Banning on Shark Fin
- Thread starter Casa_Nova
- Start date
So what is the shark's role in the ecosystem? Why should we care if they are hunted to extinction? Just asking.
jwm
Ban it.
we don't eat whales (though I have no problem with Inuit taking small numbers).
we don't eat lynx.
we don't eat baby seals
(but baby cows are delicious)
In fact we should ban eating a lot of species of fish that are suffering from depletion and/or extinction. Sharks included.
we don't eat whales (though I have no problem with Inuit taking small numbers).
we don't eat lynx.
we don't eat baby seals
(but baby cows are delicious)
In fact we should ban eating a lot of species of fish that are suffering from depletion and/or extinction. Sharks included.
More often than not sharks are an apex predator - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apex_predator
http://na.oceana.org/sites/default/...oads/Sharks/Predators_as_Prey_FINAL_FINAL.pdf
Thanks for that. I wasn't clear from your answer where jellyfish fitted in. Anyway, I did some googling and came across this article: http://news.discovery.com/animals/j...and-tuna-of-the-sea-110916.html#mkcpgn=hknws1
The irony comes at the end of the piece, i.e. "Large jellyfish are harvested from the North Andaman Sea near Ban Talay Nok, salted and then exported to China and Japan."
jwm
I know the question has been mostly answered, but in summary, the extermination of sharks would allow the entire ecosystem to be thrown out of whack. What each shark does to keep other marine populations in check is quite exhaustive, but suffice to say, sharks help keep a balance in the ocean and do not allow any one species to dominate the food web, which in turn keeps other populations even further down the food chain from being hunted to (near) extinction, which in turn keeps the oceans - marine plant life, reefs, etc., which in turn helps with atmospheric CO2 - robust and the planet healthy.
Here are a few supplemental articles:
http://articles.cnn.com/2008-12-10/...in-shark-populations-top-predator?_s=PM:WORLD
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/03/070329145922.htm
http://na.oceana.org/sites/default/...oads/Sharks/Predators_as_Prey_FINAL_FINAL.pdf
http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/news/1133/missing-sharks-upset-ecosystem-balance
http://www.sharksavers.org/en/education/why-sharks-are-important/710-sharks-role-in-the-oceans.html
I agree with what you are saying.
My issues are with those who simply jumped into name calling and generalizations without having anything to contribute.
People are jumping the gun on some of the things I wrote, and perhaps it's my fault for not being more clear. While I will not consider myself to be the most environmentally conscious person around, I do have the utmost respect for it. Animals are living beings as well and does not deserve to be treated with cruelty. I can be sympathetic towards the banning of shark fin while also feel a lost for perhaps not being able to consume something that has been a part of my cultural upbringing can I not? Nothing shark fin soup itself had anything to do with my upbringing, but the consumption of it at many significant events of my life certainly do mean something to me.
What is your role in the ecosystem? Why should anyone care if you're hunted down and killed?
What I really mean to say is that who are we to decide which species stay and which go when we are by far the worst species of all when it comes to destruction of the ecosystems.
BAN IT. Killing a magnicent animal for its fins for some stupid soup. A billion dollar industry supporting poachers.
Boil some old smelly socks add salt and onions and a bit of canola oil and those fin soupheads won't know the diff.
Known Fact - Humans are parisites on planet earth.
Boil some old smelly socks add salt and onions and a bit of canola oil and those fin soupheads won't know the diff.
Known Fact - Humans are parisites on planet earth.
I don't think they should ban Shark Fin. It's true that he mostly lurks, and a few of his reviews were nasty, but as far as I know, he never dissed an advertiser.
Your question has made me see the light. Hallelujah! Mr. Shark and I are now best buds...I think. But why does he keep looking at me as if I were a tin of human limb soup?
jwm
I know for a fact that SHARK FIN SOUP has never even played a concert in Toronto, so I have no idea why they would be banned from playing there.
http://www.webbandz.com/sharkfinsoup.htm
http://www.webbandz.com/sharkfinsoup.htm
Casa Nova, I appreciated reading your well-thought out post. I can appreciate the cultural implications you mention.
Having said that, I think if you take the time to research the practice of shark finning you will probably decide on your own that it's time to ban this barbaric method. I suggest you start by renting or buying a copy of the film "Sharkwater" produced by Toronto's Rob Stewart. This documentary is probably the thing that brought this whole industry to public view.
