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Spread the shark love message with our new "4 sharks" t-shirt.  Trendy bold design on the front, anti shark fin message on the back! What more could you ask for in a t-shirt, really?
Impress your friends with your sharky knowledge: The blue shark is one of the most commonly fished and finned sharks in the world. White, whale and basking sharks are the only 3 sharks protected under CITES. Complete with Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and lovesharks.sg logos. Only 15 bucks from the lovesharks.sg shop.
Sad news that people still want to do something like that. In exchange for 5 minutes of fame you killed an animal that was probably as old as yourself. Watch the video report of his shark catch here. Catching controversy, all 1,060 pounds of it
Eric Ernst, Herald-Tribune, Friday, May 15, 2009 at 1:00 a.m.
He could have moved to the middle of the boat. Instead, he leaned over the edge with a gaff hook and set off another controversy.
When fishing captain Bucky Dennis of Englewood reeled in a 1,060-pound hammerhead shark from Boca Grande Pass last week, he was going for a world record on 80-pound test line.
Shark populations worldwide have dropped 50 to 75 percent because of overfishing, so news of Dennis' latest trophy set off derisive protests, some deserved, some not. Maybe that's part of Dennis' public relations problem. The commercial fishing industry catches sharks, cuts off their fins for Asian markets, then discards the fish to die. Worldwide, the practice has decimated shark numbers far more than Bucky Dennis ever could. But commercial shark fishing is a faceless foe. It doesn't pose at the dock for the cameras, so no one attacks it personally. Dennis has other PR troubles, though. The record shark he caught in 2006, a female estimated at 40 to 50 years old, was carrying 55 pups. That was also a hammerhead record, according to Mote Marine Laboratory, which reluctantly accepted the fish for research. It refused to take Dennis' latest catch, which was likely pregnant, too, experts say.
Of course, not all fishermen endorse Dennis' practice of chasing records. I asked a friend, also a charter captain, for his analysis. "They're a thing of beauty. You don't kill them. You move to the middle of the boat."
Shark protection call
14 May 2009 -- 09:50CEST, by di-ve.com
The Shark Alliance is marking Global Ocean Policy Day by calling on EU Fisheries Commissioner, Joe Borg, to strengthen the EU’s most important and far-reaching policy for sharks: the ban on "finning" (slicing off the fins and tossing the body at sea).
The EU is the lead supplier for the global shark fin trade, which is driven by demand for the Asian delicacy, shark fin soup. The EU finning ban is currently among the weakest in the world, the Shark Alliance said.
Species that dominate the Asian shark fin trade, such as thresher, hammerhead and blue sharks, are taken by Maltese fishermen. In 2008, scientists reported population declines of 97-99 per cent for Mediterranean populations of these species.
“Ten years ago, Malta took bold action to protect the great white shark, giant devil ray and basking shark, and it is high time to show such leadership again,” said Sonja Fordham, Shark Alliance Policy Director.
Nearly 60 per cent of Malta’s 35 species of sharks are considered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as threatened with extinction. The main shark targeted in Malta, spiny dogfish, is classified as endangered in the Mediterranean. Maltese fishermen also take critically endangered porbeagle and angular rough sharks.
The European Commission released in February 2009 the Community Plan of Action for Sharks, which sets the stage for sweeping improvements in EU shark policies, including the finning ban.
The Shark Alliance is a coalition of 70 conservation, scientific and diving organisations dedicated to improving EU shark policies, including Nature Trust (Malta), Sharklab (Malta) and Sharkman's World Organisation.
How awesome is this guy! Thanks Dazza!!! Is anybody getting married? Tell them!
