Who of you have grown up with a fear of sharks? Confession! I did! Sadly, I still do...
I'm in my mid 50’s and grew up in the “JAWS” era. Based on that one movie alone, I have lived my life terrified to go into the ocean.Don’t get me wrong. I have a massive respect for sharks. They are truly a marvel of creation, an apex predator doing what it was designed to do. Their presence in the ocean is an absolute necessity for the balance of the ecosystem and therefore, for the future of the planet.
Photo: Marcelo Cidrak
Don't even get me started on shark finning, that would have to be one of the most tragic, sad things I have ever seen. Witnessing these juvenile sharks that are being hauled onto trawlers with massive chains & hooks, only to have their fins harvested from their bodies like a slice of cheese. Next, they are dumped back into their ocean home, but without the ability to survive. They thrash and flail as they begin their descent to the bottom of the seabed. In a single moment, they go from king of the ocean to helpless fodder and prey.
Do you know how many sharks are stripped of their fins and thrown back into the ocean on a yearly basis? Shark finning is killing millions upon millions of sharks globally per year. More than 50% of the global shark fin trade is in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan province.
Why does this practice still exist today? Is it for research purposes? Is it so we can make a miracle cure for disease? Or is it simply mankind’s greed, to serve our insatiable appetite to satisfy our bellies, or to line our pockets? Shark fins are used for traditional Chinese medicine and in shark fin soup which is considered a delicacy in Asia.
Photo: Wikipedia
As a result of this cruel trade, shark populations are declining globally, and many species are threatened with extinction. Oceanic white tip, silky, reef sharks and hammerhead sharks are mostly targeted for their fins. Blue sharks are high on the target list with about 20 million killed a year! This is unsustainable if we want to maintain our ocean’s shark population. As a shark lover, I find this detestable and inhumane on so many levels!
Is there anything we can do? Sure there is!
If you are passionate about the ocean, and respect the marine life as we do, you can do something! The change always start with us, and to help on the mission, Envirotech Education has created the first and only VET Certificate qualification for Marine Habitat Conservation and Restoration in the entire world!
Be the change in the world and join us in our quest to conserve and restore our oceans and all it houses. Fill the form below and get more information regarding our Marine Habitat Course. Be part of the solution!
Stats & Research material from sharkstewards.org
