks reproduce just as we do and need time to grow their children, but the way we are consuming soups and killing them, sharks will
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
It has been difficult, however, to generate interest and concern for animals that are surrounded by such detrimental negative media attention and negative stigmas and attitudes. Nonprofit, non-governmental (NGOs) advocacy organizations have made many efforts in recent years to educate and lobby governments against the shark fin trade, as well as raise awareness about sharks, show their ecological role, and why it is import to conserve and protect the sharks. The consequent role of these nonprofit, non-governmental organizations in encouraging future management and policy will be very important. However, it is not simply up to nonprofit, non-governmental organizations to do all the work. The media coverage of sharks must first improve, as well. When Jaws first hit screens nationally on June 20, 1975, widespread panic cascaded across the American population because of the portrayal of a giant, ruthless, man-eating monster. “Don’t go in the water,” the films motto or slogan, still rings true today, nearly 40 years
I am sorry fell you that, but you are incorrectly about sharks. Many people fear sharks because they are misunderstood them. First, sharks don't hunt humans. For example, a shark's diet consists mostly of fish,seals,and sealions.
Shark fin soup is a popular dish in the Chinese culture and it is mainly served in special events, it consists of a shark fin and chicken. It is mainly consumed by a wealthy minority. Although many people in the chinese culture seem to enjoy this popular delicacy, the shark population is declining, through the process of shark finning. Shark finning begins with the removal of the shark’s fins, once all of the fins are cut out, anything remaining left from the shark is thrown back into the ocean, and the shark is sometimes still left alive. Shark finning should be banned, because it is inhumane, sharks play a major role in the ecosystem, and it is declining the shark population.
With such booming fishing industries, there are several species of fish out there that can handle the effect of human influences with proper regulations. Although, sharks are not one of these species. Shark finning is an act of catching sharks and harvesting the fins off of them while they are still alive. After the process, they are let back out to either drown or die of bleeding out, and it’s beginning to become out of control. Shark finning should be more heavily regulated due to the increase of illegal demands in the economy for shark fins, the drastic decrease in shark populations, and the negative impacts the low number of sharks cause to the ecosystem around the species.