跟著怡琳看世界 32
Why sharks matter to ocean ecosystems: an expert explains
專家解釋:為什麼鯊魚對海洋生態系很重要
tactical 策略性/戰略性
astute 精明的
box office 票房
ecosystem 生態系統
phytoplankton 浮游植物
ray 鰩魚
excrete 排泄
dwell 居住
In 1975, the fictional beach town of Amity and cinema audiences the world over were terrorized by a tactically astute great white shark. While films like JAWS often do well at the box office, their legacy is to cast the planet's shark species as dangerous predators that prey on humans. This image is highly misleading , says Andy Cornish, leader of the World Wildlife Fund’s ‘Sharks: Restoring the Balance’ conservation programme.
在1975年，虛構的濱海小鎮Amity和全世界的電影觀眾，都被謀略敏銳的大白鯊嚇壞了。雖然像《大白鯊》這樣的電影，票房通常都不錯，但它們要留給觀眾的印象，是將地球上的鯊魚塑造成捕食人類的危險掠食者。不過這樣的形象有高度誤導性，世界自然基金會全球鯊魚項目總策劃Andy Cornish說。
Sharks evolved more than 400 million years ago and continue to thrive. These ancient creatures have outlived the dinosaurs and play a key role in maintaining marine ecosystems. Human activity poses a much greater danger to sharks than they do to us, and it is pushing more species towards the endangered list - or extinction.
鯊魚在4億多年前進化並持續繁衍壯大。這些古老生物活得比恐龍更久，在維持海洋生態系統方面發揮著關鍵作用。人類活動對鯊魚的威脅比牠們對我們還大，並且人類活動在將更多物種推向瀕危名單-或是滅絕。
Around 507 species of sharks are recorded, and only 11 of those are known to have ever caused human fatalities – less than 2% of the total. Even when fatalities do happen, generally it’s a case of mistaken identity. Sharks very rarely eat their human prey, instead they typically swim away.
根據紀錄，世界上大約有507種鯊魚，其中已知只有11種導致人類死亡-不到總數的2%。即使真的發生了死亡事故，通常也是誤認身分的情況。鯊魚很少獵捕人類吃，反而牠們通常會游走。
“The ocean’s upper surface receives the most sunlight, which enables phytoplankton – the engines of marine ecosystems – to thrive, but these shallow waters are nutrient poor,” says Cornish. “When sharks, rays and marine mammals like whales dive to feed on animals in deeper waters, they return carrying essential nutrients, which they excrete and help make shallower waters more productive.” With 500 plus species, sharks don’t just dwell in the ocean, they help shape it.
「海洋的上層表面接收到最多陽光，使得浮游植物-也就是海洋生態系統的引擎-能夠成長茁壯，但這些淺水區營養匱乏，」Andy Cornish說。 「當鯊魚、鰩魚和海洋哺乳類動物如鯨魚，潛入更深的水域捕食動物時，牠們會攜帶必要的營養物質返回，把營養物質排泄出來，幫助較淺的水域更有生產力。」鯊魚有500多種物種，牠們不僅生活在海洋中，還幫忙塑造海洋。
資料來源
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/07/sharks-overfishing-ocean-ecosystems-endangered?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social_video&utm_campaign=social_video_2021&utm_content=22983_IGTV_sharks_vital_ocean_health
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