Elisa Areano

Dusky shark is characterized by having the first dorsal fin long and high, while its pectoral fins are wide and long. Its coloring is mostly grey, although its ventral part is pale. 

This shark lives in the intertidal zone, that is to say the coastal strip where there is a mixture of strips of water and earth that are subjected to the effects of the low and high tides. It is called dusky shark by the area it inhabits, as it is commonly seen in the sandy coastal areas. 

The diet of these sharks is mainly made up of benthic bone fish and it is even known that it can feed on other sharks. 

The International Union for the Preservation of nature has classified it as “Vulnerable” mainly because of the casualties that have been observed in the population numbers. 

Picture: Alan C. Egan

From the 3rd to the 6th of October 2017 the first tour for the implementation of the project was carried out: “Environmental education program on the reduction of plastic, reuse and recycling for the preservation of marine ecosystems of Livingston, Guatemala”. 

This tour had its primary purpose in presenting in greater detail this project to the authorities of the chosen campuses to carry out this project; special meetings were held with Francisco Caballeros director of the INEB Augusta Blanca Rubio and with the director of the INED of Livingston Mitzi Alvarez. The last meeting to socialize the project was carried out with authorities of the Departmental Directorate of Education of Izabal, directed by Mr. Julio de León Sosa and his assistant Claudia Morales, where important contributions were obtained for the correct execution of the Project and its respective Vo. Bo. To work on the 2018. 

We very much appreciate the consent of the educational authorities of Livingston and Puerto Barrios to the projects that Blue World Foundation has prepared for the 2018 school year. 

Stay with us to know what this excellent project is, stay with us because… 

WE´LL START SOON!

1. Oceans cover 70% of the planet’s surface. 

1. More than 90% of the planet’s living biomass is found in the oceans. 

1. 40% of the world’s population lives from the first 60km near the coast. 

1. ¾ of the mega cities of the world are located near the shores of the planet. 

1. On 2010 approximately 80% of the world’s population lives within the first 100km from the coasts of the planet. 

1. More than 90% of goods traded between countries are transported by vessels across the world’s oceans. 

1. There are about 4000 species of fish living in the coral reefs of the world, which makes coral reefs one of the most important ecosystems in the oceans. 

1. More than 3.5 million people depend on the oceans as their main source of food. By year 2025 this number could be duplicated. 

1. Mangroves provide habitats for 85% of commercial fish stocks in the tropics. The Great Barrier Reef that measures around 2000km long, is the longest living structure on earth and can be seen from the moon. 

Source: http://www.eurocbc.org: 50 Key facts about oceans.

1. Plastic waste kills about one million sea birds, one hundred thousand marine mammals and countless fish each year. 
2. Even after being the cause of the death of many marine animals, plastic remains in the ecosystems to kill more animals over and over again. 
3. An estimated 21 million of barrels of oil reaches the oceans of the world every year by runoff, wastewater from factories and by washing tanks for transport of that fuel. 
4. About 40% of the remaining reefs in the world are at significant risk of being lost over the next 20 years. 
5. The average level of the seas has increased about 10cm to 25cm over the past 100 years. If all the ice in the world melts, the oceans would increase their level by about 66 meters! 
6. Beyond 70% of the sustainable limit of the marine edible resource has already been obtained from the oceans. 
7. Attractively commercial fish stocks such as tuna, cod, swordfish and marlin have declined by about 90% during the last century. 
8. Destructive fishing practices are killing hundreds of thousands of marine species each year and also causing the destruction of important deep ocean habitats. 
9. About 100 million sharks are hunted each year for their meat and fins that are used for shark fin soup. Hunters regularly catch sharks to remove their fins and while still alive they throw them back into the ocean where they unfortunately die from drowning or bleed to death. 
10. Incidental capture mortality only of small whales, dolphins, and porpoises is estimated to be slightly larger than 300.000 annual specimens. 

Source: http://www.eurocbc.org: 50 Key facts about oceans.