Save the Sharks

Shark Finning Update: Jan-17-2011

“Hell’s Kitchen” chef Gordon Ramsay prepared a documentary about the real crises being caused by the horrific Shark Finning industry.  Take a look:

2048…

What is so important about this particular year?

Where will you be in 2048?  Do you know what you will be doing then?  Can you guess?  Do you know what your children will be doing in 2048?  What about your grandchildren?

One thing is for sure, unless we start getting involved with protecting these precious creatures, they will ALL be extinct by 2048 and that’s reality.

Here is a video that is sure to get your attention.  Please share with everyone you know:

“I Pledge Not to Eat Shark Fin Soup” – Campaign Video – English from Shark Savers on Vimeo.

 

70-MILLION to 100-MILLION sharks are slaughtered each year to support the growing demand for shark fins.  Shark fins are made of cartilage.  Cartilage is tasteless and offers no nutritional value at all.  It is merely prized as a symbolic expression of showing one’s wealth (and or ignorance if you want the truth).

The tradition of eating shark fin soup stems from the ancient dynasty in China when rulers had too much power and ran out of ways to impress their followers.  In an effort to show how great they were and how much power they possessed over their people, they would come up with crazy requests.  They would send warriors out to the far reaches of the planet in search of the most outrageous request, all in an effort to show that they could obtain anything they wanted.  Sharks are not the only victim of such mindless practices, Tigers and Rhinos and a host of other poor creatures all fell under the same set of circumstances.

Recipes dating back over 2,000 years have been found for Shark Fin Soup.  Through the years, the stigma has remained.  Ordering shark fin soup in public is a way of showing everyone around you how wealthy and affluent you are.  The funny thing is that there are even some chefs in China who have created a vegetarian version of the soup which looks and taste just like the soup prepared with shark fins and no one is able to notice the difference.  Yet the demand continues.

Here is a WildAid public service announcement starring NBA athlete Yao Ming addressing shark fin soup.

Please show your support however possible.  You can start by asking restaurant owners to stop offering shark fin soup on their menu, you can sign one of the many petitions online, or by providing financial support to one of the many organizations who are working so hard to gather the necessary support to someday finally put a stop to this senseless and useless act.

The Shark Conservation Act is a recently passed bill that aims to put an end to shark finning in U.S. waters and closes the loopholes that exist in previous shark finning legislation.

This bill is a necessary step in preventing fishermen from removing fins at sea and will make it illegal to have a fin that is not naturally attached to a shark carcass aboard any type of vessel. The bill also requires that the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) identify and maintain a list of countries that target sharks during fishing activities across the globe in order to encourage other countries to stop shark finning.

People who do not live in the US can support the Act here:
http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/6122/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=4315

Here is a link to a terrific site which lists multiple petitions you can sign locally; http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/927/438/098/

We wish to thank you for viewing the video.  We are always open to your suggestions on how we can provide you with more information and we welcome your feedback.

Your OMG Team,