Sharks Being Wiped Out - What Do You Think?
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I have seen it and I own it. I met Rob Stewart when we premiered it here in Savannah. There are many threads in the shark forum that discuss the decline world wide of shark populations. Some are on the brink of extinction. The fin trade and long lining are destroying them much faster than they can reproduce. Most people do not realize that most sharks are not sexually mature until the age of 15 yrs. Most sharks caught have never reproduced. So we are killing them much faster than they can recover. At this point, at the rate we are going, we can see full collapse of that apex predator in less than 50 yrs. As a result, we will see a devastating impact on the marine ecosystem. That is why it is crucial to support the organizations that are trying to protect them and educate the world on their plight.
Education and also boycotting shark products is key to their survival!
Carolyn:shark2:
Education and also boycotting shark products is key to their survival!
Carolyn:shark2:
When I first came to California in the late 60's, I would count the number of blue sharks just going to the dive site and often had several dozen before I even entered the water. In the past twenty years I only remember seeing one shark from the boat and no blues near shore... only when we are 5-13 miles out and chumming all day. You can thank the long-liners and gill-netters.
ThailandDivers
Contributor
I saw Shark Water as well and even though I knew about it before I learned a lot more and it disgusts me to see people so heartless and uncaring.
Good news is that since the movie got released at least one other country has illegalized shark finning and longlining. Hopefully more will follow!!
Good news is that since the movie got released at least one other country has illegalized shark finning and longlining. Hopefully more will follow!!
ScubaSteve
Wow.....what a DB
I too learned a lot from the movie. It is always good to hear that a country has made shark finning illegal however I can only hope that it is being enforced. There are a lot of corrupt governments in the world that want the good publicity of "making it illegal" but welcome the lined pockets from illeagal shark finners. Maybe this does not happen, but I know what I think. I also think the statistics show reality....many numbers have dropped significantly and some are now close to extinction.
If it was up to me I would
1: Redo Shark Water with Chinese voice over, then give it away for free to as many people in China as possible. Also put the Chinese version on You Tube in it's entirety.
2: Raise money to build an aquarium in China that has as many sharks as possible and allow free admittance to everyone. There people could be educated as to the impact of shark fin soup.
3: Raise money to pay for more Yao Ming commercials to be aired in China telling people about shark fin soup.
Of course #2 would take a great deal of money. I donated some money to Wild Aid and hope to donate more in the future. They look like an organization with a good approach.
1: Redo Shark Water with Chinese voice over, then give it away for free to as many people in China as possible. Also put the Chinese version on You Tube in it's entirety.
2: Raise money to build an aquarium in China that has as many sharks as possible and allow free admittance to everyone. There people could be educated as to the impact of shark fin soup.
3: Raise money to pay for more Yao Ming commercials to be aired in China telling people about shark fin soup.
Of course #2 would take a great deal of money. I donated some money to Wild Aid and hope to donate more in the future. They look like an organization with a good approach.
driftwood
Contributor
The best issue to stop the practice of shark finning is to make everyone aware that the shark fin only changes to texture of the soup and has no effect on the taste. That should go a long way to galvanize public opinion in Western countries and promote an international ban on the practice.
The root of the problem is changing the status of shark fin soup in China. Diver65's comments address that issue. Until China's demand for shark fins decreases the trade will continue and there is too much money involved that will tempt officials to look the other way even in the face of fishing bans.
What we can do is to pay very well to dive where existing shark populations are protected and make live sharks more valuable than dead ones.
The root of the problem is changing the status of shark fin soup in China. Diver65's comments address that issue. Until China's demand for shark fins decreases the trade will continue and there is too much money involved that will tempt officials to look the other way even in the face of fishing bans.
What we can do is to pay very well to dive where existing shark populations are protected and make live sharks more valuable than dead ones.
It's more than just shark fin soup that sharks are being slaughtered. If you put in a search for shark cartilage, there are hundred of thousands of sites that sell it as supplements. Also fish oil contains shark but is labled only as fish products. Shark Preservation It's been proven that shark can contain 60x the allowable safe limits for mercury, but that hasn't deterred the market. It has also been shown that shark cartilage doesn't have the same effect as bovine (cattle) cartilage for joint repair used in chondroitin.
We as consumers need to demand shark be pulled off the shelves and that companies need to disclose what is in their products. Boycotting these products and educating companies of how sharks are killed for these products is a responsibility of all of us. We all need to support the organizations that are fighting for the preservation of sharks. Again, it's not just the Asian market, it's a world wide problem and American fisheries are just as responsible as the other markets.
http://www.illegal-fishing.info/sub_approach.php?approach_id=12&subApproach_id=36
Fighting the good fight!
Carolyn:shark2:
We as consumers need to demand shark be pulled off the shelves and that companies need to disclose what is in their products. Boycotting these products and educating companies of how sharks are killed for these products is a responsibility of all of us. We all need to support the organizations that are fighting for the preservation of sharks. Again, it's not just the Asian market, it's a world wide problem and American fisheries are just as responsible as the other markets.
http://www.illegal-fishing.info/sub_approach.php?approach_id=12&subApproach_id=36
Fighting the good fight!
