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Sharks are vulnerable to overfishing. Because sharks are slow-growing and a single female produces only a few hundred pups or less in a lifetime, depleted populations may take years or decades to recover.
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Recreational and commercial shark harvesting has increased in the past several years due to an increased demand for sharks and shark products. |
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In some cultures, the meat of the milk shark (Rhizoprionodon acutus) is believed to promote lactation in human females. |
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Teeth of the Greenland shark (Somniosus microcephalus) are used by natives to cut hair and the skin is placed on the outside of their boats for added strength. |
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Hawaiian villagers used shark teeth to create exotic tools ranging from cutting awls to weapons of war. |
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Tiger shark vertebrae are crushed into the powder used by geisha girls. Tiger shark teeth are used for jewelry, with a complete jaw worth approximately $200 in places like Tahiti. |
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Medicinally, sharks are used for a variety of reasons including hemorrhoid treatments, vitamin supplements, artificial skin to treat burn patients, acne medication, anti-clotting blood compounds, and human cornea transplants. |
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A substance called squalamine, found in the liver, stomach, and gall bladder of some dogfish, is believed to slow the growth of human brain tumors. Shark cartilage is also being tested for treatments against the growth of tumor cells. |
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No part of the shark, however, is as economically valuable as their fins. Particularly wasteful, shark finning is the practice where the fins are removed from the shark and the rest of the shark is simply discarded. Shark fins can be worth up to $25 per pound, compared to shark meat which is valued at only $0.50 to $7 per pound. The fins are used primarily to make shark fin soup, a delicacy in Asia. A bowl of shark fin soup can cost as much as $150 a bowl. |
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Each year, thousands of sharks are taken unintentionally in nets set out to catch other types of fishes. |
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As many as 100 million sharks are killed by humans every year. |
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