...Who is involved in shark finning, and where? Finning occurs worldwide and is most common in high seas fisheries, hundreds of miles out to sea. Oceanic fishing fleets target valuable fish such as tuna, using thousands of baited hooks on miles of long-line, and freezing their catch onboard. Unfortunately, long-liners often catch several times as many sharks than they do tuna. Until relatively recently, this shark 'bycatch' was considered a nuisance, and sharks were cut loose and allowed to swim away. However, as shark fins have become increasingly valuable, fewer sharks are being released. Bycatch is often not officially landed at ports, therefore data on the extent of the trade are limited. Traditionally Hong Kong was the centre for shark fin imports, however the economic rise of China has seen an increase in imports through mainland routes making accurate tracking of trade in shark fins more difficult. (We can mention Taiwan too) In small inshore fisheries in tropical countries, sun-drying of fins requires minimal technology and artisanal fishermen are encouraged by shark fin-traders to target local populations of sharks. As a result, even coastal shark populations in the remotest parts of the world are now vulnerable to over-exploitation, and rapid depletion of local shark populations often results from such trading activity. * Finning occurs worldwide and is most common in high seas fisheries * Bycatch is often not officially landed at ports * Traditionally...
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...What is Shark Finning? Why is it such a vicious practice and why do people do it? Shark Finning is an atrocious practice of cutting off the shark’s fins and tossing the shark, still alive, back to the water; this practice is illegal but it is practiced anyways and it’s quite serious as some shark are in the edge of extinction. Once the fins have been cut off, the shark is thrown back to the water and it slowly dies. The shark may either drown, bleed to death or be eaten by other creatures. The shark can’t move or defend itself because it has no fins so it just sinks to the button of the sea; helpless. Shark finning is one of the most monstrous things you can do to an innocent animal. It’s like cutting a person’s hands and legs and leaving them alone. The person is vulnerable and defenceless. It’s such an evil practice to perform because the creature suffers and dies in pain. Some people wonder why the fishers toss the finless shark to the water as it’s really heartless to leave an animal to die like that. The fishers try to avoid paying for the fish because they are charged for every kilogram they bring in the boat. Shark meat is rarely eaten and therefore it’s very cheap. Fisher men care for the fins as they are expensive and light. The fishers would have had a loss if they brought the whole shark with them and that is why the toss the finless shark back to the sea. The shark eventually dies in a really cruel way and the fisher earns quite a lot of money for something...
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...Shark Finning in Hong Kong: What are the social and economic factors of shark finning in Hong Kong and how will it have an affect on the remaining population of sharks? Victoria Abstract The rapid economic growth in Hong Kong over the past few decades has had an immense effect on the amount of shark finning taking place. With GDP steadily increasing the recent change in the spending patters has only contributed to an overuse of this resource. The pricing patters of this product show that as long as fishing remains economically viable sharks will continue to be at risk of extinction. There has been a lack of motivation to raise awareness on this topic and as long as fishing remains economically viable it will just continue to occur. To reduce the amount of shark finning in Hong Kong we need to enact more ant-finning regulations. Keywords: finning, Hong Kong, disposable income What are the social and economic factors of shark finning in Hong Kong and how will it have an affect on the remaining population of sharks? Shark fins are a valuable product and a delicacy to people in Hong Kong and many other surrounding populations that are heavily Chinese, but this overfishing has led to a major depletion of the shark species. Although several countries have made the effort to ban shark fishing, if it continues to happen at the current rate there will be a risk of extinction. Hong Kong has only increased their amount of shark fishing because of the recent growth and expansion...
