This episode of Dnews is brought to you by Pacifico Beer.
Sharks: we can’t live with em, but we also can’t live without em.
Despite that, sharks are continuing to disappear, so what’s causing that?
And how do we stop it?
Hey guys, Tara here for Dnews - and it’s Shark Week here at Discovery, which means
that all week long, we’re gonna be bringing you awesome stories, facts, anything interesting
relating to sharks.
They are the ocean’s greatest predators, after all - but they still don’t hold a
candle to humans.
And thanks to us, they’re disappearing in vast numbers.
According to a study published in January of this year, almost a quarter of the world’s
cartilaginous fish - mostly sharks and rays - will be facing extinction within the next
few decades.
So what’s causing this?
Well, like I said before - it’s mostly us.
Overfishing is a huge problem globally, and in the past couple decades alone - the demand
for sharks has gone way up.
People hunt them for their meat, fins, cartilage, liver, skin, and teeth - and they often die
in brutal, inhumane ways.
Shark fin soup, for example, is a delicacy in many Asian countries, and it’s typically
harvested through a process called shark finning, in which a fisherman cuts off the fins of
a shark, and tosses it back into the ocean afterwards, to die.
It’s a horrible practice that kills anywhere from 75-100 million sharks every year, and
many countries are cracking down on it.
In December 2013, China banned shark fin soup from all official banquets - but it’s by
no means difficult to find anywhere in Southeast Asia.
I was in Singapore last summer, and I UNWITTINGLY ate a bowl - before I knew what it was.
And on a personal note - not that great!
It just tastes like a fishy egg drop soup, although I’m told that the flavor isn’t
what makes it a delicacy - it’s the fact that it’s so expensive, making it more of
a status symbol than anything else.
Obviously, no animal should have to suffer just so we can feel important about ourselves,
but this is just ONE of the many ways we’ve been destroying these populations en masse.
And compared to other marine life, sharks have been the MOST radically affected by fishing.
Part of that has to do with their biology.
They’re at the top of the marine food pyramid, so there are way fewer sharks, than other
kinds of animals.
They also have long lifespans - some females take up to 10 years to reach sexual maturity
- and they may only produce a few hundred pups in a lifetime.
So their reproductive rates are low.
Adding to that, is the fact that millions of sharks are killed every year, by fisheries
that don’t even hunt sharks.
They just happen to get caught in the nets.
Now you might be wondering, what impact does this have on us?
We don’t live in the ocean, so why should we care?
Well, shark conservation doesn’t just protect sharks.
It also protects things like coral reefs, which are currently being destroyed by the
effects of overfishing.
A reduction in the number of sharks - leads to an increase in mid-level predators, which
in turn, leads to a decrease in the number of herbivorous fish.
Herbivorous fish, are what eats the algae that grows on reefs - so without them, the
reefs get overwhelmed by algae, and die.
Much like land, what’s beneath the ocean abides by a delicate life cycle - and disturbance
to any part of that cycle, can disrupt the entire balance.
So what can we do about it, short of lobbying our local lawmakers?
Well that is one way to handle it - but you can also take matters into your own hands.
You can spread the word on social media, organize local campaigns, or donate directly to shark
conservation charities.
Conservation International is one such organization, where you can donate $75 to protect 1 square
mile of the ocean from the devastating effects of fishing.
There are tons of other websites out there, with many more suggestions on ways to get
involved - so if you’re interested, go check out some of the links we’ve included in
the description.
If all this talk of the ocean has you clamoring to travel the world, then you’re in luck!
Pacifico launched a new campaign, that lets you experience the world around you from the
comfort of your home computer.
Underneath every Pacifico bottle cap, you’ll find GPS coordinates to one of 21 amazing
locations throughout Baja, Mexico, and the U.S. west coast.
So the next time you crack one open, just hit up DiscoverPacifico.com on your mobile
phone or desktop computer, enter the GPS coordinates, and from there, you can watch a 1-2 minute
video highlighting what makes each of those spots truly incredible.
Plus, beer.
Who doesn’t like that?
In the meantime, if you guys have any recommendations on shark conservation charities or causes
to get involved with, just leave em in the comments below.
Otherwise, thanks for watching - and happy Shark Week!