Shark Love (EP3): Shark-fin friendly photographer
Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 10:15hrs, the long zlong So if you’ve been following, I’ve been blogging about the love for sharks and how and why we should be treating these gnashing saw teeth fishes better in;
Shark Love (EP1): In conversation with Sharkman
Shark Love (EP2): Sharkwater and some shark facts And on how I am keen in affecting change in an industry that, perhaps doesn’t actually play a part in the slaughter of sharks for Shark-fin soup, but may be in the right position to affect some, if only a slight change - a change in seeing Shark Fin dishes off banquet tables. Take local TV celebrities Shaun and Michelle, their heavily publicized wedding dinner had them declaring live on National TV last Monday night, how they took shark-fin off their menu and served a substitute instead I would like to encourage couples and their families to not serve Shark-fin at their dinner banquets. And to do that, I pledge to offer every couple signed up for Actual Day wedding photography with me, who are holding sit-down Chinese x-course banquets, who consciously decide not to serve any form of sharks-fin dish at their wedding, a S$100 credit1. This credit can be used as a redemption for any products such as Canvas Prints, Photobooks or Wedding Books. This isn’t a time-limited offer, it will be an offer I will provide henceforth. I am providing this at a cost to myself, probably not the smartest business or profit margin increasing move, but I am doing this because I care. I care for the sharks that are being poached and sinking to the floor of the ocean with their fins cut off and I am doing so because it matters what goes into the mouths of the people I care about.
Mozambique Loses Millions To Illegal Shark Fishing
May 14, 2009 11:18 AM, Bernama.com
MAPUTO, May 14 (Bernama) -- The Mozambican state has been losing millions of US dollars because of illegal shark fishing by foreign vessels in the country's waters, the Mozambican news agency (AIM) said quoting a report in Wednesday's issue of the Maputo daily "Noticias".
The illegal vessels mostly come from Tanzania and operate in the waters off the coat of Memba and Nacala districts, in the northern province of Nampula. The local maritime administration currently lacks the resources to inspect the coastal waters effectively.
A kilo of shark fins is sold for about US$750 in the international market, but fetches much higher prices in the Asian shops and restaurants where it is regarded as a delicacy.
I really loved this post from Dazza. It is very refreshing to have a Singaporean guy man enough to say he cares (apart from Sharkman of course)! Read the full post of Shark Love (EP2): Sharkwater and some shark facts. Read Shark Love (EP1): In conversation with Sharkman. Shark Love (EP2): Sharkwater and some shark facts
Wednesday, May 13, 2009 at 09:32hrs, the long zlong
SharkWater is an award-winning documentary produced, written and directed by Rob Stewart. The film debunks many of the fears and misconceptions the media machine has brainwashed us with. And traces the journey that Stewart makes with renegade conservationist Paul Watson of Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, on an adventure that exposes the truth behind shark-finning, with the corruption involved for that tiny bowl of soup at our Chinese dinners.
There were moments that disgusted me, moments that made me feel shameful and embarrassed as an ABC (Asian Born Chinese) - a Singaporean company is featured in the film for all the wrong reasons. The MD of the said company is filmed with such arrogance on how vicious sharks are - “See the teeth! Like a saw!… They bite you…pain until die.” - and ignorance of how one can prevent cancer and rheumatism by eating shark’s fin. And it horrified me that we Asians, me in part, am responsible for the slaughter and driving the need for the corruption that is involved, which includes paying off officials in Guatamala (where finning is illegal) by Asian syndicates.
But I also felt a sense of redemption when an Asian couple, whom I can only guess is from South-East Asia from their accent, declared how they would not be serving Shark fin at their wedding dinner.
Now I promised that I had a plan to affect change. When this idea first started, I didn’t realise how much there was to write about shark fin and how embarrassed and disgusted I would feel from learning more. And since this post has gone on to include a lot more than I anticipated at first I will postpone my plan to affect change til the next post.
