Shark Fining Persuasive Essay
Sharks have been the ocean’s apex predators since 200 million years ago. Yet shark populations have been rapidly declining since humans began the worldwide practice of shark finning. This is the process of removing the fins from sharks then throwing the body back into the ocean left to die slowly. Shark fins are popular targets for fishermen because of their high value although the issues caused by this practice are widespread, inhumane and damaging to almost every ecosystem.
Shark fins have been considered a delicacy in the Chinese culture since the Sung Dynasty in AD 968, in a dish called Shark Fin Soup. The emperors of china have believed that the soup had medicinal benefits and represented conquering powerful sharks. Shark fins have no …show more content…
The fins are the most valuable part of the shark, which is the reason behind throwing the rest of the still living body back into the ocean. On average the “fins account for only 5% of the shark’s weight”. Making shark fining extremely wasteful because killing a shark for only 5% of its weight takes away from the valuable contributions to the ecosystems. Such as “maintain other species’ populations, promote biodiversity and to regulate and balance oceans”. The oceans provides 1/3 of the world with food, produces oxygen, cleans the atmosphere’s greenhouse gases and controls Earth’s temperature and weather. Destroying shark populations could destroy our oceans and our life support …show more content…
Yet many fisherman continue to fin and kill sharks at an alarming rate of 73 million sharks annually. “Whale sharks, Basking sharks, and Great White sharks are restricted in international trade by the United Nations Convention on the Trade of Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna signed by 175 nations”. The laws made to protect shark species does not mean they are completely protected. In South Africa there is a major illegal finning problem on Great Whites because of the value of their fins on the black market, which is up to $600. In “2011, President Obama signed The Shark Conservation Act which closed any loopholes” in earlier finning legislation. Other countries, for instance Palau, have sanctuaries where sharks are protected from commercial exploitation in its waters. To date there are “1.8 million square miles of protected waters globally” and it continues to
Shark fins have been considered a delicacy in the Chinese culture since the Sung Dynasty in AD 968, in a dish called Shark Fin Soup. The emperors of china have believed that the soup had medicinal benefits and represented conquering powerful sharks. Shark fins have no …show more content…
The fins are the most valuable part of the shark, which is the reason behind throwing the rest of the still living body back into the ocean. On average the “fins account for only 5% of the shark’s weight”. Making shark fining extremely wasteful because killing a shark for only 5% of its weight takes away from the valuable contributions to the ecosystems. Such as “maintain other species’ populations, promote biodiversity and to regulate and balance oceans”. The oceans provides 1/3 of the world with food, produces oxygen, cleans the atmosphere’s greenhouse gases and controls Earth’s temperature and weather. Destroying shark populations could destroy our oceans and our life support …show more content…
Yet many fisherman continue to fin and kill sharks at an alarming rate of 73 million sharks annually. “Whale sharks, Basking sharks, and Great White sharks are restricted in international trade by the United Nations Convention on the Trade of Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna signed by 175 nations”. The laws made to protect shark species does not mean they are completely protected. In South Africa there is a major illegal finning problem on Great Whites because of the value of their fins on the black market, which is up to $600. In “2011, President Obama signed The Shark Conservation Act which closed any loopholes” in earlier finning legislation. Other countries, for instance Palau, have sanctuaries where sharks are protected from commercial exploitation in its waters. To date there are “1.8 million square miles of protected waters globally” and it continues to