DID YOU KNOW...? Sharks roamed the earth before dinosaurs.
They have survived five massive extinction events.
(There were here when earth was only two continents!)
An estimated 73 million sharks are being killed every year for their fins. They are caught, their fins cut off, and dumped (alive) back into the ocean, to sink to the bottom and die.
DID YOU KNOW...? It takes some species of shark up to 25 years to reach sexual maturity.
Their fins are in high demand for various reasons, but mostly for making shark fin soup, a Chinese delicacy that was once a symbol of status & wealth, served to royalty. But with the growing economy in China (& other countries), it has become affordable for regular citizens, especially popular at weddings, business meetings, celebrations, etc.
The fact is, it is actually tasteless, used in the soup for texture.
On top of status, some cultures believe shark to be healthy, preventing aging and disease because they believe they are disease-free and "don't carry cancer"; this is only "supported" and "proven" by the fact they have survived for over 455million years. The truth is there is high content of BMAA neurotoxins and mercury in shark fins, so is actually likely contributing to human sickness when consumed.
YES! SHARKS KILL PEOPLE!
So do cars.
ANNUAL HUMAN DEATH TOLL:
sharks 5
elephants & tigers 100
execution 2 400
illegal drugs 22 000
car accidents 1 200 000
starvation 8 000 000
THOUGHT: If sharks are so big & ferocious, why don't more people die from their bites? Surely, if they wanted to kill us they could!
Sharks do not bite humans because they are hungry. They bite because they are trying to figure out what we are. They are "tasting" us. From below the water surface, surfers look like seals. Healthy seals glide through the water smoothly; injured seals splash and create bubbles.
SHARKS ARE THE TOP OF THE FOOD CHAIN. THEY ARE NOT AN IMPORTANT PART OF BALANCING THE ECOSYSTEM, THEY ARE BALANCING THE ECOSYSTEM!
Without sharks, the lower species (who reproduce and multiply faster) will become overpopulated. For example, this will cause an abundance of plankton feeders. If there are excess plankton feeders, the phytoplankton (responsible for converting the largest amount of CO2 into Oxygen) will become under-populated, thereby leaving a huge abundance of carbon dioxide on earth; what will happen to species who rely on oxygen? Including humans! The ocean is responsible for producing 70% of earth's oxygen.
FACT: Long line fishing (30-60 mile long fishing line with hooks every 100m or so) is killing other species as well - when they collect their "catch," it isn't always sharks, so the turtle, sailfish, and anything else that get caught on the hooks also die (and are discarded back into the ocean, wasted).
There are many "causes" in the world, and many animals get killed for various reasons. Without downplaying the efforts of other peoples concerns, this matter is urgent and will affect the entire earth, right down to the amount of oxygen we, as humans, have to breathe.
And it will do so in our lifetime.
"We're just a bunch of primates out of control."
-Paul Watson
Watch "SHARKWATER" Documentary.
(can rent on iTunes for $3.99)
Visit the link's below.
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