How Sharks Have Paid the Price for Demand for Shark Fin Soup

CHRISTOPHER CRUISE: This is SCIENCE IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English. I’m Christopher Cruise.
FAITH LAPIDUS: And I’m Faith Lapidus. This week, we tell about sharks. We tell how demand for shark fin¹ soup has led to the killing² of millions of these creatures. And we tell about tests on pieces of bone said to be from pilot Amelia Earhart.
CHRISTOPHER CRUISE: A picture in the newspaper shows a person standing³ next to a huge shark. The body of the shark is hanging with its head down. The words below the picture say the shark was a very big one. Or perhaps it was one of the biggest ever caught in the area. The person who brought in the shark is smiling. That person won a battle with what has been called one of nature’s fiercest creatures.
FAITH LAPIDUS: Some people, however, do not approve of catching⁴ sharks. They do not think all sharks are terrifying enemies. They know that studies show lightning and snakebites hurt more people than do shark attacks. Sharks kill about ten people a year. Yet people kill tens of millions of sharks a year.
Activists⁵ for sharks note that sharks are valuable in the ocean. They eat injured and diseased fish. Their hunting means other fish do not become too great in number. This protects other creatures and plants in the ocean.
Shark fins⁶ for sale in a shop in the Chinatown area of Los Angeles
CHRISTOPHER CRUISE: Wildlife activists worry that some kinds of sharks are in danger of disappearing. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric⁷ Administration estimates fishing operations kill more than one hundred million sharks every year.
Sharks are harvested for meat and cartilage, liver oil and, especially, for their fins. And many sharks die when fishermen harvesting other kinds of fish pull in sharks by accident. Sharks are vulnerable to over-fishing. Sharks grow and develop slowly and do not produce many young.
FAITH LAPIDUS: George Burgess leads the International Shark Attack File at the Florida Museum of Natural History at the University of Florida in Gainesville. He says shark attacks increased during the past century for a good reason: hundreds of millions of people now use the world’s oceans.
The International Shark Attack File says the number of shark attacks rose twenty five percent last year. Seventy-nine shark attacks were reported in twenty ten. Six people were killed. The File gives likely reasons for the increase, including higher water temperatures because of unusually warm weather. There were thirty-six shark attacks in the United States -- the most of any country.
CHRISTOPHER CRUISE: The International Shark Attack File describes shark attacks as either provoked or unprovoked. An unprovoked attack means the person is alive when bitten. It also means the person must not have interfered⁹ with the shark.
But some divers¹⁰ interfere⁸ with sharks on purpose. They want to get the attention of sharks, perhaps to take pictures of them. The diver may put food in the water to get the animal to come close. Sharks do not normally want to be with people. But their excellent sense of smell leads them to food.
Some experienced divers say they may not face danger when near a shark. But they say the next person who comes near the shark may be in trouble. The animal’s experience with being fed may make it connect food with people.
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FAITH LAPIDUS: Some divers and filmmakers enter a shark’s territory while inside containers made of steel. Others wear heavy metal equipment for protection. And others get near sharks wearing only normal diving equipment.
This close contact with sharks has its critics. Some people say it is an invasion of the animals’ territory for no good reason. The contact can produce exciting films that may increase public interest and sympathy for sharks. But they may also make us more afraid of them.
A bowl of shark fin soup being served at a restaurant in San Francisco's Chinatown area
CHRISTOPHER CRUISE: Today, a major threat to sharks comes from shark fin soup. This food has increased in popularity over the years. Fisheries can earn a lot of money for even one kilogram of shark fins.
“Finning¹¹,” as it is called, is big business. Fishers cut off the shark’s fin while the shark is still alive and throw the animal back into the water. The shark is unable to swim or eat. In hours or days, it bleeds to death on the bottom of the ocean.
Wildlife protection groups and many people worldwide have denounced finning as torture. Some areas have banned this activity. But it is hard to enforce the ban in many places.
FAITH LAPIDUS: Many people want to save sharks and stop finning. One of them is John McCosker. He is the head of the aquatic¹² biology department at the California Academy of Sciences. Professor McCosker has been studying sharks for more than thirty years. He says finning is not only cruel, but bad for the oceans.
JOHN MCCOSKER: “We must stop the shark-finning which is resulting in the death of thirty to seventy million sharks each year because that has so upset ocean ecology by the removal of these often apex¹³, top-level predators¹⁴.”
FAITH LAPIDUS: Professor McCosker says demand for shark fin soup is strong in China.
John McCosker: “It is a cultural tradition, and not all Asian cultures believe in it. But what it now is, is a demonstration¹⁵ really of wealth and status. Shark fin soup is usually served at weddings and at banquets, and it’s very expensive.”
CHRISTOPHER CRUISE: The European Union, the nation of Guam and some individual American states want to stop finning. In January, President Obama signed a measure known as the Shark Conservation Act. The measure strengthens American laws against finning. It requires the fishing industry to bring sharks to port before their fins are cut.
Fishers can make a lot of money by selling shark fins. Professor McCosker believes the best way to stop finning is to educate owners of Chinese restaurants not to sell shark fin soup. He also wants to persuade people not to buy it.
FAITH LAPIDUS: State lawmakers in California are considering a bill that would make it illegal for people to have, sell or distribute shark fins. Supporters say the bill will help protect sharks. But opponents have described the measure as an attack on Chinese culture.
State Senator Leland Yee and Chinese restaurant owners say they are concerned about the overfishing of sharks. In fact, they want a federal law to ban the practice of finning. But Senator Lee says not all sharks are in danger of extinction¹⁶. He says the proposed law to ban the eating of shark fins is an unfair attack on Asian culture and cuisine¹⁷.
(MUSIC)
CHRISTOPHER CRUISE: The mystery of what happened to Amelia Earhart will go on. Earhart disappeared more than seventy years ago while attempting to fly around the world. Experts at the University of Oklahoma say they could not link a small piece of bone to the famous pilot. But they also say they will continue tests on a piece of soil or human waste.
The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery had asked the university to study the material. The group found it on an archeological dig on Nikumaroro, an island in the southwestern Pacific Ocean.
Nikumaroro was once called Gardner Island. It could have been on Earhart’s way to Howland Island. She and her navigator, Fred Noonan, were hoping to reach Howland to get more fuel for their airplane.
Amelia Earhart
FAITH LAPIDUS: Historical records say Earhart died on July second, nineteen thirty seven, when her plane fell into the ocean after all its fuel was gone. But the International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery disputes the official version of events. It suspects that she and Noonan found their way to Nikumaroro Island.
Members have repeatedly explored there over the years. They have found a number of objects that might be connected to Earhart. But a link between those objects and her or Noonan has yet to be firmly established.
CHRISTOPHER CRUISE: Members recently found what could be a piece of human finger bone and the possible human waste. First tests of the bone fragment showed that human genetic¹⁸ material, human DNA¹⁹, was present. But later tests could not repeat the results.
Scientist Cecil Lewis said the human DNA could have been there because people had had contact with the bone. Or, he said human DNA really was present in the bone, but the bone was too small or low-quality to repeat the first results. Or, the DNA in the bone might be non-human.
FAITH LAPIDUS: The test results of the piece of soil or waste material were more promising²⁰. These results showed human DNA.
Mr. Lewis said his team is using a genetic method to examine bacteria species inside the material. He said the presence of some plant and animal DNA would be a further sign that the piece is waste material. That material could contain information about what the individual was eating and his or her health.
(MUSIC)
FAITH LAPIDUS: This SCIENCE IN THE NEWS was written by Christopher Cruise and Jerilyn Watson. June Simms was our producer. I’m Faith Lapidus.
CHRISTOPHER CRUISE: And I’m Christopher Cruise. Listen again next week for more news about science in Special English on the Voice of America.

