...Who is involved in shark finning, and where? Finning occurs worldwide and is most common in high seas fisheries, hundreds of miles out to sea. Oceanic fishing fleets target valuable fish such as tuna, using thousands of baited hooks on miles of long-line, and freezing their catch onboard. Unfortunately, long-liners often catch several times as many sharks than they do tuna. Until relatively recently, this shark 'bycatch' was considered a nuisance, and sharks were cut loose and allowed to swim away. However, as shark fins have become increasingly valuable, fewer sharks are being released. Bycatch is often not officially landed at ports, therefore data on the extent of the trade are limited. Traditionally Hong Kong was the centre for shark fin imports, however the economic rise of China has seen an increase in imports through mainland routes making accurate tracking of trade in shark fins more difficult. (We can mention Taiwan too) In small inshore fisheries in tropical countries, sun-drying of fins requires minimal technology and artisanal fishermen are encouraged by shark fin-traders to target local populations of sharks. As a result, even coastal shark populations in the remotest parts of the world are now vulnerable to over-exploitation, and rapid depletion of local shark populations often results from such trading activity. * Finning occurs worldwide and is most common in high seas fisheries * Bycatch is often not officially landed at ports * Traditionally...
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...Shark Finning in Hong Kong: What are the social and economic factors of shark finning in Hong Kong and how will it have an affect on the remaining population of sharks? Victoria Abstract The rapid economic growth in Hong Kong over the past few decades has had an immense effect on the amount of shark finning taking place. With GDP steadily increasing the recent change in the spending patters has only contributed to an overuse of this resource. The pricing patters of this product show that as long as fishing remains economically viable sharks will continue to be at risk of extinction. There has been a lack of motivation to raise awareness on this topic and as long as fishing remains economically viable it will just continue to occur. To reduce the amount of shark finning in Hong Kong we need to enact more ant-finning regulations. Keywords: finning, Hong Kong, disposable income What are the social and economic factors of shark finning in Hong Kong and how will it have an affect on the remaining population of sharks? Shark fins are a valuable product and a delicacy to people in Hong Kong and many other surrounding populations that are heavily Chinese, but this overfishing has led to a major depletion of the shark species. Although several countries have made the effort to ban shark fishing, if it continues to happen at the current rate there will be a risk of extinction. Hong Kong has only increased their amount of shark fishing because of the recent growth and expansion...
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...What is Shark Finning? Why is it such a vicious practice and why do people do it? Shark Finning is an atrocious practice of cutting off the shark’s fins and tossing the shark, still alive, back to the water; this practice is illegal but it is practiced anyways and it’s quite serious as some shark are in the edge of extinction. Once the fins have been cut off, the shark is thrown back to the water and it slowly dies. The shark may either drown, bleed to death or be eaten by other creatures. The shark can’t move or defend itself because it has no fins so it just sinks to the button of the sea; helpless. Shark finning is one of the most monstrous things you can do to an innocent animal. It’s like cutting a person’s hands and legs and leaving them alone. The person is vulnerable and defenceless. It’s such an evil practice to perform because the creature suffers and dies in pain. Some people wonder why the fishers toss the finless shark to the water as it’s really heartless to leave an animal to die like that. The fishers try to avoid paying for the fish because they are charged for every kilogram they bring in the boat. Shark meat is rarely eaten and therefore it’s very cheap. Fisher men care for the fins as they are expensive and light. The fishers would have had a loss if they brought the whole shark with them and that is why the toss the finless shark back to the sea. The shark eventually dies in a really cruel way and the fisher earns quite a lot of money for something...
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...Shark Finning Shark finning is the practice of slicing off the shark's fins while the shark is still alive and throwing the rest of its body back into the ocean where it can take days to die what must be an agonising death. Some sharks starve to death, others are slowly eaten by other fish, and some drown, because sharks need to keep moving to force water through their gills for oxygen. Shark fins are used as the principal ingredient of shark fin soup, an Asian "delicacy". Demand for shark fin soup has rocketed in recent years due to the increased prosperity of China and other countries in the Far East. Shark fin soup, which can easily cost $100 a bowl, is often served at wedding celebrations so that the hosts can impress their guests with their affluence. Because there is such a high demand for shark fins, traders can make a lot of money from shark fin, but it is the restaurant owners who really "make a killing" in this foul trade. Fishermen are only interested in the fins because shark meat is of low economical value and takes up too much space in the hold. It also contains urea, which turns to ammonia once the shark has died and contaminates other fish. Shark fin itself is tasteless; it just provides a gelatinous bulk for the soup which is flavoured with chicken or other stock. Many people, especially the consumers, are unaware of the suffering that finning causes. To put it bluntly, shark populations have been decimated. Globally, tens of millions of sharks are slaughtered...
