Coronavirus has resulted in a pandemic that has affected the economy and the functioning of the whole world. Scientists have been focusing on some of how they can obtain the vaccine for the virus. Researchers are now looking for a product called squalene found in the liver of the shark, believing it will be a solution to finding the vaccine. The implication of the action is very devastating as the number is sharks is reducing. Nearly 3 million sharks are killed in a single year to extract squalene (Aridi, 2020). If the product is successful in creating a vaccine, then half of the half a million sharks in the world will have to be killed so that the coronavirus vaccine cures the human race. The horseshoe crab equally has milky blue blood that scientists believe it is medicinal. Various pharmaceutical companies collect nearly half a million-horseshoe crab every year, remove their blood, and release them back to the waters. However, after a while, the creature will die. The implication of the actions is worrying as the species are endangered. They will go into extinction in the long-run if the practice continues. The activities will result in the crabs and other animal species' expiration, such as the red Knot birds. The birds fly for long distances to lay their eggs and thus require lots of energy. They mostly depend on the horseshoe crab's eggs that provide them with the power they need (Arnold, 2020). If the horseshoe crabs' extinction, then it means that the red knot bird species will equally go into extinction.
There are five critical stakeholders in the entire process. The stakeholders include the crabs, sharks, red knot birds, the environment and the humans. Each of the stakeholders implies looking for a vaccine for the virus. More so, each of the stakeholders in the ecosystem depends on each other. The crabs travel long distances to lay eggs, which is also food for the spot fish and the red knot birds. Various institutions have taken up the mantle of protecting the endangered species. For instance, the crabs are being raised in hatcheries, after which they are released back to the ocean. The actions are towards ensuring that there is a balance in the ecosystem. The dwindling numbers of the species will start to increase, and both the red knot birds and the spot fish will get something to feed on in the ecosystem. The same situation is taking place in the extraction of the oily liver of the sharks. Humans require a cure for the virus, but pharmaceuticals need to focus on alternative options other than the shark's liver. They should consider getting the squalene for the gains of everyone. They should consider some of the products that include olive oil, sugarcane, bacteria, and yeast as they yield the same outcomes (Aridi, 2020). The sharks will no longer be endangered, and the scientists would have gotten the cure for their virus. The similarity between the stakeholders is to create a win-win situation. The creature will have a life to live, and the humans will get a way forward in dealing with the current pandemic. The strategies that humans are using in solving the pandemic needs to be considerate. One section of stakeholder should not be gaining while the others are losing.
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The differences in the stakeholders are in the interest of humans. There is a variation in what each human need from the ecosystem. There are those whose primary motive is towards the conservation of the environment, and others are after the monetary value of their actions. If the pharmaceuticals manage to get a vaccine from either the crabs or the sharks, they will earn income from making sales. But there is another category of humans that aims at reconstructing the already caused damage by human actions. As of the year 2000, the number of crabs coming to the shores to lay eggs was already small. Also, in 2010 a study indicated that 30% of all the crabs that were bleeding for their blood died. The amount is ten times higher than the previous estimations (Arnold, 2020). The statistics indicate that the damage has already taken place. Raising the crabs is hatcheries, and releasing them creates a different version of the human stakeholders who is not after money but focuses on reconstructing the ecosystem. The practices are not as good as they affect the entire ecosystem. It's not one or two creatures that will be impacted by the actions through going into extinction. Instead, the animals depend on each other, and that means several other creatures going into extinction. The measures are not right and appropriate, and animals are living creatures and need to be respected. The focus might be towards curing the human race, but it should not take place at other animals' expense. Humans should resolve into using different methods in getting vaccines and cures and focus on conserving the ecosystem. The creature plays an essential role in the ecosystem, including being a source of food to other animals and attracting tourists, and there is a need for preservation.
References
Aridi, R. (2020). 500,000 Sharks Could Be Killed in the Race to Produce a Covid19 Vaccine. Retrieved from https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/500000-sharks-could-be-killed-race-produce-covid-19-vaccine180975973/ Accessed 31 October 2020.
Arnold, C. (2020). Horseshoe crab blood is key to making a COVID-19 vaccine—but the ecosystem may suffer. Retrieved from https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2020/07/covid-vaccine-needs-horseshoe-crab-blood/#close Accessed 31 October 2020.
