Resource: Collapse of Sharks
Media Type:
QuickTime Video
Length: 3m 05s
Size: 8.4 MB
The demand for shark fins in the Far East has lead to the death of millions of sharks each year. Fishermen wishing to capitalize on what Asians consider a delicacy and a medicinal food will slice off the shark's fins and discard the carcass in a process called finning. As a direct result of this practice, shark populations are decreasing around the world. In this video segment from Nature, fishermen net and remove the fins of sharks in order to sell them in the global fish market.
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Transcript (Rich Text Format Document)
Loading reviews...Teachers' Domain, Collapse of Sharks, published November 18, 2008, retrieved on ,
http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/nat08.living.eco.humeco.collapse/
- Background Essay
- Questions for Discussion
- Standards
Print Background EssaySharks and their biological cousins, the rays, are among the highest-profile denizens of the deep. But sharks are not the solitary killing machines that popular movies and the press might have us believe. In their marine environment, sharks coexist with numerous other species - many of whom flock to be near the sharks, rather than running from them in fear. In many of these cases, the interaction between two different species mutually benefits each species. But humans, too, have become an increasingly important player in the lives of sharks - and as they are increasingly hunted for their fins, sharks are actually becoming more endangered than they are dangerous. The impact on the marine ecosystem that would result from the disappearance of sharks would be devastating, but there is still time to save these magnificent creatures, and the ecosystems that depend on their existence.
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See Also:
K-12 Subject:
Human Impact
Human Influence on Ecology
Lesson Plans Using this Resource:
Source: Nature: "The Secret World of Sharks and Rays"
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Major corporate support for the Nature collection was provided by Canon U.S.A. and SC Johnson. Additional support was provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the nation’s public television stations.