Question Earthority!

“Humans, mainly those in countries with a craving for shark-fin soup, have devoured so many of the oceans’ top predators that it has rattled the length of the marine food chain, according to a study to be published today in the prestigious journal Science. While previous studies have calculated declines by half or more, this one argues that seven of the largest sharks along the Atlantic Coast have all but vanished because of overfishing — down as much as 99 percent for bull, dusky and smooth hammerheads over the last 35 years. Researchers believe the disappearance triggered a boom-and-bust cycle for other sea life, resulting in the wipeout of a valuable scallop fishery — a ripple effect biologists have long warned about but that has not been widely documented.” (03/30/07)