Television show on Sharks

[fish_bowl]

Well I'm not sure about the soup of sharks but it probably involves boiling the fins like chicken soup is made from the bones of chickens.

As for what other things they are used for, I know they make drugs out of the cartilage of the fin. kind of sad I know.

I know this is Ontario but I think hearing from freshwater divers gives things a little different perspective.Has anyone out there ever swam with sharks??

 

[bigz]

"Preparation H" used to contain shark liver oil! Haven't looked at the container lately (no need, thank goodness) so I can't swear by the current contents. I refuse to eat shark meat because of the depletion of fish stocks factor. Same goes for Chilean Sea Bass. Shark liver oil is used for medicinal purposes; the liver is the largest organ in a shark, and has been studied for quite some time for a number of medical reasons - cancer being a major interest.

I am very tired of hearing from PETA. Their latest rant relates to the use of dolphins and sea lions in Iraq. These animals are helping clear the harbours of sea mines - mines that are delaying the delivery of humanitarian aid. Why isn't PETA complaining about the effect of burnig oil wells on marine and other animal life?

 

[Boogie711]

A) Nothing was intended personally, (Seahunter) and

B) I may not be a redneck, gun toting hunter, but I did meet one at the Holiday Inn Express I stayed in last night... (obscure joke - forget it.)

If God wanted us to be vegetarian, he wouldn't have made cows from steak. Koreans have every right to eat whatever they want, and PETA has no business telling them otherwise.

I just didn't want anyone to think I actually didn't support killing smaller creatures. I'm just saying, if you kill them, kill them for a good reason.

Now, on the other hand, if people were out there torturing snakes, I'd be the first to send them money.

 

[seahunter]

No problem here with the killing of snakes ... provided you eat 'em!

Apparently they are quite good .. like chicken. Interesting how everything weird is compared to chicken. Squirrels, rabbits, rats, frog legs .. they all taste like chicken.
You've seen the cartoon of the guy and girl frog relaxing in bed after some fun and the guy frog is saying to the girl frog ..(ready?).. "They're right! We do taste like chicken!".

Snakes I suppose are similar to morays which are quite popular among the residents of many Caribbean islands. Sting rays too!

Swimming with the sharks is a popular pastime but now is also being attacked by detractors who feel such close interaction is bad for the sharks. At one level I can appreciate that close contact between sharks (or any other of God's creatures for that matter) and humans is bound to be a bumpy road to hell for the animal.
You can take the PADI Shark Diver Specialty class at our facility (no pool session!) and do the dives and get the cert in Bahamas.

So let's see.... sharks, soup, chicken, snakes, rednecks, 'Preparation H', Chile, and so on....

What was the topic of this thread??

 

[No Fish]

.Has anyone out there ever swam with sharks??

Yes, In Tahiti. It's neat but to be truthful, I actually enjoy seeing rays and other neat fish more. For sure, you are VERY AWAKE when the sharks are swimmimg around. They were black tip reef sharks.

BTW, I found it interesting that there is a good market for shark in England. It is sold for fish & chips. Typically what we called dog sharks (on the west coast). Man, there are millions of them. You have to prepare it right to remove the urea in the meat (sharks don't urinate, they get rid of it through their skin), but I guess folks like it

 

[fish_bowl]

I have always enjoyed the taste of urea and I can see why the English would like shark so much.

Alright I'm KIDDING. I have never tried shark but since I really don't like to eat fish or sea food (I think it tastes too fishy) I don't know if I would want to try shark.

NO FISH... I think its cool that you have swam with sharks and I believe you when you say you are very awake. I found when I did my pool sessions (I acutally haven't been out in the wild diving yet) that I was relaxed and could almost sleep. Ahhh relaxing warm pool. But I think if I were surrounded by sharks I would want to stay somewhat alert. Not too mention the adrelanine that would be pumping.

As for other animals and animal rights groups. Boooooo.. I hate it that as humans we think we have the right to everything (of course not all of us).. We think we are above all and that we are the protectors of the world. Animals are there for us to eat and if they were brave enough, and if we didn't have guns, they would hunt us too. Well not rabbits. Maybe Jack Rabbits. They are kind of big. ut:

I can't believe I stirred up so much mentioning a shark show.

