Sharks are not the friendliest species, but are crucial to our ecosystems. Sharks are being exterminated due to fishing, brutal shark finning, and mitigation strategies. Due to the high demand for oceanic whitetip shark fins, the United States and Brazil co-sponsored Colombia's proposal to add oceanic whitetip sharks to Appendix II of the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. Which means sharks get protection from the government. Why are sharks important you ask? First, sharks play an important role in ecosystems as one of the top predators in the oceans. Next, sharks also keep vital habitats healthy being at the top of the food chain. Also sharks keep food webs or food chains in balance due to …show more content…
Sharks are the superior of these food chains and considered by scientist to be “essential” species. Implementing that extracting them could cause the whole structure to collapse. Due to this speculation, the prospect of a food chain without its apex predator may mean the termination of many more species. A number of scientific studies demonstrate that reduction of sharks results in the loss of commercially important fish and shellfish species down the food chain, including key fisheries such as tuna, that maintain the health of coral reefs. Sharks groom many populations of marine life to the right size so that those prey species don’t cause harm to the ecosystem by becoming too populous.
Shark keep they prey populations healthy and strong. Sharks prey of the sick and the weak members of their prey. Some sharks also scan the ocean floor to feed on dead carcasses. When terminating the sick and the weak they restrict the enlargement of disease outbreaks, which could be devastating. When sharks prey on the weak and the sick the stronger of the prey reproduce. Since the largest, strongest, and healthiest fish generally reproduce in greater numbers, the outcome is larger numbers of healthier fish. Sharks give prey populations opportunities to become stronger and