By: Austin Fang

Sharks might look scary at first sight. With their sharp teeth and ferocious jaws, you might have heard stories about them destroying or eating humans. However, if you take a broader look, sharks are in danger. On Earth, 100 million sharks die annually. In fact, if humans died at the same rate, the entire United States population would be gone in less than 4 years. These deaths are increasing, and humans are the leading cause.

Shark finning is one main reason sharks are dying so quickly. Shark finning is, according to conservationist/zoologist Mark Carwardine, “[The] gruesome practice of cutting off a live shark’s fins and throwing the rest of the animal back into the sea, where it dies a slow and painful death.”

People hunt for shark fins to use in shark fin soup, a soup famous in Asia dating back to 1000 years ago. In China, shark fin soup is necessary for some medications, and is served on many unique occasions. This demand leads to around 73 million shark deaths annually.

People are also overfishing sharks. “The overfishing of sharks is driven by international trade that goes way beyond their fins. In recent years the shark meat trade has rapidly expanded and shark products such as cartilage and oil all contribute to a market worth almost 1 billion dollars per year,” wrote Will McCallum & Wenjing Pan. As shown in this statistic, overfishing of sharks is a major problem that contributes to shark deaths.

Finally, another reason for the increase in shark deaths is the number of microplastics in the ocean. Microplastics are microscopic pieces of plastic that pollute the oceans. Sharks will consume these without even noticing, and they pollute the shark’s body, leading to death. The chemicals and pollutants inside these plastics will harm the sharks.

Although sharks are dying at a rapid rate, there are some things humans can do to help. First, people can learn about these amazing creatures. The first step to solving any problem is to learn about it. Second, we can slow down the plastic pollution in the ocean by terminating plastic straws, littering, plastic bottles, and plastic bags. Finally, people can spread the message. They can tell their friends, family, and teachers about sharks. This can also be online, on platforms such as Facebook or Instagram. They can even send a message to government officials requesting to conserve sharks. Finally, people can learn about these amazing creatures.

Sharks have been around for nearly 400 million years (that’s before the dinosaurs). Although they kill 10 humans yearly, humans kill 100 million sharks annually. Humans think of sharks as monsters, dangers to society. Instead, they are amazing creatures that don’t deserve to be extinct. Sharks keep our ecosystem, oceans, and coral reefs in good shape and protection. They need our help. Their species depends on it.

Sources:

https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/fish/what-is-shark-finning-and-why-is-it-a-problem/