I tend to have a different reaction to sharks than most people. I feel a deep affection for sharks and even seeing a photo of one makes me want to jump in the water and give it a hug.
Not only do many species of shark help regulate the ocean and ensure that humankind's oxygen supply is steady and balanced, but most divers will argue that they aren't the ferocious monsters that the media depicts them as.
Many people can tell you that an estimated 75,000,000-100,000,000 sharksare pulled out of our oceans every year to feed a growing demand for shark fin soup.
But a lesser known aspect of this problem is how current fishing methods used all over the world are putting not just sharks but our oceans in peril. You'd probably be surprised to discouver that something like our love for tuna is causing sharks to die. Common unsustainable fishing methods like bottom trawling mean that when fishing boats are looking for tuna they're catching sharks and lots of other species too.
Sharks and tuna often share the same space and when a large net is dragged along the bottom floor, it isn't able to discriminate between tuna or anything else. The result is bycatch and lots of it. Bycatch is any untargeted species that is caught. Many times the bycatch is thrown back in the water (of course almost everything is dead at this point).
Bottom trawling is only one of many common unsustainable fishing methods that result in large amounts of bycatch. Long line fishing and Muraomi nets are other examples. Bycatch has become a major concern for scientists, ocean lovers, and of course shark huggers and many feel that bycatch and modern fishing practices is one of the biggest threats facing our oceans.
'Saving Sharks' is complicated and it's not as simple as getting people to stop eating soup (although it would help sharks dramatically). Legislation, improved conservation, less shark fin soup, and dramatic changes in fishing regulations are all needed to keep sharks in the water.
But where do we begin? Well if you ask me, it's by getting people to love sharks.
(find out more information at www.wakeproject.net)
Not only do many species of shark help regulate the ocean and ensure that humankind's oxygen supply is steady and balanced, but most divers will argue that they aren't the ferocious monsters that the media depicts them as.
Many people can tell you that an estimated 75,000,000-100,000,000 sharksare pulled out of our oceans every year to feed a growing demand for shark fin soup.
But a lesser known aspect of this problem is how current fishing methods used all over the world are putting not just sharks but our oceans in peril. You'd probably be surprised to discouver that something like our love for tuna is causing sharks to die. Common unsustainable fishing methods like bottom trawling mean that when fishing boats are looking for tuna they're catching sharks and lots of other species too.
Sharks and tuna often share the same space and when a large net is dragged along the bottom floor, it isn't able to discriminate between tuna or anything else. The result is bycatch and lots of it. Bycatch is any untargeted species that is caught. Many times the bycatch is thrown back in the water (of course almost everything is dead at this point).
Bottom trawling is only one of many common unsustainable fishing methods that result in large amounts of bycatch. Long line fishing and Muraomi nets are other examples. Bycatch has become a major concern for scientists, ocean lovers, and of course shark huggers and many feel that bycatch and modern fishing practices is one of the biggest threats facing our oceans.
'Saving Sharks' is complicated and it's not as simple as getting people to stop eating soup (although it would help sharks dramatically). Legislation, improved conservation, less shark fin soup, and dramatic changes in fishing regulations are all needed to keep sharks in the water.
But where do we begin? Well if you ask me, it's by getting people to love sharks.
(find out more information at www.wakeproject.net)
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