​

     One of the most popularly thought of vicious predators is sharks. Great and big with razored teeth, a single drop drawing them in from a third of a mile away. These “untamed” creatures are a step lower than very few on the food chain, and their biggest, cruelest predators happen to be us. Villianized after the movie Jaws, the hunt for sharks has risen ever since, closing in on complete extinction, and with their extinction comes ours. 

​

     Shark species have lived for 450 million years, created before trees, outliving the age of dinosaurs and many extinctions. Sharks have shaped entire ecosystems, and without them, everything would completely collapse. One of the few predators of seals is sharks. This may not seem important, but seals completely destroy fish populations if not regulated. Seals additionally are a culprit for spreading disease with the bacteria found in their waste. Without sharks, seals alone have the potential to destroy beaches, public areas, and entire ecosystems.

   

      Each year over 150 million sharks are killed, most drowning on the seafloor after having their fins cut off and thrown back into the water. Those whose bodies are used can commonly be found unknowingly in food (although toxic), cosmetics, pet food, supplements, fertilizer, deodorant, hair care products, sunscreen, lip balm, vaccines, energy drinks, lubricants, cleansers, and much more. An especially common shark product is Squalene. This is used in many skincare products, often in anti-aging creams, acne treatments, and lip glosses, but still, Squalene is in much more. Squalene is an oil produced in the shark’s liver to help them with buoyancy, deep-sea sharks are the popular target for greater amounts. Of all sharks, the ones inhabiting deeper water are those who are slow to grow, mature, and repopulate. The drive for shark Squalene is completely unnecessary, there are even other sources. Olive oil, rice bran, wheat germ, and amaranth seeds are all animal-free Squalene derivatives.

  

      The importance of sharks is quite apparent, yet why aren’t we protecting them? Right now, shark finning is banned in 32 countries, and fishing is banned in 22. But shark consumption and usage itself are still legal almost everywhere. A common practice among finners and fishers is to claim the sharks from a country where finning and fishing are legal, although they were caught miles offshore of a country where it is illegal. Illegal poaching and smuggling of sharks are happening around the world. Shark fin soup is the largest use of sharks, killing 73 million a year mostly in China. While sharks are being hunted their lives are on the line due to global warming and pollution as well.

​

      At the rate we are killing sharks, their extinction is soon to come. Sharks take between five months and three years to reproduce, with 2 to 135 offspring. Moreover, sharks take between seven and 150 years to reach sexual maturity. Statistically, sharks cannot compete with humans as their most extreme predators. 

There are many ways you can help advocate for sharks, the easiest way is to spread the word! Follow shark advocacy groups on social media, talk about this article, post petitions online! Donating to groups like the Atlantic White Shark Advocacy, Oceana, Sharkwater, and more are also great ways to make an impact. Obtain more knowledge on the topic and bring awareness to the situation. The environment is dependent on sharks, if we are the cause of their extinction, we are inevitably responsible for our own.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Picture: Shark conservationist and advocate Ocean Ramsey with Tiger shark, Emma, in Tiger beach Bahamas.

​

​