Greed, Soup and The Rape of the Oceans - Page 2

In a balanced world that makes complete sense! You don't want the top predators to reproduce quickly like their smaller prey or they would soon deplete their own sources of food. But when the top fish suddenly becomes prey to a more insidious and out of control predator, then that delicate balance is thrown for a loop. Sharks are easy pickings for humans. They don't converge in any of the deep areas of the oceans below 3,000 meters. As such all species of sharks are within mankind's reach; and mankind is taking them all.

It is an outrageous tragedy that we are eradicating not just one species, but an entire group of species; one so elusive and diverse that we've barely scratch the surface of all we have to learn from them. Sharks are an indispensable part of our marine ecosystem. For one small example, they feed on species of fish that in turn consume plankton. Plankton converts carbon dioxide into oxygen. The oceans create 70% of our oxygen and yet we are quickly depleting them of life to our own detriment.

On a more immediate and practical note, there is also the problem of fisheries such as shrimp and scallops that are already collapsing because the top predator is no longer able to perform its role of controlling the populations of skates and rays and other creatures that feed on said shellfish. The delicate chain of our ecosystems begins to unravel very quickly once you remove the top predators.

Sadly, the disappearance of sharks is but a symptom of an even larger problem. Lacking any international agreements on our waters and all of its inhabitants, the oceans have become a virtual free for all. As Sharkwater filmmaker Rob Stewart told me in a telephone interview, "there is tremendous waste that goes on out there".

A study by Boris Worm and Ransom Myers of Dalhousie University published in 2003 warned that "industrial fishing has scoured the global ocean. There is no blue frontier left, since 1950, with the onset of industrialized fisheries, we have rapidly reduced the resource base to less than 10% - not in just some areas, not just for some stocks, but for entire communities of these large fish species from the tropics to the poles".

The immense frustration is that people are aware of the problems and still little is being done to reverse these dangerous trends. There is complete apathy and inaction on the part of most governments. And I'm not pointing an accusatory finger at only second or third world nations for failing to impart controls on what happens in their oceans or for their fishing and trade practices. Rich western nations are equally if not more responsible for the rape of the oceans.

Article Author: Nathalie Vanderheyden

Nathalie Vanderheyden is a fan of everything creative. She's an independent writer and blogger trying to find her voice in a loud world. She lives in "the Hammer" with her family and dog.

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