Oregon Proposes to Ban Shark Finning

SALEM, Ore., Aug. 4 (UPI) -- Oregon has passed a bill conservationists say puts the state firmly in a national effort to end the trade in shark fins.

Gov. John Kitzhaber signed bill the Thursday banning the sale, trade and possession of shark fins, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The fins, highly prized as a food delicacy in Asia, are often cut from a live shark, which is then thrown back in the ocean where it can bleed to death, drown or be attacked by predators.

"With the global trade in shark fins pushing sharks toward extinction, it will take strong actions such as this to prevent us from making irreversible changes to our ocean ecosystems," Whit Sheard of Oceana, a maritime conservation organization, said of Oregon's action.

Oregon joins Hawaii and Washington in banning the practice, and President Barack Obama signed federal legislation this year tightening a ban on shark finning in U.S. waters.

Read more: http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2011/08/04/Oregon-joins-movement-to-ban-shark-finning/UPI-99511312508005/#ixzz1UWnwBr97

Shark Finning Continued by INCOPESCA

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica -- The following is a reprint of "Shark Finning Continues", an editorial by Randall Arauz, President of PRETOMA, which appeared in Periódico La Nación, Costa Rica. August 1, 2011. Op-Ed Section.

"Shark finning is prohibited in Costa Rica and there is no reason to be concerned about it", said INCOPESCA's [Costa Rican Institute of Fishing and Aquaculture] President, Jorge Dobles, during a hearing with the Legislative Assembly's Environmental Commission on Thursday, July 21st. This comment lead to liberation party congressman Alfonso Pérez's remark to the Commission, questioning the existence of organizations that fight against shark finning, and denouncing massive donations to fight against an industry that doesn't even exist.

First, INCOPESCA allowed foreign vessels to sidestep fishery's controls by docking at private docks before landing at the public dock. This was only stopped when a group of Puntarenas fisher folk threatened to block the arrival of a cruise ship if INCOPESCA didn't mandate foreign vessels to land their entire cargo at public docks before continuing on to their private facilities. The Taiwanese captain of the first Belize flagged vessel to land its cargo under these conditions was recently found guilty and fined by the court system for having landed 2,000 Kg of finless shark carcasses. This exposed a harsh reality: the privacy conditions that foreign fleet's demand and that INCOPESCA vehemently defends since 1998, creates the perfect scenario for shark finning in this country, regardless of the presence, or not, of fishery inspectors.My personal opinion is that the international fishing fleet continues to illegally commercialize shark fins. Since the closure of the private docks to the landing of foreign fleets as of December 1st, 2010, we've documented how INCOPESCA has used every trick in the book conceivable to protect the shark finning industry's private interests in Puntarenas. Regrettably, it's once again the same old song and dance.

Since this incident, we've seen how the foreign fleet has now moved to Nicaraguan Pacific ports, where shark fins are loaded into Costa Rican trucks and imported into our nation. The transshipping of fins inside the Exclusive Economic Zone has also been well documented. The most recent ploy is "partial landings" at public docks. Certainly, fisheries products are landed at the private dock, but the shark cargo is immediately moved to private dock facilities, where it's weighed and the fins separated from the carcasses.

Having said this, isn't it relevant to the protection of the public interest to have all imported products weighed and the separation of fins done within the boundaries of public infrastructure? INCOPESCA assures us that we have nothing to worry about because everything that goes on inside the private docks in done under close inspector supervision. Yes, but these are the same useless inspectors that for 13 years didn't confiscate a single shark fin from these private docks!

In closing, Mr. Luis Dobles' comment isn't surprising given he answers to INCOPESCA's board of directors, which in turn protects the interests of the foreign "shark finning" fleet. What is somewhat surprising is congressman Pérez's remark, as due to his investiture, he can't claim to ignore this national reality. He must read the papers, watch the news, or at least listen to the radio. Could it be that he supports this nefarious industry? I'd like to extend an offer to the Environmental Commission to help in any way it sees fit.

My Personal Opinion:  Another example, of how rules and regulations will never work as long as there are still loopholes and government officials willing to turn their backs and not enforce these regulations that they make.  A regulation does absolutely no good until one is willing to enforce it.  One day, and sooner than later, when all the sharks are fished out of our waters, then mother nature will show us her wrath.  We can't live without healthy oceans!!  We humans depend on them and the oceans depend on the sharks...circle of life!  

California Shark Finning Ban Update

The San Francisco Chronicle is reporting that the California Assembly “overwhelmingly approved” (62-8 vote) a measure that could ban the sale and distribution of shark fins in the state. The bill (AB376) will now move on to the state Senate. If the bill is approved by the Senate, the shark fin ban will take effect on January 1, 2013.

The bill has been somewhat controversial since the ban of shark fins would result in making shark fin soup illegal. The soup is regarded as a Chinese delicacy. Opponents of the bill have claimed that the bill targets Asian cultures unfairly.

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

The Horror of Shark Finning

If every picture is worth a 1,000 words, then this picture is worth a million words.  This shark is just one of million of sharks that fall victim to shark finning.  What is shark finning?  Shark finning refers to the removal and retention of shark fins with the rest of the shark being discarded back into the ocean.  The removal of a shark's fins occurs when the shark is still ALIVE.  However, the the torture for the shark is not yet over.  After the fins are removed the shark is thrown back into the water, still alive, to die a slow a painful death of suffocation on the bottom of the ocean.  You don't have to be a shark lover to see the inhuman acts shark finning thrushes upon these magnificent animals.  Shark finning is occurring all over the world and has increased over the past decade largely due to the increasing demand for shark fins for Chinese shark fin soup, traditional cures, improved market economics, and improved fishing technology (making it easier to find and catch sharks).       

Some researchers believe that from 1996 to 2000, 26 to 73 million sharks were traded yearly.  The annual median for the period was 38 million nearly four times more than the UN estimates, but considerably lower than those of many conservationists.

Shark finning is a billion dollar industry that needs to be STOPPED!  Sharks can not endure this kind of fishing pressure much longer.

For further information on shark finning, please read my following paper (you will have to copy and paste the link).

file:///Volumes/PUBLIC/School%20Related%20Folders/Shark%20Papers%20and%20Sources/Shark%20Finning.htm