Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Heartbreaking!

Just look at this!



Those are Blues, Makos and Salmon Sharks being processed industrially.
And no, this is not what is commonly referred to as Shark finning, i.e. only cutting off the fins and then throwing the carcasses overboard - these Sharks have been obviously brought in whole and are now being processed for the Shark fin and maybe, the Shark meat markets.

Still think that those petitions are really addressing the problem?

Gruesome story and images here.

PS yes I'm being uncharacteristically polite - more explicit and important thoughts on the matter by Shark Diver here. As so often, I could not agree more!

But amid all the bleakness, there is good news.
The goal is not, to completely eliminate fishing, which would indeed require, as a minimum, matching, dollar for dollar, the kind of unrivaled commerce with sharks we saw coming out of Japan this week. There's hundreds of millions of people for whom eating Fish is the only source of animal protein, and millions of fishermen depend on their trade for eking out what often is a meager existence - let there never be a doubt that hey have a right to exist!
The goal is to reduce fishing to sustainable levels and there, the conservation movement has excellent chances of prevailing, as in the long term, it benefits everybody. But we must act intelligently, set realistic goals and prioritize our resources - and yes, I'm very much repeating myself!

PS2 Richard Theiss here, with more excellent reflections!

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