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Endangered Sharks Misconceptions

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Endangered Sharks Misconceptions
Misconceptions of the Endangered Sharks “Strong jaws, teeth-like scales covering the body, gills, dorsal fins, pectoral fins, and a powerful tail, along with fantastic camouflage…”(Kraus 91), sharks have been able to remain the top predator of the ocean waters for the past 400 millions years. They belong in the family known as the Chondrichthyes which distinguishes them from other of aquatic life in which they have evolved to have special skeletons made up of cartilage and connective tissues. These skeletons allow them to be flexible yet extremely durable while they venture the open waters. Unlike most fish, they do not have a swim bladder which normally helps keep a bony fish afloat because since shark’s skeletons are made of cartilage, …show more content…
Consuming shark fins were apart of a Chinese tradition that develop 600 years ago during the Ming Dynasty. At first, it was believed to increases one’s sexual energy but overtime it evolved into the modern and more common symbol of wealth and power. The dish that was served at weddings, business meetings and special occasions was name shark fin soup (Modigliani 4). The ingredients for shark fin soup includes shark fins, water, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, chicken broth, soy sauce and other garnishes (Claiborne 1). Gordon Ramsay commented that the soup is wonderful upon tasting it, but the shark fin was rather tasteless and offered no flavor to the soup itself however people are still willing to pay a massive amount of money to eat it. A bowl of Shark Fin Soup can price can range anywhere from a hundred dollars to around eight hundred but because there is a rise in the middle class, the demand for shark fins have increased. It is estimated that about seventy million sharks are killed every year to keep up with the public’s demand. (Modigliani …show more content…
"Revealed: How Demand for Shark Fin Soup Fuels Bloody Harvest."Ecologist Feb. 2011: 10-13. EBSCO. Web. 21 Nov. 1993.
Denyer, Simon. "In China, Victory for Wildlife Conservation as Citizens Persuaded to Give up Shark Fin Soup." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 22 Oct. 2013. Web. 27 Nov. 2013.
Kraus, Judy. "Sharks." Rev. of Book. Science & Children Dec. 2012: 91-92. Education Research Complete. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.
Kuhn, Marie, and Ravi Mahajani. "The Anatomy of a Shark Attack: A Case Report and Review of the Literature." Injury July 2001: 445-53. Science Direct. Web. 21 Nov. 1993.
Modigliani, Laura. "Sharks in Hot Water." Scholastic News 2 May 2011: 4-5. EBSCO. Web. 20 Nov. 2013.
Murphy, Austin. "The Anatomy of a Shark Attack: A Case Report and Review of the Literature." Feeding Frenzy. 17 Sept. 2001: 1. Ebsco. Web. 21 Nov. 2013.
Seraphin, Kanesa Duncan. "A Partnership Approach to Improving Student Attitudes About Sharks and Scientists." School Science & Mathematics 110.4 (2010): 203-219. Print.
Spiegel, Jessica. "Even Jaws Deserves to Keep His Fins: Outlawing Shark Finning Throughout Global Waters." 1 Boston College International & Comparative Law Review. LexiNexis Academic, Spring 2001. Web. 15 Nov.

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