Sharks: Fished to extinction. (Almost)
by Zach Wilson
Many species of shark are facing hardships brought along by fishing. Specificall the oceanic whitetip and porbeagle sharks are having trouble with Tuna and Billfish fishing. Throughout the 20th century billfish and Tuna populations were decreasing, but within the last few dacedes thay have been making a great comeback. This leaves opportunity for their predators who were also endangered. There is only one problem, The predators arent growing in population. In fact their population has been decreasing dramatically. This is due to the sudden return of fishing Tuna and Billfish.
Wire fishing is a popular way to fish for tuna and billfish. It's very affective and efficient. There is only one large problem. These species of shark often get caught in th eline and die as byproduct to the fishing. Additianlly these sharks are also targeted as bonus to a large tuna catch as fishermen want to try and get their hands on shark fins. This nearly spells doom for the Oceanic Whitetip who is now critically endangered.
What are some possible solutions to help these sharks from going extinct?
Is there a way to better enforce shark hunting policies?
Is it at all possible to maintain the fishing of tuna in mass while perserving the sharks?
Sources: https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/articles/2021/04/27/key-us-pacific-fishery-council-takes-vital-step-to-protect-oceanic-whitetip-sharks https://www.sciencenews.org/article/shark-ocean-fish-population-recovery-extinction
Picture source: pewtrust.org Key U.S. Pacific Fishery Council Takes Vital Step to Protect Oceanic Whitetip Sharks. Pg.1 (Link for picture is too long. It crashes my computer)
Comments
Post a Comment