Scientists warn against eating shark fins this Chinese New Year

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I have been a prolific scuba diver for over 10 years and have become saddened and appalled by the decline in the state of the oceans, especially with regard to the populations of large predatory fish like sharks and tuna.  My buddies and I are now finding it harder and harder to find places in the world where sharks can be encountered at all or in reasonable numbers.  For example, in Manado Indonesia, sharks were sighted on every dive 5-10 years ago, now you are lucky to see one small one in 2 weeks.  The Sea of Cortez is now fished out of sharks and large rays.  The Oceanic whitetip shark is extinct in the Gulf of Mexico and was once the most numerous large animal on planet Earth.  The greatest shark sanctuaries on earth in the Galapagos Islands and Cocos Island still have large numbers, but speak to anyone who dived there 10 years ago and they will tell you the numbers are low compared to what they were.  I really do feel that in 5-10 years there will be nowhere that large sharks can be seen, with the possible exception of small protected areas in places like South Africa.  This is an absolute disgrace and a real demonstration of the catastrophic inability of Governments and people to get a grip of important issues. 

The sole reason for this decline is the shark fin trade.  By definition all those who consume shark fin soup are responsible for it and no lame excuses about politeness, custom or tradition will do.  The poverty stricken fishermen responsible may do it out of desperation to feed their families and probably know know better, but you are educated and do not depend on such  novelty foods for your survival.  You have the power to cut the demand by refusing to patronize those who serve it..so use that power.  Will your experienceof life be less for cutting it out?...no.  If you continue as you are future generations will look on you as irresponsible and barbaric, in the same way we now look at those who still hunt whales. You support a whole industry, from fishing fleets, to markets, to the mafia.

We need to put aside political correctness and other nonsense that is always a bar (or excuse) to avoid effective action.  Governments need to get a grip and use coastguard and naval vessels to agressively police protected areas and territorial waters.  Countries with navies should offer their services, where possible, to aid poorer or weaker countries.  They need to act unilaterally in the face of objections from the countries and criminal organisations who sponsor this plunder.  All illegal fishing vessels should be seized, the crews detained and the vessels scuttled...no nonsense...this is the only way to save sharks now the situation has got so out of control.  On a localized level, some countries, like Egypt,  now realise they make more money from sharks as tourist attractions and this needs to be promoted and supported too.

Lets face it, we are only one species and do not have the right to destroy other species at will.  By doing so we may ultimately bring about our own destruction as we have no idea of the consequences of removing such important animals from the ecosystem.

I use every opportunity to educate people about the real face of sharks, having dived with a huge variety of species.  I have been amazed by their intelligence and supreme adaptation to the world they live in.  Even the greatest predatory fish of them all, the great white shark, can be dived with outside of a cage and is an intensely curious, wary animal.  I can guarantee that seeing animals such as whalesharks, great whites, schools of silky sharks, bronze whalers working baitballs etc, changes your outlook on things for good.  I now refuse to eat any tuna or other fish and would instantly call for the manager in any establishment that sold shark products of any kind, like a supermarket or  restaurant.  I would implore everyone to do the same.  Sharks have been here for around 400 million years and have survived the mass extinctions that have struck this planet several times in the past.  To my mind that gives them more right to be here than us, so lets face up to our responsibilities, ditch our arrogance and see ourselves for what we are...just one species who has a right to exist...not the only one.