Stop Shark Finning Now!
By: Miss Chagaris
We often see sharks in horror movies as the killer monster on the prowl for human blood. However, this is just the movies. In real life do you know who the victims are? The victims are sharks! That’s right, since the 1990’s shark finning became very popular because fishermen realized they could sell their fins for a profit, so humans have been killing 100 – 200 MILLIONS of sharks per year just to sell their fins for shark fin soup. Shark fin soup is a traditional soup served at Chinese and Vietnamese weddings, however, it is time that this barbaric slaughtering of sharks should cease. Shark fin soup should be globally banned because shark finning is abusive and cruel; it’s a wasteful way to make money; and, above all, killing sharks can devastate or even exterminate ocean ecosystems.
First of all, shark fin soup should be banned because shark finning is abusive and cruel. The manor at which the fishermen take the fins off of sharks is mental and physical abuse to the sharks. This is what happens: first, they capture the shark. Next, they slam the shark down on the deck of the boat (with no water) and the shark begins to suffocate. Then, while it’s still alive, fighting for its life, the fishermen hold the shark down and use knives to cut off each of its fins. (Remember, the shark is still alive, but now it’s suffocating plus its fins are being cut off). Next, they throw the shark back into the water while it’s in pain and bleeding all over the place. The worst thing is that it has no way to swim and so it slowly suffers and dies a horrible death. Imagine if you were swimming in the ocean and suddenly someone cut off your limbs and threw you back into the water only to allow you to sink to the bottom of the sea – as you bleed and have no way to save yourself.
Some people might have no empathy for the shark. They might think, “But that’s not so bad because sharks attack humans too.” However, there is no logic to this way of thinking. If people are attacked by sharks, it is because they enter the shark’s habitat. The ocean is the shark’s home – not a person’s home. We live on land. Sharks are the top predator of the ocean, and humans know that. Also, there actually aren’t many humans killed by sharks. In 2013, National Geographic Wild states that “….only 5 people die per year from shark attacks.” Therefore, it is not reasonable to kill so many sharks every year in such a barbaric, brutal way. Sharks play a vital role in the oceans ecosystems and they don’t deserve to be treated so cruelly. Humans should be better than this.
The second reason shark fin soup should be banned is because killing sharks only for their fins is an extremely wasteful way to make money. Remember that many shark fishermen only take the fins and leave the rest of the shark’s body to just go to waste. To top it off, we shouldn’t even eat sharks in the first place because since they are at the top of the food chain, their bodies have high levels of mercury and this is bad for humans. Plus, the fins don’t even have any flavor, so using the fins for food is unnecessary and wasteful. Furthermore, sharks are worth more when they stay in the water because ecotourism brings in much more money than their fins are worth. This means that scuba divers will pay money to see sharks in their natural habitat. According to the SOS website (Support Our Sharks) “…..it is estimated that one live shark could bring in about $179,000 USD per year.” Therefore, sharks are worth more alive than dead, so killing them for their fins is a waste.
The most important reason to ban shark fin soup is because killing sharks can devastate ocean ecosystems. “Humans kill approximately 100 million – 200 million sharks per year,” said Greenpeace in 2015 and many other sources. At this rate, it is more than possible that sharks may become extinct in the next twenty or thirty years. Killing sharks affects the balance of the entire ecosystem. We cannot kill off the top predators of an ecosystem, otherwise another species could become too populated, or perhaps one species will eat too many producers of the ecosystem which, in turn, could starve other species who need the producers for food. The ocean gives us ½ of our oxygen. If we upset this balance, we will only be killing ourselves. Sharks have been around for about 400 million years and these ecosystems are delicately balanced. Why would we want to throw it all away in just a few decades? We need to let sharks live so we can keep the ocean ecosystems intact.
Sharks have been around since the time of the dinosaurs and they deserve our attention, respect and protection. Besides, have you ever tasted shark fin soup? I’m sure that shark fin soup can be replaced with something more delicious and less expensive. The bottom line is that we have a duty to protect sharks. They have roamed our oceans for so long, and with reason. Shark fin soup should be banned because shark finning is cruel and wasteful, plus we are losing all of our shark populations. So please join the fight to get shark fin soup banned. You can start with your family and then move on to your community. The future of the sea is in your hands. Save the sharks and ban shark fin soup forever!