Humans, the Silent Killer
by Connor
Hey guys, I was looking at some endangered species on the web and came across one that I wasn’t too happy about. Sharks are being over-hunted to extinction by humans. Now, I know that Sharks kill people and some think they taste good, but the amount of sharks we hunt is just unbearable. Like I said, sharks eat people, but they are some of the coolest animals on the planet. You’ll see in this video how amazing they are.
I also have some cool websites that will show you how over-hunted they are. As of today, the Mediterranean angel shark has been declared extinct. There are some left, just an incredibly small number. The Mediterranean Great whites are next. One of the major reasons is what is now called “finning.” This is a process where shark fishermen catch a shark, cut off its fin, and then throw it out into the ocean to die, or be eaten alive. Pretty gruesome, right? It is because there fins are prized in a particular type of Chinese soup. Trouble is, a lot of the governments in other countries have made false promises that they will protect the sharks. The process has been outlawed in the U.S., Brazil, South Africa, and several other countries, but still remains widespread throughout the world. My source for this information and more info can be found on this topic by looking at this website.
Like we talked about in class, if you take one member out of the food chain, every thing is thrown off balance. In the Chesapeake bay, a number of Sharks have been declared functionally extinct, which means there are so few sharks, they can’t perform their duty in the food chain of keeping the lower levels in balance. Just go to this website to find out more.
Well, I don’t want to start boring you guys, so I’m going to leave it at that. But there are plenty of websites on this topic if you are interested. Sharks are pretty cool animals, and I personally want them to be around for a while. What about you?
November 26th, 2007 at 5:20 pm
I agree with you Connor, sharks are being way over hunted. I was watching the news one day a few years ago and it was talking about over killing sharks for the high demand of shark steak or soup. Personally I think shark tastes terrible. Even though a few sharks do attack humans but most of the time they are even more scared of us than we are of them. Also I agree with you when you said if we kill of the sharks it would mesh up the food chain. Which would lead to over population and could lead to other species becoming extinct. Are just a few species of sharks becoming extinct or is it just a few species?
November 26th, 2007 at 5:34 pm
I really like sharks. They are cool to look at and to watch swim, eat, etc. I dont want them to be gone, and if that means no more Shark Fin Soup, so be it. I am always scared to go into the ocean because of the sharks, but if there aren’t that many to come and eat me, that’s not cool. I would rather stay out of the ocean than there be less sharks. (p.s. i have never in my life eaten shark fin soup, it was a joke… get it?)
November 26th, 2007 at 5:57 pm
Thats horrible and extremely sad. Ecspecially the process of “Finning” was quite alarming and is VERY gruesome. It reminds me of how The tusks of elephants are cut off which have been causing them to decrease in population as well. The hunters are only out for the ivory in the tusks but end up killing the whole animal, which sounds alot like the sharks. I always found sharks to be very scary animals but i’m sure humans are just as or more scary to the shark species.
November 26th, 2007 at 5:57 pm
Awww, that’s really sad how we are killiing all the sharks. We need every creature to make the food chain work, without it we would fall apart.i personally always thought that sharks were really cool animals and thought that they have really unique ways of doing things. Hearing about all the ways that we hurt them is really sadening i mean “finning”, that’s just plain aweful. THanks for the great post Connor!
November 26th, 2007 at 6:00 pm
That was a pretty cool video! It was amazing how fast that shark ate that seal. I personally think sharks are pretty cool, even though I’m scared of them. Many people think sharks are so terrible becuase they eat people all the time. Well, this is not true. According to this website http://www.kidzone.ws/sharks/facts6.htm there are on average only 100 shark attacks a year and only ten result in the death of a human.
November 26th, 2007 at 6:05 pm
WOW connor, i had no idea! Reading what you said shocked me. I’ve always thought of sharks as a big, powerful fish that that no one, not even humans messed with. And now i’m reading about this bizarre cruelty happening to sharks, it’s pretty sad. But connor as far as that video goes, that was pretty sweet. After seeing that i really hope sharks can be around for a LONG time. Maybe we can watch jaws for our movie day!
