Compared to then, things are certainly looking up.
The principal reason appears to be China's fight against corruption that along with the initiatives by those Asian activists is having a notable effect on consumption and also on prices. The latter is particularly welcome because if the Shark fin trade becomes less profitable, it may ultimately lead to less targeted Shark fishing, especially in those more distant nations where the cost of shipping the fins to Asia may eventually become prohibitive.
Good synopsis of recent developments here.
But of course the fight is far from over.
Even assuming a massive and permanent reduction of the Asian demand for Shark fins, Sharks are being targeted for the chemical industry and increasingly, for food - the latter as a consequence of the continued population growth but particularly, of the fact that many Fishes that were considered vastly preferable have been largely fished away. Remember the examples from Mexico or Mozambique, and the excellent Shiver - and far from being the exception, this is happening everywhere in the developing word all the way to the SoPac and more recently, Fiji!
Those problems are not going to be solved by a focus on Asia alone.
They will only be solved by developing, legislating and more importantly, implementing good, smart fisheries management plans that focus on sustainability, this preferably following the establishment of Shark sanctuaries as stop gap measures to allow for the fact that right now, many of those countries simply lack the resources for implementation.
May I be repeating myself?
You betcha - but when I discover shit like this (pressing global, regional and national issues my ass - shame on you Avaaz!), it becomes pathetically obvious that much more repetition is needed!
But I'm digressing as always.
Much has been achieved, so kudos to everybody involved.
And there's much more work to do!
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