This week there is good news for all sharks on the west coast of the United States. The California Senate passed a bill that enacts a ban "on the sale, trade, possession and distribution of shark fins."
"Washington was the first West Coast state to pass similar legislation in May followed by Oregon in early August. West Coast legislation comes on the heels of related bills passed in Hawaii, Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, and Guam."
Have any of your eaten shark fin soup? It is quite a delicacy in some parts of the world. Read the above linked article and let me know what you think about the new (potential) legislation (Governor Brown must sign the bill by Oct. 8th in order for it to become law).
I was dining in a Chinese restaurant in La Jolla recently and saw it on the menu. I could not bring myself to order it of course, because I know how it is made. Although it is considered a delicacy in many cultures. However, today we as a society are more aware of our effect on the environment. The practice of killing sharks strictly for their fins is wasteful, cruel, and inappropriate in today's progressive world. Because of the cruel nature of its production, I do feel that it is appropriate to take action in preventing the practice, particularly in the United States.
ReplyDeleteHopefully this bill will have a profound effect on the shark fin trade worldwide. As the article states, sharks are the top predator, and therefore are vital to the ocean ecosystems. I would rather see an increase in shark sightings than a destruction of the ocean, and I spend a lot of time in the water.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading numerous stories regarding the recent shark sightings in southern California, I am happy that the California Senate passed this bill. I feel that when so much hype is created around these shark sightings, the fear of these creatures dramatically increases. However, as stated above, these sharks have been swimming in these same waters for decades, typically going unnoticed. Aside from the severe and inhumane issues of cutting the shark's fins for soup, Great White sharks are currently more endangered than tigers, placing them at extreme risk for extinction (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1252237/Great-White-Sharks-endangered-tigers-just-3-500-left-oceans.html). Although no one wishes to have an encounter with a Great White, they remain a key species to the earth’s oceans. Finally, although it seems we have been hearing about a great deal of shark sightings, our chances of actually being attacked by a shark are still extremely low. I feel this is important to remember before we let the media hype lead us into panic.
ReplyDeleteI personally like shark meat, and mostly prefer consuming it over numerous types of fish in many countries. However in the United States most sea-living creatures are exposed to high-levels of mercury which can be poisonous for human consumption. So why legislate a ban on something when acknowledging the fact that unnaturally polluting the ocean's ecosystem can destaibalize the ocean's food web and lead to major contaminations and declines in population of sea-living creatures, more than the actual hunting and killing of those sharks. That said, I don't think they should ban the "sale, trade, possesion and distribution of shark fins". Whereas they should toughen up the rules of killing sharks and not discard their remains in water. Also they should consider licensing professional fishermen that would obey the law and face the consequence if they were to break the law.
ReplyDeleteI know that it is a very good meal for Japanese people because it is a part of their culture. But I also watched a documentary about that, because a lot of sharks are not completely killed, just for the fin.
ReplyDeleteThe sailor take the fin with a big knife and let the shark in the sea, except that the shark can't move anymore (because the fin is made to go to a certain direction). So he dies and it happens a lot. Apparently, if we continue, the sharks are going to disappear very quickly so it is a really good thing that a law exist finally to protect them. Now, the other states have to do the same thing, and the law has to be applied... To be continued!
Maud RIVIERE
"current federal laws banning the practice do not address the issue of the shark fin trade. Therefore, fins are being imported to the U.S. from countries with few or even no shark protections in place."
ReplyDeleteThat is what should be addressed before anything else. Shark fishing is not that big in the US as far as I am concerned. It's just not as much in the culture as it is in Asian countries for instance. The passage of that bill is a good start in my opinion but there is still some way to go before we see real life improvements for shark species.
Although I do understand it is considered a delicacy in some parts of the world, I do not feel that especially here in California many people would choose to freely eat it if they were given the ability. We must keep in mind that by killing these species for our own food source, it takes away the circle of life that occurs in the oceans all over the world. In my opinion this bill is completely acceptable as especially I would never dream of eating shark anything! -Sarah Tullgren
ReplyDelete