Shark finning article sparks outcry from conservationists - Polidicks

[release] INTERNATIONAL organisations and local conservation groups are rallying to protect sharks in Bahamian waters following a Tribune article exposing the potential for shark finning in Andros. Sunco Wholesale Seafood Ltd CEO James Mackey told The Tribune he would consider expanding his sea cucumber export operation in Mastic Point, North Andros, to include the export of shark fins to Hong Kong. His comments sparked outcry from conservationists throughout the Bahamas and around the world as sharks are increasingly being fished to serve emerging markets for their meat and fins, which are used in soups and[B] can fetch more than $200 per kilogram[/B],[B] and global shark populations have declined by as much as 80 per cent worldwide.[/B] The Bahamas boasts the healthiest and most biologically diverse shark populations in the Atlantic as they have never been considered more than worthless bycatch, and the ban of long-line fishing following a BNT campaign 20 years ago greatly has decreased that risk. However, there is also no legislation in place to prevent the taking of shark fins or catching and killing of sharks, and the Bahamas National Trust (BNT), in partnership with the Pew Environment Group, is launching a campaign to put such legislation in place. Shark campaign manager Shelley Cant said: "The BNT wants to further secure the future of all shark populations in the Bahamas by establishing legislation that fully protects these important species and make Bahamian waters a shark sanctuary." The blossoming shark campaign has already won support from The Nature Conservancy, BREEF, Friends of the Environment, Earthcare, The Bahamas Sea Turtle Conservation Group, the Bahamas Humane Society, ReEarth, Tropic Sea Food and Envirologic Bahamas - all of which have vowed to lobby the government for legislation to protect the ocean's top predator. International shark protection organizations Stop Shark Finning and Shark Advocates International have also stepped up to support the fight. Duncan Carson, of Stop Shark Finning, called on Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources Larry Cartwright to state the government's position on the issue following Monday's Tribune article, which he has distributed to around 22,000 readers of the group's website. [B]"Aside from being a barbaric practice, if it were allowed in the Bahamas, shark finning would soon decimate shark populations,"[/B] Mr Carson wrote to Mr Cartwright. [B]"I can understand the desire to increase employment in the area, but this employment would be short lived, and would cease once the sharks had been killed."[/B] Mr Carson and others have called on the government to recognize the economic benefits sharks can generate for marine ecotourism instead, such as recreational diving, shark feeding and shark watching. As a former fisherman, Mr Cartwright agreed the country's healthy shark populations should be protected. "We don't have a position on it yet, or any legislation to govern that right now," the Minister stated. "But as a former fisherman, I think sharks need to be protected; all marine species do, they all serve a purpose. "I wouldn't say shark finning is not going to happen here because what's happening elsewhere I am sure will come this way eventually, and when the time comes we will look into legislation." BNT executive director Eric Carey said: "Shark fisheries are not sustainable and as such, all shark fishery, except for catch and release sports fishing, should be discouraged. "Permanent protections for sharks should be considered by the relevant government agency now, especially in light of recent developments." [B]***FACT BOX: (maybe for turn page)[/B] [B] - Up to 73 million sharks are killed every year to supply the shark fin trade[/B] [B] - Of the 1,045 shark and ray species assessed by scientists for the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), 17 per cent are threatened with extinction and another 13 per cent have near-threatened status[/B] [B] - For 47 per cent of species scientists lack enough data to properly assess their population status[/B] [B] - There are 315 shark and ray species currently classified as threatened or near threatened with extinction, according to the IUCN including the great, scalloped, and smooth hammerhead sharks, whale shark, great white shark, oceanic whitetip shark and the shortfin mako shark.[/B] [B] - Declines in populations of sharks by as much to 70-80 per cent have been reported globally[/B] [B] - Some populations such as the porbeagle sharks int he northwestern Atlantic, have been reduced by 90 per cent or more[/B] [B] - Shark bycatch is frequently reported pelagic long-line fisheries targetting tuna and swordfish and can represent as much as 25 per cent of the total catch.[/B] [B] - The value of shark fins has increased with economic growth in Asia and this increased value is a major factor in the commercial exploitation of sharks worldwide.[/B] [B] - The removal of large sharks can negatively impact whole ecosystems by allowing an increase in the abundance of their prey, or influencing prey species through non-lethal means by causing behavioural changes to prey habitat use, activity level and diet[/B] [B] - Live sharks have a significant value for marine ecotourism such as recreational diving, shark feeding and shark watching[/B] [URL]http://www.tribune242.com/news/090102010_sharkfinning_news_pg1[/URL] [B]Stunning video footage used in fight to save Bahama's sharks [/B] Regardless of how people feel about sharks, or underwater feeding operations that lure sharks in for the benefit of scuba-diving tourists, they're bound to appreciate the spectacular footage in the accompanying video, produced by [URL="http://www.idivesharks.com/profile/joeromeiro"]Joe Romeiro[/URL]. It features renowned dive master [URL="http://www.idivesharks.com/profile/CristinaZenato?xg_source=profiles_memberList"]Cristina Zenato[/URL] at the center of a feeding session at [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Bahama"]Grand Bahama Island[/URL], and builds to a climax moment when Zenato takes a large shark into her lap and rubs its snout until it becomes so mesmerized that she's able to stand the predator by its snout on the palm of her hand (beginning at the 2:00 mark). [media]http://youtube.com/watch?v=WK2LpUoqX6A[/media] (basically the same article above re-written:) The video, posted Friday on [URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WK2LpUoqX6A&feature=player_embedded"]YouTube[/URL], portrays Caribbean reef sharks as beautiful, graceful creatures that comprise a valued centerpiece attraction of island eco-tourism operations. Romeiro produced the video after learning these same sharks might soon fall victim to large-scale slaughter. The [URL="http://www.tribune242.com/news/090102010_sharkfinning_news_pg1"]Bahama Tribune reported recently[/URL] that there are no laws to protect sharks from finning operations, and that at least one seafood company is considering expanding its cucumber export business on Andros Island to include the export of shark fins to Hong Kong. "All those sharks could be killed," Romeiro complained. Shark finning is carried out globally to satisfy demand, mostly in China, for shark-fin soup. Finning operations kill up to 100 million sharks per year, by some estimates, and imperil several shark species. The waters around the Bahamas contain a robust population of Caribbean reef sharks, which have not yet been targeted. While expanded fishing operations might increase local employment they'd provide only a short-term economic boost, opponents of finning say, lasting only until the sharks were fished out. Larry Cartwright, the Bahamas' minister of agriculture and marine resources, agreed that sharks ought to be protected but acknowledged that there is no official government position against finning, and that there are no legislative safeguards in place. "I wouldn't say shark finning is not going to happen here because what's happening elsewhere I am sure will come this way eventually," Cartwright told the Tribune. "And when the time comes we will look into legislation." Meanwhile, the [URL="http://www.bnt.bs/"]Bahamas National Trust[/URL], in partnership with the [URL="http://www.pewtrusts.org/our_work_category.aspx?id=110"]Pew Environmental Group[/URL], has launched a campaign to create legislation that would ban finning, and nearly a dozen environmental groups, including the [URL="http://support.nature.org/site/PageServer?pagename=googlecheckout_mbr"]Nature Conservancy[/URL], have begun lobbying on behalf of the sharks. With his video, entitled "[I]Nina Salerosa[/I]," Romeiro has taken an artistic approach to the campaign. Since Friday it has been viewed by more than 15,000 people. [URL]http://www.petethomasoutdoors.com/2010/09/bahama-sharks-finning.html[/URL] [/release] :coolfish: To [IMG]http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/3300/uncoolfish.gif[/IMG] Bad news for the sharks if they do this.

