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SHARK POPULATIONS CONTINUE TO DROP
GLOBALLY
By Allison Keller
Concerns continue to rise as shark populations plummet by more than half.
In the late 1980’s, researchers began monitoring the shrinking numbers of one of Earth’s greatest predators. Citing recreational fishing and shark hunting as being responsible for the decline, scientists at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, have concluded that the shark’s reproduction rate can not keep up with the rate at which the sharks are being killed.
While the problem of the receding shark population has occurred in other locations throughout the world, head researcher, Julia K. Baum, stated in a January 17, 2003, The New York Times article that “pervasive over fishing of these species may initiate major ecological changes.”
Those investigating the situation have found no confirmation that the population decrease is due to the result of a natural cycle. Comparable drops in shark population have been detected in parts of the Pacific Ocean and seas where high fishing traffic does occur. While federal regulations prohibit shark fishing by Americans, it does not necessarily stop them from doing it.Although a significant decline has appeared to take place in coastal waters, a severe change like this has drastic implications for the entire marine community.
“A rapid decline in the shark population would cause serious damage to the marine community,” Frank Setlock, a biology teacher at Pope John XXIII high school in New Jersey said. “Sharks are necessary to keep the equilibrium of the environment around them. If the population continues to decline, we will find an increase in other marine life, specifically smaller fish species. This is a serious concern because our oceans cannot handle such a disproportionate ebb and flow of population.”
Although the biggest decline in sharks was found in shark species that tended to stay close to the shoreline, all sharks are at risk. The deep-ocean shark, known as the Thresher, a deep ocean shark, has dropped 80 percent in number since 1986. The population of the classic Great White Shark has seen a 79 percent decrease since 1986, and Hammerhead sharks suffered the worst with an 89 percent drop from 1986 to 2000.
Since all shark species are different, it has become increasingly difficult to understand why some sharks are seemingly more affected than others. Researchers have not yet measured all of the problems that are associated with the reality of a shark population declines. However, it is clear that this situation effects more than just the sharks.