Shark Expert Explains the 5 Best Ways to Protect Sharks (#1 Might Shock You!)

Even in the event you don’t step foot into the water, your well being is immediately impacted by the well being of the ocean. And the ocean’s well being depends on the presence of sharks. Discover the 5 finest methods to guard sharks! (Some are easy, and a few are a bit extra … immersive.)

The 5 Best Ways to Protect Sharks

1. Swim With Sharks

Do what, precisely?! While we notice this #1 option to shield sharks could come as a shock, if you perceive why, it is smart. It’s actually not for everybody however for these searching for a manner to assist shield sharks and be taught in an immersive setting, swimming with sharks is a unbelievable selection.

Shark Expert Weighs In

Carmen Koepfer, Marine Biologist and Shark Specialist, advised A-Z-Animals, “Why swimming with sharks can help? Raising awareness about the global issues facing sharks is crucial. Once a shark is caught, its meat is sold at a very low price, often around one dollar per kilogram. This low value is due to the high concentrations of heavy metals such as mercury, arsenic, lead, and cadmium in shark meat, making it toxic for consumption and posing health risks to any organism.”

While the expertise of swimming with sharks is one-of-a-kind and thrilling, the principle manner swimming with sharks helps is as a result of it results in additional dialog on the subject. Those who don’t find out about sharks don’t discuss them. Consequently, those that don’t swim with sharks don’t find out about how they perform of their pure setting. Those who don’t find out about sharks don’t acknowledge the integral position they play within the marine ecosystem.

Koepfer, steadfast in her quest to coach, shares, “The vulnerability of sharks to overfishing is multifaceted, involving their slow reproductive rate, targeted fishing during reproductive events, and the environmental consequences of industrial fishing practices. Raising awareness and taking action to protect sharks are essential for the health of the marine ecosystem and, consequently, our own well-being.”

2. Eliminate Plastic Use

Whatever your beverage selection every day, think about what sort of bottle you’re utilizing. Reduce your use of single-use plastic by choosing a refillable bottle or thermos. You could make a distinction by being extra conscientious and proactive in your area people. While volunteering efforts is probably not potential for each schedule, simply choosing up litter as you walk by way of your neighborhood or downtown can positively influence the setting. When buying, skip the plastic luggage. Invest in reusable luggage you may hold in your trunk for all of your buying wants! These steps are easy and require little work. But they’re game-changing efforts that shield marine wildlife.

Shark Expert Weighs In

Koepfer helped to place issues into perspective when she defined, “The ocean’s well-being is crucial for our survival, not only because it provides a source of food and numerous ecosystem services but also because over 75% of the oxygen we breathe comes from the sea. Phytoplankton in the ocean undergoes photosynthesis, producing oxygen, much like plants. Therefore, if the ocean becomes unhealthy, we face a threat to our oxygen supply. Regardless of dietary choices or environmental concerns, the health of the ocean should matter to everyone, as it is interconnected with the well-being of the planet.”

According to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIH), your private well being is immediately impacted by the well being of the ocean. Pollution is a world challenge that impacts ecosystem well being. The repercussions are far-reaching and sophisticated, and researchers are working towards getting the phrase out that the ocean’s well-being is of crucial significance to the well-being of human populations all through the earth. While plastic waste is a serious challenge, it’s really simply the tip of the iceberg. In addition to plastic waste, the ocean is unjustly going through threats from pesticides, oil spills, mercury, and manufactured chemical substances.

3. Mind Your Cosmetics

Check the substances of your cosmetics and scrutinize any product that lists squalene as an ingredient. The majority of squalene is derived from shark liver oil, and it’s included in a spread of beauty merchandise, starting from make-up formulations to lotions and serums. It’s marketed as a potent emollient that helps customers easy and moisturize their pores and skin. What they don’t let you know is that they typically goal sharks that reside within the deeper areas of the ocean, as they’re those that are likely to have greater concentrations of oil of their livers. Consider the life cycle of a shark. Their replica charges are gradual. Much slower than the manufacturing charges of cosmetics. Sharks are frequently killed within the identify of smoother pores and skin and beautifying merchandise like lip gloss. This is very egregious contemplating there are options to squalene from shark liver! When deciding on your cosmetics, search for merchandise that state “100% plant-derived.”

4. Take a Gander at Shark Laws

Laws have loopholes and it’s no completely different in terms of shark legal guidelines. For instance, within the U.S., shark finning is prohibited. Plain and easy, proper? Not precisely. The U.S. nonetheless exports and imports shark fins. There are solely 13 out of fifty states which are express of their verbiage concerning the shark fin commerce. On the opposite hand, at the least 10 states have eating places the place shark fin soup continues to be a printed merchandise on the menu. When shark fin transgressions are legally pursued, the sentences are somewhat lenient with some fines totaling lower than a thousand {dollars}.

Shark Expert Weighs In

Koepfer explains, “There is a cascading effect in play here: the health of the ecosystem relies on the presence of sharks. Currently, there is a growing awareness of the fact that around 100 million sharks are caught annually, and these figures are from five years ago. The consumption of shark fins is a significant problem, driven mainly by industrial fishing practices that use large nets and hooks covering extensive areas in the sea. Sharks are particularly vulnerable to this type of fishing due to their slow reproductive rate. Sharks can take up to 15 years to reach reproductive maturity, and they produce few offspring that also take a long time to grow.”

Koepfer, who presents programs on shark safety and diving, additional defined that “Sharks, despite having existed since before the dinosaurs and being older than trees, are highly sensitive to overfishing. In recent years, from 1970 to 2010, there was already a recorded disappearance of 50 to 90% of shark populations. By 2016, there was a decline of over 85% in shark populations worldwide. This vulnerability is directly linked to our survival, as the health of the marine ecosystem, on which our existence depends, is connected to the presence of sharks.”

5. Make Well-Informed Seafood Choices

Koepfer highlighted the interconnectedness of not simply your practices, but additionally your decisions as she defined the next: “Industrial fishing, especially the use of enormous nets and longlines, poses a severe threat to shark populations. The bycatch, where sharks are unintentionally caught in these nets and hooks, contributes significantly to their decline. The slow reproductive strategy of sharks makes them highly susceptible to overfishing, as it doesn’t give their populations enough time to recover. Moreover, targeting sharks during their reproductive aggregations further exacerbates the problem.”

Even if seafood isn’t in your menu, it’s essential you perceive that many populations all through the world depend on fish populations to help their economies. The vibrancy of marine ecosystems is supported by the presence of sharks and with out them, whole ecosystems collapse. Some varieties of fishing, like industrial fishing, end in bycatching. But what are you able to do about that? Here are some choices:

• Look into which fisheries function sustainably.
• Call forward earlier than visiting eating places to inquire about their sustainability efforts.
• Use instruments just like the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch, which helps you make these well-informed decisions that shield our sharks.

The picture featured on the prime of this publish is © iStock.com/abadonian