Speech Outline on Shark Finning
Introduction:
I. Attention getter: Every year, on average, 10 people are killed by sharks, yet every second 3 sharks are killed by humans.
II. Thesis: Sharks are a vital part of our ecosystem, and killing them disrupts the delicate balance of the ocean.
III. Credibility statement: For most of my life I have been a shark enthusiast so shark finning is an issue I stay very informed on through various academic sources.
IV. Purpose statement: I am going to explain to you today why we need to keep sharks in the ocean and out of the soup.
V. Preview statement: Not only is the killing of sharks extremely inhumane, it does more harm than good to our environment.
(Transition: First, let’s take a look at the barbaric way in which these animals are cut up for their fins)
Body:
I. When sharks are caught commercially, their fins are cut off for the purpose of shark fin soup.
a. After cutting the fin off, commercial fishermen toss the STILL LIVING shark back into ocean to die one of three gruesome deaths.
i. Sharks cannot survive without constant flow of water through their gills, so some of these finless sharks drown. ii. Next, sharks cannot swim without a dorsal fin, which means they cannot hunt food to survive, leaving them to starve to death. iii. Their last option for human induced death is being eaten alive. Since they cannot swim, they cannot defend themselves, leaving other animals or other sharks to make a meal of them.
b. Shark fin soup is usually served at special events because the high cost of production makes serving it a status symbol.
i. According to Oceana’s estimates, between 26 and 73 million sharks are finned each year, all for a tasteless product that literally translates to “fish wing” and adds nothing more than structure to a broth. ii. As the Asian middle class gets more affluent, more people are consuming shark fin soup causing that estimate to rise more and more.
(Transition: Some people may say, well who cares if sharks die
I. Attention getter: Every year, on average, 10 people are killed by sharks, yet every second 3 sharks are killed by humans.
II. Thesis: Sharks are a vital part of our ecosystem, and killing them disrupts the delicate balance of the ocean.
III. Credibility statement: For most of my life I have been a shark enthusiast so shark finning is an issue I stay very informed on through various academic sources.
IV. Purpose statement: I am going to explain to you today why we need to keep sharks in the ocean and out of the soup.
V. Preview statement: Not only is the killing of sharks extremely inhumane, it does more harm than good to our environment.
(Transition: First, let’s take a look at the barbaric way in which these animals are cut up for their fins)
Body:
I. When sharks are caught commercially, their fins are cut off for the purpose of shark fin soup.
a. After cutting the fin off, commercial fishermen toss the STILL LIVING shark back into ocean to die one of three gruesome deaths.
i. Sharks cannot survive without constant flow of water through their gills, so some of these finless sharks drown. ii. Next, sharks cannot swim without a dorsal fin, which means they cannot hunt food to survive, leaving them to starve to death. iii. Their last option for human induced death is being eaten alive. Since they cannot swim, they cannot defend themselves, leaving other animals or other sharks to make a meal of them.
b. Shark fin soup is usually served at special events because the high cost of production makes serving it a status symbol.
i. According to Oceana’s estimates, between 26 and 73 million sharks are finned each year, all for a tasteless product that literally translates to “fish wing” and adds nothing more than structure to a broth. ii. As the Asian middle class gets more affluent, more people are consuming shark fin soup causing that estimate to rise more and more.
(Transition: Some people may say, well who cares if sharks die
Bibliography: • Oceana. (n.d.). Shark Finning . Oceana: Protecting the World 's Oceans. Retrieved June 6, 2012, from http://oceana.org/en/our-work/protect-marine-wildlife/sharks/learn-act/shark-finning • STOP SHARK FINNING. (n.d.). STOP SHARK FINNING. Retrieved June 6, 2012, from http://www.stopsharkfinning.net/index.htm • Shepherd Conservation Society. (2012). The Brutal Business of Shark Finning. Sea Shepherd News, Unknown. Retrieved June 6, 2012, from http://www.seashepherd.org/sharks/shark-finning.html • Ling, L. (n.d.). Shark fin soup alters an ecosystem - CNN. Featured Articles from CNN. Retrieved June 6, 2012, from http://articles.cnn.com/2008-12-10/world/pip.shark.finning_1_shark-fin-shark-populations-top-predator?_s=PM:WORLD