[Coral-List] Shark Slaughter

[David McGuire]

The principal investigator of this study,  Dr. Enric Sala of SIO is  
featured in our film Sharks: Stewards of the Reef where he brings  
this study to light.  As reported in his April 2005  Study published  
in PNAS, Dr. Sala et al correlates the cascade effects of removing  
apex predators such as sharks to the overall health of the marine  
system, particularly coral.

One of the most striking products of the study is a stark picture of  
human impacts on marine ecosystems and the consequences of targeted  
fishing. In the Caribbean, overfishing of sharks triggers a domino  
effect of changes in abundance that carries down to several fish  
species and contributes to the overall degradation of the reef  
ecosystem. Overfishing species randomly, the study shows, is not  
likely to cause these cascading effects.

"It appears that ecosystems such as Caribbean coral reefs need sharks  
to ensure the stability of the entire system," said Sala, deputy  
director of the Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation at  
Scripps.


This 30 minute film, also features Shark Conservationists Sonja  
Fordham, Peter Knights and examines threats to sharks, including  
shark finning, the importance of sharks ecologically and how we can  
support marine protected ares for sharks and a healthy ocean.  We are  
screening at the Monterey Bay Aquarium this month.

David McGuire
www.sharkstewards.com


On Aug 23, 2007, at 11:48 AM, craig cooper wrote:

>   SHARK SLAUGHTER
>
> Shark fin soup, prized as a delicacy in Asia, has generated a  
> worldwide
> billion dollar industry, where more than 100 million sharks are killed
> each year.  The process of "finning" involves cutting off the shark's
> fins, after which the rest of the animal is thrown overboard, often
> still alive.  Despite surviving longer than any other large animal on
> earth,  their populations are rapidly declining.  In fact, the numbers
> of some shark species have fallen more than 90 per cent.  The
> elimination of sharks is having a direct affect on the health of coral
> reefs and the oceans as a whole.  Researchers at the Scripps Institute
> of Oceanography are currently studying this issue.  Hopefully this
> research and the dissemination of this information to the public will
> bring an end to this wholesale slaughter.
>
>   Craig Cooper
>   Sharkwater Team
> www.sharkwater.com
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> Coral-List mailing list
> Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list



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Please take a moment to learn about the growing global problem of  
Shark Finning and how you can Help Stop the Distribution of Shark  
Fins for Shark Fin Soup:

www.sharkstewards.com/synopsis.htm

http://sharkstewards.com/take-action.htm

Establish a Global Ban on Shark Finning  http:// 
www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/345265363