It’s more upsetting to know that over 2.7 million are killed for cosmetics. Humans truly know how to dispense misery on mass scale.
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
#22"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).
What is a "positive evolutionary pressure"? Why are fast, smart, strong fish important?
Re: A Coronavirus Vaccine Could Kill Half a Million Sharks, Conservationists Warn
#23"However, the extraction of shark squalene has been a more attractive option for producers as it can cost less and yield greater quantities than nonanimal alternatives." Now you've got my attention. How much larger are concentrations of this substance [0] in sharks when catching sharks and extracting it from them is easier than getting it from "[...] nonanimal sources includ[ing] olive oil, sugar cane, wheat germ, ba…
I don't know, but probably lower than it is in albatross vomit:
Re: A Coronavirus Vaccine Could Kill Half a Million Sharks, Conservationists Warn
#24The 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?
You seem to imply that the use for the vaccine is something extra-objectable but the shark protection project objects to its use in general [0].
Regarding your other statements: catching 20% more sharks than before [1] sounds actually newsworthy. Furthermore you will have heard of a negligible number of all the things in existence before, no matter how well-read you are - so not having heard about something is hardly an argument for anything.
[0] https://www.sharkallies.com/shark-free-products/cosmetics-wh...
[1] extra demand 500,000 sharks; currently caught: 2.7M sharks annually.
Re: A Coronavirus Vaccine Could Kill Half a Million Sharks, Conservationists Warn
#25The 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.
That was my thought, but it turns out cosmetics routinely kill 2-3 million sharks per year.
So instead the group is using coronavirus to bring attention to the issue. I find the ongoing cosmetics use much more disturbing, that’s a lot of sharks.
Re: A Coronavirus Vaccine Could Kill Half a Million Sharks, Conservationists Warn
#26I'm okay with killing half a million big fish to end this pandemic.
This pretty much sums up humanity's stupidity and ignorance given the origin of this pandemic.
Re: A Coronavirus Vaccine Could Kill Half a Million Sharks, Conservationists Warn
#27The 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?
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Re: A Coronavirus Vaccine Could Kill Half a Million Sharks, Conservationists Warn
#28Approve. How many humans would die if they don't extract that substance?
There is not yet any evidence that a vaccine using shark extracts will be successful.
We might be killed tens of thousands of sharks and more for a notion that it may be beneficial and in the end we killed them all for no reason.
Neither of the two vaccines that are being used on a large space now contain it.
Re: A Coronavirus Vaccine Could Kill Half a Million Sharks, Conservationists Warn
#29Earlier quoted context omitted.
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
That was restoring not replacing.
Re: A Coronavirus Vaccine Could Kill Half a Million Sharks, Conservationists Warn
#30Approve. How many humans would die if they don't extract that substance?
From the article:
> There are more sustainable squalene alternatives, said Brendl. Squalene's nonanimal sources include olive oil, sugar cane, wheat germ, bacteria and yeast.