I created this profile to tell people about the barbaric practise of shark finning and to raise public awareness of the plight of sharks and other ocean predators. "Shark finning" is when fishermen cut off the fins of the shark and throw the live animal back into the ocean where it dies a slow and agonising death. These sharks can take weeks to starve to death and are usually eaten alive by other fish. Shark fins fetch good money and are used to make shark fin soup which is consumed in the Far East but also in other parts of the world. However a large amount of shark finning is done by Spanish fishing companies who sell their "catch" worldwide.
Shark finning is a vile manifestation of humankind's attitude to ocean life. These wonderful animals are treated like products to be used and discarded. Every year 100 million sharks are butchered - populations of some shark species have declined by 99% since the 1970s. If sharks were cuddly animals like pandas there would be an international scandal about this. But sharks get a bad press because of sensationalist shark attack news items and silly movies like Jaws.
The population level of ocean predators is a barometer for the general health of other sea life. When the shark population goes into freefall it affects all other forms of life in the sea. And shark populations take a long time to recover - this is because they can take up to 15 years to reach maturity and even then they only rear one pup per year.
WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP STOP SHARK FINNING?
1. Boycott any product that uses shark.
2. Tell people about it! This is extremely important. Tell your friends and tell them to pass the message on to their friends. Grassroots communication is vital for causes like this.
3. Write to the press, TV stations. Send emails, make phone calls.
4. Step up the pressure on companies that trade in shark products. Write to them saying you will boycott ALL their products. If you know of a restaurant that has shark fin soup or meat on the menu tell them you will not eat there until they remove shark from the menu.
5. Support organisations that are fighting to save marine wildlife such as Sea Shepherd and Wild Aid .
6. Put my profile in your Top Friends! Or even better, create your own profile.
7. COMMUNICATION, COMMUNICATION, COMMUNICATION!!!
