The Vanishing Creatures in the Ocean(看新聞學英文)

■香港人非常喜歡吃魚翅，就算價錢高居不下，仍然不乏忠實粉絲。然而近年由於過度捕捉，導致鯊魚數目銳減，甚至面臨瀕臨絕種的困境。

■Lily Poon

Sharks(n.鯊魚) have been living on Earth since a few hundred million years ago. They are often portrayed(v.形容) as cruel "man-eaters" in movies like Jaws. Many people fear them because of reported fatal shark attacks around the world. In reality, human beings are the worst enemies of this predator(n.掠奪者) in the ocean. Shark's fins are prized as a delicacy(n.佳餚)in Asia for its scarcity(n.缺乏)but most meat is unwanted. While you are enjoying shark's fins soup(魚翅湯)in a wedding banquet, have you ever thought that sharks are at high risks of extinction(n.絕種)?

The main cause of the decreasing population of sharks is overfishing(n.過度捕撈) including by-catch(n.非目標魚穫). As mentioned, the demand for shark's fins in China has soared(v.激增) along with the increasing average household income over the past decade. Traditionally, shark's fin soup is regarded as prestigious food with high health benefits(n.營養). Research indicates that about 100 million sharks are killed each year by human beings. Cruel practices among fishermen to catch sharks are still common and result in high mortality(n.死亡率)rate amongst sharks. The fishermen remove the fins and throw the rest of the bodies back into the ocean. While commercial fishing is the main cause to the decrease of the shark population, recreational fishing(消遣釣魚) also endangers sharks. At this moment, there is no international law(國際法律)regulating international catch for sharks and finning(n.割取魚鰭). Sharks are particularly vulnerable(adj.受威脅的)to overfishing because of their low rate of reproduction(n.繁殖). The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) (生態保育聯盟) issued the Red List(紅皮書) of Threatened Species(受威脅品種). The smooth hammerhead shark(鎚頭雙髻鯊), great white shark(大白鯊), basking shark(姥鯊), and oceanic whitetip shark(遠洋白鰭鯊)have been listed as globally vulnerable species to extinction.

"Shark finning is an incredibly(adv.難以置信地)wasteful practice, with over 90% in weight of the shark being discarded(v.丟棄)and many species targeted threatened with extinction," said Louize Hill, World Wide Fund(WWF)(世界自然基金會) Scotland. (Source from BBC News, 10 October 2009)

Overfishing of sharks also affects the entire marine ecosystem(海洋生態). The number of fish predators like sharks are decreasing which adversely affects the health of the ocean. Many large and small ocean fish like eating microbes(n.微生物). The ever decreasing number of ocean fish causes bacterial(adj.細菌的)growth which endangers the animal life. Many people in H.K are aware of this eminent situation now. The University of Hong Kong(香港大學)has banned serving shark fin dishes since 2005. The university hopes to encourage students, staff and alumni(n.舊生會)to stop eating shark fin dishes and to give a lead which others in the local community(本地社區)will follow. The university is the first large organization in Hong Kong to ban the dish after Disneyland has been criticized for serving shark's fin soup in Chinese wedding banquets. Will you consider stop eating sharks after reading this article?