Brayden has had a passion for sharks for some time and summarises the importance of their existence in our oceans and impact on our ecosystem. She urges you to spare a thought for these truly amazing creatures and appreciate their diversity and beauty and avoid being sucked into the bad press these creatures have been given, especially as it costs their lives and threatens our planet.
The impact of shark slaughter on our oceans
- Sharks have been in existence before trees
- Sharks help balance the ecosystem and prevent the overpopulation of certain species – they also reduce the number of sick animals
- Sharks redistribute nutrients and indirectly impact habitats such as coral reefs and seagrass meadows
- Sharks help maintain and balance the food chain. This is important as without a balanced food chain overpopulation is an issue, it can lead to extinction of prey fish and then plankton, a crucial component of oxygen production – 50% of the world’s oxygen is produced by phytoplankton in the world’s oceans
Shark slaughter data
While there’s no exact time frame for the extinction of sharks, many species are threatened by extinction!
- Approximately 100,000,000 sharks are needlessly slaughtered every year.
- Shark finning (removing the fins of a shark and dumping the rest of it back into the ocean) and longlining (fishing with a long line that has multiple bait hooks on it) are the leading cause of shark slaughter
- Sharks caught for their fins are often thrown back into the water to bleed out or drown (around 73,000,000 a year!)
- The media representation of sharks is appalling – presenting them as man eating monsters.
- The number of sharks found in the open oceans has plunged by 71% over half a century, mainly due to overfishing (BBC 2021 January study)
(WARNING: for those who consume shark-based products, there are significant risks as it increases the risk of mercury poisoning)
Brayden
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