Shark finning

[Kim]

Hmm but you would still agree as compared to most other countries and certainly western countries, Japan has a low number foreigners save a few pockets of chinese and brazilians, perhaps more so than anywhere I have ever been, I can go sometimes a week or more without seeing another gaijin. And for those reading this Yokahama has China Town which may or may not account for the number of chinese restaurants I did not mean to imply that the Japanese all go around eating sharkfin soup, but my point remains.

It's obvious though that if a country actually HAS China Towns (Nagasaki has a big one that I know about...) there's probably more than a few Chinese living in them!

I think you DID imply that the Japanese in general are eating loads of shark fin soup...whether you realized it or not! After all....you described the Japanese as being "one of the main players"...... so I'm actually not quite sure what your point is exactly.

The fact is..... shark fin soup is a Chinese thing and to the best of my knowledge very little is eaten here at all, and probably none at all outside of Chinese restaurants. It's not a Japanese dish, and in fact would probably really upset a great many Japanese as they take pride in not wasting food....especially fish and other sea food. Heck....they eat stuff I can't believe - heads.....tails.....everything! I always give my wife my prawn heads - she loves them.

Anyway - it's probably not a general indication of Japanese eating patterns to base it on a few restaurants in a China Town!

 

[buddhasummer]

Hmm my "main player" coment was in terms of general fishing pratices, you seem to be viewing my post as a Japanese bash, which certainly was not my intention, rather than a post about doing something to help, which was my point. Not wasting food? I work in a Junior High School and an Elementary school which provides lunches and I see a large amount of that thrown away everyday.

 

[Kim]

Not wasting food? I work in a Junior High School and an Elementary school which provides lunches and I see a large amount of that thrown away everyday.

Are you a JET teacher? How long have you lived here?

You're missing the point. I'm not talking about how much food might be left over in a school.... but how Japanese cuisine tends to use every part of something. Just eating one thing, like fins, and throwing away the rest of a perfectly good and edible food source goes completely against the Japanese way of life.

Have you ever eaten Yakitori? There's no part of a chicken they don't eat - skin, guts, organs....everything.

 

[buddhasummer]

No Im not a JET teacher, Ive been here for seven years, im not missing the point, re read my first post in context to the OP, my point is about conservation, it might be helpful for you to stop looking at the trees...Cheers

It would appear that Im not the only one who is aware that shark fin is infact eaten over here, but Kim, that is not my point, just added for your interest.

King
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Shark finning in Japan
Wow,

I know lots of people like shark fin soup in Japan, but I was taken aback when I turned on the tv and saw your typical moron talento (tv personality) slicing into a shark carcass and then holding it above her head cheering 'yatta' (I did it!)

TV asahi had a one hour special on 'the 30 best places to have shark fin soup' and also showed such wonders as the fishermen cutting the fins, to the fins being cleaned and dried to the final Ooiiiishiiii (tasty)

I'll post the link ƒeƒŒƒr’©“ú?b‚¢‚«‚È‚è?I‰©‹à“`?à?B but it will likely have next week show posted soon. I've attached a screen shot of the site.

Before anyone goes on a tirade about the japanese and sharks, keep in mind that 99% of Japanese are not mean or arrogant about the plight of sharks, they are simply ignorant. So lets not get aggressive but instead focus on educating... any japanese speakers out there can let their friends know and maybe let TV-Asahi know.
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[rickydazla]

I think you guys are getting two separate although marine-related issues confused:
- Japan kill whales for no good reason
- China and other nations kill sharks for no good reason
... both to excess and both need to stop.

 

[InTheDrink]

25 years ago a moratorium was brought in against whaling. Whilst it isn't perfect (Japan, Norway, Canada and others still kill thousands per year for (cough) scientific research, it still has been broadly successful.

Would there mechanisms whereby Sharks could be similarly protected? What rationale kicked off the Whale hunting Moratorium? Would the same not be possible in the case of sharks? It does sound that if China could be persuaded to join such a club some of the losses could be reversed. The alternative of course will ultimately hold the same results for them - no more shark fin soup, is this instance though because there won't be any sharks to fin.

We humans appear to never learn, sooner we're rid from this planet the better.

 

[Diver Dennis]

Canada kills whales for scientific purposes?

 

[InTheDrink]

Ok, not Canada, Japan. Jeez, so shoot me ;-) I remembered the other countries after I'd typed Japan. In any event, doesn't really change the thrust, they all kill whales and would kill more were it not for the moratorium and I was wondering whether anything similar could be dreamt up for sharks.

 

[Diver Dennis]

Canada has opted out of any International agreements but the problem is you can just register your ship in a country that allows whaling or finning.

 

[InTheDrink]

It's hard not to be despondent when a country as seemingly sane as Canada participates in this. Hard to be optimistic about the big picture. Humans are victims of their own success. Since the industrial revolution, in little more than 200 years, we've decimated and desecrated this planet. I'd love to offer up some solutions but I struggle to find any. I guess at least I'll be able to tell my kids that I saw sharks, show them the pictures, and tell them that they used to be fairly common.

I don't want to pick on any particular nation, but given China's population and predeliction for shark fin soup, and other no-nos, such as medicine composed of endangered species, such as tigers, is there any possible way to apply pressure to get them to change their culture? For the Olympics the Chinese govt. made a major effort to stop people spitting (another less than pleasant national characteristic) primarily on the basis that they didn't want to incur the scorn of other countries. Are there no parallels, or similar pressures that could be brought to bear on them in relation to their appetite for endangered species?