WEBVTT - How long before sharks start going extinct?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain staff from house stuff works dot com

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<v Speaker 1>where smart happens. Next week is Shark Week on the

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<v Speaker 1>Discovery Channel. So today's question is both well timed and depressing.

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<v Speaker 1>The question is how long before sharks start going extinct?

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<v Speaker 1>It's hard to imagine sharks ever going extinct. Sharks have

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<v Speaker 1>been roaming the oceans for millions and millions of years. Unfortunately,

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<v Speaker 1>human beings are putting so much pressure on sharks from

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<v Speaker 1>so many different angles that many species are already endangered.

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<v Speaker 1>What kind of human threats do sharks face? Let us

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<v Speaker 1>count the ways. First, there are habitat problems. Human activities

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<v Speaker 1>impact every part of the ocean. Carbon dioxide in the

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<v Speaker 1>atmosphere is increasing the acidity of the ocean. Urban runoff,

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<v Speaker 1>farm runoff, salt runoff and sewage all change ocean chemistry

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<v Speaker 1>and water quality. An article in the Times of London

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<v Speaker 1>indicates that the Great Barrier reef will be gone in

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<v Speaker 1>twenty years because of ocean warming. According to one scientist,

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<v Speaker 1>there's nothing we can do at this point to stop it.

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<v Speaker 1>With all the reefs gone, sharks take a huge hit.

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<v Speaker 1>Then there's the loss of fish because of everything from

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<v Speaker 1>over fishing to water quality problems. It's thought that the

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<v Speaker 1>oceans will run out of fish over the next several decades.

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<v Speaker 1>With nothing to eat, many shark species will perish with them.

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<v Speaker 1>Then there is direct fishing pressure on sharks. One article

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<v Speaker 1>I read this week mentioned that a hundred million sharks

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<v Speaker 1>are killed each year for their fins alone. That is,

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<v Speaker 1>the shark is caught, the fins removed, and then the

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<v Speaker 1>still living but helpless animal is thrown back in the

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<v Speaker 1>ocean to die. If you think back to the buffalo

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<v Speaker 1>that once roamed the American plains by the millions, you

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<v Speaker 1>see a direct correlation. The buffalo were hunted to extinction

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<v Speaker 1>in just a few decades. Sharks will follow that same path.

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<v Speaker 1>If we don't do something, it seems like an impossible problem,

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<v Speaker 1>and some parts of it are impossible for us to

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<v Speaker 1>solve as individuals. But if you have any desire to

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<v Speaker 1>help sharks and other marine animals, there are two things

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<v Speaker 1>that you, as a single person can do. First, you

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<v Speaker 1>can stop eating seafood, all seafood, and encourage your friends

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<v Speaker 1>and neighbors to do the same. Get evangelistic about it.

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<v Speaker 1>If enough people stopped eating things like tuna, flounders, salmons,

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<v Speaker 1>scallops and swordfish. There would be far more fish in

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<v Speaker 1>the ocean. Plus it will cut back on the sharks

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<v Speaker 1>killed by fishermen looking for other species. The second thing

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<v Speaker 1>you can do is to put persistent pressure on local

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<v Speaker 1>and national governments to stop ocean pollution and to end

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<v Speaker 1>carbon emissions. The fact that we will lose the Great

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<v Speaker 1>Barrier Reef should be a wake up call for all

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<v Speaker 1>of us. That is an immense tragedy and something that

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<v Speaker 1>should shake us to our core. Help your government see

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<v Speaker 1>that this kind of abuse must end quickly. Shark Week

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<v Speaker 1>is August two through eight on Discovery Channel. See Shark

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<v Speaker 1>week dot com for details. For more on this and

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<v Speaker 1>thousands of other topics, because it how staff works dot

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<v Speaker 1>com