Impact of Shark Finning on Ecosystem
What is the effect that sharks have on their ecosystems? The simple answer is that sharks help maintain the homeostasis of the entire ocean ecosystem.
Sharks have a huge influence on the health of our oceans because they are keystone species. Keystone species are species that if were removed, would change the environment drastically. They have low functional redundancy, meaning that no other species can fill their ecological niche if they disappear. Examples of other keystone species include wolves in Yellowstone National Park. When wolves in the area were mostly eradicated in the 1900s, elk populations exploded, leading to overgrazing, the erosion of streams as wetland plants failed to anchor, and the increases in temperature of lakes and rivers as trees failed to provide shaded areas.
As apex predators, sharks are on the top of the food chain. They feed on the weak, injured and dying, ensuring healthy and stable fish populations.
Because of their level on the food chain, declines in shark populations have the potential to trigger cascading effects. Mesopredators, such as smaller sharks, rays and marine mammals such as seals can experience increases in population and extended distribution ranges because the threat of predation is lower. In turn, they can consume greater amounts of fish.
Fisheries biologist Ransom Myers has found that, “overfishing the largest predatory sharks such as the Bull, Great White, Dusky, and Hammerhead sharks, along the Atlantic Coast of the United States has led to an explosion of their ray, skate and small shark prey species” (University of Miami, 2007). This then led to increases of cownose rays (which sharks prey upon) and the decrease of scallops (which cownose rays eat). Co-leader of the study, Charles Peterson, a marine bio professor at UNC Chapel Hill, has found that, “this ecological event is having a large impact on local communities that depend so much on healthy fisheries” (University of Miami, 2007).
Similar results have been found in the Caribbean, where decreases in shark populations led to an increase in its prey, the grouper fish. Groupers then consume larger amounts of their prey, parrotfish, which are responsible for clearing algae off coral, leading to increases of algae in degraded Caribbean reefs (Ward-Paige, 2010).
Essentially, sharks keep the largest ecosystem on Earth healthy. Sharks’ role is tightly interwoven with the health of the ocean.
Humans need the ocean to survive. The ocean produces 70% of the world’s oxygen and absorbs 50x more carbon dioxide than our atmosphere. It is the most important support system for life on Earth.
The health of shark populations is intimately intertwined with that of humanity.
Sharks have a huge influence on the health of our oceans because they are keystone species. Keystone species are species that if were removed, would change the environment drastically. They have low functional redundancy, meaning that no other species can fill their ecological niche if they disappear. Examples of other keystone species include wolves in Yellowstone National Park. When wolves in the area were mostly eradicated in the 1900s, elk populations exploded, leading to overgrazing, the erosion of streams as wetland plants failed to anchor, and the increases in temperature of lakes and rivers as trees failed to provide shaded areas.
As apex predators, sharks are on the top of the food chain. They feed on the weak, injured and dying, ensuring healthy and stable fish populations.
Because of their level on the food chain, declines in shark populations have the potential to trigger cascading effects. Mesopredators, such as smaller sharks, rays and marine mammals such as seals can experience increases in population and extended distribution ranges because the threat of predation is lower. In turn, they can consume greater amounts of fish.
Fisheries biologist Ransom Myers has found that, “overfishing the largest predatory sharks such as the Bull, Great White, Dusky, and Hammerhead sharks, along the Atlantic Coast of the United States has led to an explosion of their ray, skate and small shark prey species” (University of Miami, 2007). This then led to increases of cownose rays (which sharks prey upon) and the decrease of scallops (which cownose rays eat). Co-leader of the study, Charles Peterson, a marine bio professor at UNC Chapel Hill, has found that, “this ecological event is having a large impact on local communities that depend so much on healthy fisheries” (University of Miami, 2007).
Similar results have been found in the Caribbean, where decreases in shark populations led to an increase in its prey, the grouper fish. Groupers then consume larger amounts of their prey, parrotfish, which are responsible for clearing algae off coral, leading to increases of algae in degraded Caribbean reefs (Ward-Paige, 2010).
Essentially, sharks keep the largest ecosystem on Earth healthy. Sharks’ role is tightly interwoven with the health of the ocean.
Humans need the ocean to survive. The ocean produces 70% of the world’s oxygen and absorbs 50x more carbon dioxide than our atmosphere. It is the most important support system for life on Earth.
The health of shark populations is intimately intertwined with that of humanity.