Horrible
 

I came across this and it sickened me to see where society has progressed or should I say regressed.
http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2008/12/1...as-witnessing/

Horrible. :cry:

I can't say I even like shark fin soup. I tried it once (before the time I knew better). Never again. And now I know better anyhow, so never again anyhow.

that is so bloody sad. unfortunately it happens day in and day out and I"m glad somebody captured it on video and camera. They should just ban shark fin soup becase there is no other reasons for doing this but that chinese soup for the rich and wealthy.

Disgusting

I could say more but it's a family friendly forum so I won't

Wow... Spreading this one.

Everyone should see "Sharkwater" by Rob Stewart if you have not already. Its very hard to watch but an incredible documentary on shark finning. The cinematography is amazing.

Not to get too far off subject but you should see areas of the reef in the Philippines that collectors have used cyanide or gasoline to collect fish. I was on a dive there a few years ago and was disgusted by the areas we would come across with literally dozens and dozens of what looked like very healthy fish dead on the sea floor. May have even been hundreds in some areas.

The description of the dying sharks reminded me of that. I think most people think shopping at a good LFS here in Canada means you are not buying illegally caught fishes but thats not the case. Most wholesalers here have no idea how their fish are caught regardless of what they are told. I spoke to our dive guide after that dive and he said he sees WAY more collectors using poison than nets hands down and that was why he had no more amazing reefs to show us. The collectors have quietly moved even into tourist areas.

http://www.sharkwater.com/

I love the shots of him hand feeding the sharks and then hugging them :)

I saw a documentary on shark finning, all those dead sharks just tossed out for the fins. Just wrong. I still don't understand why the whole shark has to be wasted just for the fins, if a shark is going to be killed atleast use the whole shark as food or something, I tried shark fin soup once and was not impressed. I know it symbolizes luxury in some cultures, but come on, there are many other ways to show off luxury that don't take needless killings.

The majority of sharks fins have great value to only a select few countries. Really just one or two. This is the very sad part. They are being slaughtered all over the world in countries that would never otherwise kill sharks if there was not the demand from another part of the world.

In Costa Rica for example, the problem has gotten so bad that government has been "bought out" and turns they're heads to the problem and in return have roads and schools built by the "shark fin mafias". Illegal shark finning is now a bigger industry than cocaine worldwide. More money to be gained from it.

Even worse is many countries stance (or lack there of) on the issue including our own (Canada will still will not sign the treaty to protect sharks and maybe that makes sense since many other counties would see this as very hypocritical as they see our Salmon and Seal collecting as very inhumane at times...There is a reason Europe will not buy Canadian Salmon but thats another issue :D )

The reason the entire shark is left is because again in those select few countries, ONLY the fin has any value. Pressure needs to be put on the demand countries because so far trying to stop the finning is useless. On the planet in peril documentary a very successful poacher who travels all over hunting animals illegally said he would be out of business if it were not for ONE country. He said he can take any animal there and find demand.

Another sad part of all this is how many other fish are killed for no reason. They often use miles and miles of baited hooks that catch hundreds of different species of fish near the surface. Then go along in boats and look for sharks, hack the fins off and leave the rest of them along with all the other fish they have "caught". It was likened to if hunters were allowed to set miles and miles of bear traps in the forest to hunt bears but these bear traps caught all kinds of dear, moose, rabbits ect. which were all left to die on that spot because all they wanted was bear...obviously this would not be allowed to happen the there would be huge campaigns to stop it. Too often what happens in the ocean is out of sight and out of mind.

I think we both were watching the same documentary during shark week on the Discovery Channel. It is messed up, and I agree that unless those select few countries change their buying ways there will always be corruption and the senseless killing. I guess it all comes back to good ol economics, if there is demand someone will fill the supply.

I watched Sharkwater as well. and i think alot of it has to do with the fact that Sharks have always been portrayed to be monsters who will kill you in a heartbeat. No one has sympathy for them. I am totally sickened by sharkfinning. I think its a disgusting practice, as is shark fin soup. I think one of the stats has been like a 80 or 90% reduction of the worlds sharks... It has got to stop....