Good work IBAMA. Too late for the 36 thousand sharks but maybe it will set the poachers back a bit. But as long as there is the demand there will be someone, somewhere, getting the supply, even if it means doing it illegally like these people are. NGO Alliance Looks for Compensation Above R $60 Million for the Illegal Capture of Sharks
Monday, May 11, 2009, Sea Shepherd
Sea Shepherd Brazil, Instituto Environmental Justice (Insitutot Justiça Ambiental), and the South Coast Institute (Instituto Litoral Sul) filed on Thursday, May 7th, a public civil action in the Federal Court of Rio Grande, Brazil. The NGO's mobilization began on June 19th, 2008, when the Environmental Police of the Military Brigade and IBAMA raided the fishing company Dom Matos Comércio de Pescados e Resíduos Ltda, and found 3.3 tons of shark fins. IBAMA is the Brazilian Ministry of the Environment's enforcement agency. The shark fins belonged to species threatened of extinction, including angel sharks. For the amount of fins found, it was estimated that over 36 thousand sharks had been killed.
Illegally obtained shark fins from the 3.3 tons confiscated by IBAMA
Photos Credit: Gerson Pataleao "It is a coherent and important regulation that seeks to avoid the uncontrolled capture of sharks. The regulation was ignored, since only shark fins were found at the premises without any carcass," explains Cristiano Pacheco, executive director for Institute Environmental Justice. "We have enough elements for an exemplary pecuniary condemnation." The shark fin industry has ramifications in almost all the coastal countries of the world, including the Galápagos Islands, which is today perhaps the 'Latin capital' of the shark finning industry. In Brazil there are ramifications from Pará to Rio Grande do Sul.
Come on Peter Garrett, do the right thing! Calls to ban shark fin exports
Posted Mon May 11, 2009 2:08pm AEST, ABC News
A giant shark fin is erected outside the office of Environment Minister Peter Garrett as part of the protest (NSW Conservation Council: NSW Conservation Council)
Conservationists are calling on the Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett to stop shark fin exports from New South Wales. The minister is currently considering whether to renew the state's shark export license. The Nature Conservation Council of New South Wales says shark numbers are declining from over-fishing due to increased demand from Asia, where shark fin soup is a delicacy. It delivered a giant shark fin to Mr Garrett's Sydney office this morning in protest against exports. The Council's director Cate Faehrmann says there has been a large increase in the numbers of sharks targeted simply for their fins. "We've seen a decline worldwide of about 90 percent in shark numbers since the beginning of the industrial age," she said. "This is very unsustainable. We have sharks being targeted in New South Wales waters that are listed as internationally threatened."
11 tonnes of shark fins seized
May 8, 2009, The Straits Times
Police in Spain said on Friday they had seized 11 tonnes of shark fins worth 136,800 euros (S$270,449) destined to be shipped to Hong Kong in China. --PHOTO: REUTERS
The warehouse in Huelva in southwestern Spain where the shark fins, used to make soup in China, were found was not authorised to store or export the product, they said in a statement. The shark fins did not appear to be a protected species, police said. They came from a port in Galicia in northwestern Spain. European Union countries are the main exporters of shark fins to China. The removal of the shark's fins results in their death.
Seychelles Bans Cutting Sharks' Fins
01 May 2009, Blueflipperdiving
VICTORIA — The Seychelles has banned the cutting off of sharks' fins by foreign fishermen to curb a flourishing global trade that is threatening the survival of the sea predator and marine ecosystems.
The United Nations estimates that 100 million sharks are killed every year world-wide, mostly for their fins which are a delicacy in East Asia where a bowl of shark fin soup can command high prices.
Dozens of countries have banned the practice of slicing off of sharks' fins in the last few years. The Seychelles Fishing Authority (SFA) ban took effect this week and covers all foreign vessels fishing in the territorial waters of the Indian Ocean archipelago.
The ban does not include domestic vessels, which the government says are few and controlled, or shark fishing where the whole shark is caught. "Shark finning ... threatens ... the stability of marine ecosystems, sustainable traditional fisheries, food security, dive and eco-tourism," SFA said.
The World Conservation Union says 65 out of 373 known shark species are globally threatened, largely owing to the shark finning trade. Some experts think the number is higher. Fins from Hammerhead, Mako and Blue Sharks command the highest prices while cheaper shark fins are usually taken from smaller species.
