Welcome to ScubaBoard, an online scuba diving forum community where you can join over 205,000 divers diving from around the world. If the topic is related to scuba diving, this is the place to find divers talking about it. To gain full access to ScubaBoard (and make this large box go away) you must register for a free account. As a registered member you will be able to:
Participate in over 500 dive topic forums and browse from over 5,500,000 posts.
Communicate privately with other divers from around the world.
Post your own photos or view from well over 100,000 user submitted images.
Gain access to our free classifieds marketplace to buy, sell and trade gear, travel and services.
Use the calendar to organize your events and enroll in other members' events.
Find a dive buddy or communicate directly with scuba equipment manufacturers.
All this and much more is available to you absolutely free when you register for an account, so sign up today!
If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact the ScubaBoard Support Team.
To: Hu Jintao president of the People's Republic of China.
Currently the Chinese people are eating a soup which is causing the biggest ecological disaster of our time. Supplying the demand for Shark's Fin soup involves the death of what best estimates say are between 50 and 150 million sharks a year. This is unsustainable and will inevitably lead to all sharks becoming extinct, many species are already over 90% eradicated.
The shark is the apex predator that keeps the whole ecology of the sea in balance and healthy. Nobody knows what the effects of their removal will be but is can be guaranteed to involve a lot of unwanted harmful outcomes.
This petition seeks the Chinese government to ban the catching, import and sale of sharks and all shark related products.
I have a Chinese dive buddy with whom I had some debates on this topic. She was of the opinion that it was very important for the growing middle class in China to be able to eat shark fin soup since it was such a strong cultural tradition and sign of affluence that was formerly limited to the nobility of China.
I couldn't get her to budge on this despite the serious ecological consequences.
Just signed.
Yes Dr. Bill it is a shame about the different cultural perceptions.
I work with a Chinese man who believes that Shark Fin Soup should be served at weddings and there is nothing I can do or say to change his mind.
Though I fully embrace the spirit behind the petition, I must say something. As wasteful, deplorable and cruel as shark finning is, it is not "the biggest ecological disaster of our time." To be honest, the manner in which statements like this one are tossed around do not help the conservation movement. If anything, they provide fodder for the nay sayers to poke at.
Maybe when discussing the issue of shark fin soup consumption with Chinese colleagues / fellow divers, one should remind them that, as apex predators, sharks concentrate most of the toxins present in their prey. This is particularly concerning when it comes to mercury.
It has been shown that a bowl of shark fin soup may contain up to 10x the permissible FDA mercury level (about 5 ppm). Contrary to the cultural perception that shark fin soup can serve as an aphrodisiac and sexual potency enhancer, it is well known that the effects of mercury on humans are:
(1) Sterility, particularly in males
(2) Central Nervous System defects, particularly in fetuses and young children.
Maybe this would help dissuade people from consuming shark fin soup?? It's an argument, at least.
J.
Please remember to also sign the online petition started by the director of Sharks, Stewards of the Reef to stop alibaba.com from distributing shark fins in the Hong Kong and Chinese markets:
I have a Chinese dive buddy with whom I had some debates on this topic. She was of the opinion that it was very important for the growing middle class in China to be able to eat shark fin soup since it was such a strong cultural tradition and sign of affluence that was formerly limited to the nobility of China.
Tell her she is a capitalist roader and dishonors the memory of Chairman Mao.
Who, exactly, will be delivering this petition to the President?
When, exactly, will it be delivered?
Will it be translated into Chinese prior to delivery?
Will any of this be documented and confirmed?
How will the President of China be persuaded that any of the signatories of such a petition are, in fact, real people?
Why, exactly, would the President of China care one way or another what a citizen of the United States (Ohio, no less) thought one way or another about whether the citizens of China ate shark fin soup?
Consider me a naysayer. These online petitions are designed to do one thing, and one thing only, to get you to visit their website. Any argument to the contrary is naive, and should be discussed with Nigerian royalty with secret bank accounts who have recently discovered that you are related to them.
You can, and probably should be, against the slaughter of sharks for their fins. But, this is not a productive way to solve the problem.
Currently in the Pacific Northwest, a few hours east of Seattle.
Posts
4,631
Well alrighty then...
Originally Posted by Bruciebabe
"This petition seeks the Chinese government to ban the catching, import and sale of sharks and all shark related products."
There is a larger chance of the earth being destroyed by a giant asteriod impacting in the North Atlantic than there is of this petition being noticed by the Chinese government. Along with OhGoDive, my sentiments are that 'you can, and probably should, be against the slaughter of sharks for their fins. But this is not a productive way to solve the problem.' Signing an online petition such as this one is like mental masturbation. You feel good for a moment and you accomplish squat.
Who, exactly, will be delivering this petition to the President?
When, exactly, will it be delivered?
Will it be translated into Chinese prior to delivery?
Will any of this be documented and confirmed?
How will the President of China be persuaded that any of the signatories of such a petition are, in fact, real people?
Why, exactly, would the President of China care one way or another what a citizen of the United States (Ohio, no less) thought one way or another about whether the citizens of China ate shark fin soup?
Consider me a naysayer. These online petitions are designed to do one thing, and one thing only, to get you to visit their website. Any argument to the contrary is naive, and should be discussed with Nigerian royalty with secret bank accounts who have recently discovered that you are related to them.
You can, and probably should be, against the slaughter of sharks for their fins. But, this is not a productive way to solve the problem.
Thanks for your input. I have answers to your questions!
The Chinese government and president will be very well aware of this petition. Governments are very sensitive about what the world is saying about them, China especially so with the Olympics coming up.
This story is now issued as a press release http://www.prweb.com/releases/2007/03/prweb511189.htm to ensure the maximum impact in the public domain.
The petition is not for Americans, it is for citizens of the world. The impending disasters in the seas are of concern to everyone. Every name on that petition makes a difference. So please help to get this story out to the widest possible audience.
Take shark fin dishes off the menu, says lawmaker
BEIJING, March 13 (Reuters) - China should take all shark fin dishes off the menu for foreign visitors before the 2008 Olympic Games, a lawmaker said on Tuesday.
Officials in China traditionally honour distinguished guests with huge banquets climaxing with rare or exotic dishes featuring such delicacies as bear's paw, swallow's nest, monkey brains as well as the famous soup made from shark fin.
Xu Hongzhi, deputy to the National People's Congress and president of the prestigious Peking University, said such menu items might upset foreign guests.
"Serving shark fin to foreign guests during the Olympic Games could greatly hurt China's national image and officials should start to remove the dish from the dining table right now," he told state Xinhua news agency.
Xu said China should also stay away from dishes using other species of wildlife such as snake during the Games.
"It's not only an environmental issue, but one that has a direct bearing on the image of Chinese people," he said.
Figures show imports of shark fin rocketing in China in recent years, though Chinese NBA player Yao Ming and gymnastics great Li Ning took part in a campaign last year to convince the Chinese to stop eating it.
LinkBack URL
About LinkBacks
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by drbill
Jason
