Shark Finning By alayna and michael

Shark finning occurs mainly in China. About 100 million sharks are poached every year. Poachers capture sharks and as soon as the shark is unresponsive, they remove all fins with a blade and then throw the fish back into the water. The sharks are alive while it happens, but die very soon after because they have to stay moving to survive. Shark finning effects the entire ecosystem of the ocean because sharks play a very large role in maintaining the population growth of fish and other organisms around them. Oceans are the most important ecosystem because they can fight against global warming.

Why sharks are good for the environment

  • They keep the fish population down so they don't become overpopulated
  • When you remove sharks, the ecosystem collapses and the species overpopulate then die of overpopulation (1. Scallop fisheries in Chesapeake Bay 2. The coral reefs in Belize 3. The cod in New England)
  • Sharks produce more oxygen than rain forests around the world
  • They remove half of the world's man made carbon dioxide
  • Control our ocean climate
  • (sharkangels.org)

Causes of Shark Finning

  1. Wealth- Shark fin is a delicacy. People that sell it make a lot of money. A bowl of shark fin soup can sell for $80.
  2. Popularity- Shark fin is very popular in China and if you sell it or serve it, you will most likely gain popularity.
  3. Food- Shark fin soup and shark liver oil are widely eaten and used in Chinese food. Many Chinese recipes include shark fin, and it is a tradition to eat shark in some places.

Solutions to Shark Finning

  1. The best solution to shark finning is setting laws against it. There are regulations in a few countries, but it is only illegal in six (sharkangels.org). Although laws mostly likely won't stop shark finning all together, it could help. Also, there would be punishments if someone was caught breaking these laws.
  2. Another solution to help stop shark finning is to make sure no restaurants in all countries are selling it. If they are selling it, the how did they get the shark fin? They must have cut it from the shark. If the restaurant doesn't want to follow these rules then it could be warned for shutdown. Doing this would limit a few of the sharks, and have to start small to eliminate shark finning in total.
  3. "There are many organizations fighting to save marine wildlife such as Sea Shepherd, the Humane Society International and Wild Aid. They all need as much support as they can get, especially financially. There are many more organizations listed in the links section" (http://www.stopsharkfinning.net/help-stop-shark-finning/).

Works Cited

  • "How Protecting Sharks Can Help Slow Climate Change." onegreenplanet.org, www.onegreenplanet.org/environment/protecting-sharks-can-help-slow-climate-change/.
  • "Protect Aware" ["Protecting Sharks and Rays"]. Protect Aware, www.projectaware.org/sharks?gclid=CJbJgtT3odMCFQqnaQodo-gM1w.
  • "Seafood Recipe." Monterary Bay Aquarium, Monterary Bay Foundation, www.seafoodwatch.org/consumers/sustainable-recipes/faux-shark-fin-soup.
  • "Shark Water" ["Shark Education"]. Shark Water the Truth Will Surface, www.sharkwater.com/index.php/shark-education/.
  • "Why We Need Sharks." Shark Angless, sharkangels.org/issues-facing-sharks/why-we-need-sharks.
Created By
Michael Paule
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Credits:

Created with images by Three-shots - "shark sea ocean" • malkusch - "Shark" • Oleg. - "dried shark fins" • mdid - "Shark Fin Dumplings" • Oleg. - "shark fin soup"

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