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deepblue
07-03-2012, 06:13 PM
I noticed there are a lot of threads about sharks in this section of the forum, but no single thread to discuss the importance of saving these apex predators. So I'm starting this thread for this:


This week has been full of good news for sharks. Today, the Chinese government announced a prohibition on serving shark fin soup at official state banquets. (http://edition.cnn.com/2012/07/03/world/asia/china-shark-fin/index.html) Though the ban will take up to three years to implement, it marks China’s first official proclamation against the delicacy that claims tens of millions of sharks annually.

http://i.imgur.com/f6JOD.gif


This is a HUGE deal. A huge step to get the Chinese government to recognize the problem of shark finning and how it is decimating the shark population.

From here: http://theblogaquatic.org/2012/07/03/momentum-builds-for-shark-conservation/

For more info on why sharks are incredibly important, see: http://www.saveoursharks.com.au/Save_Our_Sharks_-_Welcome.html

New York Mermaid
07-03-2012, 08:13 PM
i love SOS their awesome I cant believe the movement has gotten bigger to ban shark fin soup and anything that has to do with sharkmeat whatsoever. Im so happy. I could just hug a great white shark.. maybe not.. i think i might get nipped on the fluke for it.. But yay!
3707

malinghi
07-03-2012, 08:45 PM
That's good news that the Chinese are doing something positive, although it seems like a much smaller gesture than I'd like. Just at state dinners?


From that article:
"Between 26 million and 73 million sharks are estimated to be killed each year, according to a 2006 academic study quoted on the website of Lo's group. Their carcasses are usually discarded and campaigners say the practice is wasteful and cruel."

Holy shit. Thats a ton of sharks.

malinghi
07-03-2012, 08:55 PM
While looking for more information on shark fin soup, I just found an article from the NY Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/17/business/worldbusiness/17shark.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all) that mentions this:


"China's growing wealth has led to a growing appetite for rare species. Munching on leopard cats, exotic snakes and scaly anteaters known as pangolins, both for status and for the supposed health benefits, has become so popular that animal advocates fear entire species could be threatened."

"The oddest part of the shark fin controversy is that even aficionados acknowledge that the fins themselves have practically no taste. The taste comes from the soup, while the fins are prized for their texture."



OH MY GOD, ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!?!

Mermaid Aurora
07-03-2012, 11:31 PM
EW EW their textureeee? ewwwwww omg that's just icky. poor sharkies :(

Spindrift
07-04-2012, 07:00 AM
Yeah but the number one customer for shark fin soup is Hong Kong, followed by Singapore. And while Hong Kong is part of China, it operates as a SAR and has it's own laws, just like Macau.

The taste is usually flavored by chicken broth. And it does taste pretty good. I swore to not eat it anymore though, and people know me to be quite the pro-shark advocate - I got in trouble with a certain country's laws for my advocacy back when I was in high school - but am quite happy with fake shark fin soup (using flour instead of shark).

Texture is something that everyone enjoys in every food. So I'm not sure where your disgust comes from, sophiadarling. It's what makes fried chicken so great and noodles so good. Food would suck without texture.

Chinese culture has it's traditions, and some have turned out to be quite unhealthy for the people and for the environment. I would still urge people to react/compose themselves respectfully though, since every culture and country has their icky compulsions. They like everyone else, are changing for the better, as shown by the news article. The more you know, right?

deepblue
07-04-2012, 10:07 PM
True, I'd like a bigger gesture from the Chinese govt, also, but I am freakin' STUNNED that they did even this. It's a start. Normally they really don't give a damn at all about anything outside their own interests.

You know something is bad when Gordon Ramsey condemns it, does a special about it, and proves you can make the soup with no shark and not taste the difference. I've seen recipes for it using other ingredients to get the texture, also.

I've personally never been a fan of Ramsey. Not just because I'm vegan and he doesn't cook what I'd like :p but because I don't like arrogant jerks. However, this I watched and I was very impressed by what he's done for sharks. There is a lot of important info in this, and he's a voice who can convince the people who need to be convinced- the suppliers, buyers, etc. If you really want to be informed watch this. However, be warned. It's quite upsetting footage at times... even Ramsay, notes how wrong it is to slice the fins off of sharks and then toss them back into the water still alive, where they sink, and die slowly either through suffocation or bleeding to death. And the footage of the sheer number of fins being dried in one location... this has to be stopped.


http://youtu.be/4SAkq6lsnoE

deepblue
07-04-2012, 10:15 PM
Oh, and a quick reminder- if you avoid eating shark, and I hope you all will, remember that shark is often listed as flake on menus.

http://www.takepart.com/article/2012/05/02/are-you-eating-shark-fin-soup-too

Spindrift
07-18-2012, 07:32 AM
This article is upsetting. Some people in Australia want to revoke the shark's protected species status because of an attack.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18858292

Mermaid Aurora
07-18-2012, 02:30 PM
Texture is something that everyone enjoys in every food. So I'm not sure where your disgust comes from, sophiadarling. It's what makes fried chicken so great and noodles so good. Food would suck without texture.