Carolyn:shark2:
ThailandDivers
Contributor
It's definitely not only Asians that's involved in this. Tesco in Phuket, Thailand (which is British owned) sales shark fins. I, and many others, send them an email saying:
"Dear Sir,
It has come to my attention that Tesco in Thailand is selling Shark Fin in the freezer department. As you may or may not be aware, the process of shark finning in the vast majority of cases involves the shark being caught on a long line (a terrible practice in itself) and dragged aboard the fishing boat where it has its fins cut off while alive before being thrown back in the water. If you are in any doubt about the process please go to the link below where Wild Aid and Ang Lee will explain the process
YouTube - Shark Finning PSA by Ang Lee for WildAid
I understand that Tesco UK may not be entirely responsible for Tesco in Thailand, but the store is very much under your banner and so representative of you in Asia, where as you will appreciate, there are many non-Asian holiday makers and expatriates who (as you will be aware) are more and more aware of environmental and conservation issues.
On your website you state that "We are playing our part in seeking to maintain a viable and long-term future for wild fish and shellfish populations. We seek to buy all our seafood from responsibly managed fisheries. We use the United Nations' Food & Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries as our sourcing reference."
In response to that quote, shark populations world wide have NO future if finning continues at the current rate, and more importantly shark finning is contrary to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) International Plan for the Conservation and Management of Sharks. Maybe you should read their documentation more thoroughly in the future.
I would like some kind of satisfactory response to this e-mail and would hope that this will lead to the swift removal of shark fin products from the shelves of Tesco Lotus in Thailand. As I know that my solo e-mail is likely to have very little impact I will be passing this on to as many people as I can as well as to all major wild life conservation and anti-shark finning organisations as I can think of in order to exert the pressure required to help in this matter.
Awaiting your response,
Sanna"
The reply I got was:
"Dear Sanna,
Thank you for your email.
I can advise like many other retailers in Thailand, Tesco sells shark fin in its stores as our customers expect to be able to buy it.
We know that we need to balance different cultural attitudes, in this case respecting the different traditions and values on this issue that exist in Thailand with the very important issue of sustainability and welfare. This is why we will conduct a review and take expert advice to ensure that we source shark in the most sustainable way possible.
Thank you for taking the time to contact us.
If you have any further queries please do not hesitate to contact us at customer.service@tesco.co.uk quoting TES5624944X.
Kind Regards
Wayne Hansen
Customer Service Manager
Tesco Customer Service"
This goes to show that they do not care at all. I know this is a long post but I just want as many as possible to know about this, and if you do have the time please send them an email. They have to listen eventually!! I know that this is only a small part of it but Tesco is a large company so it's a start.
Thanks.
Sanna
"Dear Sir,
It has come to my attention that Tesco in Thailand is selling Shark Fin in the freezer department. As you may or may not be aware, the process of shark finning in the vast majority of cases involves the shark being caught on a long line (a terrible practice in itself) and dragged aboard the fishing boat where it has its fins cut off while alive before being thrown back in the water. If you are in any doubt about the process please go to the link below where Wild Aid and Ang Lee will explain the process
YouTube - Shark Finning PSA by Ang Lee for WildAid
I understand that Tesco UK may not be entirely responsible for Tesco in Thailand, but the store is very much under your banner and so representative of you in Asia, where as you will appreciate, there are many non-Asian holiday makers and expatriates who (as you will be aware) are more and more aware of environmental and conservation issues.
On your website you state that "We are playing our part in seeking to maintain a viable and long-term future for wild fish and shellfish populations. We seek to buy all our seafood from responsibly managed fisheries. We use the United Nations' Food & Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries as our sourcing reference."
In response to that quote, shark populations world wide have NO future if finning continues at the current rate, and more importantly shark finning is contrary to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) International Plan for the Conservation and Management of Sharks. Maybe you should read their documentation more thoroughly in the future.
I would like some kind of satisfactory response to this e-mail and would hope that this will lead to the swift removal of shark fin products from the shelves of Tesco Lotus in Thailand. As I know that my solo e-mail is likely to have very little impact I will be passing this on to as many people as I can as well as to all major wild life conservation and anti-shark finning organisations as I can think of in order to exert the pressure required to help in this matter.
Awaiting your response,
Sanna"
The reply I got was:
"Dear Sanna,
Thank you for your email.
I can advise like many other retailers in Thailand, Tesco sells shark fin in its stores as our customers expect to be able to buy it.
We know that we need to balance different cultural attitudes, in this case respecting the different traditions and values on this issue that exist in Thailand with the very important issue of sustainability and welfare. This is why we will conduct a review and take expert advice to ensure that we source shark in the most sustainable way possible.
Thank you for taking the time to contact us.
If you have any further queries please do not hesitate to contact us at customer.service@tesco.co.uk quoting TES5624944X.
Kind Regards
Wayne Hansen
Customer Service Manager
Tesco Customer Service"
This goes to show that they do not care at all. I know this is a long post but I just want as many as possible to know about this, and if you do have the time please send them an email. They have to listen eventually!! I know that this is only a small part of it but Tesco is a large company so it's a start.
Thanks.
Sanna
Thanks Sanna! Do not feel your email to them was in vain. Education and continued support for shark conservation is what we must continue to do. The road is hard and all of us must do what is necessary to fight the good fight! We all need to continue to campaign against companies that continue to sell and distribute shark products. Boycotting products is how we will win this battle. Nothing speaks volumes like the almighty dollar!
Carolyn:shark2:
Carolyn:shark2:
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