Overfishing has cut oceanic shark populations by 71% over the past 50 years. Sharks play a crucial role in healthy ocean ecosystems because they are a top predator. They keep prey species populations at a healthy level and prevent algae overgrowth that advances the decline of coral reefs. Scientists estimate that 100 million sharks are removed from our oceans each year, and much of this haul is illegal, unreported, and unregulated. Sharks help fight against global warming because they are carbon sinks. This means they hold onto carbon dioxide and keep it out of the atmosphere. When more sharks are killed, more carbon dioxide is released, speeding global warming. Sharks also have a huge impact on the world’s economy. Without sharks, the sea creatures we eat would be attacked and eaten by other predators with no balance which would cause the closure of fisheries. Sharks push tourism in many tropical vacation spots as well. About 75% of shark species are threatened with extinction. If sharks go extinct, the entire ocean ecosystem could fall out of balance and cause major disruptions to the rest of the world.

I believe we should create stricter laws to supervise what fisheries bring ashore and also to ban the fishing of sharks completely. Besides global warming, the overfishing of sharks plays the biggest role in the rapid decline of ocean health. We need more supervision because much of the killing and overfishing of sharks happens illegally and unregulated. I think that creating Marine Protected Areas for sharks could even further reduce the effects of overfishing. In order to improve surveillance to reduce illegal fishing, enhancing technology through satellite data and drones can catch illegal fishing.