Shark Finning

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Shark Finning

• A Global Catastrophe
• By
• Todd E. Marshall

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When you hear the word shark?

• Thanks to Hollywood and the media, sharks are
  given a bad reputation.
• Movies almost always depict sharks as vicious
  eating machines.
• These include the movies Jaws, Open Water,
  the recent TV movie Spring Break Shark attack.
  to name a few.
• Can you think of one movie in which sharks are
  good?

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How many types of sharks are there?

• There are over 490 different species of sharks
  that we know about.
• Of these 490 species, only 35 have been reported
  to have attacked humans.
• On average, there are roughly 12 recorded shark
  attack fatalities per year in the world.
• The USA leads the world with Florida having the
  most recorded attacks.

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Why do shark attacks receive so much media
attention?

• The reason for this is that although shark
  attacks are rare, they are usually vicious and
  savage in nature.

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Are shark populations growing or declining?

• They are declining!
• Why?
• There are several reasons for the decline of
  shark populations around the world.
• 1. Sharks have a long life-span and do not reach
  sexual maturity until they are 10-12 years old
  and they have low reproductive rates.

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continued

• 2. Sharks simply cannot breed fast enough with
  losses of over 100 million per year.
• 3. Sharks reproductive timetable is in balance
  with an eco-system in which a limited number of
  sharks set atop the food chain.
• 4. Sharks have been over fished throughout the
  world. Many shark species have declined as much
  as ninety percent with a number reaching
  threatened and endangered.

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One Example that impacts shark populations
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continued

• 5. No sharks are protected internationally.
• 6. Marine reserves are now the new target of
  illegal fisheries.
• 8. The demand for shark fin soup is at an
  all-time high, especially in Asia.
• 9. The shark fin is one of the most expensive
  seafood products.

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What is shark finning?

• Shark finning is the number 1 cause of the
  depletion of shark populations word-wide.
• 90 of the 100 million sharks killed per year can
  be attributed to finning.
• Shark finning can be defined as The on-board
  removal of a sharks fins and the discarding at
  sea of the remainder of the shark. The shark is
  usually alive during this process.

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What happens to the shark once it is dumped
overboard?

• Without its fins a shark cannot swim or hunt and
  dies of starvation or asphyxiation.

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The Origin of shark finning!
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3 Reasons that have contributed to shark finning

• 1. The increasing demand for shark fins.
• 2.The industrialization of fishing techniques
• 3. The changing economics of catching and
  transporting products.

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Other reasons

• limited on-board storage space for whole
  carcasses.
• Increasing value of fins.
• Now economically advantageous to keep the fins
  without the carcass.
• Fins can be sun-dried and do not need to be
  refrigerated.

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Who wants the Fins?
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Poachers do!
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Who are the fins for?

• Mostly Asian countries with China leading the way
  followed by Hong Kong,Taiwan, and Singapore to
  name a few.
• This can be attributed to the rapid expansion
• of east Asian economies. Especially mainland
  china.
• 250 million more middle-class people in China
  with disposable income.

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Considered a delicacy
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Where is shark finning occurring?

• Everywhere! From the USA,Mexico,Costa
  Rica,Australia,Cocas islands,South Africa
• Marine reserves are being decimated by illegal
  fishing in the cover of night.

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Process Continued

• Until the finished product of

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continued

• Shark fin soup is considered a prestige food with
  no elaborate taste.
• The Chinese believe the shark fin has medicinal
  qualities, such as curing cancer.
• Some believe that the fin is an aphrodisiac.
• A bowl of shark fin soup can run between 70-150
  a bowl.

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In Conclusion

• Over 100 million sharks a year perish and
  estimated 90 can be attributed to shark finning.
• Sharks only commit around 50-75 attacks per year
  in which on average, only 12 are fatal.
• Only a few countries protect shark populations.

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Can the shark survive?
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Or will the shark go up.