People don’t understand that you are more likely to be killed by a dog, horse, deer, or rabid raccoon or squirrel. We call lion “king of beasts” thinking that they are magnificent. They are no less dangerous than sharks.
The filter feeding sharks such as Whale sharks, Basking sharks, and Megamouth sharks keep the plankton population balanced. The predatory sharks such as Great White sharks, Shortfin and Longfin Makos, Bull sharks, Tiger sharks, Porbeagles, Salmon sharks, Lemon sharks, Hammerhead sharks, Greenland sharks, Sixgill sharks, Goblin sharks, Blue sharks, Thresher sharks, and Sandtiger sharks keep the fish populations balanced.
Sharks have been around for 450 million years. Some of the first being the Megaladon, Helicoprion, Orthacanthus, Paleocarcharias, Symmorium, Echinochimaera, Belantsea, Scapanorhynchus (a resembling relative of the goblin shark), Hybodus shark, Stethacanthus, Falcatus, Acrodus, Erquitaia, Cretoxyrhina, Squalicorax, Physogaleus, Otodus, Tristchius, Cobelodus, Anomotodon, Cladoselache, Glikmanius, Akmonistion, Cardabiodon, Wodnika, Triodus, and Dunkleosteus. But since the 1970s, 95% of the ocean’s oldest predators’ populations have decimated.
In the shark/human relationship, we think that sharks are monsters. In fact, we’re the monsters. We think that killing them for meat and fins is a delicious, tasty decision. Actually, it’s not. Only 8-10 people are attacked and 3-5 killed by sharks each year. We kill 100 million of them a year. As we kill them, we are slowly messing up our world. We need to start thinking before we slaughter them.
When caught, their dorsal pectoral, and even caudal fins are sliced off and the mutilated animal is thrown back in the water alive and either drowns, is eaten by another shark, bleeds to death, or starves to death. Shark Fin soup is a delicacy in China, and as the Chinese population grows, the demand for the soup also grows.
Here’s a fact, shark fins are just cartilage. The soup is about the most tasteless, non-nutritional thing to eat. There is absolutely no use for it. But still, the fins alone as well as canned soup are sold in Asian markets, today. Chinese restaurants all over the world (including the USA) sell the soup, averaging $25.00 a bowl. One pound of sharks fins is worth $200 U.S and whale shark caudal fin can go for as much as $10,000 in China. Scientists estimate that sharks may be all gone in 10-20 years, if we don’t act fast. We need sharks. Sharks need us.
WARNING: THERE IS BLOOD
I have seen pictures with LOTS more fins laying out |
Copy pasted from my science project
Very gruesome, but informative. Thank you very much for putting the information out there concerning the importance of preserving shark populations. I sure hope this gets the word out to some people. I wouldn't even want to try stinkin' shark fin soup. It actually sounds pretty gross to me.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome. It does sound gross. If I saw it on a menu in a Chinese restaurant, I'd just walk out of the restaurant.
ReplyDeleteHow are people so evil
ReplyDeleteThis needs to stop
ReplyDelete