MY RESEARCH PROJECT NARRATIVE
I first truly got interested in the research topic of shark finning in September of 2018. My AP Environmental Science teacher showed us a documentary on the shark finning industry, and I've been shocked ever since. After seeing the tons of horrific pictures, I couldn't get the question "How did no one try to prevent this?'. I've always been a lover of sharks, getting excited when I would visit aquariums or go fishing just to be able to see them up close, then I'd drop them back quickly into their home. It baffled me, to see that sharks were being killed by the thousands a day, for a simple bowl of soup.
I chose Indonesia for a simple reason: it was the center of the shark finning industry. I wanted to know how the people of Indonesia could do these things, sit and hack away at innocent sharks for days on end. I looked back at my job, a hostess in Raleigh NC, I took this job to make a little cash for shopping trips and save up for college. I began to realize that the fishermen in Indonesia are doing this job so they can support themselves, and their families. This realization made me think that these people are simply doing what they need to do to survive. So, I thought to look at a different perspective. I couldn't stop questioning their government instead, and how such a large organization could be so blind to such a large industry. The limited laws and prohibitions set to this industry was a foot in the door, but almost no control was taken to control this industry.
I chose Indonesia for a simple reason: it was the center of the shark finning industry. I wanted to know how the people of Indonesia could do these things, sit and hack away at innocent sharks for days on end. I looked back at my job, a hostess in Raleigh NC, I took this job to make a little cash for shopping trips and save up for college. I began to realize that the fishermen in Indonesia are doing this job so they can support themselves, and their families. This realization made me think that these people are simply doing what they need to do to survive. So, I thought to look at a different perspective. I couldn't stop questioning their government instead, and how such a large organization could be so blind to such a large industry. The limited laws and prohibitions set to this industry was a foot in the door, but almost no control was taken to control this industry.
Struggles Along the way
Throughout the process of writing my paper, I came upon multiple challenges. Luckily I didn't have to face the biggest one, the challenge of not having a good topic to write about. I had my topic picked out the minute we were given the assignment, and luckily had background information too. So the next biggest complication was trying to find current and credible sources. Since this was a topic that has been occuring for years, it was difficult to find good, credible periodicals to use for my paper. Thankfully, the South China Morning Post had everything I needed.