A staggering 80 percent of all the life on Earth is to be found hidden beneath the waves and this vast global ocean pulses around our world driving the natural forces which maintain life on our planet.
The oceans provide vital sources of protein, energy, minerals and other products of use the world over and the rolling of the sea across the planet creates over half our oxygen, drives weather systems and natural flows of energy and nutrients around the world, transports water masses many times greater than all the rivers on land combined and keeps the Earth habitable.
Without the global ocean there would be no life on Earth.
One of the largest contributors to the demise of the aquatic ecosystem is the over hunting of sharks, who are responsible for keeping balance in the underwater world. Sharks are hunted not for their meat but for their fins. Shark fins, once they are harvested, are then dried to be sold in markets to individuals and restaurants to be made into shark fin soup and sold to the public (especially tourists) for as much as $350 per bowl. Shark fin has been described as having no flavor and chicken or pork are used to flavor, the fins are for texture only.
Shark fin soup come with a level of controversy as it is a delicacy for many chinese cultures and has been a served at special events like weddings for many years. It is estimated that the population of the oceans big animals is down 90% since 1950 due to over fishing or hunting. Currently 100 million sharks are killed annually.
A couple of great Shark Finning Infographics courtesy of Discovery Channel and Wild Aid
