Shark Fin Soup

When you think of sharks, you think of a big man-eating monster like Jaws. Sharks rarely eat people, and if they did, then that means that the swimmer got too close or the shark confused the swimmer with a seal. Sharks are valuable creatures, and they keep the food chain balanced. If sharks were extinct, then who would eat smaller fish? The smaller fish would over-populate and then all the plankton that they would eat would be gone. And that would cause other fish that ate plankton to go hungry, die, and the whole thing would fall apart. Some cultures don’t think about it that way because there is a dish called shark fin soup, which is a traditional wedding or banquet meal. Fisherman catch a shark and slice off its fin and just throw the dying body back in the ocean as trash. The fishing industry earns millions of dollars for that.

Because of this, over one-third of the shark population is on the edge of becoming extinct. There is a website like eBay that sells shark fins instead of home goods. If you want to help ask a teacher or librarian if there are any good clubs that are involved in helping the cause. Also, if you eat shark fin soup please consider trying something else.

Here’s a place you can read more about the plight of sharks— http://www.stopsharkfinning.net