Changing the General Public’s Perception of Sharks
World-wide, without exception.
It is not the first time in history where an apex predator is heartlessly hunted at a rate pointing toward extinction, only to procure a sense of prestige and status to the ones who can afford to pay the exorbitant price.
In more ancient times, sharks were hunted and their prized fins were served to emperors and aristocrats of East Asia. That was then. Then, we did not have long liner boats, fish finders, satellite tracking. Then, we were not able to put a dent (pun intended) into the shark population.
Times have changed. Nowadays, it is no longer the privileged few but a much wider slice of the population which takes an exponential toll on sharks. Shark-fin soup is a status symbol. It is a must at wedding banquets and business dinners across Asia. But let’s not point fingers at the Asian consumers of this dish because shark finning is happening world-wide. All over the globe, people have little understanding about the irreplaceable value of sharks. WHY IS THAT ?
For starters, being aquatic creatures, sharks have been misunderstood and under-studied. Compared to land flora and fauna, scientists (and, by extension, the general public) know very little about the underwater world. Instead, what has been widely propagated is a flawed image of sharks.
Typically pictured as ravenous monsters, sharks are regarded as a dangerous nuisance that deserves to be brutally killed. How ignorant. Just type “sharks” and “food chain” in your Internet search engine and start learning. To simplify, sharks feed on and regulate other creatures which feed on fish eggs. The mathematic equation of this process is:
Fewer sharks, fewer fish.
So, say good bye to your favorite sushi or read Michael Aw’s excellent article “Changing the Face of Terror” published in the Ocean Geographic Issue 7:1/2009 (**) and learn about how you can make a difference as a reader and consumer.
You too can support the Sharks Makeover Project to help change people’s perception on sharks. See link to the right for details and email info@OGSociety.org today !
(**) click on the link and do sign up to access the articles available for download.