What's the Catch?

THE DRAMATIC DECLINE IN SHARK POPULATIONS

whats the catch

“THE MOST IMPORTANT TOOL FOR SUCCESSFUL CONSERVATION IS KNOWLEDGE.”

Sharks have inhabited the worlds oceans for over 400 million years, predating the oldest dinosaur fossils.

During their reign of the oceans they have survived five mass extinctions, a testament to their versatile evolutionary design.

OUT OF 400 SHARK SPECIES, 30% ARE CURRENTLY THREATENED WITH EXTINCTION.

They have adapted to their environment to stand out as a prime example of an apex predator, however their survival on Earth is hugely under threat and rapidly declining at a rate of over 100 million dead sharks a year. Why are we as humans committing the mass murder of such an intricate and vital predator?

THE OCEAN ECOSYSTEM IS MADE UP OF VERY INTRICATE FOOD WEBS, OF WHICH SHARKS ARE THE KEYSTONE SPECIES. REMOVING SHARKS FROM THE OCEANS WOULD CAUSE A STRUCTURAL COLLAPSE WITH DEVASTATING EFFECTS.

SHARKS APEX PREDATOR

Sharks are considered to have no natural predators, giving them the status of ‘apex predator’ and placing them at the top of the food chain.

LARGE PREY

SICKANIMALS, LARGE FISH, SEA BIRDS/RAYS Being an apex predator means sharks have an abundance of prey.

Without sharks, species of larger fish would rapidly increase causing chaos to the food web structure. Also, without sharks to prey on weak/sick fish and mammals, disease could eastily (and vastly) spread to throughout the surrounding ocean population.

smaller prey

SMALLER CARNIVEROUS/HERBIVOROUS FISH The new abundance of larger carnivorous will result in a drastic decline of smaller fish. These fish are crucial in maintaining the populations of algae’s and other microscopic species, which would otherwise grow out of hand without them.

ALGAE

Without the presence of algae-eating fish, populations of algae can grow rapidly out of control. Whilst many strains of algae are hugely beneficial to marine life, without the intervention of smaller fish in maintaining the population, algae levels can spread rapidly out of control and become invasive.

THE OVERALL IMPACT HOW WILL THIS EFFECT US?

Unregulated and overpopulated levels of algae can have devastating effects on the ecosystem. Invasive algae is known to overwhelm and kill coral by smothering, shading, and abrasion. Algae is also responsible for oxygen depletion in the marine environment which has devastating effects on marine life, thus having a devastating effect on the entire ocean.

FROM KING OF THE OCEAN TO A PREDATOR IN PERIL, WHY ARE WE KILLING SOMETHING SO MAGNIFICENT?

WE MUST STOP SUPPORTING INDUSTRIES THAT ARE KILLING THEM

Bycatch is defined as an ‘unintentional catch’ of ‘non-targeted species’. Whilst it is no secret that the commercial fishing industry is responsible for the major death scale of large and often endangered marine animals, the true nature of the issue is now being recognised.

It has been estimated that as many as 50 million sharks are killed as a result being caught on longline fishing hooks or becoming tangled in gill nets or trawl lines every year, with the dramatic statistics pointing towards the fact that 1 in 5 fish caught by these methods are sharks .

We must stop supporting industries that are killing them, and put more pressure on commercial fisheries to implement sustainable methods which don’t push already endangered species further towards the brink of extinction.

AN IMMENSELY CRUEL AND WASTEFUL PRACTICE WHICH GOES AGAINST THE PRINCIPLE OF SUSTAINABILITY

An estimated 73 million sharks are killed each year through shark finning, with recent figures suggesting that the figure is nearing the 100 million mark. All of this senseless decimation is caused by the high demand for ‘shark fin soup’ - a status symbol in some Asian cultures.

Due to sharks reaching maturity late in life and having a slow reproductive rate they have become especially vulnerable to the impacts of overfishing. Shark finning in particular is causing unmeasurable devastation to the shark population.

and for WHAT?

Shark finning is arguably the most barbaric and senseless threats that sharks are facing today. The act includes the removal of the sharks fins and subsequently discarding the rest of shark by throwing it overboard, whilst still alive, where the shark sinks to the bottom of the ocean and dies a traumatising and painful death from suffocation, blood loss, or by being eaten by passing predators.

human fear has spiraled OUT OF CONTROL & sharks have paid the price SHARKS HAVE LONG BEEN DEMONISED AS DEAD EYED MAN EATERS.

BUT THAT COULDN’T BE FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH.

D O N T B E L I E V E - PETER BENCHLEY AUTHOR OF ‘JAWS’ Humans have long feared sharks, and who can blame them? Sharks are a product of millions of years of evolution, every aspect of them has evolved to survive as an apex predator. However Hollywood has exploited the nature of sharks in a damaging way, which has in turn heightened their vulnerability.

In light of the ‘Jaws’ era, sharks have long been considered ferocious man eaters, and research has since showed that the way the media has historically portrayed sharks effects the ways in which authorities handle shark incidents.

These incidents then provide strong incentives for shark culls.

E V E R Y T H I N G Y O U R E A D

“THE FACT IS THAT NO SPECIES HAS EVER HAD SUCH WHOLESALE CONTROL OVER EVERYTHING ON EARTH, LIVING OR DEAD, AS WE NOW HAVE. THAT LAYS UPON US, WHETHER WE LIKE IT OR NOT, AN AWESOME RESPONSIBILITY. IN OUR HANDS NOW LIES NOT ONLY OUR OWN FUTURE,

BUT THAT OF ALL OTHER LIVING CREATURES WITH WHOM WE SHARE THE EARTH.”