Stop The Shark Cull (and remember Amy Winehouse)

Dia duit guys,

I don't know if viewers outside of Australia have heard the recent news, but if you haven't, here is the basic stuff:

Recently in Western Australia, a 24 year old man was killed in a shark attack, which has been the state's fifth fatal attack in less than a year (10 months to be exact). The shark in question is a great white shark, which currently holds a protected species status in Australia. The Fisheries Minister of Western Australia, Norman Moore, is currently calling for and end to the great white shark's protective status, and officials are calling for a cull to reduce the number of attacks in the area.

As a proud shark lover and environmentalist, this really angers me. Shark populations have declined rapidly over the past 50 years, due to them being killed for their fins (mostly for their fins), cartilage, liver oil and in some cases, meat. It also doesn't seem to help that we overfish their food supply and continue to purchase products made from sharks; which supports the shark trade industry.

Some of you may think: "They're sharks, they hurt and kill people and they aren't vital to the ecosystem". Well if you do, it's utterly incorrect.

Sharks have been on the planet for 400 million years, humans have been on the planet for about 200,000 years. Humans aren't a shark's natural food source, the only reason we get attacked is because we willingly take the risk of swimming in their territory. Sharks are curious animals, and even though they are an evolutionary miracle, they just cannot know for sure if something is edible or not, without taking a bite. They aren't ruthless man eaters, in fact, to quote my favourite comic, 'Shaaark!'; "We're not ruthless man eaters, more like accidental man tasters".

Now it's time to answer the question: "How are sharks vital to the ecosystem?". When I was asked that, I'll admit that I was thinking for a while. Because all sharks really seemed to do was just swim and eat. But they do so much more than that. They are a food source for other animals that eat sharks; killer whales and other sharks are some of the few animals that have sharks included in their diet.
It's a well known fact that sharks are what is known as 'apex predators', which means that they are at the top of the food chain; they can basically eat anything that tickles their fancy. Like other apex predators, like the lion for example, they feed on the weak and sickly, which keeps the gene pools of their prey healthy. This ensures healthier generations of animals like fish, seals, seabirds and, yes, dolphins.
And eating all those fish and seabirds keeps their populations in balance. No sharks= overpopulation crisis which endangers the ecosystem.
These are just a few of the best reasons why sharks are important.

Now I'd like to ask you guys a question: Would you like to live in a world without sharks?? A world with starving killer whales? Weak and sick animal species? Overpopulation problems? Seafood prices skyrocketing due to poor fishing hauls? A world where shark exhibits in aquariums are now shrines to a mighty and great animal?
If you think that this world would be a truly terrible place, I'd advise you to do all you can to help save the sharks. Give up eating them with fish and chips. Stop buying products made from sharks. Stop eating shark fin soup. Use lipsticks that are squalene free (Squalene is oil from a sharks liver. Yeah, you put liver oil and whole bunch of other gross stuff on your lips).
Join conservation organizations. Sign petitions. If you want to really make a difference, why not try to stop local. Asian restaurants from selling shark fin soup?

Or if you think that a sharkless world is the best idea since sliced bread, think again. Think not of yourself, but of the future generations of people that have to suffer because of something we did.

And those are my thoughts on why we should save the sharks and stop the threat of a cull before we bring about the extinction of another awe-inspiring animal. If you'd like to sign some petitions, find out some cool stuff or read 'Shaaark!', the links can be found here:

http://www.change.org/petitions/end-the-west-australian-great-white-shark-slaughter

facebook.com/supportoursharks

http://www.shaaark.com

facebook.com/seashepherdaustralia

facebook.com/Shark.Cartoons


And this 23rd of July marks one year since the tragic death of Amy Winehouse at age 27. Until her death I had never recognized her for her talents, and only saw her as a wreck. That makes me sad to think that now, because she truly was talented, and it wasn't until her passing that I began to really become a fan of her music. So today, dear readers, I ask you to remember the gifted and exceptional young woman that was Amy Winehouse.


If you have any memorable shark encounters, love sharks as much as I do or if I've left out any important information, let me know in the comments below.

May the force be with you, Vivmarie1407