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A Coronavirus Vaccine Could Kill Half a Million Sharks, Conservationists Warn

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Re: A Coronavirus Vaccine Could Kill Half a Million Sharks, Conservationists Warn

#12

Post by taneq »

cma wrote: post #5

"They keep our fish stock healthy, they keep the food chain intact, they keep diseases out of other animal populations," she said. "Good luck trying to replace that when we lose them." Isn't human predation (fishing) a suitable alternative to shark predation for this purpose? I guess they eat a more wide diet of fish types.

Human predation doesn't apply the same positive evolutionary pressures as apex predators. Typically predators eat the slowest, weakest, dumbest prey. Humans either target the biggest, strongest prey (if hunting individuals) or indiscriminately massacre a swathe of the ecosystem (eg. dragnet fishing).

Re: A Coronavirus Vaccine Could Kill Half a Million Sharks, Conservationists Warn

#14

Post by jedimastert »

cameronbrown wrote: post #7
morceauxdebois wrote: post #4

Just think of the long term co2 savings we could make by not stopping the virus.

"Let's save the Earth by letting loads of people die"?

A surprising number of people hold the belief that humans should voluntarily go extinct to not destroy the planet.

https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Voluntary_Human_Extinction_Movem...

Re: A Coronavirus Vaccine Could Kill Half a Million Sharks, Conservationists Warn

#15

Post by oefrha »

> Shark Allies, a nonprofit that advocates for the protection of sharks, projects that some 500,000 sharks could be killed if a coronavirus vaccine with shark squalene proves to be effective. Already, an estimated 2.7 million sharks are killed annually for their squalene to make cosmetics, according to the group.

So, why the hell not petition harder against more frivolous uses instead? This is like going after impoverished African villagers to reduce carbon emissions when Americans are driving around in big honking vehicles.

(Probably not the best analogy. No interest in debating the necessity of vehicle ownership.)

Re: A Coronavirus Vaccine Could Kill Half a Million Sharks, Conservationists Warn

#17

Post by dmos62 »

blablabla123 wrote: post #9
cma wrote: post #5

"They keep our fish stock healthy, they keep the food chain intact, they keep diseases out of other animal populations," she said. "Good luck trying to replace that when we lose them." Isn't human predation (fishing) a suitable alternative to shark predation for this purpose? I guess they eat a more wide diet of fish types.

Did putting in/replacing a predator in an eco system ever work? I can only think of countless examples where it didn't

There's a widely publicized example where wolves were reintroduced in a national reserve (Yellowstone National Park). The ecological effects were dramatic. Here's a quick video on it (jump to 2:35 for an even quicker viewing): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gc52l5ZcAJ0

Re: A Coronavirus Vaccine Could Kill Half a Million Sharks, Conservationists Warn

#18

Post by lambdaba »

yostrovs wrote: post #3

The squalene in question that's derived from sharks has been used for decades. I've never heard of it before. Only now I do when it could be used to save untold human lives. Really?

There's some info here, I had heard of it as a supplement:

https://examine.com/supplements/squalene/

Re: A Coronavirus Vaccine Could Kill Half a Million Sharks, Conservationists Warn

#19

Post by ahmedalsudani »

yostrovs wrote: post #3

The squalene in question that's derived from sharks has been used for decades. I've never heard of it before. Only now I do when it could be used to save untold human lives. Really?

I imagine the demand shock would be much greater given the urgency.

In any case, it’s perfectly valid to think through the implications of our actions and wonder about alternatives.

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