
05-02-2011
Shark finning is an ecological disaster. If you haven't watched Sharkwater, it is a must for anyone a fan of the ocean. 100,000,000 sharks are killed every year for the business. People don't realize how important sharks are for our survival on land. With out the top predator in the ocean, Earth's entire ecosystem will collapse.
Overfishing of the critically endangered Bluefin tuna is another major problem. Fishing of this species needs to stop immediately to prevent a collapse of the fishery.
By-catch is yet another problem for our oceans. 300,000 dolphins, small whales, and porpoises as well as 250,000 endangered loggerhead sea turtles are caught on longlines and in nets and are killed each year.
Some more sobering statistic: 26 species of sea birds are threatened with extinction due to long-lining which kills 300,000 birds annually
89% of hammerhead sharks and 80% of thresher and white sharks have disappeared from the Northeast Atlantic Ocean in the last 18 years - all due to by-catch.
Of course the greatest threat to our oceans is climate change. You need to look no further on our impacts than coral reefs to see the bleaching that has/ is occurring.
The world needs to get serious about our oceans and our planet. Are ability to survive is what is at stake.
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