Around 100 million sharks are killed each year for shark fin soup and traditional cures. The shark population has decreased by 90%. Sharks are caught on long lines and finned alive. Finning is the process of removing a shark's fins, most of the times sharks are still alive. Shark meat is considered to be low value, so only the fins are saved and the bodies are dumped overboard. Without their fins to swim, the still living finned sharks sink to the bottom of the oceans where they drown and are eaten alive by other fish. We need these creatures to survive. 66% of Earth is covered in water 80% of life is found in the oceans. Oceanic plankton supply us with 70% of the oxygen we breath. If there are no sharks to prey, the plankton feeders could grow out of control and consume more plankton than necessary, taking away what we depend on for survival.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Disappearing Sharks
Around 100 million sharks are killed each year for shark fin soup and traditional cures. The shark population has decreased by 90%. Sharks are caught on long lines and finned alive. Finning is the process of removing a shark's fins, most of the times sharks are still alive. Shark meat is considered to be low value, so only the fins are saved and the bodies are dumped overboard. Without their fins to swim, the still living finned sharks sink to the bottom of the oceans where they drown and are eaten alive by other fish. We need these creatures to survive. 66% of Earth is covered in water 80% of life is found in the oceans. Oceanic plankton supply us with 70% of the oxygen we breath. If there are no sharks to prey, the plankton feeders could grow out of control and consume more plankton than necessary, taking away what we depend on for survival.