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...SHARK FINNING 1 Shark fining; little is known about this controversial issue. We see sharks in movies, Horror flicks where everyone dies from shark attacks, and News broadcasts of shark attacks and fatalities. With all this propaganda, who cares if they fin them for food, right? Fining: the practice of removing the fins of a shark and dumping its carcass back into the ocean is a wasteful and unsportsmanlike practice that could lead to over fishing of shark resources. That is one of the points that are the sense of the Congress taken from the 106th congress 1st session. Is this any better than what early frontiersmen did? Skinning the buffalo and just leaving the skinned carcass to rot and be wasted? Hundreds of millions of sharks are killed each year only for their fins. Not using the rest of the shark carcass to its fullest potential is unsportsmanlike and wasteful. Shark fin soup, shark fin stew, these are delicacies. They are not a necessity to live and yet the demand is high. They are eaten primarily for the taste of the dish. Must we wait till they become and endangered species before we do something about it? The green sea turtles were killed for their shells and flesh nearly to extinction before we even started to try to stop the killing. Foods like this are not necessarily bad, but we must do it in moderation. Don’t have another green sea turtle event. If there is something good, do you use it up till it’s all gone? Once it’s gone no one will be able to use...
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...persuasive speech about shark culling, finning and cruelty to sharks to hopefully educate people and inform them with the actual facts and truth. To bring awareness to the important issue of shark culling and over - fishing and to change people’s views on these stereotyped creatures. To convince people to not listen to anything they see or hear on the media about sharks because it is very biased information and not aimed at solving the problem or creating a long term solution, rather to evoke people’s fear of sharks and to make them more scared when swimming in our oceans. It is aimed at the general population of Australia and anyone who would go swimming or indulge in water- based activities in the ocean and along the coast. This is also targeting anyone who has ever eaten shark fin soup without a second thought of the suffering that was caused to make it. As an ocean lover and surfer, I strongly believe that shark finning and culling is an important issue relevant to society today. Most of the population has not been properly informed about the situation and I am here today to hopefully change your views on sharks. By the end I would like you all to see them in a different light and hopefully agree with me when I say that shark culling is unnecessary and inhumane and shark finning is barbaric and cruel. Shark finning, for those of you who are unaware, is the removal and retention of shark fins and then the discard of the carcass into the ocean. The shark is almost always alive...
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...Working-Out my Goals As a child, I was always extremely motivated and active in many ways. I played at least one season of almost every sport that was offered, all the way up until I was 14 and had to choose which sports to stick with throughout high school. My choices ended up being hockey and soccer, as they were my two favorites which I had done the longest. When I was younger, I didn’t understand the importance of working out and eating healthy until it hit me like a ton of bricks. At the age of 16, I had come to the conclusion that I no longer wanted to participate in sporting activities offered by the school. I wanted to focus more on studying and getting into a good college. Therefore, I withdrew from my normal routine and started something different. At the time, I was only thinking about how I was bettering myself academically, not physical. With that said, I was used to being able to scarf down as much food as I wanted because I would normally just burn it off the next morning at practice. That was not the case anymore. As the weeks went by, my muscle slowly turned into fat without me even noticing it. I thought that my body was only changing because I was still in high school and growing. I didn’t realize that I was growing wider, not taller. It took about half the year until my mom finally told me what she saw. At first I was just plain offended and in shock, but then as I took a good look at myself, and the scale, and I realized what she saw and knew I needed...
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...interesting to me is shark fishing. In most places shark fishing is legal but only if you bring the whole shark when you return but most people would just take the most important or expensive part of the shark, which is the shark fin. When people fish the shark fins the would take the sharks out of the water and the they would cut the fins and return them to the ocean and the shark would die of hunger of would stop swimming as a cause of their lot fin. We need to stop or slow down shark fishing because they will be extinct soon if we don’t stop it and if they go extinct the natural balance of nature of the ocean will collapse because of the food chain Shark finning exists because the amount of money restaurants, medicine companies spend for the shark fin. Asian restaurant companies would charge about $100 USD for one soup of shark fin. Medicine that comes from shark fin is always very expensive. This is why people abuse and kill sharks illegally in large amounts. Shark finning is banned in many countries. Governments should reward those fishermen who accidently fish a shark in their nets or lines and return them safe and alive again to the ocean. Governments should give them a good amount of money if fishermen contribute in preserving sharks. Many fishermen return the sharks to the ocean once the fins have been removed but these sharks do not survive. Sharks are very important to the ecosystem in the oceans and in order to continue the food chain sharks must not be finned...
