Alexandra Cousteau in Utila!

[drbill]

Well I posted this because I was very impressed with Alexandra's work and efforts to stop shark finning and shark conservation around the world in an effort to help save them and it's gone off on a totally different direction...oh well....such is the internet

You guys are worried about aquiraiums, what bout sites advertising the sale of shark fins? dolphins and sharks, whales being slaughtered while still alive their fins being cut from them and thrown back into the ocean to die....

My post re: cetaceans in captivity does not in any way diminish my disgust over the practice of shark finning and "sport" killing of sharks. There are a multitude of issues in any attempt at conservation.

When I first started diving Catalina in the late 60's, it was very common to see blue shark fins nearshore. In fact, my students and I played a game to see how many sharks we could spot on the 2.5 mile boat trip from the school to town. We'd do the same on the 22 mile trip across the channel to the mainland. I'd even have them follow me while diving (I hunted in those days).

Now, it is such a rarity to see a shark fin (attached to a living shark). Even on our shark diving trips, we may see only a few. Hopefully with gill netting and long lining banned, we will see more in the future just as we are seeing the recovery of the giant sea bass (Stereolepis gigas) in our waters.

I had a Chinese dive buddy who really took issue with my opposition to the practice of shark finning. She felt it was right for the "average" Chinese to have the opportunity to taste a "delicacy" that had been reserved for the emperor and nobility.

 

[ZenDiva]

My post re: cetaceans in captivity does not in any way diminish my disgust over the practice of shark finning and "sport" killing of sharks. There are a multitude of issues in any attempt at conservation.

When I first started diving Catalina in the late 60's, it was very common to see blue shark fins nearshore. In fact, my students and I played a game to see how many sharks we could spot on the 2.5 mile boat trip from the school to town. We'd do the same on the 22 mile trip across the channel to the mainland. I'd even have them follow me while diving (I hunted in those days).

Now, it is such a rarity to see a shark fin (attached to a living shark). Even on our shark diving trips, we may see only a few. Hopefully with gill netting and long lining banned, we will see more in the future just as we are seeing the recovery of the giant sea bass (Stereolepis gigas) in our waters.

I had a Chinese dive buddy who really took issue with my opposition to the practice of shark finning. She felt it was right for the "average" Chinese to have the opportunity to taste a "delicacy" that had been reserved for the emperor and nobility.

sorry didn't mean to sound as if I were picking on you DrBill, yea it's very sad, I've been diving in Utila 3x now, I've had the wonderful experience of seeing 3 whale sharks in October, there was a siting here on friday morning, but the seas were so rough we could not get around to the other side of the island in the skiff from where we were.....

I've not seen any other type of shark as of yet....and after seeing many different videos etc on shark finning etc, in many places it's a matter of economic survival, because fishermen are paid well for the fins. In many areas they need to have other avenues of economic survival so that the local fishermen will feel more compelled to stop the shark finning.

yes I know their attitude towards finning is abhorrant and they do not realize what they are doing to our oceans. it's very sad....hopefully with more awareness and more people working on stopping it we'll see some changes soon