It is estimated that close to 100 million sharks a year are killed for their fins. Most of these are caught on long lines spread out for miles and miles across open ocean. These lines catch anything swimming past, but of course they also catch hundreds of sharks. These animals are hauled in, generally still alive, the fins and tails are sliced off, and the shark is pushed back into the water still alive, where it will surely drown.
Assuming for a moment that you just don't care about this aspect of it (and I don't imagine that that's the case) you need to remember that sharks are incredibly important to the ocean's eco systems. As the top predator, they simply keep things in check. Without sharks, the eco systems in our oceans will eventually suffer irreparable damage. Without our oceans, we're fucked. It's a bit of an over-simplification, but the science is undeniable.
As "Sharkwater" points out, sharks aren't "cuddley" and still suffer from the bad rap they got after "Jaws". All it takes is a few minutes on Google to learn that most of this reputation isn't deserved. As someone who has spent as much of his adult life in the ocean as possible, I can tell you that sharks don't spend their days swimming around looking for people to eat. I could quote all sorts of stats like the fact that more people are killed every year by vending machines falling on them than by sharks, but I'll let you discover those on your own. These are ancient, beautiful animals. I have spent many hours (as recently as last month) diving in the presence of sharks (including at night). They are often within touching distance and I have never had one show the tiniest bit of aggression.
And finally, you sound like a bright guy, so you probably already understand that there is absolutely no evidence that shark fins work as aphrodisiacs. None. (And no offense, but that last thing the world needs is more people, Asian or otherwise!) Similarly, these fins are not some kind of health food. As apex predators, shark's bodies are full of toxins and heavy metals, sadly. And they do get sick. And they do get cancers.
I hope you agree that all of this information trumps any "cultural right" you might feel entitled to.
www.sharkwater.com
Having said that, I think if you take the time to research the practice of shark finning you will probably decide on your own that it's time to ban this barbaric method. I suggest you start by renting or buying a copy of the film "Sharkwater" produced by Toronto's Rob Stewart. This documentary is probably the thing that brought this whole industry to public view.
It is estimated that close to 100 million sharks a year are killed for their fins. Most of these are caught on long lines spread out for miles and miles across open ocean. These lines catch anything swimming past, but of course they also catch hundreds of sharks. These animals are hauled in, generally still alive, the fins and tails are sliced off, and the shark is pushed back into the water still alive, where it will surely drown.
Assuming for a moment that you just don't care about this aspect of it (and I don't imagine that that's the case) you need to remember that sharks are incredibly important to the ocean's eco systems. As the top predator, they simply keep things in check. Without sharks, the eco systems in our oceans will eventually suffer irreparable damage. Without our oceans, we're fucked. It's a bit of an over-simplification, but the science is undeniable.
As "Sharkwater" points out, sharks aren't "cuddley" and still suffer from the bad rap they got after "Jaws". All it takes is a few minutes on Google to learn that most of this reputation isn't deserved. As someone who has spent as much of his adult life in the ocean as possible, I can tell you that sharks don't spend their days swimming around looking for people to eat. I could quote all sorts of stats like the fact that more people are killed every year by vending machines falling on them than by sharks, but I'll let you discover those on your own. These are ancient, beautiful animals. I have spent many hours (as recently as last month) diving in the presence of sharks (including at night). They are often within touching distance and I have never had one show the tiniest bit of aggression.
And finally, you sound like a bright guy, so you probably already understand that there is absolutely no evidence that shark fins work as aphrodisiacs. None. (And no offense, but that last thing the world needs is more people, Asian or otherwise!) Similarly, these fins are not some kind of health food. As apex predators, shark's bodies are full of toxins and heavy metals, sadly. And they do get sick. And they do get cancers.
I hope you agree that all of this information trumps any "cultural right" you might feel entitled to.
www.sharkwater.com
How will legislation work? Can it be legal today and illegal tomorrow, a period of transition is needed, grandfathering existing stocks of restaurants and seafood produces shop? Economic compensation if confiscation of shark fin from current owners? Enforceable?
Will it become another legal problem and years in court if the Chinese restaurants reject and would not go along?
Just some questions needed to dealt with if the ban go ahead.
Will it become another legal problem and years in court if the Chinese restaurants reject and would not go along?
Just some questions needed to dealt with if the ban go ahead.
