End shark finning – how you can get involved
Updated March 18th, 2011
We are angered, outraged and saddened by shark finning. It’s a cruel and utterly wasteful industry that is decimating shark populations everywhere.
But recent developments have given us hope. A bill banning the sale, possession and distribution of shark fins was passed in Guam last month. And there are proposals going forward in the legislatures of the Marshall Islands, Chile and the state of California. Perhaps the message is finally getting through that plundering the seas has serious consequences for marine life, economies and the ecosystem at large.
But it would be wrong to become complacent. Shark fin is still a highly desirable item in Asia and shops and restaurants continue to do a roaring trade in this dubious status symbol. Even in the affluent cities and towns of North America and Europe, shark fin fans continue feasting away, oblivious to the realities of environmental destruction and animal cruelty.
A report by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) scientists reported that of 64 species of sharks and rays 32% are threatened with extinction, mainly as the result of overfishing. In addition, 24% were near threatened. However, only THREE species have protection under CITES. Read the rest of this entry »
Say NO to shark fin soup this Chinese New Year – and forever
Chinese New Year is coming this week and many will be celebrating in Asia and elsewhere. And tragically, a great deal of shark fin will be eaten during this time.
You may be thinking it’s futile to fight such a powerful industry, a widespread and entrenched cultural practice. But think of the terrible consequences on sharks and to the the entire ocean ecosystem. Read the rest of this entry »
Shark attacks – get a grip!
Afraid of sharks? Following two month of some very wild accounts of sharks in the press, it would be hard to blame the woman/man on the street for being terrified. We shark enthusiasts, divers and the conservation-minded have followed the news about attacks in the Red Sea and other locations with muted skepticism. But we’ve also been very disturbed by some of the reaction. A couple of shark attacks on tourists in the Red Sea became the reason for the authorities to go on a shark kill mission in the region. In the past week, several people in Australia have found their spot of fame by claiming they’d encountered Bull Sharks in the flooded streets (while the stories like this one about a man forced to hide from a shark grow and become scarier, there are very few photographs to back these accounts). So why are people still so shark-phobic? Read the rest of this entry »
Green sunscreen – protect yourself, protect coral reefs
As you are heading out to your winter getaways, I thought I’d update this blog on green sunscreen. Keeping safe from the sun is important and at the same time, you want to do everything to prevent doing harm to the reefs that are so important for the health of the ocean. Read the rest of this entry »