So retarded right. If we go to a buffet and we waste food we get charged a wastage fee; the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation needs to impose a similar fine to fishing wastage! This is so much worse and on such a huge scale that it cannot be overlooked or ignored anymore. Nearly half global fish catch is wasted
1 May 2009, OneWorld.net
Nearly half of the world’s recorded fish catch is unused according to a new scientific paper co-authored by WWF. It estimates that each year over 38 million tonnes of fish, taken from our oceans by fishing activities, is left un-managed or unused, and should be considered as bycatch.
Collateral damage: A dead shark is entangled in a fishing net off Tanzania in this undated file photo. COURTESY OF WWF
The WWF paper estimates the proportion of bycatch in 46 fishing countries (including the North-East Atlantic and Mediterranean & Black Sea areas) and two global fisheries; tuna and shark fin. In redefining bycatch as anything fishers take from our oceans that is ‘unused or un-managed’, the paper’s estimates go well beyond previous global estimates, which focus mainly on catch which is thrown away and vary from 7 to 27 million tonnes a year.
It is likely that the worst case of wasteful fishing is seen in fisheries that target sharks exclusively for their fins where 92 per cent of what is caught is discarded back in the ocean.
According to WWF, bycatch costs fishers time and money, contributing to overfishing, jeopardizing future revenue, livelihoods, and long-term food security. It’s also a major killer of marine wildlife, putting several species at risk of extinction and drastically altering the sensitive balance of ecosystems.
 January uses an anchored rope to stabilize herself as she encounters Caribbean reef sharks for the first time. January Jones, best known for her role on the hit series Mad Men, had teamed up with Oceana to promote a campaign to protect sharks. The actress is working with the org as a spokesperson to help pass The Shark Conservation Act in Congress — which would implement stronger protection for sharks by requiring that sharks be landed whole with the fins still attached to the bodies. The Federal legislation would also allow the U.S. to take action against countries whose shark finning requirements are not consistent with those in the United States. More about the Scared FOR Sharks campaign here and here!
Great! This Community Plan of Action (CPOA) for Sharks is a long time coming and more countries should follow up with their own plans. Project AWARE Foundation Securing Shark Protection
Project AWARE website
Project AWARE Foundation recently joined fellow Shark Alliance members in Brussels to mark the release of the European Commission’s long awaited Community Plan of Action (CPOA) for Sharks and comment on its provisions. The plan, covering sharks and all cartilaginous fish, has potential to provide a comprehensive framework for change, encouraging science based catch limits, the protection of endangered species and the revision of EU shark finning regulation.
The UK Minister confirmed his commitment saying: “I strongly support the shark action plan. We must do everything we can to protect vulnerable species and ensure that stocks are exploited sustainably. Better science and information gathering are fundamental to the plan’s success. The UK will continue to work with the Commission, conservation groups and the fishing industry to ensure that this plan produces robust, workable and effective measures to protect and sustainably manage shark stocks.”
The CPOA for Sharks represents a significant step in the right direction for shark conservation and sustainable management, but it will only be effective if Member States act with a sense of urgency and commit to a robust timetable of implementation. Project AWARE considers the publication of the plan of action as the start of a long campaign to secure a sustainable future for sharks.
Korean vessels fined for illegal fishing
April 29 2009 at 08:37PM, iol.co.za
The captain and first officer of two Korean-flagged ships have been sentenced to a fine of R500 000 or five years in prison each for contravening their permit conditions, environment officials said on Wednesday.
The crew of the MFV Oryong 371 and the MFV Oryong 373 were found guilty of contravening the Marine Living Resources Act of 1998.
"A total of 667kg undeclared shark fins was also confiscated. They omitted the fact that they had shark fins on the vessel from their permits."
The vessel was also found guilty of illegally off-loading 18,1 tons of fish from one vessel to another.
