Shark Populations Are Crashing, By Catrin Einhorn

The state of the matter is, that we are now seeing sharks decline in population faster than records show, as Catrin Einhorn wrote in her article Shark Populations Are Crashing, With a ‘Very Small Window’ to Avert Disaster, “Oceanic Sharks and Rays have declined by 71 percent since 1970, mainly because of overfishing”. Whether the cause is purposeful or just a product of fishing in general, the state of the matter is that the shark population is declining due to human intervention. Overall, overfishing is causing more damage to the shark population than beneficial to our economy. The loss we would face if sharks were to face extinction is greater than any benefit received from it. Sharks help control the ecosystem and keep natural predators

In addition to these negative effects, the loss of sharks will also mean the loss of a species that survived for millions of years. While some argue that overfishing provides much-needed jobs and resources, these arguments seem minor in comparison to the major loss that we are accruing in the U.S. alone. Sharks play a massive role in their aquatic ecosystem, and the loss of sharks will cause a ripple effect throughout the food chain. To elaborate, the fewer sharks around, the more seals can go freely and overconsume the fish population, dwindling our fish supply. Laurel Irvine once stated, in The Delicate Importance of Sharks and Pinnipeds, that without sharks, the seal population would grow “unchecked without natural predation, it could permanently damage the ecological health of western shores”. Seals will feast on the many fish that fishermen fish for, leaving less for the human diet. Overall, this hurts the economy. Shark loss would also directly impact climate change and result in a much bigger crisis

This is a problem especially when arguing the loss of jobs, if there is nothing to fish for, then the jobs would be a loss anyway. While overfishing provides for over 1.7 million jobs in the U.S. alone, we can take steps to ensure that number stays at a healthy number while preserving our ocean's sharks. According to an article published in 2019, NOAA Fisheries, Number of U.S. Fish Stocks at Sustainable Levels Remain Near Record High,” supported 1.7 million full- and part-time jobs”, this number is only allotting the ones provided in the U.S. showing the contribution of the fishing market to our economy. While sharks are hunted primarily for their fins and meat, there are scenarios where they are solely a casualty when casting for large amounts of fish. In scenarios where sharks are caught due to being casualties when overfishing their prey, there are practices one can take for releasing sharks safely, but fishermen avoid these measures because “they often have financial incentives to keep the sharks”(Einhorn), meaning that while incidental, shark hunting is often