While I could talk forever about why sharks matter (I am, as frequent readers know, literally writing a book about the topic), there are a few things that I would like for everyone to know. I do mean EVERYONE. I know that my blog posts reach a pretty small percentage of the world’s population, but some of you guys are pretty passionate about protecting the oceans. Please tell a friend. Please tell your parents. Please tell your children. Please tell your teachers, please tell your students, please tell your classmates. You get the idea… I really would like for EVERYONE to know these few important facts about sharks. I fervently believe that sharks are threatened today because the majority of the world doesn’t know that they are important, and not because the majority of the world wishes them ill, and that public education on a massive scale is key to saving these animals. I can’t do it without you.
1) Sharks do not represent a serious threat to human beings.
[상어는 우리에게 큰 위협이 되지 않습니다.]
Yes, some people have died as a result of shark encounters, and any human death is a tragedy, but it is important to keep in mind the relative risk of a shark attack. Of the over 500 species of sharks worldwide, fewer than a dozen have ever been known to kill a human. In an average year, over 650,000 Americans die as a result of heart disease, giving me a 1 in 5 chance of dying of heart disease in my lifetime. In an average year, over 550,000 Americans die from cancer, giving me a 1 in 7 chance of dying from cancer in my lifetime. In an average year, over 40,000 Americans die in car accidents, giving me a 1 in 84 chance of dying in a car accident in my lifetime. In an average year, 1 American dies from a shark attack, giving me a 1 in 3,748,067 chance of dying from a shark attack in my lifetime.
Again, any human death is a tragedy, but when you have a 1 in 5 chance of dying from heart disease and a 1 in 4 million chance of dying from a shark attack, should we really be so concerned about the threat to us that sharks represent?
[죽음이라는 것은 분명 비극이지만, 전 세계 사람들의 5분의 1이 심장병으로 죽는 요즘, 4백만분의 1이 상어의 공격으로 죽는다면, 우리는 상어의 공격을 그렇게 심각하게 걱정해야 하는 걸까요?]
Millions of Americans spend time in the oceans each year. Sharks have been evolving incredible sensory systems, part of what makes them such incredible hunters, for over 400 million years. They can also swim a great deal faster than we can. If they wanted to attack humans, a lot more than one American a year would be killed by a shark. Sharks are simply not a serious threat to us.
[감각계가 발달한 '사냥꾼'인 상어는 우리가 매년 가는 바다에 항상 존재해 왔습니다. 그들은 우리 인간들 보다 물에서 훨씬 빠르기 때문에 마음만 먹으면 인간들을 죽일 수 있습니다. 하지만 현실에서 상어에 의해 죽는 사람은 많지 않지요. 상어는 우리에게 심각한 위협이 아닌 것입니다.]
2) Sharks are important to the health of the oceans.
[상어는 바다의 건강을 유지하기 위해 꼭 필요합니다.]
Without them, many ocean ecosystems, including several that are vital to the economy, are in danger of collapsing. This collapse would have devastating ecological and economic consequences… and some of these consequences have already started to happen. In addition to providing natural selection pressure and allowing only the fittest to survive by preying upon the weakest, sickest, and smallest fish, sharks are also important to marine ecosystems in other ways.
[상어가 없으면 바다의 생태계가 무너지게 됩니다. 이 생태계 파괴현상은 경제적인 문제도 가져올 것이며 몇몇은 이미 그 파괴가 진행되고 있습니다.]
In the Outer Banks of North Carolina, tiger shark populations have declined over 97% since 1972. One of their prey items, the cownose ray, has skyrocketed in population without tiger sharks to eat them. These cownose rays eat scallops… and with so many more rays, the scallop population of the Outer Banks has all but collapsed. This is bad news not only for the numerous other organisms that eat scallops, but also for the thousands of people who used to work as scallop fisherman.
