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By: Austin Vilk Summary: As a result of great white sharks and the species they feed on being protected and thus growing they have expanded in number and also need more space. They have been migrating to more places as they need to for food and shelter and are able to because they aren't affected by cold or warm waters as much as other species. They are however more easily affected by other things, like water pollution, since they are a K-species so they have less offspring and the population is more vulnerable and can decline much easier. In that sense they are a fragile species and still many fishermen have a desire to kill them and the species they feed on due to competition for fish. These thoughts however do not keep in mind how it may affect the rest of the oceans species as well as the plant life in and near the ocean. Not to mention that certain species could grow out of control, or cease to exist as a sort of butterfly effect. Many people are also worried about safety at beaches but at the very least acoustic tracking devices could warn beaches as to when to get out of the water and there have also been other things recommended to fishermen to avoid for the sake of safety. As for the population of great white sharks being tracked it has been something ongoing for over ten years by Dr. Greg Skomal. For every worry there has been measures in place and for good reason as it is suggested that these aren’t record levels for these sharks but rather what used to be normal levels for their population. Why we should care? Currently the seals that are protected feed on fish which compete with fishermen. While many fishermen don't like that and want to kill them at the same time, I think it would be more important to protect species richness.  Photo Credit: Chris McLennan/Barcroft Media https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/weird-news/great-white-shark-jumps-out-1813177 Example Article. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2020/07/maine-shark-attack-public-safety-issue-conservation-success/ I have liked sharks since I was a kid, I have always found them fascinating. So, for me to see them come back to a good population level provides me a certain level of relief to know they won’t disappear any time soon (as long as we continue to protect them as a species). On top of that the ocean is a vast and largely unexplored environment which I would love to see explored more. However, I would argue the ocean can be affected much quicker than on land since everything is connected by water rather than soil which is a denser form of matter. Science in Action.
Dr. Greg Skomal is an aquarist and Marine Fisheries Biologist and author of many books. Dr. Skomar is directly cited in the article I have looked at for this subject and has been studying the great white shark migration and their population increase in Massachusetts for over a decade. He has been cited in more than just this one national geographic article on sharks as well so he is academically and professionally acknowledged.
11 Comments
Hunter Cook
11/12/2020 11:30:45
Sharks have always received a somewhat poor reputation because of attacks at beaches and in open water. The truth is that shark attacks are such a rare occurrence, and very few people are killed by them each year; compared to the number of people killed by animals such as deer and snakes, it is almost none. You made a very valid point in saying that a water ecosystem differs from a land ecosystem because soil is much denser than water. It would seem that the water's climate effects would be more rapid than in the soil for that reason.
Melissa Davila Castro
11/12/2020 23:37:24
I am happy to learn that the population of sharks has been increasing due to the protection efforts that have been implemented because it once again shows how change is possible if we really focus not he goal. It is upsetting to also learn that we humans are actively trying to reverse the press we have made to help the population by killing them for our own selfish needs/wants, although it is not surprising. Shark attacks are rare and most of the time non-fatal but I can see how this may raise some red flag for people who live in areas where shark appearances have been more recurring.
Molly McKeon
11/15/2020 12:57:05
It is interesting how shark populations can affect so many different groups. If the sharks are gone, the seal population can increase, but then the fish population also shows a decrease. This is the perfect example of a top-down trophic cascade. The trophic levels start at the top predator and their effects are adverse each trophic level you move down. It's really interesting to find an example like this and be able to relate to what I learned in other classes to it.
Michael VanPaepeghem
11/15/2020 21:04:58
This is a really interesting topic, I never thought about great white sharks expanding their habitats. It would be interesting to see where they end up in another 10 ten years. It makes me think about how they will affect these new environments whether for the better or for the worse. It is really awesome that great white populations are increasing due to protections, its nice to see positive policies working effectively.
Nikolas de Wit
11/16/2020 14:58:20
Its eye-opening to see how quickly a species can decline in population. Even a predator as renowned as the great white shark. Pollution and reckless fishing has clearly caused massive damage to this population as well as the ocean's entire ecosystem. Maintaining shark populations and limiting the effect humans have on the oceans is a crucial step in protecting our environment.
Ian Hogg
11/16/2020 19:47:34
I like many other children always loved Shark Week on Discovery Channel. I have always loved learning about wildlife, especially sharks. They are an essential component of our global ecosystems and play a key role in maintaining balance in the environment. The great white shark is a species that gains a lot of attention because social media and Hollywood films. Sharks like many other species are great indicators of what is occurring in ecosystems around the world. Like you said, will an increase in population, they are beginning to increase their territory to new places. This a clear sign of changes that are occurring in marine ecosystems. You are right that this movement to new ecosystems will have effects on the well being of other species in the food chain. It will be interesting to see the effects of these changes. I also wonder if were going to hear about more attacks on people because of this expansion of territory. Hopefully, the scientific community will use this expansion of territory to talk about the changes they are seeing in our marine ecosystems. You bring up a great point on how these changes will have consequences in the future and will not know these consequences for quite some time. Overall, I thought this was great read a job well done. I hope other people will see this post and realize the importance on monitoring global ecosystems and the importance of protecting and reserving our environment.
Ivy Eifert
11/17/2020 13:25:26
Prior to reading this article, I had never thought of the fact that fisherman would kill sharks so as to decrease the predation they pose on fish populations that are needed for food for humans. Additionally, I think it is really interesting that sharks are less affected by temperature changes in the water. I am glad that there is research going into the protection of these populations, and will hopefully contribute to keeping up the species richness, as you mentioned.
Elizabeth Carlson
11/18/2020 18:57:36
It is so reassuring to hear the shark population has grown and will be here for the future generations. Even though the seals preying on the fish is competition for the fishermen it is beneficial competition. The ocean life should have a fair fight and not be subjected to extinction by fishermen. By leveling the playing field it not only benefited the fishes life but also the seals, sharks and other ocean life.
Carlos Rodriguez
11/27/2020 00:21:46
This is a very interesting article. I believe that many people can hear about sharks getting killed and they wouldn't care because they have such a bad reputation. Horror movies in particular, help give into people's beliefs of sharks being bad/dangerous. However, sharks aren't what people bring them out to be and they're actually part of an entire ecosystem so messing with one part of the system will bring chaos to everything else surrounding the system.
Ben Matthews
12/15/2020 17:42:02
It makes sense that climate change would help expand territory while population numbers increase. I’m intrigued to see where great white sharks will show up in the coming decades. I also found it disheartening that fishermen see sharks and seals as enough competition to kill them. Humans have the tools and capabilities to remain at the top of the food chain, which shouldn’t be abused like this.
Sobhie Nazal
12/9/2021 02:03:37
This was a very wonderful presentation. I really like your connection to your admiration of sharks in your childhood and how you carried that out throughout your life and spread awareness about them in this blog. I’m really glad to hear that there is an increase in shark numbers due to protection which I believe is necessary to the life cycle and the environment itself. People tend to look at sharks negatively due to shark attacks that are very rare to occur per year. The fact that sharks attack once threatened also serves a reason for most of their attacks and if that doesn’t give people a clear enough idea to leave these animals be then that’s truly a shame. Many people constantly try to hunt sharks for things like monetary purposes or their own specific reasons due to fish for food. I really believe the protection for sharks should remain being withheld. Leave a Reply. |
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