November 26th, 2007 at 6:08 pm
Thats cool Connor! I watched a show on the discovery channel this summer and it was all about sharks for a whole week. Now I didn’t catch all of the shows but i did see some of them and they were pretty neat. Sharks kill a lot of people but not as many as people might think averaging about only 50 to 75 attacks a year and only about 8 to 12 of those attacks hose are fatal.. Even though sharks kill people it is not a reason to treat them badly and purposely kill them. Sharks are a part of life and if we took out every animal that hurt humans in some way we would have a very low amount of biodiversity which is necessary for everyday life.
Heres a good site:http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/06/0603_020603_shark1.html
November 26th, 2007 at 6:09 pm
Wow as common as sharks are, I would have never thought they would be hunted & killed as much as they are. Personally, I don’t like sharks either but they are essential to food chains for life. I found a website that describes other reasons sharks are useful. I thought it was interesting that since they are made of cartilage instead of bone, doctors use it with some kind of medicine. http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/animals/conservation/sharks/ interesting post connor!
November 26th, 2007 at 6:27 pm
Thanks guys! Like Jake said, alot of you might have thought that the sharks were a little short of invicible. This just proves that not even nature’s killing machines are unstoppable. If any of you can find an update on this or just some other cool funfacts, I’d love to see them.
November 26th, 2007 at 6:30 pm
Wow…I remember over the summer hearing about sharks being over hunted and killed. I think sharks are interesting..but I never want to get close to one. Here is a website about girls who almost got attacked. http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22806418-421,00.html?from=mostpop
November 26th, 2007 at 6:52 pm
Wow, i never realized they were becoming extinct. I was curious though, from what i know, sharks do not eat people, they mistake them for seals or fish in murky water because they have bad eye sight. Also when they do attack a person on accident, they rarely actually eat them, they just swim away once they realize that their prey isnt what they thought it to be. So i think its unfair to say that sharks eat people. Just thought I’de point that out.
November 26th, 2007 at 7:29 pm
This article took me completely by surprise. I had no idea that sharks were endangered. Knowing this now angers me ALOT. Honestly, I think sharks are terrifying, but I know that most of the things that scare me about them is from the shark: man-eater media frenzy. There are tons shark movies and t.v. shows that are all about the “viciousness” of sharks and yes sharks can be dangerous, but did you know that more people die from pigs than from being attacked by a shark??? I think that part of the reason sharks are endangered it because of peoples lack of knowledge about them. If they knew more, maybe they would fear them less and start to respect them!!!
November 26th, 2007 at 7:38 pm
This shows me how much we kill sharks and it is not neccessary. Think about how many sharks there are and now they are starting to go extinct. I did not know why sharks were so overhunted, but all that for soup? That is riddiculous and I think that hunting sharks is bad, but at least if you do, in my opinion, you should utilize its whole body not just its fin. I went to a website and found some other reasons why sharks are overhunted. Their skin is usually made into bags and shoes because of its toughness and some medications come from the oil in their body. And Connor, I am going to have to disagree with something in your blog. I am not saying it is completely wrong, but sharks usually only bite humans becuase they are mistaken for animals. Like any other animal, they will attack when provoked. Anybody agree with me?
http://www.reelfishingreports.com/shark-fishing.htm
November 26th, 2007 at 8:06 pm
That was a great and very informative post. Good job Connor!! I had no idea that sharks were endangered species. It was not apparent to me that they were being overhunted. As matter of fact, idid not know they were being hunted at all. The video was excellent and it really did show God’s work in slow motion. I found an interesting site about shark fin soup. http://www.thailandlife.com/sharkfinsoup.html It’s pretty gross. This really does show that even though here in the U.S. it is illegal doesn’t mean it is all over the world andthe hunting must be stopped. I also found this short documentary about great white sharks. Check it out! http://www.metacafe.com/watch/336740/great_white_shark/
November 26th, 2007 at 8:21 pm
To be perfectly honest Richie, sharks have okay eyesight, however it is just they are unsure what the human is, usually mistaking it for a sea turtle, seal, or just something they have never seen before. I also saw once on animal planet that sharks have the best senses of any predator on the planet, including a special “6th sense where they can feel their pray by focussing on their magnetic field. Thank goodness sharks only live in the water, right?