[North carilina의 Outer Banks에서는 뱀상어(tiger sharks)의 개체수가 1972년부터 97%가 줄었다고 합니다. 그로인해 뱀상어들이 먹던 cownose ray(매가오리과의 한 종)의 개체수가 증가하게 되었고 cownose ray의 증가로 인해 그의 먹이인 가리비(scallops)가 거의 멸종되다시피 하였습니다. 이는 가리비를 먹으며 살아가던 다른 수많은 종류의 생명체들의 멸종을 불러오는 등 생태계의 파괴를 가져왔을 뿐만 아니라 가리비를 팔아 먹고 살던 어부들에게도 큰 타격을 주었습니다.]
A similar event took place in Tasmania. Massive declines in shark populations led to an increase in octopus populations, since there are so many fewer sharks preying on them. These octopus eat, among other things, Tasmanian rock lobsters. The Tasmanian rock lobster fishery is now almost completely gone.
[Tasmania에서도 상어 개체수의 감소로 인해 그들이 먹고 살던 문어의 수가 급격히 증가하고, 문어가 먹고 살던 바닷가재는 거의 멸종상태에 있다.]
A more complex shark decline related ecosystem destabilization, this one taking place in coral reefs, has led to a decrease in algae-grazing parrotfish populations… and a huge increase in algae. Algae in the Caribbean is starting to take over reefs, killing coral. Coral reefs are home to thousands of unique species of fish and invertebrates, and they generate billions in ecotourism dollars worldwide. This algae takeover is one of the biggest threats facing coral reefs, and food chain destabilization as a result of shark population declines is one of the biggest causes of algae takeover. Losses of sharks are directly related to the destruction of coral reefs.
[상어 수의 감소가 산호초가 있는 곳에 일어나면 조류를 먹고사는 비늘돔(parrotfish)의 개체수가 감소하며 이는 조류의 증가를 유발한다. 카리브 해의 조류들은 산호초를 죽이기 시작했는데 이 산호초는 수많은 바다 생물들의 서식처가 될 뿐 아니라 세계적으로 몇십억의 관광수입을 벌어들이는 중요한 암초이다. ]
3) Sharks are in serious trouble. Many shark species have declined in population over 90% in the last 25 years.
[상어는 지난 25년 동안 90%나 감소하였습니다. 그 중 다른 어종을 잡으려고 설치한 그물에 걸려서 죽는 상어들이 가장 많습니다.]
Another major threat facing sharks is finning. Sharks of many species are caught, their fins are cut off, and the still-living rest of the shark (far less valuable than the fin) is dumped overboard to bleed to death or drown. This brutal and unsustainable practice provides material for shark fin soup, a Chinese delicacy associated with celebration. The fins, which are made of cartilage, add absolutely no flavor or nutritional value whatsoever to the soup. By some estimates, over 100 million sharks a year are killed for their fins.
[다른 문제점은 '상어의 비늘'입니다. 많은 종류의 상어들은 그들의 비늘을 사람들에게 뺏긴 후 바다에 버려집니다. 그들의 비늘보다 '가치없는' 상어들은 피를 흘리며 죽거나 물에 빠져 죽곤 합니다. 상어 지느러미 스프, 샥스핀이라 불리는 이 중국 요리의 재료가 되는 상어 지느러미는 연골로 이루어져 있는 것으로 '맛'이 나지 않으며 영양소 또한 전혀 포함하고 있지 않습니다. 하지만 일년에 약 1억마리가 넘는 상어가 이 샥스핀 요리 때문에 희생되고 있습니다.]
4)Human beings are better off with sharks than we are without sharks, and we are in danger of losing them forever… but you can help! The absolute most important thing that you can do to help, you are already doing just by reading this. Learn all you can about sharks, their ecological and economic importance, and the threats they face. Pass on what you have learned to others. Public education will help far more sharks than these guys ever will. The more people that know about this, the better off sharks will be!
[여기까지 보셨듯이, 상어는 우리에게 해롭기보다는 이로운 생명체 입니다. 여러분들이 이런 상어를 도울 수 있는 방법은 이 사실을 널리 퍼뜨리는 것 입니다. 많은 사람들에게 알릴 수록 상어는 우리에게 다시 돌아올 것입니다.]
