Why save sharks? Here are 5 Reasons we ALL need these APEX predators around.
1. Sharks indirectly maintain the seagrass and corals reef habitats.
Sharks feed on weak and sick prey items as well as keeping the balance with competitors helping to ensure species diversity.
As ocean predators, shark impact prey’s spatial habitat, which alters the feeding strategy and diets of other species. Sharks indirectly prevent overgrazing of areas by the fish and invertebrates feeding on seagrasses or particular areas on a reef; sharks are a major indicator of a healthy ocean.
2. Sharks are bigger business alive than in a bowl.
Sharks are not only good for the reef, they're good for tourism; A single shark might bring in over $179,000 per year in tourism revenue. As discussed previously here, ecotourism (as in shark diving) means big bucks for economies in which it's supported.
Ecotourism generates more in annual revenue for countries than that of the fisheries that are pulling over 100 million sharks each year for soup or other products! (That's 3 sharks EVERY second!) Shark diving alone generates 12 million dollars without costing habitat loss or negative impacts to shark species whereas fisheries generate 21 million in annual revenue at the cost of severe habitat destruction and shark population decimation; damage that collapses these ecosystems for generations if not forever. Add on to that 12 million in shark-diving revenue (which is growing as more and ore countries realize the profitability of marine eco-tourism) the additional millions in eco programs such as whale watching tours, turtle programs and reef or marine national sanctuary tourism and that means better business and a more healthy ocean overall!
3. Sharks are inspiring the future!
It pays to be a ocean survivor and there's a thing or two to be learned from being around hundreds of millions of years!
Engineers study sharks for ways to move more efficiently in the water. By mimicking their skin, we can create everything from a sleeker swimsuit, to barnacle-proof ship hulls, and even bacteria-resistant surfaces in hospitals! Scientists are also studying a shark liver enzyme called squalamine, a natural antiviral, as part of research into treatments for things like cystic fibrosis, dengue fever, and hepatitis C.
4. Shark's play an atmospheric role.
When sharks scavenge off dead and decaying prey, they actually help move that build up of carbon through the ocean, rather than having it accumulate to release into the atmosphere. WAIT.. What?!
In the ocean, sharks eat decaying animals and through ingesting these tissues help in converting and dispersing (yep, it's in the poop) the decomposition process and turning it into food for other organisms (i.e. reef invertebrates, trees in a mangrove, over seagrass. etc) that convert this carbon and nitrogen from the original dead carcass fed on by the shark effectively into oxygen for all (even us!).
5. Sharks help fisheries and local food economies through controlling the food chain.
As apex predators, sharks play an important role in the ocean ecosystem by maintaining species below them in the food chain which could directly impact human seafood industries/fisheries.
Take the example of the cownose ray, found in the northwest Atlantic Ocean. Due to the area having fewer sharks the cownose ray population increased and, in turn, veritably wiped out North Carolina’s bay scallop fishing industry. Now these rays are targeted by hunters in an effort to reclaim the scallop beds.
The sharks' role in balancing predators in a given ecosystem cannot be understated or underestimated and goes hand in hand to ensure a healthy future for all.
To many that refuse to take a second look, sharks are mindless man-eaters, but that's simply not the case. Sharks are highly specialized ocean protectors that have survived over millions of years - they are worth far more alive than dead. Although not seen from land, the ocean plays the key to human survival and sharks are absolutely tied to the survival and health of our oceans.
Sylvia Earle puts it perfectly:
"Sharks are beautiful animals, and if you're lucky enough to see lots of them, that means that you're in a healthy ocean. You should be afraid if you are in the ocean and don't see sharks."
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Check out these articles in full, for more about why we should all be deeply concerned with the disappearance of these marine animals from the oceans.