For most people, it's hard to be sympathetic toward sharks, especially after the likes of such films as Jaws, a shark trilogy that left its negative imprint on the psyches of many Americans young and old.

In spite of that, sharks are an essential aquatic species. Think of them, if you like, as the garbage trucks of the ocean, eating abundant species like plankton, fish, seals and even other sharks. Some also eat squid, bottom-feeders like mollusks, and even low-flying sea birds. Or consider the infamously voracious tiger shark, which has been found with such human discards as license plates, chain, gas cans and tires in its belly.

 In spite of the graphic Jaws portrayals, few sharks attack humans.  None really feed on human flesh, though great white sharks, bull sharks and tiger sharks have been known to attack and kill humans.  Most likely this is because - from below - people and their toys (think surfboards) look like plump dolphins and seals.

According to a November 2008 study, at least one-quarter of shark species inhabiting the North Atlantic are at risk of extinction, largely due to overfishing, accidental catch via nets and lines, and a habit known as "finning".  Shark fin soup is a delicacy in Asia, with shark fins getting $300 per pound in some Asian markets and a single bowl of soup netting its vendor as much as $100.

The study, prepared by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), lists the species most at risk. These include:

• The Porbeagle shark (Lamna nasus, vulnerable)
• The Shortfin mako shark, (Isurus oxyrinchus, vulnerable)
• The silky shark
• The Angel shark (Squatina squatina, critically endangered)
• The common skate (Dipturus batis, critically endangered)
• The spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias)

The IUCN report also notes that another 20 percent of shark species are in the near-threatened category, and these figures may represent the low end of the scale, since there isn't enough credible information to assess the real risks to shark populations.

The problem is further exacerbated by the fact that sharks are slow to mature and long-lived, meaning they don't produce a lot of young. Thus, in their role at the top of the ocean food chain, a lack of sharks negatively alters ocean ecosystems. Add to this the fact that the two most threatened species, the porbeagle and dogfish, are the most popular in European markets as a food source, and you have the makings of a tragedy: this time man eats shark.

United States maritime law has forbidden finning in the Atlantic since 1993. Another law, the 2000 U.S. Shark Finning Prohibition Act, restricts the practice in all federal waters and both coasts, and calls on the nation to work toward an international ban on the practice as well. The effort has been somewhat successful, but much more needs to be done.

The first international ban on shark finning occurred in November of 2004, when the
International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) met. The agreement to end finning, supported and sponsored by the United States, the European community, Canada, Japan, Mexico, Panama, South Africa, Trinidad (Tobago) and Venezuela - and supported by Brazil, Namibia and Uruguay - agreed that finning had to cease if shark species were to survive. In spite of that, only the U.S., Canada, Brazil, Namibia, South Africa and the European Union (EU) have actual laws in place, and the EU's law protects only basking, great white, dogfish and porbeagle sharks, while only the United Kingdom and Sweden have comprehensive laws protecting all sharks.

Other threatened species include the Gulper shark (critically endangered), the sawfish (critically endangered or extinct), the guitarfish (endangered), the basking shark - a huge but peaceful creature now listed as endangered in the northeast Atlantic - and the blue shark, which is threatened everywhere but protected by no catch limits.

You may not like sharks, but without them the ocean will be an entirely different, and much less diverse, ecosystem. So do your part and sign the petition to ban finning. Do it before June 10, and let your representatives in government know that you realize the importance of sharks in keeping the delicate balance in our oceans- the same oceans that support 6 percent of the world's protein ration.

Other related features on Celsias:

No-Fish Zones Coming Soon to Shores Near You
Blue Desert

Follow us on Twitter: Celsiastweets