Sharks!

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                                                   Sharks are necessary for life on earth

Sharks are mandatory for us to live. Without them life would be not the greatest. Sharks have many different benefits. Sharks are kind but their reputation got ruined after Jaws was released. One shark hugs a guy whenever the shark sees him. Sharks are necessary for the ocean because without them the ecosystem would collapse, our coral reefs and sea grass would suffer, sharks also help boost the economy.

Sharks are considered a 'keystone' species. So if they are removed from the food chain, the whole food chain would collapse. Without sharks controlling the ecosystem underwater, essential habitats would face serious damage. Sharks also play a role in regulating oxygen production in the ocean, by feeding on fish that devour oxygen-generating plankton. With less sharks there is less oxygen in the world. So if sharks went extinct we would have a lot less oxygen.

These predators can even help to keep their ecosystems healthy through just their presence. The Tiger sharks that live in sea grass meadows scare away grazers and keep them from overeating the sea grass. When heat waves come sharks help by doing this to keep stuff moving. If the grazers only eat in one spot then it will be bare there once they finish if there were no tiger sharks. So without sharks there would be no sea grass. Gray reef shark forays between coastal waters and the deep sea in the Pacific Ocean's Palmyra Atoll bring the reef more than 200 lbs. (95 kilograms) of nutritious nitrogen per day. So if those sharks went extinct then the reef would lose more than 200 lbs (95 kilograms) of nutritious nitrogen. If the sharks disappear, the tinier fish expand in population, because nothing is there to eat them. Quite soon, their food little shrimps, plankton, and microorganisms. All of that food is gone, so all the small fish will starve. Once that happens algae and bacteria go into the reefs, covering the coral like a shield so that it can't photosynthesize. The coral will eventually die, leaving just the skeleton of the coral behind, which will eventually turn into limestone. Then some animals come to the reefs like the sea urchins and starfish. Instead of a different species like sharks, bony fishes, mollusks and invertebrates. In the end you get a reef with four to five species in it. When that happens then you know you have a dead reef.

Sharks help boost the economy. In 2011, global imports of shark fins value totaled over and global exports of shark meat were worth over $432 million. In total that equals about $870 million. That does not include the trade in other shark products such as skin, liver oil and jaws, which is not well documented. These profits can't last, though, many shark fisheries are going to collapse with unsustainable catch rates.Sharks in some places are worth more alive than dead due to the growing popularity of shark ecotourism. While a single dead reef shark in Palau might sell for about $108, the same reef shark alive could bring in almost to the tourism industry in its lifetime. Killing a shark for its fins or meat only submits a one-time profit, while a live shark can benefit the local economy repeatedly over its lifetime. While the shark finning industry has been declining for the past 10 years, in difference, shark ecotourism generated more than in 2013, and that number will likely double to $780 million within the next 20 years.

Sharks are good for the ocean because without them the ecosystem would collapse, our coral reefs and sea grass would suffer, sharks also help boost the economy. We would not be able to live without sharks. They provide us with more oxygen. They keep coral alive and sea grass. Keep animals from over population. They help boost the economy. If they went extinct we could only hope that there are still unknown sharks still alive. We can't live without sharks. 

Author's Note: Please do not re-post or copy this without my permission or giving me credit. This was originally written by myself but posted on my other account so this is not someone else's work. If there are any mistakes please tell me. Thank you for reading this. :)

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