A ship was caught poaching sharks by Ecuadorean Navy patrol vessel. Its 23 crewmembers and eight minor fiberglass vessels were apprehended for illegal possession andtransport of protected species. The Manta, Ecuador-based fishing vessel, Don Gerard V, wasdetected using the Galapagos National Park Service’s vessel monitoring system (VMS)procured and installed by WildAid, WWF, Conservation International and Sea Shepherd in2009. Much to everyone’s astonishment, the ship was filled with 150 tons of dead sharks, mostof which were considered endangered and illegal to sell, such as thresher, silky and blue sharks,as well as albacore tunas and swordfish.
       An estimated 73 million sharks are killed each year for the illegal shark fin trade aroundthe world. To stop shark finning in the Galapagos, WildAid works with park rangers to monitorthe vast reserve and prevent illegal fishing. Even so, shark crisis in Central America has stillfuelled biologists’ fears of consequences resulting from the overfishing of sharks, which maybreak the entire marine food chain, make marine species go extinct and increase the risk ofmarine pollution. Despite the fact that some regulations have been carried out to protect sharks,there is a long way to go in terms of zero shark poaching cases.
       Thanks to the support of the Helmsley Charitable Trust, Angermeyer Cruises,Conservation International, IGTOA, the Walton Family Foundation and WWF, WildAid hasused its comprehensive marine protection model to decrease illegal fishing and protect nearly3,000 marine species in the Galapagos Marine Reserve since 2002. With awareness campaignslaunched, the demand of sharks in Asia has declined as well. For example, shark fin soup hasbeen prohibited at official state banquets in China. Similarly, a cultural shift also occurs inFlorida, where fishermen are banned to catch the great hammerhead and tiger sharks. It isbelieved that human beings can never maintain the balance of marine ecosystem withoutprotecting sharks.
Adapted from “Ecuadorian fishing vessel transporting sharks apprehended in the Galapagos”by WildAid , Agencies
【題組】18. What is the purpose of this passage?
(A) To encourage more people to join WildAid.
(B) To appeal to the public for shark conservation.
(C) To propagate the good deeds of Ecuadorian Navy.
(D) To point out places where shark poaching happens regularly.