1 fin   

n.鳍；(飞机的)安定翼

参考例句：

• They swim using a small fin on their back.它们用背上的小鳍游动。
• The aircraft has a long tail fin.那架飞机有一个长长的尾翼。

2 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

3 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

4 catching   

adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住

参考例句：

• There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
• Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。

5 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 fins   

[医]散热片；鱼鳍；飞边；鸭掌

参考例句：

• The level of TNF-α positively correlated with BMI,FPG,HbA1C,TG,FINS and IRI,but not with SBP and DBP. TNF-α水平与BMI、FPG、HbA1C、TG、FINS和IRI呈显著正相关，与SBP、DBP无相关。 来自互联网
• Fins are a feature specific to fish. 鱼鳍是鱼类特有的特征。 来自辞典例句

7 atmospheric   

adj.大气的，空气的；大气层的；大气所引起的

参考例句：

• Sea surface temperatures and atmospheric circulation are strongly coupled.海洋表面温度与大气环流是密切相关的。
• Clouds return radiant energy to the surface primarily via the atmospheric window.云主要通过大气窗区向地表辐射能量。

8 interfere   

v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰

参考例句：

• If we interfere, it may do more harm than good.如果我们干预的话，可能弊多利少。
• When others interfere in the affair,it always makes troubles. 别人一卷入这一事件，棘手的事情就来了。

9 interfered   

v.干预( interfere的过去式和过去分词 )；调停；妨碍；干涉

参考例句：

• Complete absorption in sports interfered with his studies. 专注于运动妨碍了他的学业。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I am not going to be interfered with. 我不想别人干扰我的事情。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 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。

11 finning   

n.鱼鳍式划水（仰卧水面，两脚并拢，两手放身旁上下拍水使身体向头的方向移动）

参考例句：

• Fish could be sighted finning near the surface. 我们可以看到鱼把鳍露出水面。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• A shark was finning around the surface of the ocean. 一条鲨鱼把鳍露出海面游动。 来自互联网

12 aquatic   

adj.水生的，水栖的

参考例句：

• Aquatic sports include swimming and rowing.水上运动包括游泳和划船。
• We visited an aquatic city in Italy.我们在意大利访问过一个水上城市。

13 apex   

n.顶点，最高点

参考例句：

• He reached the apex of power in the early 1930s.他在三十年代初达到了权力的顶峰。
• His election to the presidency was the apex of his career.当选总统是他一生事业的顶峰。

14 predators   

n.食肉动物( predator的名词复数 )；奴役他人者（尤指在财务或性关系方面）

参考例句：

• birds and their earthbound predators 鸟和地面上捕食它们的动物
• The eyes of predators are highly sensitive to the slightest movement. 捕食性动物的眼睛能感觉到最细小的动静。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。

16 extinction   

n.熄灭，消亡，消灭，灭绝，绝种

参考例句：

• The plant is now in danger of extinction.这种植物现在有绝种的危险。
• The island's way of life is doomed to extinction.这个岛上的生活方式注定要消失。

17 cuisine   

n.烹调，烹饪法

参考例句：

• This book is the definitive guide to world cuisine.这本书是世界美食的权威指南。
• This restaurant is renowned for its cuisine.这家餐馆以其精美的饭菜而闻名。

18 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。

19 DNA   

(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸

参考例句：

• DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。

20 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。