Chinese culture has it's traditions, and some have turned out to be quite unhealthy for the people and for the environment. I would still urge people to react/compose themselves respectfully though, since every culture and country has their icky compulsions. They like everyone else, are changing for the better, as shown by the news article. The more you know, right?
Yeah i like texture of food too lol I'm just saying that if the fin doesnt add any flavor, I don't get why people would like... continue to eat it. also it's sharks, and to me, that's like eating a dog. I would never try it because it would break my heart.

Theobromine
07-19-2012, 04:13 AM
Wow, even though that is a small step, it is still the last thing I expected from the Chinese government. I agree with Deepblue, and I was also just about to mention that Gordon Ramsay special. And while I believe it's important to be culturally sensitive, I think cultural sensitivity breaks down in cases where the cultural tradition is to kill/eat/decimate populations/mangle and waste animals. Animal cruelty and decimation of species is, I believe, a MUCH bigger issue than keeping cultural traditions alive. It's why I'm also against traditional Chinese medicine that uses parts of endangered animals, and against whaling. These may have traditionally been an important part of certain cultures, but that does not make it appropriate or right, especially given what we now know about population biology and extinction/conservation...not to mention how animals can feel pain just as we do. Argh...it's late and I'm tired and I could rant on at length about this but I think I will leave it there.

But on a related note, everyone should check out the documentary Sharkwater: http://www.sharkwater.com/ It deals a lot with illegal harvesting of sharks for their fins and people who are trying to stop it (though it's a few years old now).

deepblue
07-21-2012, 03:48 PM
This article is upsetting. Some people in Australia want to revoke the shark's protected species status because of an attack.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18858292

That's a tough one, because it's going to be very hard for people to understand why culling is not an answer, why there is no such thing as a 'rogue shark' when the usual 1 death per year in Australia is suddenly 4 and with no real explanation as to why it jumped. Scientists will probably tell you...

Edited because I just came across this... this could be it. http://www.news.com.au/national/live-sheep-exports-blamed-for-wa-shark-attacks/story-fndo4e3y-1226429751498


LIVE sheep exports are being blamed for the recent spate of shark attacks. The Weekly Times reports (http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/article/2012/07/18/511875_latest-news.html) that The Humane Society International has called on the West Australian Government to look into all aspects of shark behaviour and the possible connection with the export of live sheep from the port of Fremantle.
There have been five fatalities to sharks in WA within the past 10 months, the most recent being an attack on a surfer at Wedge Island, 180km north of Perth.
A spokesperson for the animal protection society, Alexia Wellbelove, said "thousands of dead sheep ... either whole or minced" were being thrown overboard as ships departed ports for the Middle East "without care or consideration for the consequences".

"It is highly likely that the disposal of animal remains in this way will attract large sharks over a wide distance," Ms Wellbelove said.
"This attraction of large sharks may have dreadful consequences. HSI is concerned that one of these consequences may be increased incident of shark attacks."
The society says it has written to the West Australian and Federal Government with a documented list of shark attacks and presence of live export vessels, urging them to investigate possible links.
"This list shows that on a number of occasions, and particularly over the past 10 months, there appears to be a strong connection between shark attacks and the presence of live export vessels in the area," she said.
"Anecdotal reports from fishermen suggest that sharks are able to recognise individual vessels, meaning these export vessels will result in a concentration of the shark population when the vessels are present as the sharks seek an 'easy' meal."





I'm trying to stop calling shark incidents attacks. They aren't attacking, not really. There is no aggression, just hunting for food.

There's been a big discussion regarding the banning of shark finning and its impact on the Chinese culture.

http://www.southernfriedscience.com/?p=13552

There's a lot there, but I agree completely with David Shiffman, the guy who started the discussion.

My personal views on this issue are complex. Populations of many species of sharks are declining at alarming rates (which has numerous negative ecological consequences), the single largest driver for these declines is demand for shark fin soup, and this demand primarily comes from Asian cultures. With very few exceptions, conservationists are not racist, and there are very good reasons to campaign for reducing shark fin soup consumption (and reducing shark fishing in general) . There’s a big difference between criticizing something because it’s different from your own culture and criticizing something because it creates negative ecological and economic ripple effects worldwide. However, when conservationists who are primarily Westerners criticize something that is done primarily by non-Westerners, it undeniably creates what politicians call troubling “optics”. In short, I don’t think campaigning to reduce shark fin consumption is racist, but I can understand how some people might.

This is bigger than a tradition. And I'd feel that way about any tradition, from any culture, if it's causing wide-reaching ripple effects of disaster, it has to stop.

deepblue
07-21-2012, 03:57 PM
Also, on the myth of the rogue shark... excellent video.


http://youtu.be/Vcmy2Bd23wE

Mermaid Crystal
08-17-2012, 12:53 PM
this is the worst thing possible! I have to try to help the sharks