Humans kill 100 million sharks a year ...and for what?

by Simples | November 2, 2009 at 05:11 pm

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Human beings are skilled at justification.

Every year humans slaughter over 100 million sharks yet we depict them as vicious and blood-thirsty killers.

No more than 12 people a year are killed by sharks worldwide. In fact is more dangerous to play golf than to swim in the ocean with sharks. More golfers are struck by lightning and killed each year than the total number of shark fatalities. Many more humans are struck and killed by boats every year than are attacked by sharks.

Yes, we also kill them for their teeth and jaws, and we kill them for shark leather for shoes and belts. We slaughter them for shark liver oil and for shark cartilage for pseudo cancer cures. Sharks are used in cosmetics, skin care products and in medicines.

shark_finning_dead_sharks1We kill sharks because of our fear of them, for food, for sport, and most disturbing of all - so that some of us can make a tasteless, expensive soup to impress our family and friends.

It is the mass slaughter of sharks on longlines and in nets for the sole purpose of taking their fins that is responsible for the incredible diminishment of shark populations around the world.

The fins are highly prized. The fishermen catch the sharks and slice off the fins, unmindful whether the shark is alive or not. The bodies, most of them still alive, are tossed back into the sea to bleed to death or to be attacked by other sharks or fish.

Sharks are Endangered

Over 8,000 tons of shark fins are processed each year. The fins only amount to 4% of a shark's bodyweight. This means that some 200,000 tons of shark are thrown back into the sea and discarded.

Already 18 species of sharks have been listed as endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Humans kill 100 million sharks a year
...and for what?
Sharks are in Danger

100 million sharks are killed each year-by longlines, by "sport" fishermen, or by a barbaric practice known as shark finning. Hooked sharks are hauled onto boats; their fins are sliced off while they are still alive. These helpless animals are then tossed back into the ocean where, unable to swim without their fins, they sink towards the bottom and die an agonizing death.

With 90% of the world's large shark populations already wiped out, sharks are being depleted faster than they can reproduce. This threatens the stability of marine ecosystems around the world. Sharks are vitally important apex predators. They have shaped marine life in the oceans for over 400 million years and are essential to the health of the planet, and ultimately to the survival of mankind. Sea Shepherd patrols marine protected areas, exposing the corruption that drives this multi-billion dollar industry and directly intervening to stop the brutal slaughter of sharks.

Source:

Human beings are skilled at justification. seashepherd.org

Shark Finning seashepherd.org What is a Longline? seashepherd

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Simples

at 19:14 on November 2nd, 2009

Upload feito em 3 de novembro de 2009
por MIRIAM GODET Galeria de MIRIAM GODET Humans kill 100 million sharks a year ...and for what? Humans kill 100 million sharks a year

LUSH and Sea Shepherd

Learn more about Sea Shepherd's partnership with LUSH through these news postings:

* 03 Sep 2008 - LUSH and Sea Shepherd Launch Global Anti-Shark-Finning

Campaign: Alice Newstead Hung by Actual Shark Hooks in Protest of the Slaughter

* 21 Aug 2008 - LUSH and Sea Shepherd Launch Partnership Campaign to Protect Sharks

* 12 Aug 2008 - Lush and Sea Shepherd team-up for global campaign against shark fishing industry

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Wednesday, September 03, 2008

LUSH and Sea Shepherd Launch Global Anti-Shark-Finning Campaign: Alice Newstead

Hung by Actual Shark Hooks in Protest of the Slaughter

Shoppers on Regents Street in central London likely got more than they bargained for this afternoon. In a dramatic illustration of how sharks are caught and killed for their fins, Alice Newstead, performance artist and former employee of LUSH Fresh Handmade Cosmetics, voluntarily had her skin pierced with actual de-barbed shark hooks and hung suspended from the ceiling in the window of one of LUSH's busiest shops for all to see.

As a crowd gathered to watch in horror, Newstead said, "I am doing this because the demand for shark fin soup and other shark products is wiping out the shark population." Unlike the 100 million sharks who are brutally slaughtered each year for their fins, Newstead commented, "I will be left with scars, but the wounds will heal."

"Sea Shepherd is deeply impressed by LUSH's commitment to shark conservation and its willingness to use its 500+ storefronts as a global platform for educating the public on such a critically important issue," said Kim McCoy, International Executive Director of Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. "We applaud Alice for her courageousness in using her body as a tool to help educate consumers about the urgent need to protect sharks. She is an inspiration to us all."

