22 Saving Sharks

Saving Sharks written by John Lockyer

Sharks have lived in the oceans for millions of years. There are about 350 different kinds of sharks. Some sharks are small and some are large. All sharks help keep the oceans healthy. Sharks are different to other fish. They don't have skeletons made from bones. Their skeletons are made from cartilage. The tips of your nose and ears are made from cartilage too.

prey Sharks can have as many as 3,000 teeth. Their teeth fall out often, but it only takes a day for them to grow new ones. Baby sharks or pups hunt for prey as soon as they are born because they already have teeth. Sharks eat fish, seals, dolphins, turtles and even sea birds. Often, their prey is sick, slow or weak. This helps to keep the numbers of animals living in the oceans balanced.

catching sharks The numbers of sharks in the oceans are becoming fewer. This is because people are catching too many of them. Large fishing ships with long lines and big nets catch most of the sharks. Some people think that sharks must be killed because they are too dangerous. There are fewer than ten people killed by sharks each year. People catch and kill around 100 million sharks each year.

shark parts Shark meat is used to make food for pets, plants and people. Shark skin is used to make shoes and bags and the cartilage is used in medicines and body creams. Sometimes fishermen only want a shark's fins. On the boat, they cut off the fins, put them on ice and then throw the shark back into the sea still alive! Millions of sharks are killed each year just for shark fin soup.

releasing shark pups Many sharks have their pups in warm, shallow water that is close to land. In some of these special places, people have taken back the land from the sea to build houses. The pollution has stopped sharks having pups there. Sharks grow slowly. Many sharks don't have pups until they are four years old. Most sharks have four or more pups at a time. Many sharks that get caught on long lines and in nets haven't had any pups yet.