Oceans Need Sharks

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Link to WildE Plant: https://wildeplanet.com/social-media/oceans-need-sharks/

The Oceans Need Sharks Campaign

Sharks have been part of Earth’s oceans for more than 400 million years, surviving enormous changes in the planet and evolving into hundreds of species. Today, sharks live in marine environments around the world, from coral reefs and coastal waters to the open ocean and deep sea. Each species has its own place within the complex communities of animals that make up ocean ecosystems.

As predators, sharks are important members of marine food webs. Different shark species feed on different kinds of prey, including fish, squid, crustaceans and other marine animals. Larger predatory sharks can influence the abundance, distribution and behavior of other animals, while smaller sharks occupy their own ecological roles. Together, sharks are part of the network of predator-prey relationships that helps shape marine communities.

But sharks face growing pressure from human activities. Fishing is one of the greatest threats. Sharks may be deliberately caught for their meat, fins and other products, or caught accidentally as bycatch in fisheries targeting other species. Habitat loss and degradation, pollution and climate-related changes can create additional challenges for some shark populations.

Many sharks are particularly vulnerable to population declines because they grow slowly, mature relatively late and produce fewer young than many other fish. When large numbers of sharks are removed from the ocean, some populations can take many years to recover. Protecting important habitats, reducing unnecessary shark mortality and managing fisheries sustainably can help give shark populations a better chance to survive.

Oceans Need Sharks is a campaign to raise awareness about the connection between sharks and the marine ecosystems they have inhabited for hundreds of millions of years. Protecting sharks is not simply about protecting individual animals. It is also about maintaining the diverse and interconnected ocean communities of which sharks are a natural part.

Share the facts. Our oceans need sharks.