I came across this piece about Cheetahs and had to think of the Sharks.
Dunno if anybody has focused on this yet - but with 90% to 98% of the oceanic Shark populations already gone, we may well be facing the exact same outcome even if we did manage to pull them back from the brink of extinction. Deprived of Genetic Diversity, the population will eventually crash - regardless of numbers and of whether they are still being hunted.
Not that I really had any high hopes anyway - but alas, it just shows how incredibly complex the issues are, and how difficult it is to restore a viable balance once the damage has progressed beyond its tipping point. And let there be no doubt that when it comes to pelagic Apex Predators, it probably has already.
It's a complicated topic but if you're interested, you may want to start with this and then take it from there. There is also this about the (controversial) concept of Minimum Viable Population Size. And if you like formulas, this (sort of) explains Effective Population Size.
It will be interesting to see the results of the ongoing genetic studies that are presently being conducted on various Shark species, among them one about Bull Sharks to which we have and are continuing to contribute.
Luckily, when it comes to coastal Sharks, the damage to stocks looks less irrevocable - so far. Shark Conservation has gained considerable traction and I believe that we really do have a fighting chance - but we need to do something right now.
Fingers crossed that we're not too late.
