Weeks after I promised you a post about sharks, I've finally decided to hunker down and write it. For those of you who know me, this may be a dull post, considering that sharks are about one out of five topics that I frequently ventilate. However, there is a great need to discuss this issue as well.
Many have a great fear for sharks, and while their fear isn't unreasonable--I mean, just look at those teeth--
it is, well, unreasonable. On average, there are four deaths from shark attacks a year. Let's add some perspective to that. You have greater chances of dying from heart disease, car collisions, suicide, chairs, and toasters, than you do from a shark.
And I know what you're thinking. "But it's the fact that it could happen. You never know, and they are just frightening! I mean, look at those teeth!" I get it. You're scared. But that is not the issue that I want to discuss. We're allowed to have our unwarranted fears (mine is cows. They just freak me out, OK?).
What I want to talk about is the need we have for sharks in this world. They are probably one of the most essential species in the ocean. And considering that the ocean takes up 70 percent of the world's mass, I'd say they're pretty important.
You see, sharks are the police officers of the ocean. They are definitely not the favorite, but they regulate smaller fish and keep everything in balance. The ecosystem of the ocean is in a precarious place because sharks are being killed faster than they can reproduce.
Most sharks don't reach sexual maturity until they are about 10 years old, and many times they are killed before they ever reach that age. At the same time, ones that do reach sexual maturity are often hunted down--for bachelor parties and thrill seekers. Yep. While fishing for great whites is considered illegal in the U.S. and most of the world, and this law is actually kept fairly well, other species are not as lucky.
Off the coast of Florida, Mark the Shark takes tourist deep-sea fishing for the soul purpose of catching a big 'un. They most commonly catch hammerhead sharks (many of which are on the endangered species list and illegal to hunt in the U.S.--and yes, there are different types of hammerheads). They like to get the largest they can find, which means the females, most of which are pregnant.
Hammerheads mostly deliver about two dozen pups per litter. Imagine now Mark and some dude-bros fishing off of Key West and catching a ginormous, pregnant hammerhead. Yes, it is sad.
Conversely, many shark fishing competitions--yes, there are shark fishing competitions--are now moving towards catch and release methods. They measure their wins and then let them go. Some even bring scientists along to document on various findings, or help them tag the sharks for research.
The U.S. has been the leading country to protect sharks. America, South Africa, and Australia are the vanguards when it comes to regulating the seas to protect the sharks. (One of the rare moments we can be proud Americans.) Unfortunately, most of the countries that are guilty of using shark meat and fins don't have, nor abide by any laws. This is a two-part problem.
The first is that there are many laws that actually do limit the number of fins vs the amount of actual sharks fishing boats are allowed to carry. Typically they want to see a more balanced amount of bodies-to-fins on the boats. Unfortunately, the laws are hopelessly confusing and many loopholes exist, meaning that serious shark finners can kill as much as they want.
The second is that though there is a rise of people getting bothered about this whole shark finning business, politicians stay neutral on the issue. World-wide summits pass hundreds of bills to protect fluffy pandas and majestic elephants, but when asked about sharks, it's always "maybe next year."
There are even PSA's to help raise awareness of the issue, but many of them are highly emotional, which is definitely the wrong tactic to play for those who don't really care, or are just plain hard to get through because of the style of the ad. (Many consist of finishing each other's sentences...blegh.)
So I've clearly stated that it sucks to kill sharks, but haven't really focused on why. Let me enlighten you.
As I mentioned in my last post, I read a book called Demon Fish: Travels Through the Hidden World of Sharks. In it, Juliet Eilperin talks about the human culture of sharks: our irrational fear of them, civilizations that worship them, our fascination of them, and our "need" to eat them.
About 100 million sharks are killed each year. This is not a joke, nor an exaggeration. Sharks that used to be plentiful are now killed at a rate so fast that there are many species that don't stand a chance of survival.
Take, for example, the oceanic white tip shark. They used to be a very common type of shark, but now they are just about gone. Which is too bad. Just look how beautiful (yes beautiful) they are:
Asian countries use the fins for their shark's fin soup. European nations eat the meat, often hiding the true identity of the shark by calling it dogfish. Neither nation has met up with this concept and millions of sharks are finned and then tossed back into the ocean to drown.
As I mentioned before, sharks are very important to the ocean's ecosystem. In Demon Fish, you learn that many think of the ocean as a pyramid, with few predators on top that regulate the masses. However, studies have shown that ecosystems are an inverted pyramid. Larger populations of predatory animals pick out the weaklings and help control the midsize predators.
The example the book gives is when the wolves were taken out of Yellowstone National Park, new Willow and Aspen trees stopped growing. However, when wolves were reintroduced to the park, new trees popped up.
With wolves back in the mix, elk couldn't graze year-round, wherever they wanted. Also, mountain lions and bears stuck closer to their territories, even going out of their way to avoid the wolves. Sharks do the same thing. And with no regulation to how much humans can kill, we are in deep trouble.
Many scientist have calculated what would happen if sharks were taken out of the equation and have found that there would be a rise of seabirds, turtles, and seals, thereby decreasing the tuna and jack populations--fish that we also consume in high quantities.
Ms. Eilperin says "Just as we are conducting an uncontrolled experiment on the earth by emitting an unprecedented amount of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, we are altering the sea with the same sense of abandon, by yanking out...a relatively stable force in ocean ecosystems over evolutionary time."
So now what? You're aware of the problem, what do you do with this information? Tell people. Nothing is yet more powerful than old-fashioned word of mouth. You can also tell your congressmen to protect state and federal laws concerning the issue.
Oh, and maybe next time you can't walk into the ocean for fear of attack, think of this:
Oh, and my favorite shark, you may ask? The goblin shark: Weird as cuss and cussing crazy-awesome.
