Sharks are some of the most feared and misunderstood creatures in the world and because of this, many people think that it would be best to let them be destroyed and not attempt to save them. Sharks are nearly at the pinnacle of the marine food chain and because of this; their extinction would be disastrous to the ecosystem of the ocean. It is therefore imperative that all attempts should be made to ensure that the sharks are protected from extinction not only to save our ocean’s ecosystems but so that future generations can be able to see and enjoy their beauty. In this paper, we shall specifically discuss the Great White Shark which is the apex predator in the ocean and whose extinction would lead to an ecological catastrophe.
If we were to allow the extinction of the Great White Shark, then the consequences would be very dire indeed especially for ocean life. For example, the Great White preys on seals and its removal from the food chain would mean that the seal population would not be controlled leading to their feeding on medium sized fish. A result of this would be a significant reduction in the population of medium sized fish leading the extinction of seals and this pattern would continue until all marine life ceased to exist. Opponents of this view believe that even if the Great White Shark became extinct, there would be no great consequences to ocean life because another predator would just fill in the vacuum left by the Great White. They believe that the extinction of a species is inevitable and all that is being done to save these sharks is being done in vain.
Over the last fifty years, there has been a great decline in the number of Great Whites all over the world and it is our duty to ensure that they are saved not only from those who would hunt them for their fins, but also from those who wish to destroy them because of fear. There have been arguments that since the laws protecting these sharks were put in place, their numbers have increased dramatically, putting many lives in danger. This is despite the fact that many humans are currently encroaching on the territory that belongs to the Great White due to an increase of commercial and recreational activities on the oceans and rivers.
It is a very rare thing for sharks to attack human beings but many argue that they should be left to become extinct because they pose a great danger. This has been proven not to be true because cases involving Great White Sharks attacking humans are very rare and statistics show that less than one percent of human deaths over the last half a century have been shark related. It is therefore a fact that we should not let go of the Great White so easily because of a few, unfounded and irrational fears without first considering the benefits of saving them, which are numerous.
I believe that it is a necessity to save the Great White from extinction if we wish to preserve marine life as we know it. Furthermore, arguments that the population of the Great White has increased are unfounded and in fact, it is the human population which is ever increasing. The irrational fear of sharks by humans should be corrected and they should be educated on the true nature of sharks.
In conclusion, it can be said that the Great White Shark is a necessary part of the marine ecosystem and its extinction would be catastrophic. It is imperative that this shark species be saved for the sake of future generations. People should learn more about this species and should not rely on the misconceptions developed from movies such as Jaws which have no basis on fact.
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