Ban of Shark Fins Agreed To

[TomvdH]

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (AP) -- More than 60 countries
agreed Sunday to ban the killing of sharks for their
fins in the Atlantic Ocean, a move that
conservationists hope will increase protection of
threatened species around the world.

The International Commission for the Conservation of
Atlantic Tunas drew up the agreement at its annual
meeting being held in New Orleans. The group, which
oversees management of many Atlantic fish species,
acted on a proposal by the United States.

The agreement bans the practice known as shark finning
in which fishermen slice off a shark's fin and throw
the carcass overboard, leaving room for more fins.
Shark fins are a delicacy in Asian countries and
command high prices: shark fin soup sells for more
than $100 in Singapore, according to WildAid, an
environmental group.

"This is the first international finning ban in the
world, so it is quite a significant conservation step
forward and the environmental community is most
grateful for the United States' leadership," said
Sonja Fordham, a shark conservation specialist with
The Ocean Conservancy.

ICCAT, which includes 63 nations, also agreed to
collect more data on shark catches and identify
nursery areas.

The United States had called for a reduction of the
number of fishing vessels that hunt sharks, but ICCAT
left that unchanged.

According to the United Nations, more than 100 million
sharks are killed each year. A study last year by
Dalhousie University marine scientists estimated that
90 percent of the world's large fish -- including
sharks -- have disappeared since 1950.

"Sharks are exceptionally slow growing, and they take
many decades to recover once they're depleted. They
warrant extra cautious management," Fordham said.

There are few international restrictions on shark
fishing and trade. The United States banned shark
finning in the Atlantic in 1993 and in the Pacific
Ocean in 2002.

ICCAT has a good track record in management, said
Susan Buchanan, a spokeswoman for the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration. She pointed out that
it took only four years for the North Atlantic
swordfish population to rebound thanks to quotas
imposed by ICCAT in 1999.

Officials and conservationists plan to put pressure on
organizations that manage other regions of the world
to impose similar measures.

Fordham said South Korea was the only country to
resist the ban on shark finning and that it has six
months to consider whether it will sign the agreement.


"For those who do not dive, no explanation is possible,
for those who do, no explanation is necessary!"

[cancun mark]

This is good news, thanks Tom..

[Corigan]

This is good news, thanks Tom..

Agreed, glad to see the ban put into place. Of course the question is going to be if this is going to stop most people and how they will police such activity.

Matt

[scubagirl15]

This is great news. Sadly, though, the ignorance in the Asian community runs deep. Singapore is in a great position to start to move the needle over this issue since it has a very well educated, worldly citizenry. Other countries such as Hong Kong for instance do not.

A few friends of mine are Chinese, as I am. They've recently been married or are getting married. I have sent them information on this issue, only to be casually dismissed with excuses such as "My relatives will think I'm cheap if I don't serve shark's fins soup at my wedding."

This new agreement is a good start, but the depth of ignorance out there is disheartening.

[DavidPT40]

This is good news.

I know the two have nothing to do with each other, but shark fins have been increasingly high in levels of mercury over the last few decades. Seems almost like a natural defense to the claim that they are an aphrodisiac.

[archman]

Hey you weenies, we've already got this reported in the current shark finning thread! It's even in the same forum, a couple pegs down. You can also refer to the couple of my postings there explaining what this ban REALLY does... or more specifically, doesn't do.

Basically, you can still fish for sharks all you want, and "fin" all you want, just not at sea. Our own U.S. "finning bans" are set up the same way. And as the new ruling doesn't restrict the number of shark vesels OR sharks taken per vessel, anyone can cirumvent the restrictions by building more boats or increasing vessel capacities.

Legislation like this ticks me off. It misguides the public into believing the scope of its power, and stalls more effective legislation by itself being put in place. I'm not even sure either the U.S. laws nor this new international one even qualify as "fisheries management". All it really does is transfer finning sites from the open sea to seaports and coastal waters. The only realistic upside I can fathom is that the public in these seaports will get disgusted seeing all these dead sharks up close, and act upon more meaningful legislation. Oh and the regulatory agencies can much better monitor the landings, as they're reported upon entering port. THAT'S actually really important.

I encourage everyone who's interested in ACTUALLY managing shark stocks to please spread the word about how meaningless these rules really are. What we need to start seeing are quota systems for both stocks and vessel activity. Those are actual management options.

[BubbaFetta]

A few friends of mine are Chinese, as I am. They've recently been married or are getting married. I have sent them information on this issue, only to be casually dismissed with excuses such as "My relatives will think I'm cheap if I don't serve shark's fins soup at my wedding."

This new agreement is a good start, but the depth of ignorance out there is disheartening.

The concept of "face" is a very big thing in the Chinese community. You will be hard-pressed to "sell" this act of environmental activism to a Chinese couple, much less their parents, if the price of not serving sharks' fins during the wedding dinner is having to endure nasty gossip and snide remarks from relatives for the next 1/2 decade after the wedding.

Forget about trying to change their minds by letting them know that the "tastiness" of sharks' fins comes from the chicken broth used to boil it. Or, that sharks reproduce infrequently, and the young are produced in very small numbers. Or that the fins are often hacked off 'live' sharks, with the unfortunate animals being tossed back in the sea to drown and bleed to death.

I have tried them all. It doens't work.

Let them know that sharks as apex predators contain high levels of cadmium and mercury--even in the fins.

Let them know what cadmium and mercury does to human fetuses. I.e. birth defects, mental retardation, etc. Their future Charlie or Vicky wouldn't stand much of a chance making it to Harvard with a depressed IQ...

This approach is more effective since the Chinese generally value education highly.

With regard to the "face" issue, serving "Buddha Jumps Over The Wall" or "Birds' Nest" is more impressive--if their budget can withstand it.



BubbaFetta

[scubagirl15]

The concept of "face" is a very big thing in the Chinese community. You will be hard-pressed to "sell" this act of environmental activism to a Chinese couple, much less their parents, if the price of not serving sharks' fins during the wedding dinner is having to endure nasty gossip and snide remarks from relatives for the next 1/2 decade after the wedding.

Forget about trying to change their minds by letting them know that the "tastiness" of sharks' fins comes from the chicken broth used to boil it. Or, that sharks reproduce infrequently, and the young are produced in very small numbers. Or that the fins are often hacked off 'live' sharks, with the unfortunate animals being tossed back in the sea to drown and bleed to death.

I have tried them all. It doens't work.

Let them know that sharks as apex predators contain high levels of cadmium and mercury--even in the fins.

Let them know what cadmium and mercury does to human fetuses. I.e. birth defects, mental retardation, etc. Their future Charlie or Vicky wouldn't stand much of a chance making it to Harvard with a depressed IQ...

This approach is more effective since the Chinese generally value education highly.

With regard to the "face" issue, serving "Buddha Jumps Over The Wall" or "Birds' Nest" is more impressive--if their budget can withstand it.



BubbaFetta

Yup, you'd think so. Sadly, I have sent my friends the information about birth defects, etc. Seems that face still overrides facts. Well, I can only hope the Mr Darwin is looking down on us...when all else fails, natural selection will still work its magic...eventually.