Shark Love (EP1): In conversation with Sharkman

Wah we got interviewed! Plus this blog post has the nicest screenshot I have ever seen :D Read the whole interview here.

Shark Love (EP1): In conversation with Sharkman
Monday, May 11, 2009 at 13:49hrs, the long zlog

As a leisure scuba diver, it has been on my mind for a while now and I feel it is a matter close to me. Especially since, I am in an industry that, perhaps doesn’t actually play a part in the execution, but may be in the right context to affect some, if only a slight, but nonetheless a change. A change in seeing Shark Fin Soup kept off dinner tables.

Q: What called you to advocate for sharks in particular?

I watched Sharkwater, a documentary about how sharks populations are being destroyed worldwide for their fins and by destructive fishing practices such as longlining. This came as a horrible shock for me. I was aware of the issues involved in shark finning but I was not aware of the extent that certain shark populations were affected (some populations have fallen up to 95% over the last 20 years).

As a diver, sharks are like the Holy Grail. I dream of going to Malapascua to see thresher sharks or to Costa Rica to see hammerhead sharks. The idea that these amazing creatures have survived 4 major extinctions but they may not survive our lifetime is very distressing.

Sharks are a keystone species in the marine ecosystem. This means that they are essential to maintain the balance of how everything works. Removal of sharks can lead to the troppling of the entire marine ecosystem! Even if you didn’t care much for sharks, you would have to give some thought to that.

Q: How can the everyday Singaporean help the cause?

Stop eating shark fin! There’s really no simplier way than that. Don’t have shark fin at your wedding. Tell your friends not to have shark fin at their wedding. A friend of mine had top grade birds’ nest at her wedding as the substitute luxury dish and everybody loved it. It’s really just a matter of changing your mindset to look to the future and focus on what REALLY matters. I think when you look at it that way, a bowl of soup is no substitute for a sustainable future for the generations to come.

lovesharks.sg CNY dinner

This weekend we had the pleasure of having an early Chinese New Year dinner at Lotus Vegetarian Restuarant, taste testing their S$358++ (10 pax) festive set menu with local bloggers Camemberu, Ladyironchef, Sheepishvegetarian, Singapuradailyphoto, Southernoise-gluttony, Superfinefeline and Leafmonkey.

Yes, you, you, you and you. All of us are guilty of being a murderer. And the real cause for their destruction, the demand for shark fins, a Chinese delicacy, always present during weddings and festive occasions. - Ladyironchef

Marketed as a health tonic, yet high in toxic mercury content, and usually bleached during production to give it a more desireable shade, Sharkfin doesn’t belong on anyone’s table this Chinese New Year, nor any wedding dinners for that matter. - Sheepishvegetarian

Photography courtesy of Bianca Polak

Lousy photography courtesy of Sharkman

Photography courtesy of Ladyironchef

As shark fin itself has no real flavour, it can be emulated with vegetarian ingredients such as kelp and green bean. For lovers of "shark fin" broth, vegetarian shark fin soup is a pretty good alternative! You can get it from 24-hour eateries such as Hong Kong Tea House (86 East Coast Road) to high-class places such as Lotus Vegetarian (201 Balestier Road, Quality Hotel).

Thank you all who celebrated Chinese New Year early with us!