Why is it that every time the word ‘shark’ appears in a sentence, it’s usually put into bad context or is a conversation killer? The word itself is not a horrid thing to people, but they believe that the species is. Sharks are indeed the apex predator of the deep, but have you ever stop to consider who their predator is? If you guessed humans, than bravo, you’ve just earned yourself a point.
The water accounts for seventy-five percent of our planet, along with its inhabitants. Sharks are just one of many species that live in the ocean, but they are also one of the main reasons nature’s food chain is so stable. This incredible animal sustains a diet that does not allow the ocean to overpopulate and even though many people do not realize it, without them, we would be in peril with over population. But, commercial fishing and finning is turning this dreaded concept into a reality.
Every year, sharks actually kill between six and twelve people. Now this may seem like a lot, but do people have any idea how many sharks are killed in an hour? Eleven thousand, four hundred and seventeen. Eleven thousand, four hundred and seventeen sharks are killed in only one hour. This is the work of the finning industry.
Every day, a boat will set sail out into the ocean, bringing a concoction of chum with them. Chum is cut up fish and blood from animals, which lures in creatures of the deep. Once the shark are around, fishermen will cast out a line and snatch a shark right from its environment in the water, bringing it out onto their boat. The fishermen then proceed to cut off all the fins of the shark, no matter what kind it is, and then once finished, resume to throw them over board. These sharks then sink to the bottom of the ocean and suffocate slowly until another underwater animal snacks off of their dying flesh.
No creature deserves this type of treatment and torture, especially not in their own homes. This practice is ruining our eco-system and even if people do not realize, shark species are dwindling. There are a total of four hundred and forty known shark species to this day and out of those four hundred and forty species, two hundred and one of them are endangered or on the verge of extinction. Sharks have inhabited the earth’s waters for over four hundred million years and to end their reign now would be a terrible trait to live up to.
If humans don’t start taking action now to stop this mass murder of this species, than their time will come far too quickly. What most humans don’t understand is that most shark attacks are mainly mistaken identity. One of the shark’s favorite main dishes are seals. When a human enters the ocean in a wet suit and flippers, from afar it is very likely that they will be perceived as a seal. The shark then believes that it is about to embark on its snack, but ends up attacking a human. It’s like that whole thing with duck and chicken. If someone is handed a slab of meat thinking it is chicken, and doesn’t realize it is duck until they either a) eat it or b) are told it is duck. Well it’s a bit difficult to tell a shark that you aren’t a seal, so they just simply do not know what you are and are curious.
But, everyday people are fighting to protect the lives of these magnificent and unknown creatures and even put their lives in danger for the studies of them through science. Traits like these are hard to find, but their out there and knowing most humans, they can’t be persuaded very easily. Reading something like this won’t entirely change a person’s mind, but hopefully give them a new perspective on life will invite them to engage in ways to stop the exploitation of sharks. By joining together, there is a chance that all of these harmful practices can be either put to an end or at least will be significantly less. People often forget that when we enter the water, it is no longer our homes, but it is the creatures of the deep’s home, and this includes sharks. We need to show them the respect they deserve and just like someone wouldn’t go to a friend’s house and trash it, humans need to show the animals that they won’t trash their home, or else a new predator of the deep will emerge. Humans.
