Shark Blog

What do you know about sharks?

1. Have you or someone you know had a shark “experience”? If so, briefly describe it.

Nope

2. Name three different kinds of sharks:

hammerhead,  big and small

3. What countries have laws regulating shark fishing?

Recently Canada, other places around the world

4. How old are sharks?

Living since the age of the dinosaurs

5. Approximately how many people are killed by sharks each year?

Many

6. Why are sharks fished?

Usually for their fins, sometimes for meat.

7. Approximately how many sharks are killed each hour?

Many

Check your knowledge

1. How much of the earth is made of water?

About 66% of the earth is made of water.

2. How old are sharks?

Sharks lived more than 400 million years ago, before the continents formed and the dinosaurs. They are one of the oldest living things on earth.

3. How much of life is in the oceans?

About 50% to 80% of life on earth is found in the oceans.

4. How many people are killed by sharks each year?

5 people are killed by sharks each year.

5. Who is Paul Watson?

Paul Watson was one of the original activists of Greenpeace, a conservation movement. He is one of the more radical activists as he sunk a whole whaling Norwegian fleet, and ended pirate whaling in the north Atlantic.

6. Why is nothing done to stop poachers?

This is because people are afraid of sharks from the media and other sources. People who are scared of things won’t protect them so they do nothing to stop the poachers.

7. Why are shark fins taken?

Shark fins are taken to be made into shark fin soup which is a status symbol for wealth and served as a sign of respect. It is also marketed as a “treatment” for disease such as cancer because it is thought that sharks are resilient to diseases. So if one consumes shark fin that “power” will transfer to the consumer.

8. How valuable  is the shark fin industry?

The shark fin industry is a billion dollar industry. A single pound of shark fins is worth more than $200.

9. What did Stewart discover in Costa Rica?

Stewart discovered that the Taiwanese mafia, which ran the shark finning industry, were paying the authorities to turn a blind eye to their operation.

10. What stopped Stewart from continuing with Watson?

He had flesh-eating disease from streptococcus, which was consuming his body.

11. By what percent has the shark population decreased?

The shark population decreased by 90 percent.

12. How has most social change been effected in the past?

Most social change has been caused by passionate intervention, protesting, rioting, and revolutions in the past. 

13. Why wasn’t Stewart caught when he returned to Costa Rica?

Stewart wasn’t caught when he returned to Costa Rica because he avoided major ports, the police, the coast guard, the shark fin mafia, etc. by travelling via tour buses and public transportation.

14. How many sharks died while the movie was being shown?

More than 15 000 sharks killed while the documentary was being shown.

15. How many countries have banned shark finning?

16 countries have banned shark finning.

Reactions to the Movie

1. I learned a lot about sharks. Yes

2. Overall, I liked the movie.

3. I agree that sharks need protection. Yes

4. I agree that shark fins should be banned from restaurants across the world. Yes

5. To what extent did you view on sharks change after watching Sharkwater?

It changed my way of thinking of sharks greatly. Like most people, I was scared of sharks and I really did not like swimming because of movies like Jaws. However, seeing this documentary changed. They really are important to life on earth.

Discussion

My first opinion after hearing the news of Toronto banning the sale and consumption of shark fin was an indifferent one. I thought there were concerns that were of more importance than shark fins such as school. Another factor was that I have not had shark fin soup for about six years and I was never of fan of the soup. I believe it was because it did not taste like shark or fish. After watching Sharkwater and learning that shark fin just add texture to a chicken broth, I thought that it was quite dumb to kill sharks for their fins in order to add some texture to a soup. Furthermore, people need to be educated about what cures and what does not, and not believe in some riff-raff about some shark power transferring to another person. Sure that the Chinese has practised this tradition of eating shark fin soup for centuries but guess what? The world is changing rapidly from revolutions in the Middle East to medicine, so get over it.