Humans are setting up for the extinction of sharks

Sharks throughout history

Sharks have existed for over 400 years (Manire)

They have survived all mass extinctions throughout history
There are 350 species (Manire)
o Giant 12m whale sharks (Manire)
o Tiny pygmy sharks that are full grown at only a few centimeters (Manire)

Characteristics that put them at risk

Very slow growth rates (Manire)

Take many years to mature (Manire)
Long reproductive cycles (Manire)

So many people think of sharks as killers, as eating machinery, as brainless attackers of

swimmers and surfers. The reality is, however, that sharks are an priceless apex predator
in the ocean that have been here for millions upon millions of years, serving the important
purpose of keeping oceanic ecosystems in balance (What If)

This quote captures the idea that sharks are more beneficial alive, than they are dead.
Lack of education among the public allows room for assumptions that are not correct and
beliefs and actions that follow these assumptions. Without sharks, the oceans will not be
a balanced environment and will have astounding effects on oceans, as well as humans.
Sharks existence and populations effect the entire oceans food chain and health

Andy DeHart, Discovery Channels Shark Advisor, explains the importance of sharks and the
dangers facing them: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzlqXMateRE
250,000 sharks are being fished out of the ocean everyday (What If)
Andy DeHart, says in our lifetime we could see many species of sharks become extinct. If this is
the case, it will have a trickledown effect on the entire oceans ecosystem. DeHart states that the
effects may not immediately noticeable, but as time progresses, the effects will be prevalent.
Who constitutes for sharks decline in populations?

About 57% of the morality is due to commercial fishing (Manire)

o Fisherman mistakenly catch sharks and kill them because they are a nuisance
o Kill them for their fins for shark fin soup
43% of deaths are due to recreational fishery (Manire)

The media has a significant impact on the decrease in shark populations

In an analysis of
shark attacks were

300 shark-related articles,

the main focus and emphasis

in more than half of them (Muter).

Only 11% of these articles touched up conservation issues (Muter).
Increased education is needed among the public if there is any hope in saving sharks from
extinction. Throughout the media, sharks are portrayed as man eating monsters, when in reality,
they are the farthest thing from that. Through increased public awareness, the public can be
educated and learn how critical sharks are to the oceans health and ecosystem.
These numbers highlight problems for shark conservation.
We suggest that conservation professionals purposefully and frequently
engage with the media to highlight the rarity of shark attacks and discuss
preventative measures water users can take to reduce their vulnerability to
shark encounters (Muter).
Despite evidence that many shark species are at risk of extinction, we found that most
media coverage emphasized the risks sharks pose to people (Muter).
Politics
Lawmakers have a significant impact on the awareness of sharks and their existence. In recent
years, land based shark fishing has increased in popularity. Many mayors across the East Coast
of Florida has tried banning land based shark fishing from beaches due to the dangers of
attracting the sharks close to beaches. This is where the problem lies. Lawmakers are unaware of
the positive effects that many recreational fishermen, especially those targeting sharks, provide.
Many avid shark fishermen do what they do in order to help bring awareness to the public, and
help save these fish. The general public has little to no knowledge regarding this sport and
process of tagging sharks; therefore they will side with politicians, both at the local and federal
levels, regarding their opinion on sharks. However, the process of shark finning is illegal in the
United States, but members of the Government and the media must do more in order to protect
sharks and bring awareness of how critical they are to not only the oceans, but the Earth as a
whole. As oppose to focusing on the few deadly shark attacks a year, policy makers should focus
on promoting the importance of sharks and help scientists try to revive and protect populations.
With more public awareness, people can continue to put pressure policy makers to bring
awareness and help scientists save the sharks.
Economics
Although many argue that sharks make the oceans dangerous, sharks have a significant impact
on coastal economies. Whether it is for fishing or diving, sharks attract many visitors to coastal
destinations. Without sharks, the oceans ecosystem will suffer and the food chain will be
disrupted drastically. If that were to happen, other fish would be at risk of extinction as well as
there would be no population control of them and would eventually run out of food and die.
Fishing is a huge industry in Florida, and without sharks, tourism would be drastically affected,
whether that seems obvious or not.

Works Cited

"What If Sharks Become Extinct." Green Buzz. Green Buzzz, 14 Aug. 2012. Web. 26 Oct. 2014.
<http://greenbuzzz.com/environment/what-if-sharks-become-extinct/>.

Manire, Charles A., and Samuel H. Gruber. "Many Sharks May Be Headed Toward
Extinction*." Conservation Biology 4.1 (1990): 10-11. Web. 26 Oct. 2014.

Muter, Bret A., Meredith L. Gore, Katie S. Gledhill, Christopher Lamont, and Charlie
Huveneers. "Australian and U.S. News Media Portrayal of Sharks and Their
Conservation." Conservation Biology 27.1 (2013): 187-96. Web.