Say the word, “shark,” and what do most people think of? The movie Jaws, being bitten by one, or maybe Shark Week on the Discovery Channel would probably be high on the list. However, would the phrase, “endangered species” come to mind?
The Startling Numbers
Not many people realize that the number of large sharks have declined by over 50 percent since the 1970’s. And for many large coastal shark species, such as the great white shark, the scalloped hammerhead shark, the bull shark, the dusky shark, and the tiger shark, those numbers have fallen by more than 95 percent. In fact, it was reported that there are currently less than 3,500 great white sharks alive today.
The Cause
What is causing this dramatic decrease in the number of sharks? Would you believe: cuisine? Overfishing of shark for their meat and their fins is a majority of the reason. Shark fins are a delicacy in Asia and considered an aphrodisiac in China, making shark-fin soup a very expensive, yet oft eaten dish.
Fishermen in India are paid approximately $6 per pound of shark fins, whereas fishermen closer to China are paid a bit higher. The average bowl of shark fin soup then sells for approximately $100.
Shark fin is also used for medicinal purposes, touted for its many benefits, including its ability to ward off cancers.
In order to obtain these fins, many fisherman adopt the practice of “finning” the shark, which entails cutting off all of its fins, then throwing the live shark back into the water, helpless, where it will sink to the bottom to be eaten by its predators.
Another reason for their high number of deaths is the tuna and swordfish industries catch them in their nets. Called “bycatch” these sharks get caught up in the nets with the tuna and swordfish and end up dying along with the other fish.
Sharks do not reproduce in huge numbers and the maturation process takes time so growing more of them is not a quick process.
Fishing for sharks in international waters had thus been unrestricted, however the United Nations recently passed a resolution that places limits on the number of sharks the fisheries are allowed to catch and they have placed a ban on all shark finning practices.
Still, if there continues to be a huge demand for shark fins, fishermen will continue to find a way to fill that demand. The different cultures who revere the shark fin must come to realize that there is not an unlimited supply of fins and if they continue to take the fins, soon there won’t be any left. People across the world must learn about what little numbers we have left of these majestic creatures and together we must all work together to save them.
Sources
Derbyshire, David. "Sharks: Great White One of the Most Endangered." Daily Mail Online. 20 Feb 2010. Web. 1 Oct 2011.
Tutton, Mark. "Traditional Medicines Continue to Thrive Globally." CNN Online. 24 June 2009. Web. 1 Oct. 2011.
Morales, Alex and van Loon, Jeremy. "Shark Fin Soup and Over-Fishing Threaten Predators with Extinction." Bloomberg Online. 24 June 2009. Web. 1 Oct 2011.
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council. "Sharks in Peril: Ocean's Fiercest Predator's Now Vulnerable to Extinction." ScienceDaily. 18 Feb 2008. Web. 1 Oct 2011.
Shelly Lange - Shelly Lange enjoys writing, reading, and learning about a variety of topics. She is a wife and mother, and as if that didn't keep her ...
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