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The jaws did not favor sharks.
But in reality, they are the good boys of the sea misunderstood.
Sharks are not kindly viewed in popular culture and do not receive much sympathy in the public mind. They are widely regarded as cold-blooded killers with wicked, dead little eyes, who are only satisfied when they pull the legs of unsuspecting swimmers and engulf whole children.
However, this stereotype of sharks is a demonic and bloodthirsty sea.
Sharks kill about five humans each year, compared to horses that kill 20 and cows. 22. Alligators, a prehistoric predator such as sharks, kill 1,000 humans each year.
We each have 1 in 63 chance of dying from the flu and 1 out of 3,700,000 chances of being killed by a shark.
More importantly, we really need sharks. If we care about the health of our oceans, sharks as a species are vital.
Sharks are the predators of the sea. They sit at the top of the food chain, next to killer whales (which regularly bring whales back from their mothers to kill them, but strangely, they are seen with a lot of more benevolence than sharks). If the shark population decreases, then the marine ecosystem can become dangerously unbalanced.
Sharks are needed to keep the populations of their prey healthy. They tend to hunt only aged, injured or sick fish, grooming or rationalizing many populations of marine creatures to keep them to such a size that they will not become too big and will not damage the sea. 39; ecosystem.
Prey may seem horrible, but it prevents disease from ravaging prey populations and stops potentially devastating outbreaks. It encourages the strengthening of the genetic pool of prey species, so that the strongest and healthiest fish breed in greater numbers.
(Photo: Rodrigo Friscione)
Sharks are considered a "keystone" species. This means that if they are removed from the food chain, the whole structure could collapse.
Without the sharks that regulate the ecosystem under water, vital habitats would be severely damaged. In Hawaii, sharks have been linked to seagrass health because they control the population of turtles that graze the marine grass. Without sharks eating turtles, they were able to overgraze on concentrated areas of sea grass and as a result, destroyed their own habitat.
According to research from the University of Western Australia, sharks are also needed for coral reef health.
The researchers found that reef areas with healthy shark populations were where small reef fish thrived. These small fish care for the corals, and where the sharks were present in optimal numbers, the corals recovered from bleaching and flooding, and showed greater resistance to disease.
This is especially important because the world's corals are increasingly at risk Although they cover a relatively small percentage of the ocean floor, they are vital to the health of the ocean and the health of the planet.
Unfortunately, too few people understand the importance of sharks. A national opinion poll commissioned by the British charity Bite-Back Shark & Marine Conservation recently revealed that 46% of Britons would prefer a shark-free ocean.
It's sad, but not surprising when you consider what bad rap-sharks have been since the creation of Jaws in 1975.
Public misconception by sharks also makes efforts to save the difficult sharks. People are more likely to worry about the misdeeds of the ivory trade or big game because elephants, lions, tigers, cheetahs, and so on. are considered hugs
Sharks desperately need our support
Although people may be afraid of sharks, humans are the real monsters here. We kill sharks in large numbers, killing about 100 million of these fascinating and extremely well-adapted creatures each year.
Sharks are killed for shark fin soup, a delicacy in parts of Asia, which can be sold up to $ 100 a bowl. In China, it is considered a mark of status and refinement to serve shark fin soup during a wedding. The increase in wealth for the Chinese middle class has allowed more people to afford shark fin soup, increase demand for the product and devastate shark populations.
discharge into the water, still alive, bleed to death. A single shark will only create a few bowls of soup. The whole process is wasteful and inhumane, causing great suffering to the animal involved.
Even famous, Chief Gordon Ramsay, hard bitten and sworn, says, "[Shark finning] is the worst act of animal cruelty I've ever seen. 19659004] Dalhousie University in Canada analyzed life data for 62 shark species and found that only 4.9% of sharks can be killed each year – anything that threatens the long-term survival of species including the oceanic white tip, the porbeagle shark and several types of sharks. the hammers. Currently, between 6.4% and 7.9% of sharks of all species are killed each year.
To make matters worse, sharks produce little offspring and it takes long periods to mature, which means that it is very difficult to rebuild shark populations.
If we do not protect sharks, we will threaten the health of ocean habitats, marine populations and the entire planet.
To quell the doubts of those who are not yet sure of sharks, we spoke to Graham Buckingham, Bite-Back campaign manager.
Hello Graham!
I've been diving with sharks for 17 years and I launched Bite-Back Shark & Marine Conservation in 2004.
Sharks are fascinating creatures. Can you tell us why they are so amazing?
Sharks are lions and leopards of the oceans.
There are more than 480 species of sharks. The biggest, whale shark, can reach the size of a London to imperial bus. The smallest, the pygmy shark, is the length of a pencil
Sharks have three more senses than humans – electroreceptors on their noses (called Lorenzini bulbs) that help detect the l? Electricity (muscle movement) go down both sides of the body to help detect vibrations in the water, and the bodies of the pit, a series of hair cells located in the gills and pectoral fins that help detect changes in the temperature of the water
Sharks have been swimming in our oceans since before the dinosaurs stepped on the ground and survived six mass extinctions [19659004] How dangerous are sharks to humans? 19659004] As a rule, there are no more than seven victims of sharks every year in the world.
British cows kill as many people every year as all the sharks in the world, combined. Last year, bee stings, dog bites, lightning strikes, toasters, ladders and vending machines have claimed more lives.
Only three sharks have been associated with multiple human mortalities (double-digit).
We have recently researched that 64% of British people think that sharks are more terrifying than snakes, spiders and rodents combined.
We believe that fear and public repugnance are detrimental to shark conservation. efforts, contributing to the disappearance of these majestic creatures
How do human activities threaten sharks?
Industrial fishing is the biggest threat to the shark population. The world's fishing fleets catch 73 million sharks a year, or about two per second. Because there is no international or European catch limit for most sharks caught in the Atlantic, Spain, France, Portugal and Great Britain are rank among the top 25 shark fishing nations in the world.
Learn more: Lifestyle
While shark meat is cheap, shark fins – the title ingredient in shark fin soup – have recently become one of the seafood products. most precious of the planet. As a result, fishing fleets catch sharks and keep only the precious parts.
In a practice known as finning shark, they bring the shark to the boat, then hack the dorsal fin, the pectoral fins and the tail throw the shark still alive to the sea to die. At Bite-Back, we describe the act as "the marine equivalent of killing an elephant for its defenses."
Bite-Back is campaigning to make Britain the first country in the world to ban shark fin soup. We are proud to be responsible for the 80% drop in the number of British restaurants serving shark fin soups, including the only Michelin-starred Chinese restaurant, Hakkasan
.
Why do we need sharks?
Life on Earth depends on sharks. [19659004] The oceans are the lungs and the pantry of the planet. Healthy oceans produce 50% of the oxygen we breathe and more than 150 million tons of protein per year in our diet. However, healthy oceans need sharks.
In some parts of the world, iconic shark populations, including Great White Shark, Hammerhead Shark, Oceanic Shark and Silky Shark, have declined by 90% over the last 40 years. 19659004] For 450 million years, sharks have kept law and order under water, shaping directly or indirectly the behavior of everything in the oceans. If we continue to kill 200,000 sharks a day around the world, we will reach a critical point and the fragile marine food chain will collapse.
With every shark we kill, we tighten our hold on the air we breathe and the food we consume. eat.
You can read more about Bite-Back and the work they do here.
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