Helping sharks???

[robbcayman]

I watched a show the other night about predators in Palau. The sad thing was sharks are being wiped out and no one is stopping these shark finners. Every "fishing" vessel they pulled over had tons of shark fins aboard their vessels. The weird thing is they didn't seem to really punish these people. At the end of the documentary the divers couldn't find any hammerheads or tigers likely because they had been over fished.

These morons are going to destroy the shark population and the rest of the ecosystem what can we do to stop them???? Do shark conservation programs really work? This is extremely upsetting because I feel helpless to do anything.

 

[jasonX5]

I too watched the show and was in disgust with the extreme shark massacre!!!! I had no clue how bad this has gotten. I would be interested in donating if it would really make a difference.

 

[RadRob]

After shark attacks on humans, finning really increases dramatically. The best thing to do is to educate the people. Next donate time and money to the cause. In many locations, there is a punishment to these offenders. Unfortunately, we cannot police the entire ocean. It is up to the governments of where these people dock. Once they dock with illegal items, they should be punished for their crimes.

In areas where it is watched heavily, the conservations work great. There is proof that the species thrive in these areas.

 

[robbcayman]

After shark attacks on humans, finning really increases dramatically. The best thing to do is to educate the people. Next donate time and money to the cause. In many locations, there is a punishment to these offenders. Unfortunately, we cannot police the entire ocean. It is up to the governments of where these people dock. Once they dock with illegal items, they should be punished for their crimes.

In areas where it is watched heavily, the conservations work great. There is proof that the species thrive in these areas.

Would you recommend any organizations??? I don't want to send some money to an organization who isn't really going to do anything.

 

[Bruciebabe]

Over 90% of the world's sharks are already gone.
They are fishing out 100 million a year.
It is not just in Asia, the Spanish have just about eradicated the Atlanic Blue shark.
They are easy to catch, lines miles long with baited hooks every few yards.
The value is in the fins so they chop them off and throw the shark back in still alive. Some species drown through lack of forward motion others lie on the bottom till they starve to death, which can take weeks.
All this to make a tasteless soup for the Chinese. It is a mark of prestige and essential at any banquet. As the Chinese get richer they just want more and more of it. The price goes up so it becomes more prestigous so they want even more. Soon there will be none.
Two things need doing. Firstly the Chinese need educating. When we were in Singapore and went into a restaurant my wife would ask for the menu. If she found shark on it she would tell them why they weren't getting our business and then walk out.
Secondly they need protection. This worked for elephants. Civilised countries can ban shark fishing in their waters, ban the sale and purchase of shark products and ban the posession of shark products.
What you can do is lobby governments worldwide but also the media. Write to your local politician, to the Palau government and tourist authority. Likewise with the Indonesians and Phillipines. You can make a difference. Search the internet for your facts and start emailing now.
If a land animal was being needlessly slaughtered like this it would be all over the news and would be stopped. This is the biggest slaughter by man in history.

 

[TheRedHead]

I don't think it is a matter of education. I know a lot of Chinese people and the ones I've spoken to about sharks just don't agree with our Western views on animals. They also eat dogs and cats and don't see anything wrong with it, even if they have pets. There are very few wild birds in China because they are regularly eaten.

The only way to stop it is to put political pressure on the Chinese government to crack down on it.

 

[vkalia]

Not just Palau... here in the Andamans, in the past 5 years, the shark population has been decimated to the point where it will not recover in my lifetime.

Back in 2000, the question on any dive wasnt whether we'd see any sharks - it was "how many, and which varieties". Now, sharks are sighted once every week or two, if you are lucky. A few weeks ago, I heard of a 4.5m great hammerhead being finned and tossed back. This is a *barbaric* practice but hey, the environmental groups are too busy saving Flipper to ******ing care.

The problem with pushing this in developing countries is that shark finning is more profitable than most other types of fishing. All the fins from the Andamans are expored to Hong Kong.

What to do? Write to your congressman or senator, or local environmental group. Write to your newspaper. Dont patronize restaurants serving shark fin soup. Do your bit to spread awareness. Someone has to find a way to put pressure on the SE Asian market.

Vandit

 

[murphdivers286]

It is a very sad sight. I too feel helpless. I don't even like to hear about people to eat shark. I know it is normal to eat things from the sea, it is just because the population of sharks are in danger.....:sad:

 

[RadRob]

I don't think it is a matter of education. I know a lot of Chinese people and the ones I've spoken to about sharks just don't agree with our Western views on animals. They also eat dogs and cats and don't see anything wrong with it, even if they have pets. There are very few wild birds in China because they are regularly eaten.

The only way to stop it is to put political pressure on the Chinese government to crack down on it.

I have to respectfully disagree. They eat dogs and cats, yes. Are dogs and cats endangered? No. They need to be aware of the harm they are doing to the species. If they continue at this rate, there will be no more of their precious shark fin soup. If they limit or cease the catching of sharks all together until populations recover, they will be able to enjoy the food for a long time to come.

Here in the states, we have hunting licenses with a limit to avoid over hunting. Because of these limits, the species are healthy and thriving. Those animals that have been over hunted are now protected. Once the populations of these animals are back to a safe level, I am sure hunting them will commence. Animal management is key. We don't want them reproducing so fast we can't control the population because that would make them eat too much of there food source. That will put their meal of choice in danger as well. We must control the food chain. Without the top predators of the oceans, there will be major consequences to the environment, other than losing a specie of shark.

Education and regulation is the only answer.

 

[robbcayman]

One person can make a difference but how large of a difference??? I'm really going to write to the Palau tourism board and tell them how I feel. I know it's not just Palau it's all over the place who else should I write to??

"WE" must do something now or the sharks will never recover which will destroy reef populations. Sharks play a huge role and I feel as divers we have an obligation to protect them.

What could scubaboard do??? I'm going to write people but if only one person does it they'll blow it off as some tree hugger. This won't stop, it's only going to get worse. As we speak sharks are being finned and our oceans are being destroyed. I just feel like know one cares because they aren't cuddley or cute.