4 things EVERYONE needs to know about sharks
While I could talk forever about why sharks matter (I am, as frequent readers know, literally writing a book about the topic), there are a few things that I would like for everyone to know. I do mean EVERYONE. I know that my blog posts reach a pretty small percentage of the world’s population, but some of you guys are pretty passionate about protecting the oceans. Please tell a friend. Please tell your parents. Please tell your children. Please tell your teachers, please tell your students, please tell your classmates. You get the idea… I really would like for EVERYONE to know these few important facts about sharks. I fervently believe that sharks are threatened today because the majority of the world doesn’t know that they are important, and not because the majority of the world wishes them ill, and that public education on a massive scale is key to saving these animals. I can’t do it without you.
1) Sharks do not represent a serious threat to human beings.
[상어는 우리에게 큰 위협이 되지 않습니다.]
Yes, some people have died as a result of shark encounters, and any human death is a tragedy, but it is important to keep in mind the relative risk of a shark attack. Of the over 500 species of sharks worldwide, fewer than a dozen have ever been known to kill a human. In an average year, over 650,000 Americans die as a result of heart disease, giving me a 1 in 5 chance of dying of heart disease in my lifetime. In an average year, over 550,000 Americans die from cancer, giving me a 1 in 7 chance of dying from cancer in my lifetime. In an average year, over 40,000 Americans die in car accidents, giving me a 1 in 84 chance of dying in a car accident in my lifetime. In an average year, 1 American dies from a shark attack, giving me a 1 in 3,748,067 chance of dying from a shark attack in my lifetime.
Again, any human death is a tragedy, but when you have a 1 in 5 chance of dying from heart disease and a 1 in 4 million chance of dying from a shark attack, should we really be so concerned about the threat to us that sharks represent?
[죽음이라는 것은 분명 비극이지만, 전 세계 사람들의 5분의 1이 심장병으로 죽는 요즘, 4백만분의 1이 상어의 공격으로 죽는다면, 우리는 상어의 공격을 그렇게 심각하게 걱정해야 하는 걸까요?]
Millions of Americans spend time in the oceans each year. Sharks have been evolving incredible sensory systems, part of what makes them such incredible hunters, for over 400 million years. They can also swim a great deal faster than we can. If they wanted to attack humans, a lot more than one American a year would be killed by a shark. Sharks are simply not a serious threat to us.
[감각계가 발달한 '사냥꾼'인 상어는 우리가 매년 가는 바다에 항상 존재해 왔습니다. 그들은 우리 인간들 보다 물에서 훨씬 빠르기 때문에 마음만 먹으면 인간들을 죽일 수 있습니다. 하지만 현실에서 상어에 의해 죽는 사람은 많지 않지요. 상어는 우리에게 심각한 위협이 아닌 것입니다.]2) Sharks are important to the health of the oceans.
[상어는 바다의 건강을 유지하기 위해 꼭 필요합니다.]
Without them, many ocean ecosystems, including several that are vital to the economy, are in danger of collapsing. This collapse would have devastating ecological and economic consequences… and some of these consequences have already started to happen. In addition to providing natural selection pressure and allowing only the fittest to survive by preying upon the weakest, sickest, and smallest fish, sharks are also important to marine ecosystems in other ways.
[상어가 없으면 바다의 생태계가 무너지게 됩니다. 이 생태계 파괴현상은 경제적인 문제도 가져올 것이며 몇몇은 이미 그 파괴가 진행되고 있습니다.]
In the Outer Banks of North Carolina, tiger shark populations have declined over 97% since 1972. One of their prey items, the cownose ray, has skyrocketed in population without tiger sharks to eat them. These cownose rays eat scallops… and with so many more rays, the scallop population of the Outer Banks has all but collapsed. This is bad news not only for the numerous other organisms that eat scallops, but also for the thousands of people who used to work as scallop fisherman.
[North carilina의 Outer Banks에서는 뱀상어(tiger sharks)의 개체수가 1972년부터 97%가 줄었다고 합니다. 그로인해 뱀상어들이 먹던 cownose ray(매가오리과의 한 종)의 개체수가 증가하게 되었고 cownose ray의 증가로 인해 그의 먹이인 가리비(scallops)가 거의 멸종되다시피 하였습니다. 이는 가리비를 먹으며 살아가던 다른 수많은 종류의 생명체들의 멸종을 불러오는 등 생태계의 파괴를 가져왔을 뿐만 아니라 가리비를 팔아 먹고 살던 어부들에게도 큰 타격을 주었습니다.]
