So what can be done to stop it? The shark fin soup that I eat is always vegetarian, I've never come across shark fin products.Evo said:Beware of foul language, so if you don't want to hear it, please do not watch. This is terrible, and it needs to stop.
Laws, but more importantly *enforcement* of those laws. The laws that do exist are not enforced.Monique said:So what can be done to stop it? The shark fin soup that I eat is always vegetarian, I've never come across shark fin products.
It gets worse. The current law states that the fin has to be "naturally attached to the corresponding carcass". I won't link it here, but if you dare, google "shark fin naturally attached loophole".Evo said:Laws, but more importantly *enforcement* of those laws. The laws that do exist are not enforced.
Indeed, that sparked my question what should then be done. I've known about it for about 15 years and always checked whether the soup contained fins or not, which it never did. The soup would be expensive with fins. Where exactly it it being consumed? I always thought it was a Chinese thing.lisab said:This issue has been around a while
It's spreading throughout Asia. And apparently becoming more popular in the western world. It used to be limited to the upper class, but as the documentary shows, has become widespread, and the amount of sharks butchered in this fashion is staggering.Monique said:Indeed, that sparked my question what should then be done. I've known about it for about 15 years and always checked whether the soup contained fins or not, which it never did. The soup would be expensive with real fins. Where exactly it it being consumed? I always thought it was a Chinese thing.
Omg.russ_watters said:it gets worse. The current law states that the fin has to be "naturally attached to the corresponding carcass". I won't link it here, but if you dare, google "shark fin naturally attached loophole".
The short of it is that apparently the government of costa rica isn't too interested in the spirit of what that phrase means and is allowing the fishermen to be rather loose in their interpretation of just how much of a shark constitutes a "carcass": It's just the spine and enough skin to connect the pectoral fins to it (conveniently, that's enough skin to roll-up the spine and tie it off into a pretty little package).
Evo said:. It used to be limited to the upper class, but as the documentary shows, has become widespread
gravenewworld said:Laws shmaws, poor people all over the world do not and will not ever care about laws, even if they're enforced, if harvesting shark fins gives them income and food on their table, whether they have to sell fins legally or on a black market. The people finning sharks many times are very poor. They throw the rest of the carcass back into the water because the added weight of 100 sharks would increase the need to consume fuel from all of the added weight. No one wants the meat when shark fins can sell for several hundred dollars a kilo. The only way to combat it is to combat a deeply ingrained culture in Asia. Good luck with that. I have no doubt many species of fish/whales/sharks are going to go extinct in my lifetime. Hopefully I'll be dead before the major consequences of these actions start arising. The other option could be nursery/farming type operations to raise sharks for finning. Whether that is even possible or not, I have no clue. At least it would prevent extinction. You could then flood the market with mass produced shark fins to depress global prices of shark fins (in theory) which would naturally deter people from spending the effort to harvest shark fins from the wild. You're fighting a losing battle when you say no one should eat shark fin soup. You simply come off as an arrogant Westerner that thinks they know everything and sound like an ethnocentric tool. You aren't going to convince Asian people to stop eating shark fin soup by nagging.
I'm not saying Asian cultures are incapable of change, I'm just saying that they simply don't want to. Why should they listen to a Westerner? Younger Chinese don't accept the practice of shark fin soup as much as older generations do, but many younger Chinese still do, and a grand, lavish wedding is not complete without shark fin soup to show off how much money you have. It will take at least 2 or 3 generations as well as substantial public service announcements to get people over there to change. By then it will be too late.StatGuy2000 said:Your post above suggests that Asian cultures are somehow incapable of cultural change or shifts in culture, which is far from reality.
It is indeed true that the growth of the middle class in China and other Asian countries and their to emulate the practices of their wealthier citizens have fed the popularity of items like shark fin soup and bird's nest soup, which has contribued to the reduced populations of numerous animal species. However, there are also growing numbers of younger Asians who, through exposure to the West and greater awareness of environmental issues, are increasingly challenging those particular traditions.
The key to changing perceptions within Asian countries is for Asian activists to build a grassroots movement to combat the trafficking in animal parts such as these, as well as work with the leadership of the various Asian countries to step up enforcement of laws prohibiting the trading of such animal parts. It is also critically important for any such efforts to provide alternatives for the local fishermen in various countries from harvesting in shark fins, in much the same way that the Thai government had worked closely with villagers to provide an alternative to the cultivation of opium poppies. Only through a combined effort such as these can a real difference be made, but I am optimistic enough to think that this is doable.