"Sea Shepherd will be presenting Alice Newstead with an award for courage for her incredible achievement in focusing public attention on the worldwide slaughter of sharks," said Captain Paul Watson, Founder and President of Sea Shepherd. "What she and LUSH have contributed to this conservation effort is enormous. The cruelty of the shark finning industry was brought intimately into focus with the piercing of Alice's flesh and the dripping of her blood down her back. LUSH, Sea Shepherd, and Alice are very much aware that if we drive sharks to extinction, we will destroy our oceans, and if we do that, civilization will collapse and humanity will disappear. What Alice did was not just for the saving of sharks, but for the salvation of humankind. Our admiration for her sacrifice is profound, and the scars that she will bear represent a rare courage demonstrating that we all must do what we can with the talents we possess to save our oceans."

Today's dramatic enactment of the gruesome manner in which sharks are caught kicks off the beginning of a global campaign between LUSH and Sea Shepherd. Each of LUSH's storefronts across the UK now hosts window displays featuring Sea Shepherd's jolly roger flag, LCD screens playing a continuous loop of Shark Angels footage, and other educational materials.

LUSH's staff are dressing as pirates and handing out Sea Shepherd shark brochures (PDF) in an attempt to educate consumers about the desperate plight of sharks. Among other things, LUSH is urging consumers to boycott restaurants that serve shark fin soup and health food stores that sell shark cartilage supplements. LUSH has also delivered letters to local restaurants and health food stores asking them to "wash their hands" of this barbaric industry and stop selling shark products.

To assist these businesses in "cleaning up their act," LUSH has created a new and cruelty-free product especially for this campaign, called Shark Fin Soap. The UK stores plan to sell a limited batch of 11,416 bars, with 100% of the proceeds going to Sea Shepherd. Why 11,416 bars? In recognition of the fact that a staggering 11,416 sharks are killed every hour, and that populations are being wiped out faster than they can reproduce.

To learn more, watch the video, or purchase Shark Fin Soap, visit: www.lush.co.uk.

To read LUSH's press release, click here (PDF).

Source:
www.seashepherd.org/sharks/lush.html Para aproveitar ao máximo o Flickr, você deve usar um navegador que permita JavaScript e instalar a última versão do Macromedia Flash Player. Comentários MIRIAM GODET disse:

Humans kill 100 million sharks a year ...and for what?

Human beings are skilled at justification.

Every year humans slaughter over 100 million sharks yet we depict them as vicious and blood-thirsty killers.

The Brutal Business of Shark Finning
www.seashepherd.org/sharks/shark-finning.html

DEFENDING SHARKS
www.seashepherd.org/sharks/

What is a Longline?
www.seashepherd.org/sharks/longlining.html
Postado 2 minutos atrás. ( permalink | excluir | editar )

René

at 11:03 on November 3rd, 2009

Why blame it on all humans? I don't fish, or kill sharks, or even eat shark fin soup.

Who eats shark fin soup? Japanese. so the Japanese are the guilty ones.

Simples

at 05:55 on November 4th, 2009

Shark fins for sale.

Hong Kong's ghostly seas warn of looming global tragedy

Hong Kong is a microcosm of a marine disaster in which wild fish are being eaten out of existence worldwide.

The Brutal Business of Shark Finning

Human beings are skilled at justification.

Every year humans slaughter over 100 million sharks yet we depict them as vicious and blood-thirsty killers.

งาน (not verified)

at 01:49 on November 4th, 2009

Good Article

Saving Whales - Saving dolphins

at 04:58 on November 5th, 2009

China's growing middle class provides the biggest market for shark fin soup, with millions more newly rich Chinese being able to afford the luxury dish with each passing year. China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, South Korea, and Thailand are the biggest consumers of the tasteless dish, which sells for about ninety dollars a bowl. (Shark fins are worth about 300 dollars per pound).
But this methodical massacre is not the only way that sharks are being killed. The enormous scale of commercial long-line fishing and by-catch, habitat loss and destruction, particularly of their nursery areas in shallow waters near shores, pollution, and a variety of smaller operations which have great impact taken together, are drastically compounding the problem.

Sharks, around whom oceanic life has evolved for several hundreds of millions of years, are nearly gone, like the buffalo of the American west, but on a planetary scale. Life came from the oceans, and flowers on the earth because the oceans continue to moderate the planetary life support systems. But the destruction of the ocean's complex life will kill them. And how will we live, then?

Simples

at 02:19 on November 6th, 2009

Palau pioneers 'shark sanctuary'

Dear President Toribiong,

We congratulate and offer our deep gratitude to you and to the people of Palau for your courageous and intelligent creation of the National Shark Sanctuary in Palau.

We agree with your statement, Mr. President, that "the strength and beauty of sharks are a natural barometer for the health of our oceans".

We realize this is just a beginning and we support Palau in its desire to diligently enforce, as well as seek international assistance to enforce, these new shark protections.

We also want to acknowledge the efforts of the Palaun organizations whose efforts helped to create the National Shark Sanctuary. The Belau Tourism Association, Palau Visitors Authority, and Palau Chamber of Commerce faciliated the efforts of Shark Savers and other NGOs and individuals as we sought to defeat Palau Senate Bill 8-44, which threatened to re-open commercial shark fishing. The Palau Shark Sanctuary is an NGO that has worked for years to establish the National Shark Sanctuary in Palau.

