(Whale Shark forty feet long)
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What would Jaws be without his famous fin?
Shark finning � the practice of killing sharks solely for the value of their fins � is receiving a
great deal of attention from conservationists who say the practice is cruel and wasteful. One
could say it's like robbing an elephant of its tusks.
The full story can be read at the Url below
http://www.enn.com/news/enn-stories/1999/10/100499/sharksoup_6076.asp
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Aloha EDF Activists:
This is a request for assistance from the Western Pacific Fisheries
Coalition,
a unique collaboration between conservationists and fishermen to promote the
protection and responsible use of marine resources through education and
advocacy in Hawaii and the Pacific.
The State of Hawaii is the site of some of the greatest marine biodiversity
in
the United States. Unfortunately, however, Hawaii undercuts this rich
biodiversity by allowing the needless slaughter of sharks that are caught as
�by-catch� while fishing for tuna or swordfish. Hawaii is one of only four
coastal states where fishermen can haul sharks into their boats, amputate
their
valuable fins, and dump the animals back into the ocean. Last year alone,
Hawaii-based longliners finned over 55,000 sharks. Eighty-six percent of the
sharks were alive when brought on board the boats. The fins � used in shark
fin soup � are sold on the black market.
Here in the Pacific, we are attempting to prohibit this practice which has
already been banned in fisheries in the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico. We
are asking the Western Pacific Fisheries Management Council (WPFMC) -- the
Federal agency responsible for managing fisheries in our part of the Pacific
�
to take firm action to end this practice. We need your support for WPFMC�s
upcoming meeting on June 17.
Finning is analogous to what the buffalo hunters did years ago when they
wiped
out buffalo simply for their hides and tongues. Let�s not allow history to
repeat itself. Massive numbers of sharks are being slaughtered worldwide,
simply for their fins.
Opponents argue that a ban on shark-finning would have devastating economic
consequences. The truth is that a ban would only reduce the subsidy to
vessel
owners and captains who allow crew to keep the proceeds from
under-the-table,
cash-only sales of the fins as a bonus to supplement their low wages.
Without
the subsidy from sharks, owners and captains would otherwise have to pay
higher
wages. The fins do not generate any income tax revenue for the state.
For more information, see the following web site:
http://www.westpacfisheries.net/actionalert.html
Thanks for your help!
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