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...prey, which leads to a damaging impact on their habitat. Ecosystems need to be healthy in order to maintain the health of all living things within and around them, including humans. It seems logical then to restore the natural balance by reintroducing the animal’s natural predator, conserving the population, and protecting the wild environment. Humans can no longer wait to address this growing environmental and ethical issue, and by establishing clear goals they can ensure the future of these species and ecosystems along with the continuing growth and success of their own. DOT: Sharks influence on the structure and function of ecological systems, both directly by regulating prey populations and indirectly through the interactions between their prey and other members of the ecosystem. The more severe thread, most of the time sharks are only hunted down for the profitable marked for their fins. Shark fin soup is much desired and theirs is a great demand for it. In consequence, there are special fisherman...
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...Shark Education What is Shark Finning? Shark finning refers to the removal and retention of shark fins and the discard at sea of the carcass. The shark is most often still alive when it is tossed back into the water. Unable to swim, the shark slowly sinks toward the bottom where it is eaten alive by other fish. Shark finning takes place at sea so the fishers have only the fins to transport. Shark meat is considered low value and therefore not worth the cost of transporting the bulky shark bodies to market. Any shark is taken-regardless of age, size, or species. Longlines, used in shark finning operations, are the most significant cause of losses in shark populations worldwide. Shark finning is widespread, and largely unmanaged and unmonitored. Shark finning has increased over the past decade due to the increasing demand for shark fins (for shark fin soup and traditional cures), improved fishing technology, and improved market economics. Shark specialists estimate that 100 million sharks are killed for their fins, annually. One pound of dried shark fin can retail for $300 or more. It’s a multi-billion dollar industry. Impacts of Shark Finning Loss and devastation of shark populations around the world. Experts estimate that within a decade, most species of sharks will be lost because of longlining. Unsustainable fishery. The massive quantity of sharks harvested and lack of selection deplete shark populations faster than their...
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...THE ROLE OF THE INTERPOL ON ENVIRONMENTAL CRIMES By: Fangon, Arvee E. Enriquez, David Jay Esguerra,Bon Josef Jaravata, Sherela Calcita, Ranilo What is Environmental Crime? An environmental crime is a violation of environmental laws that are put into place to protect the environment. When broadly defined, the crime includes all illegal acts that directly cause environmental harm. Such crimes are also referred to as ‘crime against the environment.’ What Is The Role Of The Interpol In This Environmental Crimes? Environmental crime is a serious and growing international problem, and one which takes many different forms Broadly speaking, wildlife crime is the illegal exploitation of the world’s wild flora and fauna, while pollution crime is the trade and disposal of waste and hazardous substances in contravention of national and international laws. INTERPOL's response In today’s global economy there is a need for an international strategy to deal with this type of crime. As the only organization with a mandate to share and process criminal information globally, INTERPOL is uniquely qualified to lead these efforts. The INTERPOL Environmental Crime Programme: Leads global and regional...
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...Shark finning is the practice of slicing off the shark's fins while the shark is still alive and throwing the rest of its body back into the ocean where it can take days to die what must be an agonising death. Some sharks starve to death, others are slowly eaten by other fish, and some drown, because sharks need to keep moving to force water through their gills for oxygen. Shark fins are used as the principal ingredient of shark fin soup, an Asian "delicacy". Demand for shark fin soup has rocketed in recent years due to the increased prosperity of China and other countries in the Far East. Shark fin soup, which can easily cost $100 a bowl, is often served at wedding celebrations so that the hosts can impress their guests with their affluence. Because there is such a high demand for shark fins, traders can make a lot of money from shark fin, but it is the restaurant owners who really "make a killing" in this foul trade. Fishermen are only interested in the fins because shark meat is of low economical value and takes up too much space in the hold. It also contains urea, which turns to ammonia once the shark has died and contaminates other fish. Shark fin itself is tasteless; it just provides a gelatinous bulk for the soup which is flavoured with chicken or other stock. Many people, especially the consumers, are unaware of the suffering that finning causes. To put it bluntly, shark populations have been decimated. Globally, tens of millions of sharks are slaughtered every year...