November 26th, 2007 at 8:29 pm
wow that’s sad that the sharks are getting endangered! their so pretty, even though they’re scary.
“Great white sharks are carnivorous, and primarily eat fish (including rays, tuna, and smaller sharks), dolphins, porpoises, whale carcasses and pinnipeds such as seals and sea lions. ” -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_white_shark#Diet_and_hunting
If the sharnks aren’t around to eat the fish that are in their diet, then th population of the fish they eat will grow, which will decrease the population of what the fish eat! The whole ecosystem will definatley change!
November 26th, 2007 at 8:52 pm
I never knew that sharks were going extinct! While sharks scare me, I do not want them to go extinct! That video was incredible. I have never seen a video like that before. The shark just had so much power! I found this website on shark finning.
http://www.seashepherd.nl/longline/longline_shark_finning.html
those pictures are really sad!
November 26th, 2007 at 9:17 pm
Woah, i never really liked sharks much after i watched the movie Jaws and after watching that video it made me even more scared of them haha. I was watching the show Blue Plane a a while ago and Shark Week over the summer like Charrlotte, they showed how sharks are being killed and i thought wow even though some people are terrified of them…but just like them bees effect our way of life…sharks do the same and we should make that more known.
November 26th, 2007 at 10:02 pm
I didn’t realize how serious this extinction of these sharks were. I think finning is a horrible thing. I don’t really have anything wrong with the cutting off the fins for soup, but I think that throwing the sharks back in the water without any means of self-defense or anyway to get food is cruel. This website http://www.visiondive.com/sites/protection/english/shark.html says that annually over 100 million sharks are killed. I think that more sharks should be put on the endangered species list so that they can remain protected from being finned for food.
November 26th, 2007 at 10:22 pm
I very much agree with you Connor.
I heard on national Geographic that you are more likely to get attacked by a wild pig than by a shark. I also heard that usually sharks do not like the taste of people. They usually think that people are sea turtles with boogey Boards and such and accidently attack them. That is why you usually only see one bite on a person because they dont want anymore.
I think this is sad because they are cool but also it goes back to the food chain. They are part of the food chain that keeps it balanced like it is and they are good to have around
Good job Connor
November 26th, 2007 at 10:46 pm
Wow Connor, I actually really like this blog post. It really draws my attention. I think it’s very sad. Like the previous post on the “aye-ayes”, it seems as if most everything in this world is judged by its looks. Like Ben said, I’m sure most people would LIKE to believe that a shark is more dangerous than a pig, just becuase it’s big and scary-looking. I think it’s so sad that all these animals are becoming extinct, and especially the sharks, because they barely harm us in any way.
Here’s an awesome website that just has alot of information about the Great White Shark…
http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/sharkfish/greatwhiteshark.php
Do any of you guys know which sharks are the most common?
Most dangerous?
Least dangerous?
I also know that some sharks are used as pets. No, not the ones that way a million pounds, but the small ones. Do any of you guys know anything about that?
November 26th, 2007 at 10:49 pm
I can not believe that sharks are going endangered too. It seems like every wild animal is endangered these days! My question is that when you cut off the fins of the sharks, wouldn’t it be best if you just eat the whole thing and not just the fins because the shark is going to die anyways when you throw it back into the ocean, so it would be a waste of the shark and imagine how many people you can feed with just one shark.
November 26th, 2007 at 10:59 pm
Cool post Connor:)
I agree that sharks are pretty cool animals and it is very sad that people do such horrible thigns in the world, like “finning” a shark for profit and leaving it to die. How would you like it if something (like a giant creature or God) came and snatched you up off the ground? Then, it took you to a strange place where it cut off your arms and legs because it thought they tasted good. I bet you wouldn’t like it at all. These are defenseless creatures against all of our machinery today and it is very sad that they have to be put through the cruelty and torture, not to mention they are going extinct. Personally, I am appaled to hear of this horrible tragedy:(
November 27th, 2007 at 10:59 am
Awesome post Conner, that video was really cool! I can’t belive that some sharks are actually extinct because humans are hunting them. For me, sharks are some of my favorite animals and to see that they are dieing is terrible news. Are there any sharks off the coast of the United States were they are over hunted or even extinct?
