Finning is responsible for the death of between 88- 100millions shark every year. Exact numbers are unknown because the practice is illegal in many places and hauls aren’t accurately counted. Because sharks are at the top of the food chain and have few predators, they reproduce and mature slowly. That means their numbers are slow to replenish when a population is overfished. At the rate humans are going, we’re set to wipe out sharks entirely in 10- 20 years.
Sharks are an apex predator. Apex predators are invaluable for keeping the populations of everything else in the food chain in balance. The oceans depend on them to keep the numbers of other fish and mammal species in check and weed out the sick, injured and dying so that populations of fish stay strong and healthy. Without sharks — from bottom feeders all the way up to Great Whites — the balance of the ocean’s food chain is in danger.
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