The Shark finning industry is a multi billion dollar industry that is single handedly wiping out the shark population on our planet. Sharks have managed to survive on earth for more than 400 million years. They have always been the guardians of the oceans, regulating the earth's eco-system and helping to maintain a balance in nature. They have survived through the various extinction events that happened throughout the earth's life span, which have wiped out many other species. However, even the sharks might not stand a chance against the worst catastrophe ever to affect the earth. Homo-sapiens.
How can killing off the sharks end the world? Well, its simple really. All living things need oxygen to survive and while you might think that we get all the oxygen we need from the trees and vegetation around us, you're wrong. More than half of the earth's oxygen supply comes from the ocean. More specifically, they come from organisms called phytoplankton that live in the seas and oceans that make up 72% of the earth's surface. These microscopic organisms are also the main food source for a plethora of marine creatures. From fishes that are smaller than your fingertip to the majestic Baleen whale, they all feed on plankton. Now if unchecked, the fishes are gonna eat up all the plankton and our oxygen would be seriously depleted. Our atmosphere would then get more and more saturated with carbon dioxide. Combine that with the other crap that the humans are doing on earth and we're looking at a vicious cycle that starts with global warming and ultimately, the destruction of the planet.
phytoplankton - sustaining life and the planetHere's where the sharks come in. I'm pretty sure God designed them as a safety system to keep nature in balance. These supreme predators are right at the top of the food chain. They make sure that the life in the ocean is regulated so that there is enough phytoplankton to keep the earth running. Sharks themselves do not get to run amok and over populate. Sharks only reach sexual maturity after 15 yrs and live up to 30-35yrs on the average. Everything was balanced, until we came along.
Now sharks have been hunted to the brink of extinction. The way that they are hunted is cruel and barbaric as well. After getting snared by long baited hooks strung on lines that stretch for kilometers at a time, they are either hauled up or left to suffocate. When the fishermen come around and reel in the lines, the fins of the sharks are hacked off and the finless bodies are thrown back into the water. More often then not, the sharks are still alive as they sink to the bottom of the ocean awaiting a slow and painful death. Imagine having your arms and legs hacked off and then getting thrown into the ocean.
And here's the really appalling part. The scum who hunts sharks will sell the fins to buyers for about a dollar a kilo. The fins will pass through many middlemen and change hands until it reaches your table, where it will cost up to two hundred dollars for a bowl of shark's fin soup. What kind of a monumental moron would you be to pay so much for something that would've cost less than a roll of toilet paper. And by supporting such a demand, you are basically lowering yourself to the same level as the scum who brutally ended the lives of these majestic and beautiful creatures for a quick buck.
Look, my words and pictures here can only say so much. To get the full story and a better idea of what is going on out there, watch the documentary sharkwater (get the DVD or check out youtube) or visit sharkwater.com. And for heaven's sake, say no to shark's fin and lets help bring this industry to an end. Oh and did I mention you'd be saving the planet too?
