WildAid Shark Protection

WildAid, an international environmental conservation organization, protects endangered species through communication campaigns aimed at raising awareness¹ of the threats facing wildlife all over the world.

With the support of celebrities² like Chinese basketball star Yao Ming, WildAid has significantly raised the profile of global shark conservation.

The National Aquatic³ Wildlife Conservation Association and WildAid recently sponsored a month-long campaign to increase the awareness of aquatic wildlife protection.

Our reporter Yajie has the story.

 
Have you ever tasted shark-fin⁴ soup? If not, please don't.

Sharks are one of the endangered animals that WildAid is trying to protect.

WildAid is an international NGO whose mission is to end the illegal wildlife trade and raise awareness of the threats facing wildlife all over the world.

Steve Trend, President of WildAid, discusses the important role sharks play in the marine⁵ eco-environment.

"Sharks live in every ocean and every sea on our planet, and they represent the top predators⁶ in most of the seas and oceans. They are incredibly important to our marine security. If you get rid of the sharks, you can find unintended consequences where other species also disappear."

As predators at or near the top of marine food webs, sharks have helped maintain the balance of marine life in our oceans for the past 400 million years. Research indicates that the massive depletion⁷ of sharks has created a domino effect in our ocean ecosystems⁸.

Yet, up to 73 million sharks are killed every year to meet the increasing demand for shark-fin soup which has long been a popular entree⁹ because of its association with prestige and privilege in Asian cultures. It is regularly served at banquets, weddings and corporate¹⁰ events.

"Most of the sharks are being eaten by China. If you look at the Chinese economic development over the last 10 or 15 years, perhaps another 250 million relatively¹¹ wealthy urban dwellers¹² will come on line into the market. And even if each of them just eats shark-fin soup once a year, you can see how many sharks are taken out of the ocean."

The process of shark finning¹³ is as cruel as it is wasteful¹⁴. Captured at sea and hauled on deck on boats, the sharks are often still alive when their fins¹⁵ are hacked¹⁶ off. Because shark meat is not considered as valuable as shark fin, the maimed animals are tossed overboard to drown or bleed to death, with 98 percent of the shark going to waste.

With the support of celebrities like Chinese basketball star Yao Ming and Hollywood movie star Leonardo DiCaprio, WildAid has significantly raised the profile of global shark conservation.

This month, it has joined forces with China's Ministry¹⁷ of Agriculture to sponsor a month-long campaign across China to raise awareness of protecting aquatic wildlife.

"There are activities all cross China in aquariums¹⁸ where people are learning about marine conservation and aquatic conservation. For us, it's shark as well. If everyone shares an understanding and a similar view, you can win, you can move forward. We need action, and we need it soon."

It's interesting to note that there is one very simple and effective way to protect sharks-that is, to stop eating shark-fin soup.

When the buying stops, the killing¹⁹ can too.

For CRI, I'm Yajie.

1 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

2 celebrities   

n.（尤指娱乐界的）名人( celebrity的名词复数 )；名流；名声；名誉

参考例句：

• He only invited A-list celebrities to his parties. 他只邀请头等名流参加他的聚会。
• a TV chat show full of B-list celebrities 由众多二流人物参加的电视访谈节目

3 aquatic   

adj.水生的，水栖的

参考例句：

• Aquatic sports include swimming and rowing.水上运动包括游泳和划船。
• We visited an aquatic city in Italy.我们在意大利访问过一个水上城市。

4 fin   

n.鳍；(飞机的)安定翼

参考例句：

• They swim using a small fin on their back.它们用背上的小鳍游动。
• The aircraft has a long tail fin.那架飞机有一个长长的尾翼。

5 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

6 predators   

n.食肉动物( predator的名词复数 )；奴役他人者（尤指在财务或性关系方面）

参考例句：

• birds and their earthbound predators 鸟和地面上捕食它们的动物
• The eyes of predators are highly sensitive to the slightest movement. 捕食性动物的眼睛能感觉到最细小的动静。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 depletion   

n.耗尽，枯竭

参考例句：

• Increased consumption of water has led to rapid depletion of groundwater reserves.用水量的增加导致了地下水贮备迅速枯竭。
• Farmers should rotate crops every season to prevent depletion of the soil.农夫每季应该要轮耕，以免耗尽土壤。

8 ecosystems   

n.生态系统( ecosystem的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There are highly sensitive and delicately balanced ecosystems in the forest. 森林里有高度敏感、灵敏平衡的各种生态系统。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Madagascar's ecosystems range from rainforest to semi-desert. 马达加斯加生态系统类型多样，从雨林到半荒漠等不一而足。 来自辞典例句

9 entree   

n.入场权，进入权

参考例句：

• She made a graceful entree into the ballroom.她进入舞厅时显示非常优雅。
• Her wealth and reputation gave her entree into upper-class circles.她的财富和声望使她得以进入上层社会。

10 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

11 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

12 dwellers   

n.居民，居住者( dweller的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes. 城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They have transformed themselves into permanent city dwellers. 他们已成为永久的城市居民。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 finning   

n.鱼鳍式划水（仰卧水面，两脚并拢，两手放身旁上下拍水使身体向头的方向移动）

参考例句：

• Fish could be sighted finning near the surface. 我们可以看到鱼把鳍露出水面。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• A shark was finning around the surface of the ocean. 一条鲨鱼把鳍露出海面游动。 来自互联网

14 wasteful   

adj.（造成）浪费的，挥霍的

参考例句：

• It is a shame to be so wasteful.这样浪费太可惜了。
• Duties have been reassigned to avoid wasteful duplication of work.为避免重复劳动浪费资源，任务已经重新分派。

15 fins   

[医]散热片；鱼鳍；飞边；鸭掌

参考例句：

• The level of TNF-α positively correlated with BMI,FPG,HbA1C,TG,FINS and IRI,but not with SBP and DBP. TNF-α水平与BMI、FPG、HbA1C、TG、FINS和IRI呈显著正相关，与SBP、DBP无相关。 来自互联网
• Fins are a feature specific to fish. 鱼鳍是鱼类特有的特征。 来自辞典例句

16 hacked   

生气

参考例句：

• I hacked the dead branches off. 我把枯树枝砍掉了。
• I'm really hacked off. 我真是很恼火。

17 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

18 aquariums   

n.养鱼缸，水族馆( aquarium的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Biotope aquariums represent the natural environments of ornamental fish. 生态鱼缸表现出观赏鱼的自然生活环境。 来自互联网
• There are aquariums in many cities in the world. 世界上好多城市有水族馆。 来自互联网

19 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。