ViceZilla’s Views

Nine new species of sharks are to be added to the official list of animals at risk of extinction. Dr Baum, a marine ecologist at Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego claim, “If we carry on without doing anything about it we are looking at a high risk that some of these could be extinct within our lifetime.”

Millions of sharks are taken by recreational fisherman and as bycatch by fleets fishing for tuna, but the real culprit for the decimation of sharks in our Ocean’s is the demand for shark fins. 100 million sharks a year are removed from the Oceans just for their fins to feed the demand for Shark Fin Soup. Finning has become a profitable venture for fisherman because as the demand for shark fins increases, so does the price.

Online marketer Alibaba.com makes the situation worse by trading shark fins globally, over the internet. By Alibaba’s complicity in marketing fins online, it has opened up avenues of trade for the illegal fisherman and marketers of fins to sell their product to a global marketplace. The demand has risen for shark fins, and so has the price. The wealthy and affluent in China view Shark Fin Soup as a status symbol, and don’t think twice about forking over $100 for a bowl of the stuff.

Not only are the sharks populations being decimated, but the resulting effects on the Oceans’ ecosystems are being thrown out of balance by the removal of it’s apex predators. The domino effect it is causing is of major concern as well.

If nothing is done to put an end to the slaughter of the Ocean’s sharks, the Oceans and it’s inhabitants will be changed forever.

Read More Here

Tags: Stop the Finning! by vicezilla
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“Finning”, a subject that some of you may have already figured out is a crime that I feel very strongly about. For those of you that don’t already know, the “finning” industry targets sharks for their fins, a coveted soup ingredient that fetches high prices in China and other Asian countries.

The fins are cut off the shark, often while it is still alive, then discarded back into the sea. If it is still alive when discarded, it is doomed to die of starvation. This is a barbaric practice, and must be stopped.

My views and feelings towards “finning” are personal. I have been a diver all my life, and am a licensed SCUBA instructor. Throughout my diving experiences and career, I have had many encounters with various sharks in the oceans of this world. I have led “Shark Encounter” dives for divers, mostly tourists, that have wanted to get an up close and personal experience with these truly magnificent creatures of the ocean, while living in Central America.

I have also seen firsthand the carnage left behind by a “finning” expedition. Let me just say, it wasn’t pretty.

A Canadian filmmaker, Rob Stewart, has produced a documentary aimed at trying to raise awareness that sharks are being wiped out. His film is called “Sharkwater”. Reuters just did a story about his film. You can read it Here

I ask all of you, that if you only see one documentary this year, please consider “Sharkwater”.

Watch movie trailer

Links to some Shark Conservation sites
Sharks.org
Sharktrust
Shark Alliance
Bite-Back

Finned Shark. Is this Humane?

Deck of a Finning Boat

Tags: Stop the Finning! by vicezilla
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That, according to Patric Douglas, CEO of Sharkdiver.com is the investment Yahoo made in online shark fin broker Alibaba.com, when it bought a 40% stake in Jack Ma’s company in 2005.

Watch the video in which Patric addresses the Yahoo and Alibaba.com relationship and how it’s decimating the world’s shark populations.

I couldn’t agree more with Patric’s assessment. Blood Diamonds indeed!

Maybe its time we remind Yahoo of it’s self proclaimed “value to community”:
“We share an infectious sense of mission to make an impact on society and empower consumers in ways never before possible. We are committed to serving both the Internet community and our own communities.

Feel free to contact them and let them know the impact they are making on society by their relationship with Alibaba.com of the marketing of shark fins over the borderless internet is a negative one.

Did you sign the Stop Distribution of Shark Fins to Alibaba.com yet? If not, click here.

Tags: Stop the Finning! by vicezilla
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A simple DNA test has proven the illegal trade of Basking Shark fins in where else? China and Japan.

The Basking Shark, the second largest fish in the world, remains in high demand for it’s fins even though it is an internationally protected species. The filter feeding shark can grow up to 40 feet long, and it’s fins can get as much as $50,000 per fin.

Now with DNA testing, it will be easier for officials to tell which type of shark a fin is from. Hopefully this will allow officials to put more pressure on countries who continue to exploit these animals for their fins.

Because of the self indulgent popularity of shark fin soup, the rich and influential of Chinese society pay big bucks to have these animals slaughtered for their precious indulgence. If the Chinese Government would allow the importation of Kraft Dinner into their country, then they could indulge in our ‘high society’ food instead!

Can anybody tell me what part of ILLEGAL Japan and China don’t understand? Does the meaning get lost in the translation? Or do they need someone to spell it out for them!

The more I read about this shit, the madder I get!

Read Story Here

Basking Shark

Tags: Stop the Finning! by vicezilla
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