Decline of Shark Population
Sharks are one of the oldest vertebrate groups on the planet, but recently scientists have become more worried about their increase in death rate. Researchers from four different Universities teamed up to further research what has been going on. They know that less sharks could have negative results in the ecosystem, even affecting the plants. The shark's mortality rate each year is anywhere between 63 and 273 million (ScienceDaily). One of the main reasons for the decline of shark population is commercial fishing which results in sharks dying or being killed faster than they can reproduce. About 1 in 15 sharks are killed by fisheries each year, some even illegally. Researchers are trying to lessen the demand of shark shark fins by increasing the prices of imports and exports. They also want countries to set regulations on the amount of sharks that can be caught. They hope that these new rules will protect shark's population from further decreasing and hopefully save the ecosystem.
NOS themes
Science is collaborative: researchers from four different Universities studied the subject.
Role of Motivation and Curiosity: researchers are concerned about the decrease of shark population and are trying to enforce rules to save the sharks and the ecosystem.
Conflicts within the Community: Countries might not cooperate with making new regulations or raising prices on imports and exports of sharks.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130301153245.htm
Tori Gulon
Sharks are one of the oldest vertebrate groups on the planet, but recently scientists have become more worried about their increase in death rate. Researchers from four different Universities teamed up to further research what has been going on. They know that less sharks could have negative results in the ecosystem, even affecting the plants. The shark's mortality rate each year is anywhere between 63 and 273 million (ScienceDaily). One of the main reasons for the decline of shark population is commercial fishing which results in sharks dying or being killed faster than they can reproduce. About 1 in 15 sharks are killed by fisheries each year, some even illegally. Researchers are trying to lessen the demand of shark shark fins by increasing the prices of imports and exports. They also want countries to set regulations on the amount of sharks that can be caught. They hope that these new rules will protect shark's population from further decreasing and hopefully save the ecosystem.
NOS themes
Science is collaborative: researchers from four different Universities studied the subject.
Role of Motivation and Curiosity: researchers are concerned about the decrease of shark population and are trying to enforce rules to save the sharks and the ecosystem.
Conflicts within the Community: Countries might not cooperate with making new regulations or raising prices on imports and exports of sharks.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130301153245.htm
Tori Gulon
This article is very informative. I would have never thought that the shark death population would be so high. Also, it’s interesting how big of a range Science Daily had to give on the number of deaths per year.
ReplyDeleteIs the other 14 out of 15 shark deaths based on competition and natural causes or are there other factors?
Here are a few articles that relate to this one:
http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2007/03/30/overfishing_large_sharks_impacts_entire_marine_ecosystem_shrinks_shellfish_supply.html
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=atlantic-shark-population
What an interesting problem! However, I think that if governments increase regulations, therefore increasing the price of shark fins, it will actually increase the number of fishers who purposely hunt for sharks. The increase in price provides greater incentive to sell shark fins, and more suppliers will enter the market (AP Micro baby). Another solution to government regulation might be to reserve certain areas of high-density shark habitats as no-fishing zones, much like national parkes, but at sea.
ReplyDeleteThis article brought attention to serious problem. If the issue continues, it seems hard to predict what kind of negative result the declining shark population could have on various ecosystems. However, increasing the price of shark fins is a risky move because it could either result in a decline of the demand and dependence on shark fins in those nations' economies, or backfire and cause a spike in shark fin profits and thus the amount of fisheries, as Jake had brought up. A limit on shark fishing sounds like a more reliable plan, one that would ensure the stability of local shark populations. I found a similar article that attributes the population decline to fisheries and slower reproduction rates. http://www.worldfishing.net/news101/industry-news/new-research-warning-over-shark-fisheries
ReplyDeleteI actually have personal experience with this issue. My family is from Sri-Lanka and the main source of income is fishing. When I went their my grandpa told me that shark fins were literally equivalent to the price of gold. I see how this is a big problem, but I don't see how the killing of sharks could stop when they are so valuable.
ReplyDelete