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...Endangered Sharks Rapidly declining shark populations has already been noticed and will continue to decline unless further steps are taken to ensure their protection as endangered species. 50 out of 307 shark species, listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), are either vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered. However, of those 50, only three, the White, Whale, and Basking sharks are protected internationally under CITES. CITES is the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. Sharks as a whole, represent the highest percentage of threatened marine species listed on the IUCN Red List of threatened species. Some well-known species that are endangered are Hammerheads, Tiger Sharks, Whale Sharks, Great White Sharks, Shortfin Mako Shark, and many tropical reef sharks. The decrease of shark populations has already had devastating effects on local coastal communities. Two of the world’s largest fish are on the endangered list. The Whale Shark is listed as vulnerable for extinction. They migrate seasonally and are targeted by commercial fisheries. Whale sharks feed on krill and plankton so they do not harm humans, the most harm one could face would be to get struck by its massive caudal, tail, fin. Whale Sharks are beneficial to many tropical reef areas. In addition, the Basking Shark is also listed as vulnerable. These are the second largest living fish left. They are found in all the worlds’ temperate oceans and are a...
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...White Shark Great White sharks are being killed to the point of extinction. Overfishing, finning, and the fear of humanity are going to be the death of these majestic creatures if we do not do something about it soon. Great White sharks have been called “the barometer of our oceans”. If they are no longer around, our whole ecosystem will go into a terrible tail-spin that we will be helpless to stop. Solutions to these issues can be found by making some big changes, but mostly a lot of people making small ones. Great White sharks are in danger, and if little things are changed in people’s daily lives, we may be able to reverse, or at least halt, the threat. One major problem Great White sharks face is finning. Finning is defined as the catching of a shark, pulling it aboard a boat, cutting off all of the shark’s fins, then throwing it back into the ocean to either be eaten alive or drown. Author Rebecca Tatum states in her academic journal “The Ecology and Controversy of Shark-Fin Soup” that “Shark-finning is increasingly illegal on a global basis; since 2004, at least sixty nations have banned the practice” (Tatum 6). Many specials have been aired (on Animal Planet) about the shark fin trade. One could see fins drying on rooftops for miles. Tatum also states “The extraordinary value of the fins, up to $2,000 per pound, incentivizes this wasteful practice” (Tatum 2). The price paid for these fins also encourages the practice to continue, despite it being illegal. Shark fin soup...
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...Shark fining is directly correlated with the ecosystem goods and services (EGS) framework. As sharks offer tourists an opportunity for leisure, and are able to advance scientific research on an educational standpoint, they directly correspond with the cultural services aspect of the EGS framework. Provisionally, sharks determine our accessibility to certain ocean food sources such as shrimp, crab and lobster. Thus, sharks also regulate the oceans by purifying the water and regulating trophic levels. In return, this corresponds with provisional services as sharks must regulate the trophic levels to ensure trophic cascades do not occur. Cultural Services On a cultural EGS standpoint, sharks provide ecotourism activities and educational opportunities which both correspond with this framework. Both ecotourism and education would be...
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...Running head: Sharks Sharks T Tolerico Marine Biology Doctor Cameron Guenther Sharks What do you think of when you hear the word “Shark”? Do you think of the lion of the ocean or perhaps God’s perfect predator/scavenger? Perhaps you think of the movie “JAWS”? Most people will think of the movie “JAWS” and think killer, attacker, and predator. However, are sharks really preying on humans? I view sharks as God’s perfect predator and scavenger. Sharks, like lions, weed out the sick and slow fish to keep the population strong. They also scavenge on the bottom of the ocean any carcasses that settle there. The attacks on humans are more likely the shark “tasting” to see if the movement is a fish. When the shark realizes that the human is not its prey, they move away. Sharks can be found all over the world’s seas, from the equator to polar regions. We are currently aware of about 480 species and there are still species to discover. Some species, known as benthic, dwell mainly on the ocean floor. An example of a benthic is the nurse shark or ray shark. They scour the ocean floor for food. Other species are known as pelagic, meaning they spend much of their time navigating the open seas. Most of the species that we are familiar with are pelagic. Some species even inhabit rivers and lakes. The Bull shark can migrate into rivers and lakes. One important feature of sharks is that they are made up of cartilage not bone. There has been research done on shark cartilage...
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