I recently recieved an email from my friend who has been living in China for the last ten years. He wrote a short article about sharks. The content is disturbing to say the least. I am not sure if the pictures that were attached will transfer onto this post, but there are links to several groups, including the movie "Sharkwater" that he talks about. I got him to join Goodreads and he has posted some other articles that I think are worthy of looking at as well. Hopefully, he will join our group. He has been a great inspiration to me for the past 14 or 15 years. Kind of like the big brother I never had. So, without further ado, here's the article and links. I hope it has as much interest to you as it does to me as I have a great interest in our worlds conservation. If you would like the original email, drop me a line and I will send it to you. Chad has given permision to pass this along to as many people as possible.
Howdy all,
Please read if you have a moment (and I know you do).
Sharks have survived through five major extinctions over the past 450 million years. They have also survived a load of hysterical media hype; like the so called ‘year of the shark’ that saw the publication of dozens of fear mongering articles warning the public of this supposedly menacing danger from the deep (only five people died from shark attacks that year—as opposed to over a hundred from elephant attacks and dozens from bee stings. But with an innumerate public that gobbles this stuff up it’s hard for many to get a realistic perspective on these things). The sad news is that there is a real chance that these amazing creatures may become extinct in the next few years because of the wholesale slaughter that is being perpetuated against them now.
Currently, sharks are being hunted at the staggering rate of 100 million a year. Their numbers have dwindled by 90% in the last few decades and there is a real danger that stocks will fall to the point where recovery is impossible (Sharks, unlike most fish, only have one pup a year and they take years to grow to sexual maturity). The vast majority of this obscene catch is to supply the East Asian hankering for a ‘delicacy’ known as shark fin soup. Shark fin itself has no taste, so pork or chicken broth and shitake mushrooms are added to give it its flavor. So you might wonder what the allure of shark fin soup is. Well, according to some, sharks parts—such as fins and cartilage—have amazing curative properties. The problem is it’s simply not true. Scientific tests has repeatedly shown that there is no known medicinal uses for these shark products. Its just wacky folk medicine at it’s worse.
We do know that sharks are good for something though and that is as an integral part of the ocean’s dwindling biodiversity and increasingly precarious food chain.
I just watched the incredible film ‘Sharkwater’ last night and it very eloquently spells out how this tragedy is unfolding. I hope everyone will check it out. If you don't have access to the film just send me your full mailing address and I will send you a copy of it. I only ask that when your done you pass it on to others and ask them do the same.
Below are some pictures that show how 250,000 tons of sharks are thrown back into the ocean each year to die after having their fins harvested. Please help support sustainable use of the ocean by not buying any shark meat or shark byproducts—or patronizing businesses that sell this stuff. It’s only when the demand is gone that the killing will stop.
Howdy all,
Please read if you have a moment (and I know you do).
Sharks have survived through five major extinctions over the past 450 million years. They have also survived a load of hysterical media hype; like the so called ‘year of the shark’ that saw the publication of dozens of fear mongering articles warning the public of this supposedly menacing danger from the deep (only five people died from shark attacks that year—as opposed to over a hundred from elephant attacks and dozens from bee stings. But with an innumerate public that gobbles this stuff up it’s hard for many to get a realistic perspective on these things). The sad news is that there is a real chance that these amazing creatures may become extinct in the next few years because of the wholesale slaughter that is being perpetuated against them now.
Currently, sharks are being hunted at the staggering rate of 100 million a year. Their numbers have dwindled by 90% in the last few decades and there is a real danger that stocks will fall to the point where recovery is impossible (Sharks, unlike most fish, only have one pup a year and they take years to grow to sexual maturity). The vast majority of this obscene catch is to supply the East Asian hankering for a ‘delicacy’ known as shark fin soup. Shark fin itself has no taste, so pork or chicken broth and shitake mushrooms are added to give it its flavor. So you might wonder what the allure of shark fin soup is. Well, according to some, sharks parts—such as fins and cartilage—have amazing curative properties. The problem is it’s simply not true. Scientific tests has repeatedly shown that there is no known medicinal uses for these shark products. Its just wacky folk medicine at it’s worse.
We do know that sharks are good for something though and that is as an integral part of the ocean’s dwindling biodiversity and increasingly precarious food chain.
I just watched the incredible film ‘Sharkwater’ last night and it very eloquently spells out how this tragedy is unfolding. I hope everyone will check it out. If you don't have access to the film just send me your full mailing address and I will send you a copy of it. I only ask that when your done you pass it on to others and ask them do the same.
Below are some pictures that show how 250,000 tons of sharks are thrown back into the ocean each year to die after having their fins harvested. Please help support sustainable use of the ocean by not buying any shark meat or shark byproducts—or patronizing businesses that sell this stuff. It’s only when the demand is gone that the killing will stop.
Chad ‘Hammerhead’ Bagley
For more info look up:
http://www.seashepherd.org/
http://www.sharkalliance.org/
http://www.sharkwater.com/index.php
Please pass this on to others who may benefit.