纪录片《南太平洋》 第160期 脆弱天堂（09）

Sharks have been top dog in the Pacific for millions of years.

鲨鱼已经主宰了太平洋数百万年

They control the numbers of other fish,

它们控制其他鱼类的数量

and so play a vital role in keeping the underwater ecosystem¹ healthy and diverse.

因此在维持水下生态系统的健康和多样性方面扮演着重要角色

In French Polynesia, grey reef sharks gather.

在法属波利尼西亚 灰礁鲨聚集在一起

While scalloped hammerheads patrol the Galapagos Islands,

而双髻鲨游弋在加拉帕戈斯群岛

these are rare hot spots where sharks converge³ in large numbers.

这是少数几个有鲨鱼大量聚集的地点

But divers² claim this is just a fraction of the number of sharks they used to see.

但是潜水者说这些鲨鱼只有他们过去看到的几分之一

Many sharks are ocean migrants,

许多鲨鱼是海洋移栖动物

travelling hundreds of miles in search of prey⁴, like the oceanic whitetip.

穿越数百英里寻找猎物 比如长鳍真鲨

Amazingly, this may once have been the most abundant large animal on the planet.

令人吃惊的是 它们可能曾经一度是这个星球上数量最多的大型动物

But it's fallen prey to fishermen's hooks and nets.

但却成了被渔夫的钩和网毁灭的猎物

Surveys suggest oceanic whitetips may have declined by a staggering 99%.

调查表明长鳍真鲨的数量 可能已经惊人地锐减了99%

It's like the disappearance⁵ of bison from America's great plains,

如同美国大平原上野牛的消失

yet it's only happened in the past 50 years,

只是这发生在过去短短50年里

and almost no-one has noticed.

而且几乎无人关注

Incredibly, the world's oceans may have lost more than 90% of their large predatory fish since industrialised fishing began.

难以置信地 自从工业化捕捞开始后 全世界的海洋损失了超过90%的掠食性鱼类

1 ecosystem   

n.生态系统

参考例句：

• This destroyed the ecosystem of the island.这样破坏了岛上的生态系统。
• We all have an interest in maintaining the integrity of the ecosystem.维持生态系统的完整是我们共同的利益。

2 divers   

adj.不同的；种种的

参考例句：

• He chose divers of them,who were asked to accompany him.他选择他们当中的几个人，要他们和他作伴。
• Two divers work together while a standby diver remains on the surface.两名潜水员协同工作，同时有一名候补潜水员留在水面上。

3 converge   

vi.会合；聚集，集中；(思想、观点等)趋近

参考例句：

• The results converge towards this truth.其结果趋近于这个真理。
• Parallel lines converge at infinity.平行线永不相交。

4 prey   

n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨

参考例句：

• Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。
• The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。

5 disappearance   

n.消失，消散，失踪

参考例句：

• He was hard put to it to explain her disappearance.他难以说明她为什么不见了。
• Her disappearance gave rise to the wildest rumours.她失踪一事引起了各种流言蜚语。