The culling of sharks is not the only way to ensure that the ocean is safe. Sharks have populated the earth for over four hundred million years and now, people want to remove them from our oceans [Williamson, 2015]. The introduction of shark culls will allow people to freely kill sharks in an unorthodox manner, threatening the lives of many shark species. Despite what the media depicts of them, most people do not know that sharks are vital when it comes to maintaining the ocean ecosystem and…
Sharks: Finning and Management As the human population continues to increase, the demand for food also increases. An estimated 15 percent of consumed animal protein come from marine fish, and an overall 90 percent of the predatory fish, at the top of the food chain, are declining (Human, n.d). Hammerhead sharks, particularly scalloped hammerheads are the most threatened because of their fins and meat. The methods used for capturing this rare species are wasteful and cruel, and their decline is…
The Western Australian government policy of culling sharks to ensure greater public safety, has caused nationwide debate, which is reflected in media texts through different views on the controversial measure. Dr Euan Ritchie, in his opinion piece, “predators such as sharks essential for world’s health” (Herald Sun 28/1/14), points out to his Victorian readers who may not be informed on the issue or support the cull that the killing of sharks is a dangerous and irrational practice that should be…
Sharks are some of the most misunderstood creatures in the world. They are often given an unfavorable image by the media, both in the news and in the movies. For example, the 1975 summer blockbuster movie "Jaws" directed by Steven Spielberg, portrayed great white sharks as ferocious man eating monsters, that actively hunts humans. In addition, the Discovery Channel is guilty of doing this in their Shark Week television program. The program over exaggerates the behaviors of sharks as being very…
Maverick Wagner Evolution 2/20/15 Evolution of the Great White Shark Did you know that sharks appeared in the fossil record about 450 million years ago? The great white shark is one of many different species of cartilaginous fish out. There are approximately 350 species of sharks worldwide. The great white has become one of the most feared predators in the sea leaving the question as to how it achieved this success. The great white is about four to six meters in length and can weigh…
Sharks There are more than 465 known species of sharks living in our oceans today. Sharks are an apex predator and are at the top of the food chain. They help control the population of fish below them in the food chain. Research has shown that the decrees in shark population has had a major effect in the oceans eco system. Species Diet Most species of sharks eat the normal fish, meaning they eat, crustaceans, mollusks, plankton, krill, marine mammals and other sharks. Sharks also have an…
commonly, White Shark, is one of the greatest predators in the world among marine life. They are usually found in tropical areas but research has been conducted on these sharks from the Northwest Atlantic to Southern Africa to North East near the Hudson canyon. The average size of a White Shark is 6.4 meters and they weigh on average, 2268 kg. Temperature greatly affects white sharks metabolism, hunting fields, living distribution and mating habits. Unlike some marine life, white sharks are…
Red-tailed black sharks or Epalzeorhynchus bicolor belong to the family Cyprinidae. This family of fish is also known as Cyprinids. In laymen's term the red-tail is a member of the carp family. The red-tailed black shark was native to Thailand. But sadly, they are now extinct in the wild. All the red-tails available in fish stores today are commercially raised products of the aquarium trade industry. Red-tails black sharks of course bear no relation to sharks. Their name is purely descriptive.…
How Sharks Hunt Long viewed as dimwitted, bloodthirsty monsters, sharks are among the most intelligent species of fish. In fact, sharks have shown to be very versatile and efficient in their hunting methods. Sharks use a variety of hunting methods to capture their prey: adaptation, use of the senses, and strenuous power. Shark Adaptation. Adaptation for a shark is crucial for its hunting and more so for its survival. A shark's size is vital to its survival since “as the size of the great…
For centuries, shark fin soup has been considered a delicacy in the east, coveted for its social flare. The spike in demand for shark fin soup has turned shark finning into a lucrative business, leaving shark populations in danger. Finning is a cruel and wasteful practice that is running shark populations into the ground and imbalancing our ocean ecosystems. In order to reduce the demand for shark fins, consumers should reject shark fin soup in favor of shark-friendly alternatives that…