Government Petition To Ban Shark Fin Sale In Britain

[ACT651755]

Ladies and Gents, regardless of where you reside or which nationality you are, please sign this petition to add weight.

Ban the Use, Sale and Import of Shark Fin Products in the UK - e-petitions

Thanks, on behalf of the sharks and I.

 

[Peter_C]

We just got shark fins banned in California, USA. We also have a larger Asian community with approximately 4.7% of our population being Asian. Reading the stats from wiki it doesn't appear the UK is very diversified, with approximately 0.5% of the UK population is of Asian descent. Everything helps, but I am not sure how much of an impact the UK is going to have on global shark populations. I signed it as a UK resident with an address I pulled from the web with a junk email address I often use. Good luck!

 

[ACT651755]

Thanks Peter. I'd say the UK is very diverse, but we have less people of Hispanic, Mexican or Haitian decent as you might in the US. Much of our immigration comes from Eastern Europe and the Middle East. I'd be guessing, but I think most of our Asian population are students. Anyway, our waters are fished heavily by Spanish fishing boats, finning on behalf of China, so it's important. Furthermore, a UK ban may pave the way to a European-Wide ban, with Spain being a huge exporter of shark fins... the largest in the West I believe.

 

[Peter_C]

Anyway, our waters are fished heavily by Spanish fishing boats, finning on behalf of China, so it's important. Furthermore, a UK ban may pave the way to a European-Wide ban, with Spain being a huge exporter of shark fins... the largest in the West I believe.

Gotcha! So the sharks (Well at least their fins) near your waters in the UK are being harvested and taken else where for sale. Now that sucks, so yes this is an important step.

I just checked and most of the European forums are pretty quit, but it might be worth it to post up in this section also General Europe

Since you mentioned the Asian students, in our research and discussions we are finding the younger generation is open to shark protection, but the older generations are set in their ways.

 

[kuhnuk]

[h=1]Shark fin linked to degenerative brain diseases: Study [/h]
QMI Agency
First posted: Thursday, February 23, 2012 01:12 PM EST | Updated: Thursday, February 23, 2012 01:23 PM EST



While many are concerned about shrinking numbers of sharks being killed for shark fin soup, researchers at the University of Miami say people should avoid the Asian delicacy for health reasons.
A new study has found high concentrations of BMAA in shark fins -- a neurotoxin linked to neurodegenerative diseases in humans including Alzheimer's and Lou Gehrig disease (ALS).
The researchers said eating shark fin soup and cartilage pills can pose a significant risk of developing degenerative brain diseases.
Seven species of shark found in waters throughout South Florida were tested for this study: Blacknose, blacktip, bonnethead, bull, great hammerhead, lemon, and nurse sharks.
Co-author Deborah Mash did a study in 2009 looking at BMAA levels in the brains of patients dying of Alzheimer's and ALS. She found the patients had unusually high levels, up to 256 nanograms per milligram (ng/mg).
Looking at the shark fins, they researchers found between 144 ng/mg and 1836 ng/mg of BMAA.
"Estimates suggest that fins from as many as 70 million sharks end up in soup. As a result, many shark species are on the road to extinction. Because sharks play important roles in maintaining balance in the oceans, not only is shark fin soup injurious to the marine environment, but our study suggests that it is likely harmful to the people who are consuming them," the study's co-author Dr. Neil Hammerschlag said in a release Thursday.
The study appears in the latest edition of the journal Marine Drugs.
Several Ontario municipalities have enacted shark fin bans, including Toronto, Pickering, Oakville, Mississauga, Brantford, and London.