A single reef shark can be worth nearly two million dollars in tourism revenue over its lifetime, according to a study released Monday by researchers in Australia. The analysis from the Pacific island nation of Palau shows that sharks -- hunted worldwide for their fins, a Chinese delicacy -- are worth many times more to some local economies alive than dead. "Sharks can literally be a 'million-dollar' species and a significant economic driver," said lead author Mark Meekan, a scientist at the Australian Institute of Marine Science. Sharks have reigned at the top of the ocean food chain for hundreds of millions of years. But because they mature slowly and produce few offspring, the consummate marine predators have proven vulnerable to industrial-scale fishing. Tens of millions of the coastal and open-water sharks are harvested every year to supply a burgeoning appetite for meat and especially shark-fin soup. The researchers found that the annual value to the Palau tourism industry of an individual reef shark at one of the country's major scuba-diving sites is 179,000 dollars a year, or about 1.9 million dollars over the animal's lifetime. "Shark tourism can be a viable economic engine," said Matt Rand, a shark expert at the Washington-based Pew Environment Group, which commissioned the research. "This study provides a compelling case that can convince more countries to embrace these animals for their benefit to the ocean and their value to a country's financial well-being." About a third of open-water sharks face extinction, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Regional studies have shown that when shark populations crash the impact cascades down through the food chain, often in unpredictable and deleterious ways. I just think this is crazy. An animal being worth this much money. I knew people were interested in charkes but I didn't know there was that much interest.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110502/sc_afp/environmentfishspeciessharkstourism
I didn't realize sharks were worth so much...maybe this would convince Mr. Lafave to get sharks for the pond. However, despite their moneymaking abilities we should be careful not to harvest them to extinction.
ReplyDeleteWow, i did not think people were actually that interested in sharks. Its really neat that there worth that much.
ReplyDeleteI saw that sharkfin soup is avalible in New York...not supposed to eat it but it must be good. I mean if it is worth a million it must be great.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Nathan. We should dump salt into the pond, and invest in some sharks. Then maybe the children would be more interested in the pond. But really, sharks would be a good investment if they really generate that much income.
ReplyDeleteI never knew that sharks are worth so much! I don't think that they should be fished for shark fin soup though, why catch them just for their fins? At least they can generate alot of revenue as an attraction.
ReplyDeleteWow this is pretty intense. A shark making over a million dollars in its lifetime, for the economy? I think America needs to invest in some more sharks. This is great for the economy and for the environment because we have found a way to not harm our environment and still make money, which is the ultimate goal for all businesses.
ReplyDelete