A similar event took place in Tasmania. Massive declines in shark populations led to an increase in octopus populations, since there are so many fewer sharks preying on them. These octopus eat, among other things, Tasmanian rock lobsters. The Tasmanian rock lobster fishery is now almost completely gone.
[Tasmania에서도 상어 개체수의 감소로 인해 그들이 먹고 살던 문어의 수가 급격히 증가하고, 문어가 먹고 살던 바닷가재는 거의 멸종상태에 있다.]
A more complex shark decline related ecosystem destabilization, this one taking place in coral reefs, has led to a decrease in algae-grazing parrotfish populations… and a huge increase in algae. Algae in the Caribbean is starting to take over reefs, killing coral. Coral reefs are home to thousands of unique species of fish and invertebrates, and they generate billions in ecotourism dollars worldwide. This algae takeover is one of the biggest threats facing coral reefs, and food chain destabilization as a result of shark population declines is one of the biggest causes of algae takeover. Losses of sharks are directly related to the destruction of coral reefs.
[상어 수의 감소가 산호초가 있는 곳에 일어나면 조류를 먹고사는 비늘돔(parrotfish)의 개체수가 감소하며 이는 조류의 증가를 유발한다. 카리브 해의 조류들은 산호초를 죽이기 시작했는데 이 산호초는 수많은 바다 생물들의 서식처가 될 뿐 아니라 세계적으로 몇십억의 관광수입을 벌어들이는 중요한 암초이다. ]
3) Sharks are in serious trouble. Many shark species have declined in population over 90% in the last 25 years.
Bycatch is one of the biggest threats facing sharks. While fishing for other species, sharks are caught by accident and are killed.
[상어는 지난 25년 동안 90%나 감소하였습니다. 그 중 다른 어종을 잡으려고 설치한 그물에 걸려서 죽는 상어들이 가장 많습니다.]
Another major threat facing sharks is finning. Sharks of many species are caught, their fins are cut off, and the still-living rest of the shark (far less valuable than the fin) is dumped overboard to bleed to death or drown. This brutal and unsustainable practice provides material for shark fin soup, a Chinese delicacy associated with celebration. The fins, which are made of cartilage, add absolutely no flavor or nutritional value whatsoever to the soup. By some estimates, over 100 million sharks a year are killed for their fins.
[다른 문제점은 '상어의 비늘'입니다. 많은 종류의 상어들은 그들의 비늘을 사람들에게 뺏긴 후 바다에 버려집니다. 그들의 비늘보다 '가치없는' 상어들은 피를 흘리며 죽거나 물에 빠져 죽곤 합니다. 상어 지느러미 스프, 샥스핀이라 불리는 이 중국 요리의 재료가 되는 상어 지느러미는 연골로 이루어져 있는 것으로 '맛'이 나지 않으며 영양소 또한 전혀 포함하고 있지 않습니다. 하지만 일년에 약 1억마리가 넘는 상어가 이 샥스핀 요리 때문에 희생되고 있습니다.]4)Human beings are better off with sharks than we are without sharks, and we are in danger of losing them forever… but you can help! The absolute most important thing that you can do to help, you are already doing just by reading this. Learn all you can about sharks, their ecological and economic importance, and the threats they face. Pass on what you have learned to others. Public education will help far more sharks than these guys ever will. The more people that know about this, the better off sharks will be!
[여기까지 보셨듯이, 상어는 우리에게 해롭기보다는 이로운 생명체 입니다. 여러분들이 이런 상어를 도울 수 있는 방법은 이 사실을 널리 퍼뜨리는 것 입니다. 많은 사람들에게 알릴 수록 상어는 우리에게 다시 돌아올 것입니다.]
If we teach people about sharks, we can save them
WhySharksMatter
All photographs of and by the author
출처: http://southernfriedscience.com/