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Why Sharks Matter

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    Biodiversity is really how we define
    our own existence, isn't it?
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    It's us and say tens of millions
    of other species
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    that occupy this planet with us.
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    It's like there's this incredible web
    where we're all connected.
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    And when you start to lose
    these linchpin species,
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    the environment starts to fail.
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    ♪ (dramatic music) ♪
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    When we translate human activity
    into these forces of extinction,
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    there are several major factors
    that are contributing.
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    One of the major drivers of extinction
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    is that we hunt some species to oblivion.
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    It's what we're doing with sharks now.
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    With the explosion of demand
    for shark fin soup,
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    global estimates for the shark fin trade
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    put it in the neighborhood
    of a billion dollars.
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    It's a huge amount of money.
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    So sharks are targeted
    by fleets around the world.
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    They may simply cut the fins off
    and then release them
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    to a slow and very unpleasant death.
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    Do you keep all the sharks
    or put the bodies back?
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    You cut the fin? Then toss.
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    ♪ (melancholic music) ♪
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    We don't actually know
    how many sharks are in the ocean.
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    What we do know is that the big sharks,
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    the apex predator
    in the open ocean food chain,
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    their numbers have declined
    between 90 and 99%.
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    ♪ (melacholic music) ♪
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    Sharks have survived
    four mass extinction events.
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    They've been around the planet
    longer than dinosaurs.
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    A lot longer.
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    Sharks have ruled our oceans
    for over 400 million years.
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    They've been responsible
    for regulating and maintaining
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    the entire balance across our oceans.
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    Now we're in a situation where sharks
    are being removed from that system.
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    ♪ (melancholic music) ♪
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    Humans are really the single
    most impactful species
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    this planet has ever seen.
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    We have these prehistoric brains
    and we have this god-like technology,
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    and when you bring them together,
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    the result is not necessarily a happy one.
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    ♪ (melancholic music) ♪
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    You know, species
    are like a house of cards.
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    You can't just sort of take
    one card out of the deck
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    and not expect the deck to crumble.
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Title:
Why Sharks Matter
Description:

Sharks predate dinosaurs. In the last century, the shark fin trade and commercial fishing have depleted their populations by over 90 percent. Throughout their 450 million year history, they have served as a keystone species that regulate and maintain healthy ocean ecosystems. What happens when sharks are removed from that system?

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Video Language:
English
Team:
Amplifying Voices
Project:
Ocean Protection
Duration:
02:54
Marta Quirós Alarcón edited English subtitles for Why Sharks Matter
Serena Bartolucci edited English subtitles for Why Sharks Matter
Serena Bartolucci edited English subtitles for Why Sharks Matter
Joanna_PM edited English subtitles for Why Sharks Matter

English subtitles

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