Photo by: Rob Stewart (sharkwater.com)Sharks have been around for 400 million years and in the past few decades humans have managed to decimate shark populations by 90%. The fishing practices that are used to catch these beautiful animals is horrifying. They are caught on longlines then hauled onto the fishing vessel, (many still living and breathing) where their fins are hacked off. The helpless shark is then tossed back into the sea and sinks where it either suffocates or gets eaten alive. It is estimated that 100 million sharks are killed this way each year. There is little monitoring of shark fishing and too few regulations are in place.
We know so little about the 375 types of sharks, yet their population numbers continue to fall as wealth and greed drive the hunt for fins which are used for sharkfin soup and traditional cures.
Image from: Bimini Biological Field Station
Please visit the following sites to find more information on finning and to sign some petitions to stop it:
http://www.sharkwater.com/
http://www.savingsharks.com/
http://www.sharks.org/
http://www.sharktrust.org/content.asp?did=32610
http://www.theunderwaterchannel.tv/editorial/not-on-our-menu
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