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Shark Fin Soup

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Submitted By jenkinsk6388
Words 2010
Pages 9
Katharine Jenkins-Moore
Stephanie High
Eng 111
24th of November, 2013
Saving the Great White Shark Great White sharks are being killed to the point of extinction. Overfishing, finning, and the fear of humanity are going to be the death of these majestic creatures if we do not do something about it soon. Great White sharks have been called “the barometer of our oceans”. If they are no longer around, our whole ecosystem will go into a terrible tail-spin that we will be helpless to stop. Solutions to these issues can be found by making some big changes, but mostly a lot of people making small ones. Great White sharks are in danger, and if little things are changed in people’s daily lives, we may be able to reverse, or at least halt, the threat. One major problem Great White sharks face is finning. Finning is defined as the catching of a shark, pulling it aboard a boat, cutting off all of the shark’s fins, then throwing it back into the ocean to either be eaten alive or drown. Author Rebecca Tatum states in her academic journal “The Ecology and Controversy of Shark-Fin Soup” that “Shark-finning is increasingly illegal on a global basis; since 2004, at least sixty nations have banned the practice” (Tatum 6). Many specials have been aired (on Animal Planet) about the shark fin trade. One could see fins drying on rooftops for miles. Tatum also states “The extraordinary value of the fins, up to $2,000 per pound, incentivizes this wasteful practice” (Tatum 2). The price paid for these fins also encourages the practice to continue, despite it being illegal. Shark fin soup is an Eastern Asia delicacy. Being able to afford shark fin soup for special occasions is a marker of social status. Author Claudia Li, in her journal “Shark Truth: Stopping the Soup”, states “Shark fin soup is the “food of the wealthy,” elders used to say” (Li 1). Not only is the practice of

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