2 hours agoSharks on the brink of extinction, says one study
Periskopi(5 years ago)
(5 years ago)According to new research, the number of sharks in the open ocean has dropped by 71 percent over half a century, mainly because of excessive fishing, and three quarters of the species of sharks studied have now disappeared. Researchers say urgent action is needed to ensure a more future [...]
Researchers say urgent action is needed to ensure a brighter future for these extraordinary, irreplaceable” animals.
They urge governments to enforce scientific restrictions on fishing. Researcher Richard Sherley of Exeter University says the decline in numbers appears to have been caused in much of the fishing activities.
“Press has resulted in a 70 percent drop in the last 50 years. For every 10 sharks you had on the open ocean in the 1970s, you have three today,” said Sherley about BBC News.
Sharks are caught because of meat and liver oil. Of the 31 studied species, 24 are threatened with extinctions and three species of sharks (white sharks, sharks, and whale sharks) are now classified as critically endangered by the highest category of risk, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Professor Nicholas Dulvy of Simon Fraser University in British Columbia Canada said sharks are at an extremely high risk of extinction, far more than birds, mammals, or frogs, regardless of distance from land.
“Pishing threatens the health of entire ocean ecosystems, as well as food safety for some of the world's poorest countries”, he said.
Sharks are at the top of the food chain and are essential to ocean health. Their loss affects other marine animals and lives. The study was published in Nature magazine.
