Oceans 4Ever

By WhySharksMatter
 
Sharks consistently rank near the top of lists of American’s greatest fears. In reality, they have much more to fear from us than we do from them. Because of our actions, many species of sharks are on the verge of extinction. A recent International Union for the Conservation of Nature Shark Specialist Group report shows that fully 1/3 of open-ocean species of sharks are in danger of extinction in the next few decades. Many shark species have had population declines of over 90% in the last few decades.
 

Photo Credit Fiona Ayerst, Marine Photobank

The life history strategy of sharks is very different from that of other commercially exploited fishes, and this makes them more vulnerable to overexploitation. Several species of sharks don’t reproduce until they are older than ten years old, and some only have a few young every other year (or in some cases, every three years). It’s easy to see how this inability to rapidly replace themselves could become an existential problem when modern industrial fishing techniques are involved.
 
While few sharks are targeted for their flesh, which is considered unpalatable except for a few species, most species are targeted for their fins. The fins, which have absolutely no meat, flavor, or nutritional value whatsoever, are made into an Asian delicacy called shark fin soup. They provide only texture to the spiced chicken broth. While it is impossible to know exactly how many sharks are killed in this global, largely unregulated fishery, the best scientific estimates we have say that the number is as high as 73 million each year.

Photo Credit Nancy Boucha, ScubaSystems.org 2005, Marine Photobank

 
Being targeted isn’t the only thing problem facing sharks-bycatch is another major threat to many shark species. Millions of sharks each year are killed by fishing gear simply because they are swimming near what fishermen are trying to catch- the ultimate example of  being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Though few fisheries are blameless from a bycatch perspective, particular culprits include the shrimp trawling fishery, the tuna purse seine fishery, and the billfish longline fishery.
 
Since sharks serve as apex predators in most marine ecosystems, their declines pose major troubles both to the environment and to the countless humans who depend on that environment for food and to make a living. 
 
The problem is a major one, and we need to solve it.

David Shiffman is a Masters student at the College of Charleston, where his research focuses on the feeding ecology and conservation of local sharks.  He writes about shark issues for the marine biology blog Southern Fried Science (southernfriedscience.com), and is actively involved in educating the public about these important and misunderstand animals. To learn more about sharks, follow him on twitter @WhySharksMatter.

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As promised, Alexa has a message for O4E readers containing her sentiments – and a few facts she just happens to know – about what’s going on with sharks today and what should be going on instead.

Check out her video, and let us know YOUR thoughts on shark conservation!

And by the way: you might want to pay close attention to the blog tomorrow, Tuesday, the 19th, which could mean our first SHARKTAKULAR contest is fixin’ to start!

(You won’t want to miss a thing, anyway, as David Shiffman gets started on his three-part series in the morning.)

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Good Monday morning, Ocean Lovers!

We’ve been waiting to bring you this for weeks, and are excited that day one of O4E’s Summer Sharktakular 2010 - our shark-week-done-right – is finally here.

All week, we’re delving into the mysterious, wonderous and perilous world of sharks – so get ready to learn something you don’t already know, and share something you do about these great creatures who are now facing great danger, and need our help.

Wait. Help – the most-feared predator of the ocean needs help from we humans? Are sharks in some kind of trouble?

Indeed they are, and WE are a big part of the problem. We have to solve it. We’ll show you why.

Marine biologist and science blogger David Shiffman

This Tour de Shark (superorder: Selachimorpha) is hosted by none other than David “Why Sharks Matter” Shiffman, marine biologist, shark conservationist and science blogger over at Southern Fried Science.

David will bring us a three-part series on shark conservation that kicks off tomorrow with THE PROBLEM – a look at what sharks, the “big dogs” of the ocean, are facing in their habitat today that threatens their lives and the future of their species.

But that’s just the beginning. With the help of some amazing guest-bloggers from around the world, we’ll celebrate and examine the lives of sharks through humor (with Australian shark cartoonist and surfer Phil Watson), movies (with underwater/wildlife filmmaker Richard Theiss), fiction (with NY Times bestselling author Steve Alten) and tons more.

And what shark conservation week would be complete without the goodies? That means CONTESTS!

Yes, they’re going all week, here on O4E, with David on Twitter - who will tweet shark trivia contests all week, with questions getting harder and prizes getting bigger each day. Follow him and look for each contest’s announcement – one hour prior to the question – and be the first to tweet your answer to win! He’s already begun, so follow him now for your chance at some great swag – and stay glued to O4E for pop-up contests all week.

And of course, Alexa has to have her two cents on sharks – their situation is one of her biggest ocean conservation interests, which is why she created the Sharktakular. This was all her idea – and she’s up next with her thoughts.

Thanks for coming along on this toothy, streamlined ride with us…

it’s going to be Sharktastic!

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