Imagine you are swimming freely along a tropical coastline, lazily meandering in search for food. All of the sudden you are hooked, stabbed, and dragged on board an alien vessel where most of your external limbs are hacked off. Left immobile and bleeding, you are casually tossed back into your aquatic home. Floating to the bottom floor helplessly you wonder what kind of moster would act this way. That same question plagues my mind when exploring the inhumane world of shark fishing. Currently one out of five shark species are listed as threatened or endangered (ProjectAware). The overfishing of sharks, primarily the fins, is an environmental concern affecting a wide range of bystanders. Devastating potential for oceanic collapse is mainly because of the mostly unregulated world market. Cruel harvesting techniques, declining shark populations, ecoystem inbalance, and health issues must all be addressed. In doing so, regulations and standards should be set in place to provide guidelines for future generations to follow.
An example must be set to adhere by, for the sake of the animals, and the sake of ourselves.
The shark fishing industry has long been a profitable one, but recent demand has amplified the monetary power and set the stage for tragedy to occur. Shark finning is the removal, capture, and sale of shark fins while the remainder of the still-living shark is discarded back into the open ocean. Unable to swim or move effectively, the shark sinks down the ocean floor, vulnerable to the elements. Here the animal most often times suffocates, without the correct movement to produce oxygen-rich blood. In some cases they are also left prey for larger predators to easily catch. This horrible business is mean, injust, and unfair to the sharks, humans, and neighboring inhabitants. Nearly every fin is extracted from the shark...