Life is precious until humans get greedy.
Fishermen are getting rich at the expense of the shark population as well as the rest of the ecosystem. Is it really worth it?
Shark finning, a way to hunt sharks by slicing off their fins and throwing them back into the ocean, has not calmed. Due to buying and selling, fishermen are profiting off of this practice. Bans implemented in U.S. waters against shark finning have not saved this population either. The world is now facing the greatest level of shark exploitation by humans in history. As of now, the shark population has decreased 71% over the last 50 years due to hunting methods such as shark finning. “We want to maintain whatever creatures we have. Just stay away from them.” Biology teacher at Castaic High, Marite Coleman says.
If humans continue on like this, not only will shark populations face extinction, the rest of the ecosystem will face difficulties as well. Sharks are top predators in the marine environment, making them important to its stability. Not only do they keep food webs in balance, they also encourage biodiversity to thrive by feeding on species that have a large population, giving other species a chance to grow. “I think humans always think about…their own survival. So if we perceive sharks as a threat, we may continue hunting them down.” Coleman describes.
The consumption of shark products doesn’t even benefit those who are paying and contributing to the cruelty of finning. Sharks contain dangerous amounts of mercury, there is a risk of it passing on to the human consuming it. Although some may find it a delicacy, mercury poisoning comes with effects like blindness, loss of hair, teeth, and nails, skin peeling, kidney failure, sometimes even resulting in death, and more. With the way numbers are decreasing so rapidly, it seems money is prioritized over many lives of different species.
As well as global warming, every environmental issue can get to a point where it can’t be fixed. Scientists say that in ten years we will reach the point where reversing species loss will be impossible. Starting to make a change now begins with a simple voice or action. Changing the perception people have on sharks, taking the time to learn about sharks, staying away from seafood, and recycling and reusing are all ways you can contribute to the preservation of sharks and other species who benefit from them.
Although this issue is huge and will not deescalate, fishermen and consumers will continue to ignore it for the sake of making money. If it’s not shark fins, it’s their meat. If it’s not their meat, they go straight to the point- death. People will stop at nothing to get what they want. After the sharks have been hunted to extinction, the cycle will continue and onto whatever species benefit them. Life being precious is so advocated until people become greedy. Hopefully the day comes where people value the lives of species that have bounties on their heads.
