Many people have seen the movie Jaws where a Great White Shark is terrorizing people off the shore of a New England tourist town. Sharks instill fear in many since some people have been bit or killed by a shark while surfing or diving.
According to the Florida Museum of Natural History, globally there are approximately 82 unprovoked shark attacks resulting in four human fatalities annually.
Unfortunately, sharks have more reason to fear people than the other way around. Each year, approximately 100 million sharks are killed each year because their fins are a delicacy in soup. Sharks are caught and their fins are cut off as they are left to bleed to death.
There is not one ounce of a shark fin that benefits our human existence. In fact, they are worth more alive than dead for many reasons that benefit our human existence.
Sharks are apex predators which means they prey on sick and weak fish to keep the overall marine life population healthy. Without them, the food chain and health of the ocean is thrown off balance.
A study in North Carolina showed when the great shark population declined, the result was an increase in ray populations that was below the apex predator sharks. The increased ray population fed on all the bay scallops in the region. This led to local fisheries having to close.
Sharks also help to keep climate change in check. By eating dead matter on the ocean floor, sharks help to keep the carbon cycle moving through the ocean. Sharks and other large marine life such as whales sequester large amounts of carbon. But when sharks and other large marine life are hunted, this disrupts the ocean’s carbon cycle.
“They remove half of the atmosphere’s manmade carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas responsible for global warming. Sharks produce more oxygen than all the rainforests combined and help control Earth’s temperature and weather.” (Feiy, 2017)
Not only do sharks keep our ocean’s and overall planet’s health in check, they also help local economies thrive. There is a fascination of sharks which has helped local economies in places like Australia, South Africa, Bahamas, and Galapagos Islands create thriving ecotourism. In 2013, a study showed shark tourism generated $300 million in revenue which provided 10,000 jobs in 29 countries.
The benefit of a shark’s existence vastly outweighs the price of a bowl of shark fin soup. The smallest of acts can help preserve their much-needed existence.
Here is are links to ways we can help;
1. https://oceanconservancy.org/blog/2019/07/31/9-ways-help-sharks-shark-week/
2. https://www.4ocean.com/products/shark-bracelet
“Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world.” Howard Zinn
References:
1. https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/shark-attacks/yearly-worldwide-summary/
2. https://metro.co.uk/2018/08/07/many-sharks-killed-year-many-humans-killed-sharks-7808952/
3. https://eu.oceana.org/en/importance-sharks-0
4. http://www.feiy.co/articles/shark-week-5-good-reasons-to-preserve-sharks
5. https://www.conservation.org/blog/5-things-you-didnt-know-sharks-do-for-you
6. https://oceanconservancy.org/blog/2019/07/31/9-ways-help-sharks-shark-week/
