Hedger 1

Tiffani Hedger

Professor Calhoun

ENG 1201

4 March 2019

Annotated Bibliography

My research essay will discuss the causes of shark species population decline and the

impact it has on all other ocean ecosystems. I will examine why the shark trade industry has

become so popular over the course of a decade and why shark fins appear to be so valuable and

areas throughout the world where this practice is most utilized for financial gain. I will conduct

research in an attempt to answer the questions, how rapidly are various shark species

populations declining, what are the causes of this rapid eradication, how does the presence of

various shark species maintain healthy ocean ecosystems, and what would happen to these

ecosystems if sharks were to be completely eradicated from the ocean?

Brown, Elizabeth. "How A Century of Fear Turned Deadly For Sharks." 26 June 2016. Florida

Museum. 14 March 2019. <https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/science/how-a-century-

of-fear-turned-deadly-for-sharks/>.

In this article titled, How A Century of Fear Turned Deadly For Sharks, Elizabeth Brown

discusses what led to the induced fear and panic humans feel when they think about the shark

population. Upon the release of the film Jaws in 1975, humans deduced that sharks were

ferocious and carnivorous “man-eaters,” which prompted fishermen to hunt and capture these

majestic animals. Elizabeth Brown describes the occurrences that took place in 1916, labeled the

“Twelve Days of Terror,” which garnered mass media attention after four people were fatally

attacked and another suffered only minor injuries. She also utilizes information acquired from
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director of the Florida Program for Shark Research and International Shark Attack File, George

Burgess to discuss how humans’ first encounter with shark attacks reported induced panic and

what began humans intense fear and hatred for the shark species. In the article Burgess also

discusses the negative impact of shark finning and how the increase in desire for shark fin soup

could be catastrophic to the shark population.

Elizabeth Brown is a journalist for the Florida Museum and her ability to deliver the

information acquired by George Burgess to the public is successful and factual. George Burgess

provides accurate and credible information about the rise in number of shark attacks and the

various causes for these occurrences and how this has impacted humans fear and hatred for

various shark species. Due to the fact that George Burgess is the director of the International

Shark Attack File and the Florida Program for Shark Research, the information that he

contributes to this article is conclusive and conducive to furthering one’s knowledge on this

misunderstood species that humans know very little about.

Couto, Nicole. How Badly Do Coral Reefs and Other Sharks Need Each Other? 30 June 2016.

27 February 2019. <https://oceanbites.org/coral-reefs-and-sharks/>.

In this article titled How Badly Do Coral Reefs and Other Sharks Need Each Other? by

Nicole Couto, the importance of sharks species presence in the ocean ecosystems is discussed

utilizing scientific research and studies conducted by researchers. Sharks are apex predators with

no known natural predators, however we continue to fish them out of the ocean due to the

demand for their meat and valuable fins. Many biologists have hypothesized that the

disappearance of shark populations would result in trophic cascades which negatively impact

levels of the trophic system and without large apex predators such as sharks, smaller sharks and

large fish called mesopredators would become overpopulated, increasing their need to eat
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smaller fish. Without these smaller herbivorous fish ingesting the algae, the algae would

consume the coral reefs and this would outcompete the slower-growing coral reducing the

diverse ecosystems these reefs support. Sharks also aid in the preservation of coral reef survival

by cycling nutrients through them and the open ocean and removing invasive fish species. Sharks

are also dependent on the survival of coral reefs in many ways such as providing them with a

source of prey and habitats that support various species of shark nurseries.

This article is successful in spreading awareness on the catastrophic impact declining

shark populations have on ocean ecosystems and with scientific research and studies of what

happens when shark numbers decline, we are able to see the importance of shark preservation in

the ocean. Spreading awareness and learning about ocean and shark conservation is vital and in

reading this article everyone is able to learn the detrimental impact shark disappearance in the

ocean has on coral reefs and other ocean ecosystems. Nicole Couto utilizes statistics and research

written by other scholars and scientists to validate the information in this article which makes

this a credible source to utilize for my research paper. Preservation of the shark population is

vital to all other ecosystem survival and if these apex predators were to vanish the consequences

would be disastrous, therefore in utilizing this article I would be able to prove that a sharks role

in the ocean is crucial.

Gallagher, Austin J., et al. “Shark Recreational Fisheries: Status, Challenges, and Research

Needs.” Ambio, vol. 46, no. 4, 2016, pp. 385–398., doi:10.1007/s13280-016-0856-8.

