They’re just about extinct.

Sharks are killed at a rate of 73 million per year — they should be afraid of us.

“I am sure that, properly prepared, bald eagle is delicious. But, as civilized people, we simply do not eat it,” Ambassador of Palau on the practice of shark finning.

What’s Shark Finning?

Fishers drag a shark to the surface by way of a huge hook protruding through his or her mouth and slice off the shark’s dorsal fin, rendering the animal incapable of swimming. They then dump the still-living shark back into the ocean, where the animal will bleed to death or be slowly eaten alive.

“Shark finning refers to the removal and retention of shark fins and the discard at sea of the carcass. The shark is most often still alive when it is tossed back into the water. Unable to swim, and bleeding to death, the shark suffers a slow death where 95% of the animal is wasted.”

Excellent record keeping, apparently:

Since the year 1580, only 471 people have died as a result of an unprovoked shark attack. Compare that number to 73 million — the number of sharks people kill every single year. So who are the real terrifying ocean predators?

…For the rest.

For an amazing video.

Rare footage here.