Shark Finning Advertising in San Francisco

In February of this year, I was in San Francisco visiting an old friend from high school.  Since, she had just given birth 2 weeks prior to my visit, plus she had a 2.5 year old, and myself a 6 month old, needless, to say we didn't get out of the house much.  However, one of the days, it was just too beautiful outside to pass up a trip to the beach.  Since we all couldn't fit in her car, we hopped on the San Francisco MUNI bus.  At first it was a shock, then a double turn, and then with great surprise that I would find an advertisement for shark finning on a bus in San Francisco.  However, seeing this ad filled my heart with warmth.  It was great to see some pro-active ads to stop shark finning right here in the good ol' USA.  


After I returned from the USA, I did a quick Google about the ads to gain more information about them.  This is what I discovered.   


Shark Savers has joined WildAid, Oceana, and the Humane Society in an advertising campaign to run in San Francisco MUNI buses to combat the consumption of shark fin soup. In addition to reducing shark fin soup consumption, the purpose of the campaign is to boost community awareness in the San Francisco Bay Area and support the ongoing efforts to pass the California Shark Fin Ban, AB376.

The campaign is running between March 21 and June 18, 2011, in both English and Chinese. It will run on over 275 queen, tail and interior ads will run on San Francisco MUNI buses.  Buses routes were chosen that run directly through Chinatown as well as other neighborhoods with high concentration of Asians such as Richmond, Excelsior and Sunset.

Three ads are running, now. Click on the image below to view some of the ads making their way through San Francisco.

Ad #1 is with NBA All-Star Yao Ming, asking consumers to Just Say No to shark fin soup. Click on the images below to expand the view.

Ad #2 talks about the high levels of of the neurotoxin mercury that is found in sharks at elevated levels.

Ad #3 addresses the act of shark finning and how up to 73 million sharks end up in shark find soup.

Source: http://www.sharksavers.org/en/blogs/729-sanfranciscoadcampaigncombatssharkfinsoup.html