A new report has reported that both sharks and rays have been declining.
The report is from nature journal, and is called 'Half a century of global decline of oceanic sharks and rays'. Nature has reported that there has been a dramatic decline in oceanic sharks and rays since the 1970's. They have reported that there has been a massive - 71% decline - in oceanic sharks and rays, since 1970.
This is a dramatic and worrying decline in both oceanic sharks and oceanic rays, over a short period of time in the earth's history. If this trend were to keep continuing for the next few decades, then, we would likely lose oceanic sharks and rays and see them becoming extinct.
It's possible that we could see at least some shark and ray species becoming extinct in our lifetime, as the report has said that there is a risk that sharks and rays could become extinct globally in the future. The researchers who published the report found that three-quarters of the species were now at risk of extinction.
Why Are Sharks Threatened With Extinction?
The report highlights that the main reason for the shark and rays decline is: fishing. It also says that the main risk to existence of sharks and rays today is also fishing.
Specifically, it's not just fishing that is the problem, but, overfishing.
Overfishing could harm sharks in a few ways. It could harm them by being captured or killed in fishing nets. Overfishing could also harm sharks and rays if too much fish are captured and it depletes the oceans of foods that are essential for marine animals like: sharks and rays. A lack of food would make it hard, or even impossible, for sharks and rays to survive and thrive in the future.
There is another modern-day threat to sharks.
That threat is the shark finning industry. Shark finning is a barbaric act, where people will capture sharks, cut off the sharks fin, and throw the sharks back into the oceans while the sharks are still alive - this results in the sharks going through a lot of pain and then dying a horrible and agonizing death.
Shark finning is really cruel, and the number of sharks that are killed in this way is staggering. Sadly, 100 million sharks are killed by shark finning every single year in the world. If we keep continuing to kill sharks like this, then, we will sadly see the extinction of these beautiful animals (perhaps in our lifetime).
Sharks have existed on earth since before trees evolved. It is estimated that sharks have lived on the earth for 450 million years now.
Stingrays and sharks are closely related. Stingrays have also survived a long time on earth: they have survived for at least 150 million years on earth.
Stingrays have been living on earth since the Jurassic era. They - as well as sharks -existed when the dinosaurs walked the earth. They deserve to live on earth peacefully and be protected, so that future generations can enjoy these beautiful animals and because they deserve to live on this beautiful planet with us.
If you want to read more from the report by nature, go - here!
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