The other day I read a South African article about the shark crisis in Mozambique and the world in general. It is something that we all need to be aware of and realize that the act of "finning" the sharks will soon affect everyone. Here are some facts that are worth sharing...
Just about everyone knows that south east Asia has determined that shark fins are a prized possession. Mainly as an ingredient in poor tasting soup. In the Hong Kong market one kilo of shark fin is worth up to $700. China, and other Asian nations, have determined that serving shark fin soup is a relection of the hosts social status and good taste. With over a billion people in China, the middle class alone is wiping out the world shark populations. Aided by enhanced fishing techniques (over 1.4 billion long line hooks are illegally set annually), it has been estimated that 3 sharks per second are being slaughtered, many of which are finned alive and then dumped back overboard to drown.
The industry is worth some $500M per year, and last year Hong Kong imported 100,000 tons of shark fin from 83 countries. The tragic thing is that over 90% of the large predatory fish have now been eradicated. 30% of shark species are now threatened, and both tiger and black tip populations have fallen by over 90%.
Without the sharks in the food chain, other species that they prey on are growing- like bull nose rays- and those species are now over eating the oysters and mussles that humans depend on.
In addition, as the top predator, the sharks eat other fish that are filled with toxins from human pollution. By targeting the sharks for their fins, and then having the third world countries take the rest of the shark for the meat, the local people are poisoning themselves.
The tough part is that third world fisherman, faced with overfishing and no work, are very tempted with the lucrative opportunity to kill sharks when there are few other options for work. This is a long term no-win scenario for all- the local third world fisherman and the south east asian population demanding the fins.
One of the only hopes is to convince the fisherman that the sharks are worth more alive then dead- perhaps through tourism like the Great White cage diving in SA. Otherwise we will all be faced with oceans devoid of sharks in as soon as 10 or 20 years. Which then results in upsetting the natural balance of the ocean's life cycle by removing the top predator from the food chain. We may all be afraid of sharks in some way, but if we're not respectful our fears, and greed, will cause extinction...and then we'll be sorry.
Just about everyone knows that south east Asia has determined that shark fins are a prized possession. Mainly as an ingredient in poor tasting soup. In the Hong Kong market one kilo of shark fin is worth up to $700. China, and other Asian nations, have determined that serving shark fin soup is a relection of the hosts social status and good taste. With over a billion people in China, the middle class alone is wiping out the world shark populations. Aided by enhanced fishing techniques (over 1.4 billion long line hooks are illegally set annually), it has been estimated that 3 sharks per second are being slaughtered, many of which are finned alive and then dumped back overboard to drown.
The industry is worth some $500M per year, and last year Hong Kong imported 100,000 tons of shark fin from 83 countries. The tragic thing is that over 90% of the large predatory fish have now been eradicated. 30% of shark species are now threatened, and both tiger and black tip populations have fallen by over 90%.
Without the sharks in the food chain, other species that they prey on are growing- like bull nose rays- and those species are now over eating the oysters and mussles that humans depend on.
In addition, as the top predator, the sharks eat other fish that are filled with toxins from human pollution. By targeting the sharks for their fins, and then having the third world countries take the rest of the shark for the meat, the local people are poisoning themselves.
The tough part is that third world fisherman, faced with overfishing and no work, are very tempted with the lucrative opportunity to kill sharks when there are few other options for work. This is a long term no-win scenario for all- the local third world fisherman and the south east asian population demanding the fins.
One of the only hopes is to convince the fisherman that the sharks are worth more alive then dead- perhaps through tourism like the Great White cage diving in SA. Otherwise we will all be faced with oceans devoid of sharks in as soon as 10 or 20 years. Which then results in upsetting the natural balance of the ocean's life cycle by removing the top predator from the food chain. We may all be afraid of sharks in some way, but if we're not respectful our fears, and greed, will cause extinction...and then we'll be sorry.
This is a great site... http://www.sharksavers.org/
ReplyDeleteTheir mission is saving the sharks through awareness, education and action...tangible things we all can do like supporting shark sanctuaries, signing petitions, gathering data, hosting sharkwater parties...lots of ideas. And hope. Let's have a Sharkwater Party when you get home!