November 27th, 2007 at 4:55 pm
I know that this is a kid’s website but it really does help and clearly define and explain a couple different species of shark.
http://www.kidzone.ws/sharks/facts9.htm
November 27th, 2007 at 10:50 pm
I think people may overlook this because they all think sharks are vicious killers but really they do more to help the environment that to harm it. They are an important part of ocean life. I think that people should consider these things before they go around killing them all. Also, who goes shark hunting? this makes me wonder, if they are going extinct then there must be a reason. MAybe too many people eat shark? or hunt them?
I hope that they make a comeback soon . Good post
November 28th, 2007 at 5:40 pm
Last night I saw something that scarred me to death and made me very angry all at the same time. It was a show ( I cant remember the name) that showed all of the cruel things people do to animals. It was very shocking. If any of you commenters have a blog on animal cruelty I would love a link. And if you are a regular here, I would like to have more information on this animal cruelty thing going on right under our noses.
November 28th, 2007 at 10:33 pm
When I was a little younger I was pretty afraid to go into the ocean but I found out that there are less shark attacks than there are lightning strikes that actually hit people. A few months ago my dad was on CNN and he saw a link that caught his eye, it was about a new shark species or actually a prehistoric shark that was rediscovered on I believe the coast of China. It was one of the Most interesting sharks I have ever seen. Also one of the most frightning sharks I have seen. It is one of the only one of its kind that anyone knows of and it really disturbs me.
November 29th, 2007 at 9:13 pm
Sharks are really cool animals and it’s a shame that they are going extinct. I personally think people are too overly afraid of sharks. Just be careful about how far you go into the ocean, and you’ll be fine. Sharks usually never come in past the sandbar. It is awful that people are killing sharks just to get their fins for a soup. It sounds like how people kill elephants just to get their tusks for ivory. You are right, Connor, because of our selfishness, whole ecosystms will lose their balance without the sharks.
November 29th, 2007 at 11:08 pm
Me I grew up around the beach so i think that sharks are the coolest animals although they will kill you on accident. Its sad that people so call fin them for food. I think that once an animal goes officialy extinct its extinct so we should stop killing the animals and save them because they could always be useful to the enviroment.
December 1st, 2007 at 4:07 pm
Yeah, I agree that sharks are being over hunted as well. When you look at it though, why would humans hunt sharks? I don’t quite see a point in it. Sharks do not have any fur for humans to use, we do not eat them(or I don’t think we do), and they are in water and do not really cause any havoc to humans unless we do not think. This is just an exmaple of human ignorance in my opinion. Connor, you are so right, sharks are real cool animals.
December 2nd, 2007 at 11:59 am
It’s really upsetting that those wonderful animals are being harmed undeservingly. Unfortunately, they are just one of the hundreds of species that are being over hunted. If we loose the entire shark population, the balance of the underwater ecosystem will go completely crazy.
December 3rd, 2007 at 12:06 am
I actually am pretty afraid of sharks because of the movies that are put out, like Jaws for instance. I don’t like staying still in the water to long either. Also jellyfish seem to have an attraction to come sting me too! AHH! Sharks to me are beautiful animals, but at a distance. Can’t the Chinese find another edition to the soup, instead of a shark fin? I think that is so cruel and inhummane. Is this the way you want to treat our creatures of the world? I definatly do not want any more species to go extinct. Connor, about the angel shark, can they not rebreed those sharks in a controlled area?
December 6th, 2007 at 9:59 pm
Wow, Connor great job on finding a video that shows the massive size of a great white shark. I, as well as all the people i know, am very scared of sharks. For me it’s not exactly a negative thing that sharks are becoming extinct. I do not want them to but i do not think it effects my life style. I have always been interested in sharks because they are so big and fierce. I think that if i could be any fish it would be a great white. So i have a question. Why do most fish go in huge schools and most sharks don’t?
March 7th, 2008 at 11:41 am
I LOVE SHARKSSSSSSSSS, OMG I SO RESERCH THEM IN MY SPARE TIMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE