Sharks, one of the most dangerous animals on Earth. These creatures prey on the weak and old, pouncing on groups of fish and trimming their numbers, but do sharks actually have a positive impact on the ecosystem?
In an article called "Why Protect Sharks?" by SOS or support our sharks have explained that sharks have a very positive impact on an ecosystem. "Sharks play a vital role in the oceans in a way that the average fish does not. Most sharks serve as top predators at the pinnacle of the marine food pyramid, and so play a critical role in ocean ecosystems. Directly or indirectly they regulate the natural balance of these ecosystems, at all levels, and so are an integral part of them." But what do sharks actually do? Well they feed off of multiple species of fish, trimming their numbers so they don't over produce and destroy the food that the fish eat. The mere presence of a shark is frightening to fish and other sea creatures. So frightening in fact that a species of turtle which grazes on sea grass only trims the grass before swimming away in fear of sharks. If left untouched, the turtles would eat all the grass, destroying the ecosystem.
Another example of sharks helping the environment is by eating the weak and old. By doing this, sharks indirectly help species of fish with strong genes survive and continue on. a study done of the coast of america showed that "11 species of sharks were virtually eliminated from their range. Of the 14 species of marine life that those sharks used to eat, the populations of 12 exploded and caused great damage to the ecosystem. For example, the cow nose ray population was no longer kept under control by sharks and so grew out of control. As a result, the rays destroyed the population of bay scallops". The sharks were hunted and there were too few sharks to keep the population in check. Leaving the prey to destroy their environment.
So how do we protect these creatures who do so much to ensure the survival of ecosystems? Well the poaching and hunting of certain sharks needs to decline in order to save them. Studies showed that saving sharks is actually more profitable then poaching them. For instance a region that relies on sharks for tourism makes more money than the average price of a shark fin. A shark could accumulate "about $1.9 million during its lifetime. By comparison, a single shark’s fin, sold for shark fin soup, fetches only about $108." So saving sharks can actually be more profitable than killing them and selling them for money.
So saving sharks not only saves them, it also saves the ecosystems that tourism relies on, ecosystems of fish, and the species which fish prey on. The opportunity cost of hunting sharks is too large to be ignored. The sharks need to be saved, before humanity kills another species.
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