Salt, Soul, and Survival: A deep dive into shark decline

Photo by: Euro-Divers

Imagine standing on the coast, staring out into the beautiful ocean, unaware that one of the Earth's longest residence is quietly disappearing. You probably wouldn't care because sharks cause a lot of pain to people. Have you ever stopped to wonder that they were here first and they are just trying to survive like the rest of us? People cause pain to each other every single day but the difference between sharks and humans is that humans do it on purpose. Most of them anyway. These majestic creatures need a voice. They need advocates. We, humans, are the only ones that can speak up and take initiative for animals and Mother Nature, herself. The world would face significant changes for the worst, it wouldn't be the same. There are 1 billion or more sharks worldwide, but will that be enough to save them?

Over the last 50 years, shark numbers have dropped by 70%, according to various reports. There are just 400 species left, and many, like the Oceanic Whitetip shark, are on the brink of extinction. The Oceanic Whitetip has seen a massive decline, with some estimates saying their numbers have plummeted by over 98%. It's really heartbreaking to watch these amazing creatures disappear, and they might never bounce back. Sharks can't reproduce as fast as they are being caught for their fins, dying to trash, or habitat loss. Some species of sharks are estimated to go extinct within the decade.

Habitat loss is a big reason why sharks are going extinct. Coastal development, like building new tourist spots, is pushing sharks out of their homes. You might think the whole ocean is their home, but different sharks have specific needs, and some of those are along the coast. Mangrove forests, for example, are super important nurseries for many sharks, like Lemon sharks. When these mangroves get cut down, those sharks lose their places to have pups. It might take 1-2 years before a shark wants to mate again, and then another 9-12 months for the pups to develop. New tourist attractions bring more people to the coastline, which can lead to more air and trash pollution in the area. Sharks are at risk from trash floating in the ocean. With their poor eyesight, they use their "metal detectors" to feel things out, and some might end up eating trash and choking on it.

Photo by: Unknown

Every year, over 14 billion tons of trash end up in our oceans, which is a shocking reminder of how serious marine pollution is and how it affects the environment. If this keeps up for the next decade, we'll be looking at a mind-blowing 140 billion tons of waste in our oceans, most of which won't break down naturally. And that's not even counting the stuff we haven't measured. On top of that, building new structures for tourism is often seen as a way to boost the economy. But the truth is, there are already plenty of buildings along the coast for both tourists and locals. Building more just adds to the waste problem and leads to harmful practices like cutting down mangroves.

Let's say that sharks were to disappear. Sure, you wouldn't have to be worried about getting bit while having a relaxing swim at the beach but, we wouldn't have some medicines that are available to us today. Coral reefs are a big resource for many of our medicines that are used today so the prey of sharks would increase dramatically causing coral reefs to degrade, due to coral grazing fish. Sea lions, seals, and ceratin fish would then be competing for resources and possibly lead to their extinction. Further down the food chain would be effected leading to a lot of species going extinct. It would completely throw off the ocean ecosystem and effect the seafood that we eat.

We have to keep in mind that we aren't the only ones on this planet, we need to learn how to share and not be entitled. I would be devastated if sharks were to go extinct but we can all play apart in saving them! Try to use biodegradable products and less plastic. Recycling helps a lot with pollution and decreases the amount of waste sent to landfills. Don't support any products that use shark body parts as one of their ingridieants, such as shark fin soup, skincare products, etc.

Thank you for reading :)