Anyone who knows me is well aware of the fact that I am an advocate for sharks. I am trying to be a voice for the voiceless, and have been fighting to outlaw finning and the sale of fins and shark fin soup all around the world. I have been active in signing petitions and even gave a presentation for a school project to bring awareness about the horrific way these creatures die.
Ever since I was a kid I have been fascinated with sharks of every kind. Many (if not most) people see them as man-eaters and killing machines, but they are mistaken. In fact, there is more of a possibility of being struck by lightning TWICE than to be attacked by a shark. Sure, there are rogue sharks out there that will eat anything and everything, and will attack unprovoked, but there are dogs out there that will do the same.
I believe that people have their minds in this frame because they are not properly educated on the subject or the animal. But that’s what I am here to do. People kill one shark every 4 seconds and that totals to be approximately 75 million sharks per year. What happens is the shark is pulled on board a fishing vessel and the fins are hacked off. This happens while the shark is very much alive and feels every slice of the fisherman’s blade. It is then tossed back into the ocean where it will die one of three ways: drowning because it has no fins to swim; starving to death because it cannot catch food; or it will be eaten alive by other marine life. What a horrible death. Imagine having your arms and legs removed and then being thrown over the hull of a ship. Not such a pretty site when we put ourselves in the place of the shark, is it?
There are many states and countries that have already passed laws either banning the fishing of sharks or have added stipulations to the law such as requiring the fins be naturally intact and attached to the animal when the ship arrives to port. California and Oregon recently were added to the list of states placing restrictions on finning. Senator Legarda from the Philippines has been working to push a law to be enacted there. Currently there is no law in place which only encourages people to fish for, and slaughter, these animals. Please search for petitions that work toward banning completely, restricting the fishing practice, or removes Shark Fin Soup from menus. I don't really know why people eat this soup anyhow. It has absolutely NO nutritional value and no taste. I've read that it is more for political power and prestige because it is so expensive but that is the only reason. Hardly seems like an adequate reason to kill off millions of sharks every year ...
Sharks take approximately 20 years (or more!) to mature so when they are killed off, they are in danger of becoming extinct. Just in the last 40-50 years, some species have been decimated by as much as 99%! They are the apex predator but are very sensitive to changes, especially fishing. Other impacts from finning are what are called “long lines.” These are nets that stretch between 1 and 100 miles across the ocean and catch anything that swims into them. It could be a shark, various types of fish, sea birds such as albatross, sting rays, and even sea turtles. Not only are the sharks being affected but so is the entire marine ecosystem.
Please take action! Whether you eat Shark Fin Soup or not, if you do not care one way or another, please sign a petition. These creatures have been around since before the dinosaurs; we should not be the ones that put an end to the ultimate evolution!
(Photos property of SeaPics.com)
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