The MFV Oryong 373 off-loaded 389kg of shark fin, more than the limit stipulated on its permit.
Moses said the crew of both vessels cut shark fins from the trunks and threw the bodies back into the water - in contravention of international fishing conservation measures.
Blue sharks are the most commonly fished shark for shark fin soup. Because they have populations all over the world, it is widely thought that they are not affected by the massive scale of shark fishing and finning but it's not true! Blue Sharks Of Hawaii ~ Sad Reality
by Katie Grove-Velasquez, Writer, Marine Animal Researcher, Photographer, Educator, and Lecturer Working in the Hawaiian Islands, Zoo and Aquarium Visitor
Fishing globally is taking our shark populations down at a rapid rate, even in Hawaii. According to Gerald Crow, who wrote Sharks & Rays of Hawaii, thousands of sharks lose their lives every year to the fishing industry and show up in the marketplace. Sharks are not a protected specie in Hawaii and many other places worldwide. According to the IUCN, over 50% of the global shark species are critically endangered.
According to researchers, if this fishing industry is allowed to continue, in addition to the finning industry, which takes over 100 MILLION sharks annually, our oceans have less than 100 years before they collapse. If this is true, we are all in dire trouble. In Hawaii alone, from 1991 to 1999, nearly 900,000 sharks were killed for the marketplace. These were mostly blue,mako and thresher sharks. The style of fishing was long-lining, which is famous for indiscriminate taking of turtles, marine mammals, and many others.
What do we do? First, we need to all educate ourselves. Go to reliable websites and become armed with information. Boycott restaurants that serve shark fin soup, and tell them why. Physically go in to the restaurant, check the menu, and tell the management you will return when that item is removed, and walk out. Write letters to your local newspapers. Blog about it. Protest in your area and ceaselessly put pressure to pass laws for shark protection. Our children, our future depends on it. The time is now.
A new international push to save dwindling shark populations
April 28th, 2009, By Melissa Segrest, kabc-TV Los Angeles, CA
The world’s shark population is dropping rapidly, and the primary reasons are humans’ increasing hunger for both a Chinese delicacy and an alternative medicine: shark fins. Shark fins are prized as a key ingredient in costly shark-fin soup favored by the Chinese around the world. The U.S. has had a shark-finning prohibition since 2000, but that law will be strengthened with the introduction of the Shark Conservation Act of 2009 by Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) last week. Rep. Madeline Bordallo of Guam has already introduced similar legislation in Congress, and that bill received unanimous approval. The older law contained loopholes that at least one American ship took advantage of when they were discovered carrying the fins of about 30,000 sharks. They appealed on the basis that they were a “transport” ship, not a “fishing” vessel, a distinction specified in the earlier law’s language. The new legislation will close that loophole, along with a ban on importing any shark products that come from countries without shark conservation efforts. Of the 591 shark and ray species examined by an international group of conservation scientists, 21 percent are “threatened with extinction” and 18 percent have “near-threatened” status, according to the Pew group. The difficult task of tracking so many shark species likely misses about 35 percent of the shark and ray population, researchers say. One species, the dusky shark, has declined in population off America’s East Coast by more than 80 percent since the ‘70s, and will take about 400 years to rebuild, according to the Pew group.
An article for Westerners who've never heard about shark fin soup! What we consume mindlessly and take for granted is really worth a second thought guys. Say, 'No', to shark fin soup
April 26, 12:01 AM, Stan Dyer, Denver Dining Examiner
To acquire fins, shark fishermen string long lines with many hooks in international waters. Since sharks need to keep moving to breathe, many die on the hooks before being “harvested”, yet some are captured alive. It does not matter. The animals, alive or dead, are pulled aboard the ship where the fins are removed and whatever is left is dumped back into the ocean. If the animal is still alive, it cannot swim, so it sinks to the bottom of the ocean and drowns.
