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Shark Week 2012: The Real Predator

It’s that time of year that all deep-sea enthusiasts anxiously wait for. Yep, that’s right. It’s SHARK WEEK 2012.

Discovery Channel kicked off the start of its 25th Anniversary of Shark Week Sunday. The line-up promises programming that “gets you closer than you’ve ever been.” (We can barely contain our excitement.)

Although sharks are deemed “predators,” they’ve fallen prey. Sadly, because of human activities like shark finning and getting caught in fishing gear our dorsal finned friends are endangered. Here are 5 facts about this issue.

Over 100 of the more than 350 shark species are being commercially exploited.
Up to 73 million sharks are killed every year by “finning” alone. Fins are used to make shark fin soup, a traditional Asian delicacy.
If the number of sharks killed as unintended catch is added to this, the number tops over 100 million sharks caught annually.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, about 32 percent of open ocean sharks are threatened with extinction.
Blue sharks are the most threatened species of sharks worldwide. The shark fin trade and overfishing has caused them to decline rapidly.

Want to know more about sharks? Check out this 11 fact list.