Sharks are one of the most feared and misunderstood species on the planet. Every year, stories of shark attacks appear regularly within the media, the most recent being the attacks seen in North Carolina. Deceptively, these stories can easily lead people to believe that the shark populations are stable when, in actual fact, they are dangerously low.
Although calculating the precise rate of the species decline would be an incredibly challenging task for any team of scientist, a study published in the journal Marine Policy, calculated that at least 100 million sharks are killed by humans every year. However, the researchers of the study also added that this is a conservative estimate, meaning the actual number of sharks killed annually could be as high as 273 million.
These shocking numbers suggest that global shark populations around the world are declining sharply. The primary cause for this rapid drop in numbers is shark hunting.
Last year, the world got a glimpse into the workings of the world’s largest shark slaughterhouse. The factory was discovered by WildLifeRisk, a Hong Kong-based conservation group, following a four-year-long undercover investigation. Based in south China, the factory processes approximately 600 endangered whale sharks each year, harvesting their skin, fins, meat and oil to sell internationally.
To accompany the groups investigative report, WildLifeRisk also captured video footage of inside of the factory. Within the video, the factory owner— identified only as Li— explains that the plant also processes blue sharks and basking sharks, producing hundreds of tons of shark oil annually.
Li also informs the undercover investigators that the factory smuggles whale shark skins and dried fins out of China and exports them to European countries including France and Italy, where they are used in Chinese restaurants. The oil extracted from the sharks is also falsely sold as ‘fish oil’ in order to smuggle the product out of China; the oil is commonly used in health supplements and cosmetics.
The declining shark populations is one of the most important environmental problems of today. The oceans ecosystems rely heavily on shark populations; therefore, if worldwide efforts are not made to protect them the end results will be utterly disastrous. Sharks are apex predators of the ocean, meaning if their populations either drop too low or are made extinct, the oceans other species will become unbalanced and its biodiversity will ultimately be destroyed.
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