In this article titled, Shark Recreational Fisheries: Status, Challenges, and Research,

Austin Gallagher and his colleagues discuss the gradual increase in recreational fishing and how

it has adversely impacted shark species populations. He explains the history of recreational shark

fishing and how it contrasts from commercial fishing practices. Nearly 47 million various species
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of marine animals are recreationally fished every year and over the course of these years the

numbers have begun to exceed those of commercial fisheries. Gallagher and his co-authors

explain the detrimental impact recreational fishing has on the shark population and the inflation

of shark fishing tournaments which are defined as fishermen taking boats out into the ocean to

capture the largest species of shark and those that obtained the heaviest sharks collect cash prizes

and admiration from local residents.

Austin Gallagher is a Marine Biologist and CEO of a non-profit organization named

Beneath the Waves with his main focus being marine and ocean conservation. The research

conducted by Gallagher and his colleagues, who are also Biologists and Ecologists, is accurate

and substantial to gaining knowledge on the concern with declining shark species populations.

Their introduction and history of how recreational shark fishing came to be and the potential

causes of its escalation are not only credible and logical, but compelling and informative. I will

utilize the information provided in this article to inform my readers of yet another explanation

for the exponential decrease in shark species populations and why recreational fishing poses a

serious and irreversible threat to all ocean ecosystems.

Roff, George, et al. “The Ecological Role of Sharks on Coral Reefs.” Trends in Ecology &amp;

Evolution, vol. 31, no. 5, 2016, pp. 395–407., doi:10.1016/j.tree.2016.02.014.

In this article titled, The Ecological Role of Sharks on Coral Reefs, George Roff and his

colleagues discusses the potential demise of all coral reef ecosystems following the eradication

of larger apex predator shark species. Larger species of shark, such as Hammerheads and Tiger

sharks, maintain successful functionality within coral reef ecosystems and the elimination of

these larger species of shark would induce trophic cascades which allows the overgrowth of

algae on the coral reef, and this results in a depletion of the diversity that these coral reef
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ecosystems support. These massive species of sharks also contribute to the regulation of various

species by controlling populations of fish such as the Lionfish, however the depletion of these

apex predators would result in their inability to regulate the abundance of these invasive

populations.

George Roff and his colleagues are Marine Biologists and Marine Ecologists that have

conducted research and compiled the information obtained into an article discussing the

catastrophic impact apex predator eradication has on coral reef ecosystems, therefore the

information in this article is factual and credible. They produce thought-provoking statistics and

diagrams depicting the result of large shark species disappearance from coral reef ecosystems

which I will utilize in my research paper to support my thesis that all ocean ecosystems are

devastatingly impacted by the depletion of sharks from the ocean. I will also utilize the

information provided by Roff and his colleagues in this article to discuss precisely how apex

predators, such as Tiger shark and Hammerheads, maintain healthy and functional societies

within these coral reef ecosystems.

Shark Stewards. Shark Finning and Fin Facts. 2017. 14 March 2019.

<https://sharkstewards.org/shark-finning/shark-finning-fin-facts/>.

In this article provided by Shark Stewards titled Shark Finning and Fin Facts, one of the

many causes of declining shark species populations is discussed. Shark finning is an extremely

ubiquitous practice around the world and kills an estimated 100 million sharks per year. Shark

finning is the horrendous act of removing a living shark from the ocean, slicing off its fins and

throwing the creature back into to ocean alive or dead. In 2000 many countries implemented

laws banning this practice, however through loopholes many fishermen are still able to legally

sell and import landed sharks for their meat and valuable fins. All species of shark are fished
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from the ocean, however there are certain species that are more valuable that others such as the

whale shark and the basking shark. Shark fins are dried out and exploited to prepare a delicacy

known as shark fin soup that was once eaten solely by Chinese emperors and nobility but now is

consumed by a vast majority of populations around the world. Large shark populations are

declining at a massive rate due to overfishing and the shark fin trade and without these apex

predators, the entire ocean ecosystem is negatively impacted.

The Shark Stewards are comprised of shark conservationists and marine biologists that

have acquired knowledge about the decline of shark populations with research studies in an

attempt to spread awareness about the controversial issue of shark finning and that makes this a

credible source to utilize for my research essay. The factual information and research compiled

in this article will be successfully utilized in my research essay to answer the question of what is

causing accelerated shark population declines and. The shark fin industry has been an issue for

over a decade and with the continuance of research and information from articles like this one,

changes may begin to occur.

Sharkwater Extinction. Dir. Rob Stewart. Perf. Rob Stewart. Prod. Rob Stewart. 2018. 27

February 2019. <https://www.sharkwater.com/>.

Rob Stewart is an ocean conservationist and filmmaker who set out on a journey over a decade

ago to spread awareness on the catastrophic impact of shark finning and released a documentary

in 2006 about the issue titled Sharkwater. Upon the release of Sharkwater, 16 countries banned

the practice of shark finning and today nearly 90 countries have banned the practice, however

this has not ended the shark fin trade as roughly 150 million sharks continue to be slaughtered

every year. Sharkwater Extinction was released in 2018 and Rob Stewart continues his research

by traveling the world and visiting over six various locations around the world to obtain
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information so that he can spread awareness about declining shark populations and its impact on

not just ocean ecosystem survival but human survival as well, in hopes that radical change may

begin to occur. Shark DNA has been found in pet food, livestock feed, fertilizer, human food and

even cosmetics and we remain unaware.

Rob Stewart has traveled the world to acquire knowledge and compile factual

information regarding the shark trade industry. He has been refused interviews, ambushed and

shot at by fisherman, chased and arrested, and in an attempt to acquire the information needed to

spread awareness to everyone around the world, he lost his life during a dive for the filming of

Sharkwater Extinction. The millions of slaughtered sharks and shark fins he has filmed and

documented is evidence that shark conservation is vital for their survival and ours. I will utilize

the research and statistics from this documentary in my research essay to prove why nearly 150

million sharks slaughtered per year and what purpose their fins and meat serve to the human

population around the globe.

The Ocean Portal Team. Sharks. Ed. David Shiffman. April 2018. 14 March 2019.

<https://ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/sharks-rays/sharks>.

In this article titled, Sharks, written by The Ocean Portal Team from the Smithsonian

provides an abundance of information on the anatomy, ecology and behavior, life cycle and

reproduction, and conservation of sharks. By utilizing new technologies, researchers were able to

determine that sharks actually longer than scientists originally thought and this aids in a better

understanding of why these wondrous creatures have dwelled in the oceans for nearly 420

million years. Humans are more likely to be killed by a lightning strike than bitten by a shark, or

killed by a dog attack than a shark bite, yet we continue to view them as ferocious “man-eating”

creatures. Fossil records indicate that 370 million years ago ancient sharks would have closely
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resembled the sharks that exist in the oceans today, which means sharks are one of the oldest and

most successful species on earth, therefore their conservation needs to be better acknowledged or

the preservation of Earth and all its inhabitants may be at risk of extinction.

The Smithsonian Ocean Portal is edited and maintained by the Smithsonian Institution’s

National Museum of Natural History, which includes the museum’s research and scientific

findings from scientists and researchers. By creating The Ocean Portal, the museum acquired the

ability to increase public awareness regarding the ocean and Marine Science as well as the

ocean’s importance to all life which allows this article to maintain its status as a credible source

to utilize in my research paper. I will also provide information from this article on the

reproduction patterns of various shark species so that my readers will gain a better understanding

as to why sharks are unable to reproduce faster than they are disappearing from the ocean. By

utilizing the information provided in this article, I will provide my readers with the history of

sharks, as well as their importance to not only all ocean ecosystems, but all of human life as well.

University of Melbourne. Sharks: How a Cull Could Ruin an Ecosystem. 8 May 2017. 27

February 2019. https://phys.org/news/2017-05-sharks-cull-ecosystem.html.

In this article provided by the University of Melbourne titled “Sharks: How a Cull Could

Ruin an Ecosystem,” the impact of declining shark populations due to culling is discussed as well

as the vital roll sharks play in healthy ocean ecosystems. Culling was introduced as a way to

control the shark population and this was thought to reduce the number of shark attacks, which

has been proven to be inaccurate as the number of fatal shark attacks has remained unchanged

compared to the estimated 100 million sharks that are killed annually. Professor Robert Day is a

marine ecologist from Melbourne University and he states that if shark species continue to

rapidly decline it could be catastrophic to the balance of all other ecosystems in the ocean. The
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eradication of shark species means the smaller fish that were once ingested by these sharks

would overpopulate the ocean and this disrupts the functionality of all other ecosystems, which

could become catastrophic over time. Hawaiian researchers have also proven that tiger sharks

maintain the health of seagrass beds by ingesting turtles, therefore limiting the number of turtles

that have a tendency to overgraze on these sea beds.

Humans view shark attacks as a horrendous concern that should be managed by any

means necessary, therefore culling was introduced in Australia as a potential solution to control

the shark population in an attempt to decrease the number of shark attacks on their beaches. The

writer of this article wishes to educate viewers on why the practice of culling would be

devastating to all oceanic populations, which would eventually lead to plummeting ecosystems

and severe environmental concerns. The Australian Senate maintains control over assessing what

actions to take to prevent such shark attacks from happening, therefore readers should be

educated on the detrimental impact culling could pose to the shark population which would

eventually have a devastating impact on all other ecosystems as well as humans. Culling is one

of many causes for the decline in shark populations and Professor Robert Day from The

University of Melbourne has conducted studies and collected data in relevance to this practice

and why this is damaging to not only shark populations but all other ecosystems and that

constitutes this a credible source to utilize for my research paper.