Sharks are being preyed on and finned. This is how NSU researchers plan to stop the cruel practice

Sharks are one of the most misunderstood aquatic species on our planet.

The narrative of them being dangerous predators is one that has contributed to more than 100 million sharks being pulled from our world’s oceans every year – mainly for a practice called shark finning.

In South Florida, Nova Southeastern University is on a mission to change that narrative and shine more light on the importance of sharks to balance our fragile marine ecosystem.

In order to better understand where these fishing practices are taking place, the school is tracking sharks with the hopes of changing the world's perspective of these creatures.

NSU’s Guy Harvey Oceanographic Center in Dania Beach is the launching point for one of the most important missions the school is embarking on.

“We’re getting kids out here that maybe live their entire lives in South Florida," said NSU Research Scientist Derek Burkholder. "Many of them have certainly never been out on a boat.”

About a mile and half off the South Florida coast, students are capturing sharks to tag them with tracking devices that could potentially save their lives.

NSU Professor Dr. Mahmood Shivji told NBC6 more than 500 sharks have already been tagged.

Each one sends back critical data on migration habits and behaviors – along with fishing data – that is then sent to policymakers.

"It is valuable information about the behavior of the shark, how many are being captured, and where they’re being captured," Shivji said.

Every year, more than 70 million sharks are captured just for their fins to be used in soup.

"The fins are so valuable and so much more valuable than the meat," Shivji explained. "A bowl can be worth a few hundred dollars. It depends on the species if the species is rare.”

This type of fishing has led to an imbalance in the marine ecosystem and because of the “man-eating” narrative surrounding shark, Burkholder said it’s been difficult to get people to listen.

“What we’re out here doing is trying to break the stigma around sharks," Burkholder said. "Things like Jaws and those kinds of movies have created this stigma around sharks that they’re these terrible nasty creatures.”

Here in South Florida, most of the tagging is done with a plastic tag containing NSU's contact information so fishermen and divers can alert scientists when spotted. All of this information is then put into a database and studied.

Researchers also swab the interior of the sharks mouth and that sample could be used to find better treatments for shark bite victims.

“It’s a big ocean," Shivji said. "These are big animals that can travel thousands of miles. You can’t follow them. This is the only way to figure out where they’re spending their time and then you look to see how much overlap there is between where they’re spending their time and commercial fishing efforts.”

To see more on NSU's shark-saving efforts, tune into "Sharks Up Close" streaming now wherever you stream NBC6 South Florida News.