The tragedy is that all the fishermen are after are the fins, the rest of the animal has no use to them. All they want from the fins is the cartilage used to make the soup. The rest is discarded as waste. In that respect, it is similar to the harvesting of buffalo skins in America in the 19th century, the killing of gorillas for souvenirs, and the slaughter of elephants just for their tusks.
Sharks are a very important part of the ocean ecosystem. Reducing their numbers or eliminating them completely can adversely affect the entire food chain.
People who eat excessive amounts, or eat the product continually over a period of years will experience elevated levels of the poison in their bodies and eventually suffer mercury poisoning.
Whether you oppose the consumption of animals, or you are just looking to limit your exposure to toxic chemicals from the environment, it is a good idea to avoid shark fin soup and to limit the consumption of all fish or fish products harvested from the sea.
Whale sharks all closely related, says study
Nicolette Craig, Practical fishkeeping
Whale shark (Picture: Christoph Scheutzenhofer, Creative Commons)
A new study has discovered that whale sharks around the world are all related which puts them at risk from overfishing.
Until recently, it wasn’t known if overfishing in some areas would affect overall whale shark populations as no one knew if the sharks were migratory or if they tended to stay in their own territories.
Although this species is listed in Appendix II of CITES, and with strict quotas in place, the financial gains for anyone exceeding their quota far outweigh the potential fines and consequences.
Lead scientist Jennifer Schmidt said: “Our data show that whale sharks found in different oceans are genetically quite similar, which means that animals move and interbreed between populations.
“From a conservation standpoint, it means that whale sharks in protected waters cannot be assumed to stay in those waters, but may move into areas where they may be in danger."
"The only real threat to whale sharks is us. To design proper conservation plans, we need to understand the sharks' lifestyle. We can only protect their habitat if we know what habitat they use."
Schmidt hopes that more countries will close whale shark fisheries and place more effort into alternatives such as ecotourism programs.
They should do that eveywhere. Especially in Singapore where people are thinking of bringing their wives and mothers for shark fin for Mother's Day, crazy! Texas lawmakers OK mercury warnings
By JACKIE STONE, April 20, 2009, 6:48PM, Chron.com
AUSTIN, Texas — Texas fish sellers would have to warn pregnant women about the risks of eating some kinds of mercury laden fish under a proposal given initial approval from the Texas House Monday.
The signs would explain that some fish and shellfish — especially large fish such as swordfish and shark — may contain mercury, which can cause birth defects.
The bill's author, Houston Democrat Rep. Jessica Farrar, said mercury can cause learning disabilities, and problems with hearing and eyesight. "We wanna make sure that people eat the right fish. This is just a sign for certain populations to stay away from certain kinds of fish," Farrar said. "During fetal development, mercury definitely crosses over the placenta," she said. "It can result in low birth rate, severe mental retardation, cerebral palsy, deafness, blindness and seizures." The bill was approved 99-45. It faces a final vote in the House before it can head to the Senate.
Check out the photos on the facebook event here! Rally against shark fin trade opens in Singapore
Apr 18, 2009, AFP
SINGAPORE (AFP) — Animal rights activists launched a campaign in Singapore Saturday against the consumption of shark fin, a status symbol when served at Chinese wedding banquets and dinners.
A large banner bearing the slogan "when sharks die, the oceans die" was displayed at a nearby park close to Singapore's business district. Louis Ng, ACRES's executive director and founder, told 100 supporters that more than 3,800 sharks were caught every 20 minutes to meet global demand for shark fin, pushing many shark species towards extinction. "Let us not only say no to shark fins but let us also be advocates for sharks and tell people why we do not, and will not, eat them," Ng said. One of ACRES's supporters at the rally, physiotherapist Chng Chye Tuan, said he and his wife-to-be had decided against offering shark fin soup to guests at their wedding next month, despite opposition from both sets of parents. "You can see the impact that humans are having on the ecosystem. The variety of fish is not as much as before," said Chng, referring to observations he had made during diving trips.
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