Shark finning is the practice of slicing off the shark's fins while the shark is still alive and throwing the rest of its body back into the ocean where it can take days to die what must be an agonising death. Some sharks starve to death, others are slowly eaten by other fish, and some drown, because sharks need to keep moving to force water through their gills for oxygen. Shark fins are used as the principal ingredient of shark fin soup, an Asian "delicacy". Demand for shark fin soup has rocketed in recent years due to the increased prosperity of China and other countries in the Far East. Shark fin soup, which can easily cost $100 a bowl, is often served at wedding celebrations so that the hosts can impress their guests with their affluence. Because there is such a high demand for shark fins, traders can make a lot of money from shark fin, but it is the restaurant owners who really "make a killing" in this foul trade.
Not only is the finning of sharks barbaric, but their indiscriminate slaughter at an unsustainable rate is pushing many species to the brink of extinction. Since the 1970s the populations of several species have been decimated by over 95%. Due to the clandestine nature of finning, records are rarely kept of the numbers of sharks and species caught. Estimates are based on declared imports to shark fin markets such as Hong Kong and China.
If you are concerned about the plight of sharks - an animal that has been around since before the dinosaurs - there are plenty of things you can do to help... keep on reading to know more.
(from http://www.stopsharkfinning.net/ )
10 THINGS YOU DO TO HELP STOP SHARK FINNING:
1. Don't eat shark fin soup! Don't eat in restaurants that serve it.
2. Boycott any product that uses shark.
3. Tell people about it! This is extremely important. Tell your friends and tell them to pass the message on to their friends. Grassroots communication is vital for causes like this.
4. Write to the press, TV stations. Send emails, make phone calls.
5. Step up the pressure on companies that trade in shark products. Write to them saying you will boycott ALL their products. If you know of a restaurant that has shark fin soup or meat on the menu tell them you will not eat there until they remove shark from the menu.
6. Support organizations that are fighting to save marine wildlife such as Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and Wild Aid
7. Visit Stop Shark Finning
8. Raise awareness on this issue creating a "Stop Shark Finning" account in networking sites as MySpace, Facebook etc
9. Buy a Stop Shark Finning T-Shirt and help raise awareness (all profits go to Sea Shepherd).
10. Go shark diving! The more money that can be made from seeing sharks in the wild, the more incentive there is for communities to conserve populations.
RELATED SITES
- Stop Shark Finning
- Stop Shark Finning - Videos
- Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
- Shark Friends
- Shark Attacks
- Shark Trust
- HSUS - Shark Finning
- Wild Aid
- Adopt a Shark
- Shark Water
- Shark Life News
- Stop Shark Finning .com
- Stop Shark Finning @ MySpace
PETITIONS:
- Stop Shark Definning
- Global Ban on Shark Finning
- Message to Alibaba
- Stop Shark Slaughter
- Stop Distribution of Shark Finns
- For a Strong Overfishing Rule
- International Trade Endangers Sharks - Take Action
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