SHARKS –THE NUMBER ONE MOST IMPORTANT FISH!

 

SHARKS –THE NUMBER ONE MOST IMPORTANT FISH!

Sharks have ruled the oceans for more than 400 million years. Scientists believe that there are more than 400 species of sharks.    Today scientists are extremely concerned about the alarming decline of sharks in the last 30 years.

Today, in 2021, 24 of the 31 species of sharks are threatened with extinction.  Three sharks that are considered critically endangered are oceanic whitetip sharks, scalloped hammerhead sharks, and great hammerhead sharks. Between 1970 and 2018 the shark population has plummeted by 70%

If shark populations were to disappear today, there would be disastrous consequences for the oceans, our environment, and human life. We need ecologically healthy oceans as they play a huge role in reducing global overheating.

First of all, oceans help regulate the carbon cycle of the planet.

The oceans suck up 25% of the carbon in the atmosphere and 25 % is absorbed by land plants and trees.

 Carbon dioxide can diffuse into the water directly from the air. In fact, each year the surface ocean absorbs around 90 gigatons of carbon. A gigaton is 1,000,000,000 metric tons.

A detailed study by Oceana www.oceana.org called Why Healthy Oceans Need Sharks explain the critical importance of sharks.

 It turns out; coral reefs have a very delicate ecosystem balance. Macroalgae grow on coral reefs which are eaten by herbivorous fish. Herbivorous fish are then eaten by larger predatory fish. And the large predatory fish are eaten mostly by sharks.

When too many sharks are in decline, less of the large predatory fish are eaten, so they thrive and increase in numbers. As the numbers of predatory fish increase, unfortunately, more of herbivorous fish are eaten.

 As the population of herbivorous fish decline less of the macroalgae growing on coral reefs are eaten. Normally macroalgae consume carbon dioxide and release oxygen into the water. But, when

 macroalgae decompose they absorb huge quantities of oxygen from the ocean.  As well, some macroalgae blooms can produce toxins that are released into the water. These toxins are incredibly harmful to marine life and can lead to mass die-offs.  As well, macroalgae can also be very toxic to people.

As well, the overgrowth of macroalgae decreases the number of niches for habitats and that in turn decreases the diversity of species.

If all the sharks disappear there would not be enough predators to keep the herbivorous fish populations in balance.

All coral reefs would die off and eventually disappear. 

Scientists worry that the oceans would literally suffocate from algae blooms.

It turns out the disappearance of sharks has huge impacts on all kinds of species thriving in the oceans - many marine species would face extinction. 

 

 Sharks often prey on the weak or ill members of marine life as they are easier to catch. Getting rid of the weaker and sick members keeps the species strong and healthy and reduces the chances of these species of becoming extinct.

One example of a specific impact was observed in 2007 in the Northern Atlantic where sharks had been overfished.  Here in this area of the ocean, sharks ate bull nose rays. The rays in turn preyed on scallops. Once the shark populations declined, the population of bull nose rays exploded and as they devoured the scallops, very quickly the species collapsed.

 

When sharks are not overfished and allowed to die naturally they actually help reduce GHG’s in the atmosphere. Their bodies contain a great deal of carbon. When they die, they sink to the bottom of the oceans where they move the carbon from the surface to the seafloor.

Their bodies are then eaten by scavengers, keeping the carbon out of the atmosphere.

Consequently, as shark populations plummet, carbon levels will increase, thereby, speeding up the rate of global overheating and climate disaster.

 

The global commercial fishing industry employees 200 million people and generates upwards of $90 billion dollars annually.

 A massive collapse in the ocean’s food chain would happen very quickly if sharks were to disappear. This collapse would dramatically impact the commercial fishing industry.

Basically, of sharks disappeared today, so would the $90 billion commercial fishing industry.

The disappearance of sharks would have a huge impact on medicinal science as sharks may hold the key to treating and curing many illnesses that impact humans. So far scientists found an antibiotic in shark liver that could treat a broad range of viruses from dengue fever to hepatitis. There is also ongoing research investigating the possibility of cornea transplants from the eyes of sharks to humans and treatments for Alzheimer’s disease to cancer and HIV.

 What is one of the main reasons shark are declining at such an alarming rate?

 Every single year over 70 million sharks are slaughtered needlessly to make shark fin soup! And all that is harvested from each shark that might weigh anywhere from 400 to over 2, 0000 pounds are 8 fins!

The carcasses of the sharks of the definned sharks are not donated to native people who rely on shark meat for their sustenance, but are senselessly dumped back into the oceans.

And to add insult to injury shark fins have no nutritional value whatsoever!  The fins are pure cartilage. And recent studies have shown that shark fins actually contain high levels of mercury. If the soup has any nutritional value, it would be the other ingredients added to the soup, NOT the shark fins.

It’s hard to believe but- if you eat shark fin soup you are responsible for the following

1.     You are endangering your own health and well -being by eating mercury laden non-nutritional fin soup.

2.    You are directly contributing to the cruel and inhumane practice of slicing fins off sharks while they are still alive, then unable to swim them sink to the bottom of the oceans while suffocating to death. This is akin to humans having their limbs cut off and bleeding to death.

3.    You are responsible for the looming extinction of sharks such as hammerhead sharks which continue to regularly be definned. 

4.     As you eat more fins there will be fewer sharks to help reduce GHG’s and a climate disaster.

5.     You are directly contributing to the death of our ocean ecosystems – and your own extinction.

 Shark finning is banned or restricted in almost 60 countries, including the United States and member states of the European Union.

And 15 nations or territories ban all shark fishing.

 However, it is not banned in China which has a population of over of 1.393 billion people!  

 Unfortunately even though shark finning is banned in the US, shark fin soup remains widely available and legal in most states.

Another reason sharks are declining at an alarming rate is due to trawl fisheries. It is estimated that tens of millions of sharks are caught as bycatch each year.       

What can I do to help restore the shark population on our oceans?

 

Ø Spread the word and encourage everyone to adopt some or all the actions below.

Ø Write/email to your federal legislators to persuade them to enact effective legislation ban serving shark fin soups in restaurants and to ban shark fishing for the sole purpose of finning.

Ø Help make your country a world leader in shark conservation.

Ø Request that all sharks be landed whole with their fins still naturally attached.

Ø Write to the Secretary General of the UN and request that all countries must ban shark slaughter for the sole purpose of finning.

Ø Donate to   organizations such as Sea Shepherd Conservation Society which is doing front line work on the oceans to protect sharks and whales.

Request that vast areas of the oceans become protected from all kind of fisheries.  

Secretary General

UN Headquarters

    First Avenue

     46 Th Street

New York, 10017

    United States