Fish

 

[seahunter]

" ..fish taste too fishy.."
I know exactly what you mean. I have the same problem with hamburgers! They taste too cowy. And porkchops too! they are much too piggy tasting!!
Seriously, I personally am not a big fish fan (sounds like a junior scuba club!). I love shellfish (shrimp, lobsters, scallops, etc) but am very fussy about what fish I eat. It is entirely a taste preference though. I do not let my emotions control what my body consumes. I would eat chocolate coated earth worms if they were so fattening.
This is one of the disturbing things that has been quietly noticeable throughout this thread - that our emotions control our perspective about nature. Nature has no emotions. Whether a shark is being eaten (finned) or is eating you, he has no emotions. A shark doesn't say to himself "Damn, I'm hungry. I know I shouldn't because they probably have a wife and kids but I'd love a diver right now." or "I'm sorry but I just have to have a bite of you to see what it tastes like." Remember that sharks stomachs have been found to contain everything imaginable - licence plates, boat bumpers, golf balls as well as the usual assorted body parts from sea creatures and humans. You are as important to him as a licence plate.
My point is that the animal rights terrorists would have us believe that animals get sad, happy, loving, angry or hurt when, in fact, they act entirely by natural instinct. A cat purrs and rubs your leg because you are it's source of food and water or because that action helps rid it of itchy skin or keeps it warm. This doesn't imply that animals don't have brains. The cat recognizes what you are good for just as a crow recognizes that a man in a field is harmless unless he has a long stick (gun) and they each take appropriate, instinctive action for their self-preservation.
Those who believe that animals have the same emotions as humans have simply ascribed human charactaristics to those animals. Nothing is a greater insult to the magnificent craetures in nature nor as dangerous to their future since that attitude is proven to provoke actions on our part that will doom the animals. Give deer a birth control pill so they don't overpopulate an area - that's natural! NOT!!
Don't fall into the Disney World trap!! Mickey Mouse is a cartoon - not a documentary!
I recall the first time I saw Bambi. Loved it, and I jumped up in the theatre and shouted "Great shot!!" when the hunter got the running deer!
Didn't seem to affect Bambi's ability to procreate. In fact, with the old girl gone, Bambis and his fawns had a greater chance of surviving. Now that's nature!!

 

[No Fish]

I have been sitting here for a while figuring out how to respond to the last two posts. OK, I give up.

How do you combine a paranoia about gun toting jackrabbits with the disturbing fact that Mickey Mouse is not real?

I think the points that Fish_bowl and Instigator...Ooops I mean Seahunter made are right on for the most part (the comment about Disney for sure, you beat me to it) .

However, getting back to the original post, IMHO we are all discussing ethics. Yes, ethics. I think that is what really bothers us when we see either wastefulness in the fishing industry or when we see emotions used as a tool to manipulate the public to promote the agenda of some uninformed fringe group chanting pseudo-science. Actions of unethical people.

I am always pleased that ever since I have been active in the "world of scuba" that I observe a collection of folks that actually are quite ethical. I like that. I know there are always a few exceptions, but they are few.

Phew ....Now I have to go look into this Mickey Mouse thing....maybe my dog has a few thoughts on this. I'll go ask her now..........

 

[cyklon_300]

inexhaustible and will never be overharvested. Just ask the Japanese and Norwegians...they know.

I see no problem encouraging the use of factory ships, 40-mile long purse seines unlimited bycatch, shark finners, dynamite/cyanide fishing, etc.

I've dived with hundreds of sharks, the ones that have had their fins hacked off have a hard time keeping up, tho...

 

[seahunter]

It's difficult to convey a tone of voice via email.
Of course I realize that you are being facitious cyklon but the insertion of a small clue to that effect so that casual readers who have not followed this entire thread don't go ballistic might be wise.

There was a time when those opinions were valid but the last 50 years has seen an incredible increase in the world's population PLUS a tremendous improvement (?) in the efficiency of factory fishing vessels. International conservation practices must be applied and enforced where in place already or tuna sandwiches will be more expensive than abalone stew or caviar pate.

It is very difficult to persuade whole nations to change their culinary preferences. Imagine the impact on the USA if hotdogs were endangered! Likewise large industries with a major investment in ships, plants and workers will fight attempts to limit their operations. Often the governments of those countries will fight too since the loss of that industry will result in an immense cost to the government.

It's only recently that the big picture has become clear. It will take a lot of education and money to change the status quo. It's not that long ago that divers from the Calypso dynamited passages through coral reefs in the South Pacific so they could get the ship through and make U/W movies.


'Seahunter' ... 'Instigator' ?? I donno! Certainly instigator is not inaccurate but seahunter has such an innocent ring to it.