True. People do tend to forget that ideas like animal welfare are actually luxuries that require money to afford.gravenewworld said:Laws shmaws, poor people all over the world do not and will not ever care about laws, even if they're enforced, if harvesting shark fins gives them income and food on their table, whether they have to sell fins legally or on a black market.
gravenewworld said:a
I'm not saying Asian cultures are incapable of change, I'm just saying that they simply don't want to. Why should they listen to a Westerner? Younger Chinese don't accept the practice of shark fin soup as much as older generations do, but many younger Chinese still do, and a grand, lavish wedding is not complete without shark fin soup to show off how much money you have. It will take at least 2 or 3 generations as well as substantial public service announcements to get people over there to change. By then it will be too late.
There's simply too much corruption in the developing and 2nd world to get governments to rapidly change. There's always going to be a black market for highly endangered animal parts. It will take too long to get 6+ billion on the people on the planet, all of their governments, and enforcement to change while simultaneously keeping corruption out of the equation.
You are much more optimistic than me on outlook/possibilities. I hope to be dead in around 40 years, which may only be a few years after most species of shark, tuna, whales, wild salmon, and a dozen other species of fish have been permanently killed off. Or just start preserving the DNA of all species left on the planet and start cloning them after their wild stocks become virtually 0.
Evo said:It's horrific because an entire shark is being killed and wasted for a tasteless part that would normally be thrown away, just because of greed. The people that buy, do so for the status, because it has no taste.
Weren't you in the Peace Corps?Greg Bernhardt said:I find it hard to believe that cutting off a sharks fin is the only opportunity for these poor workers.
Having animals on the menu is a luxury and requires money to afford.. and these people who harvest shark fins could slice a major artery and let the animal bleed to death within a minute, that doesn't require any money. And if they're so poor, why not use the entire animal?russ_watters said:True. People do tend to forget that ideas like animal welfare are actually luxuries that require money to afford.
I understand but from the photos I've seen it doesn't look like the work of a few poor people. Millions of sharks a are killed for the fin. You can't do that in a little sail boat by a malnourished peasant.russ_watters said:Weren't you in the Peace Corps?
In Somalia, desperation leads people to piracy.
StatGuy2000 said:If we follow your own logic strictly as stated above, then Western nations like the US and Britain would have continued to engage in the transatlantic slave trade -- and Western cultures are certainly not immune to resistance to change traditions either. So your pessimism above is both unwarranted and even a little condescending.
It's not listening to lectures from Westerners, per se, that matter. It's about being exposed to and being influenced by other, new ideas as Asian countries like China have opened themselves up to the rest of the world in terms of trade, travel, communications, etc. Within that timeframe, practices that were acceptable are being challenged on a variety of areas, including the use of animal products, whether they be shark fin soup, bird's nest soup, ivory, etc.
Of course, waiting for cultures to change is not in itself sufficient to prevent overfishing, poaching, etc. that could lead to extinctions. This is where a worldwide effort to enforce laws, work with local peoples to provide alternatives to poaching, trade sanctions, etc. can take into effect. And I feel that my optimism is not unwarranted or naive, because species have been saved/rescued from extinction in the past, and I see no reason to believe it cannot happen again.
Asian shark fin butchery is the practice of catching sharks, removing their fins, and discarding the rest of the body. The fins are then dried and used to make shark fin soup, a traditional delicacy in some Asian cultures.
Asian shark fin butchery is considered a horror because it is a cruel and unsustainable practice. Sharks are often caught through brutal methods, such as finning, where their fins are cut off while they are still alive and then thrown back into the ocean to die. This practice not only causes immense suffering to the sharks, but it also disrupts the balance of the ocean's ecosystem.
Asian shark fin butchery has had a devastating impact on shark populations. It is estimated that over 100 million sharks are killed every year for their fins, leading to a decline in shark populations by up to 90% in some species. This not only affects the sharks themselves, but it also has a ripple effect on the entire marine ecosystem.
Aside from the depletion of shark populations, asian shark fin butchery also has several environmental consequences. As sharks are apex predators, their absence can cause imbalances in the food chain, leading to an increase in the populations of their prey. This, in turn, can have negative impacts on other marine species and even affect the health of coral reefs.
Yes, there are several efforts being made to stop asian shark fin butchery. Many countries have implemented laws and regulations to ban shark finning and the sale of shark fins. There are also organizations and campaigns dedicated to raising awareness about the issue and promoting sustainable alternatives to shark fin soup. However, more needs to be done to effectively stop this cruel and unsustainable practice.