Sharks are commonly referred to as one of the most feared and terribly misunderstood species on the planet. It is also evident that the sharing of stories about shark attacks is also a regular topic within the media which can easily lead people to believe to the notion that the shark populations are stable but when, in actual fact, they are getting dangerously low. Researchers of the study shared that the actual number of sharks killed annually could be as high as 273 million.
Last year, the world got a detailed glimpse into the workings of the world’s largest shark slaughterhouse. The factory was discovered by WildLifeRisk, a Hong Kong-based conservation group which is based in south China.
The said factory processes approximately 600 endangered whale sharks year by year. They harvest on the skin, fins, meat and oil to sell it internationally. WildLifeRisk also captured video footage of what it is to be inside the factory. In the video, the factory owner explains that the plant also processes blue sharks and basking sharks. He also informs the undercover investigators that the factory smuggles whale shark skins and dried fins out of China. Those are being exported to European countries, where they are used in Chinese restaurants. Also, the oil extracted from the sharks is also falsely tagged and sold as ‘fish oil’ in order to smuggle the product out of China.
WATCH THE VIDEO HERE:
The fact that the shark populations is one of the most important environmental problems of today. The world fails to see it since there's a strong belief that sharks are of very dangerous nature and their population is still going strong in numbers. We need to be aware that sharks are the apex predators of the ocean, which means that if their populations goes too low or are made extinct, the oceans ecosystem and its other species will become unbalanced and its biodiversity will ultimately be destroyed and we would not let that happen.
