Several sharks have fallen victim to this stereotype as being a man-hungry predator due to society’s mythical stories for example “JAWS”. In fact, what humans should fear is a world without these apex predators in our marine ecosystem. Each year millions of sharks are being killed as there is a growing demand for shark fin as an ingredient in Chinese cuisine. Furthermore, in Trinidad our local JAWS are being hunted for our prominent beach food, bake and shark. Sharks are large bodied animals that are top of tropic levels therefore structuring food webs and regulating prey behaviour and their dynamics.
Coral reefs play an essential part of the Caribbean’s marine ecosystem. It promotes habitat and species diversity in abundance. Shark depletion in a reef ecosystem can be detrimental to marine life since it can trigger a negative chain reaction which can be felt throughout the food web. For example, macro algae/ seaweed usually compete with coral for settlement on the reef. These corals depend of herbivorous fish to consume this algae. Without these fish, corals are not able to thrive and create available niches for species. The decline in the number of sharks as top predators allow the number of groupers in the Caribbean coral reef ecosystem to increase which feed on these herbivorous fishes (parrotfish, gobies). This in turn causes a decline in herbivorous fish therefore causing overgrowth of macro algae. This shift in abundance in species diversity following coral decline changes species diversity and composition of the entire reef system. For the past 30-40 years Jamaica’s species composition has changed drastically, and coral abundance has declined over 50%.
Continuous support of this Chinese cuisine along with our famous local bake and shark is allowing sharks and coral life to be depleted at a faster rate. We as a community should join hands and stand ground to refrain from buying these meals. If we don’t consume, then there will be no need to slaughter these wonderful creatures of life. It starts with us today! Let’s take charge and make a change!