This is why capitalism is the best economic system.

Damn, 80% decline? I had no clue... You only hear about the cute little dolphins.

80%? By God. Someone sample all those sharks [And dolphins, white tigers, snow leopards, you know the rest] and clone them later on for fuck's sake. Jesus. I hope we have some genome backups to revive these species.

[QUOTE=Eudoxia;24871544]80%? By God. Someone sample all those sharks [And dolphins, white tigers, snow leopards, you know the rest] and clone them later on for fuck's sake. Jesus. I hope we have some genome backups to revive these species.[/QUOTE] WE SHALL REBUILD THEM! :science: [sp]too bad it's not that simple[/sp]

[QUOTE=Eudoxia;24871544]80%? By God. Someone sample all those sharks [And dolphins, white tigers, snow leopards, you know the rest] and clone them later on for fuck's sake. Jesus. I hope we have some genome backups to revive these species.[/QUOTE] I couldn't help but think of Jurassic Park. Though it sounds like a plausible idea for repopulating the species. I'd like to investigate the idea with endangered whales and other animals when I get my marine bio degree.

I heard about this years ago and only now are people noticing. They will forget all about it as soon as something else comes up.

[QUOTE=Agent_Wesker;24872049]I heard about this years ago and only now are people noticing. They will forget all about it as soon as something else comes up.[/QUOTE] Shark finning has been a "popular" subject for at least 20 years now. The only people who will forget about it are the people who care more about their BS celebrities than a real issue that could affect our entire planet. Personally, shark finning is my biggest pet peve and plan on doing something about it in the future.

C'mon Bahamas, you've had 20 years to work on that legislation.

[QUOTE=JWJ;24871614]WE SHALL REBUILD THEM! :science: [sp]too bad it's not that simple[/sp][/QUOTE] Do we even have the technology?

[QUOTE=Lone_Star94;24872408]Do we even have the technology?[/QUOTE] We have the technology to stop killing them, which should be enough.