In Hawaiian mythology, there are several shark gods who are considered to be the guardians of the sea. And now Hawaii, as the first American state, is banning fishing of its 40 different shark species. Shark meat is not a popular dish in Hawaii, but some local fishermen have used sharks as bait to catch the larger fish species horse mackerel. There will now be fines of up to $ 10,000 for each shark, which is fished out of the water, dead or alive. In addition, fishermen can have their fishing permits revoked and their equipment can be seized. However, this does not apply to by-catches, which are unwanted catches of species other than those fished for. Efforts are being made to make various nets illegal, which in particular contribute to bycatch, in areas with “shark nurseries”. Some shark species are raised in “nurseries” in shallow water, where the adult sharks can protect them from other predators. – A ban on fishing for sharks is important. Sharks are vulnerable animals that require protection and are also top-notch animals that maintain the marine ecosystem, says Rune Kristiansen, who is a marine biologist and the Kattegat Center’s shark expert. He explains that sharks are the sea’s “garbage collectors”, because they eat old, sick and weak animals, so only the strongest surviving prey animals reproduce. When the shark population decreases, it goes beyond coral reefs, seagrass and commercial fishing. For example, a study from Hawaii has shown that the reduction of tiger sharks stopped crab fishing. It turned out that the sharks kept the squid population in check, and without the sharks, the squid could multiply disproportionately and eat their way through the crab population. – It overturns the entire sea balance, if there are fewer sharks, says Rune Kristiansen. Sharks play an important role Humans worldwide kill over 100,000,000 sharks every year. In the last 50 years, the number of sharks and rays in the world’s oceans has fallen by 70 percent due to overfishing. A ban on shark fishing will not help right away. – It will take several years for several shark species to regain their population, because sharks are late sexually mature, are pregnant for up to two years and have only a few young, says Rune Kristiansen. – But it’s not impossible, and it’s a good initiative from Hawaii. It will be forbidden to catch sharks in several places, and this will help in the long run. Therefore, it has value to nuance the debate about sharks. They are not pests and are not normally dangerous to humans, but play an important role in the marine ecosystem and our economy. – Sharks have their justification, and I think more and more people are discovering that. Hawaii is a good example of this.
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Hawaii will no longer allow killings of “ocean guards”