Sign the 'thank you' to Palau

Xerife1

at 02:32 on November 6th, 2009

Palau pioneers 'shark sanctuary'

Stopping Demand for Shark Fin Soup in China Shark Savers joins forces with WildAid to persuade people in China to not eat shark fin soup... http://www.sharksavers.org/

Stopping Demand for Shark Fin Soup in ChinaStopping Demand for Shark Fin Soup in China

Shark populations have been driven towards extinction in the past 20 years, with numbers down over 90% in many areas. The primary reason is increased demand for shark fin soup in China. Demand outstrips supply as fishermen around the world, motivated by the high value of the fins, hunt down the last vestiges of once robust shark populations.

Fins of up to 73 million sharks each year pass through the Hong Kong shark fin markets into China and beyond. The number rises above 100 million sharks killed annually when commercial and recreational fishing and unintended by-catch are added. Sharks mature and reproduce slowly and cannot recover from this rate of catch.

Increased consumption of shark fin soup in China is in relation to its economic success. The soup is served at business dinners, banquets, and weddings as a symbol of status and prosperity. Consumers believe the soup to be highly nutritious.

But the truth is just the opposite. Sharks are potent concentrators of toxins that enter the oceans from industrial pollution, including methylmercury. Toxins accumulate as they move up the food chain from prey to predator. Sharks are at the top of the chain and retain the most toxins. The toxins then enter and remain in the people who eat sharks.

The removal of sharks from the oceans may be even more dangerous. For over 450 million years, sharks have been the guardians of the balance of the ocean ecosystem. Their demise has been shown to upset the entire food chain, with some species becoming too plentiful and causing the disappearance of other species important to man’s food supply. The elimination of sharks may yet bring an end to shark fin soup, but at too high a price for the sharks, the oceans, and mankind.

Fortunately, there is evidence the high demand for shark fin soup can be reduced. Research conducted in China indicates that when confronted with the truth, consumers will change their impression of the soup. Indeed, 82% of those who recently saw WildAid advertising claim they will stop eating the soup.

Since 1996, WildAid’s Active Conservation Awareness Program (ACAP) has effectively curbed the demand for illegal wildlife products. During 2007-08, WildAid developed and expanded its work to reduce demand for shark products, primarily in China. This campaign included television and billboard campaigns featuring leading Olympic stars pledged not to eat shark fin soup. The advertising featured the main stars of the Olympics Opening Ceremony, Yao Ming, who carried the Chinese flag for the Chinese team, Li Ning, who lit the giant torch and musician Liu Huan, who sang the official theme song of the 2008 Olympics.

In 2009, WildAid and Shark Savers have come together to amplify the impact of this awareness and education campaign in China to reduce consumption of shark fin soup. This campaign will utilize cultural, athletic, and business heroes of China, including basketball legend Yao Ming, to deliver a message proven to make shark fin soup socially unacceptable.

Both organizations have complimentary missions, are pooling their resources, skills, and energy to make sure this campaign is most effective before we reach the point of no return for shark conservation. WildAid's primary efforts in this campaign will be the development and airing of television, print, and outdoor advertising, and to leverage its network of influential Chinese. Shark Savers' focus will be on creating Internet and social networking messaging, a film and other materials, designed to empower people to become advocates for the cause in their families and communities. There will be additional elements of the campaign, as well.

We, at Shark Savers, are very excited to be working with WildAid on this campaign. No where in the world can we affect as big a change in shark consumption habits than in China. We think that, together, we have the right skills, message, and elements to 'close the sale' with the Chinese public. It is an urgent time as shark populations continue to dwindle, but we think that there are signs of real hope. With the athletic and cultural heroes and prominent businessmen that are coming together for this cause, and the already-proven message, we think we may be at a tipping point in China on the issue of shark fin soup.

Current status:

We have raised enough funds to produce the first phase of the campaign and to launch it. Production is in progress at the time of this writing. We urgently need additional funds to keep the campaign going.

Saving Whales - Saving dolphins

at 04:27 on November 8th, 2009

Help save sharks by spreading the word.
In the true-life documentary Sharkwater, director and biologist Rob Stewart sets out on a journey through 15 countries over five years, documenting the plight of our oceans through the eyes of one of the world's most misunderstood creatures, the shark.

As species of sharks are becoming extinct due to poaching, you can do your part by telling your friends to see Sharkwater and pass on the message that sharks are not man-eating monster and need our help!

Save the sharks, save the world.

Forward this email on to ten of you friends, or better still ALL OF YOUR FRIENDS and let them know they can help by seeing Sharkwater and spreading the word.

For more information, please visit www.sharkwater.com