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...MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Cows are 40% more likely to kill you than sharks, interesting, huh? The shark population has drastically downsized in recent years due to multiple reasons one of which being finning, and while some think the “world would be a better place without sharks.” People don’t fully grasp the fact that they play a vital role in the marine ecosystem. Sharks deserve our protection just as much as any other endangered animal. Like the WildAid organization said people “tend to want to help animals they care about” like pandas or elephants. Raising money to help sharks, however, is a tough case because when people think of sharks they think of shark teeth black eyes and monsters not cute little fluffy bears with big eyes. Sharks have been around since “the tyrannosaurus rex was roaming around the Great Plains of america” and when you’re around about a ten million years you certainly have and affect on the ecosystem. Sharks play a vital role in the marine ecosystem and without them there would be drastic changes. One change being throwing off the ecosystem entirely because without sharks eating their prey’s population will increase causing whatever the prey is eating to go endangered or even extinct and causing a chain reaction until nothing is left....
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...persuasive speech about shark culling, finning and cruelty to sharks to hopefully educate people and inform them with the actual facts and truth. To bring awareness to the important issue of shark culling and over - fishing and to change people’s views on these stereotyped creatures. To convince people to not listen to anything they see or hear on the media about sharks because it is very biased information and not aimed at solving the problem or creating a long term solution, rather to evoke people’s fear of sharks and to make them more scared when swimming in our oceans. It is aimed at the general population of Australia and anyone who would go swimming or indulge in water- based activities in the ocean and along the coast. This is also targeting anyone who has ever eaten shark fin soup without a second thought of the suffering that was caused to make it. As an ocean lover and surfer, I strongly believe that shark finning and culling is an important issue relevant to society today. Most of the population has not been properly informed about the situation and I am here today to hopefully change your views on sharks. By the end I would like you all to see them in a different light and hopefully agree with me when I say that shark culling is unnecessary and inhumane and shark finning is barbaric and cruel. Shark finning, for those of you who are unaware, is the removal and retention of shark fins and then the discard of the carcass into the ocean. The shark is almost always alive...
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...Sharks are not the friendliest species, but are crucial to our ecosystems. Sharks are being exterminated due to fishing, brutal shark finning, and mitigation strategies. Due to the high demand for oceanic whitetip shark fins, the United States and Brazil co-sponsored Colombia's proposal to add oceanic whitetip sharks to Appendix II of the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. Which means sharks get protection from the government. Why are sharks important you ask? First, sharks play an important role in ecosystems as one of the top predators in the oceans. Next, sharks also keep vital habitats healthy being at the top of the food chain. Also sharks keep food webs or food chains in balance due to...
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...Working-Out my Goals As a child, I was always extremely motivated and active in many ways. I played at least one season of almost every sport that was offered, all the way up until I was 14 and had to choose which sports to stick with throughout high school. My choices ended up being hockey and soccer, as they were my two favorites which I had done the longest. When I was younger, I didn’t understand the importance of working out and eating healthy until it hit me like a ton of bricks. At the age of 16, I had come to the conclusion that I no longer wanted to participate in sporting activities offered by the school. I wanted to focus more on studying and getting into a good college. Therefore, I withdrew from my normal routine and started something different. At the time, I was only thinking about how I was bettering myself academically, not physical. With that said, I was used to being able to scarf down as much food as I wanted because I would normally just burn it off the next morning at practice. That was not the case anymore. As the weeks went by, my muscle slowly turned into fat without me even noticing it. I thought that my body was only changing because I was still in high school and growing. I didn’t realize that I was growing wider, not taller. It took about half the year until my mom finally told me what she saw. At first I was just plain offended and in shock, but then as I took a good look at myself, and the scale, and I realized what she saw and knew I needed...
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...interesting to me is shark fishing. In most places shark fishing is legal but only if you bring the whole shark when you return but most people would just take the most important or expensive part of the shark, which is the shark fin. When people fish the shark fins the would take the sharks out of the water and the they would cut the fins and return them to the ocean and the shark would die of hunger of would stop swimming as a cause of their lot fin. We need to stop or slow down shark fishing because they will be extinct soon if we don’t stop it and if they go extinct the natural balance of nature of the ocean will collapse because of the food chain Shark finning exists because the amount of money restaurants, medicine companies spend for the shark fin. Asian restaurant companies would charge about $100 USD for one soup of shark fin. Medicine that comes from shark fin is always very expensive. This is why people abuse and kill sharks illegally in large amounts. Shark finning is banned in many countries. Governments should reward those fishermen who accidently fish a shark in their nets or lines and return them safe and alive again to the ocean. Governments should give them a good amount of money if fishermen contribute in preserving sharks. Many fishermen return the sharks to the ocean once the fins have been removed but these sharks do not survive. Sharks are very important to the ecosystem in the oceans and in order to continue the food chain sharks must not be finned...
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...prey, which leads to a damaging impact on their habitat. Ecosystems need to be healthy in order to maintain the health of all living things within and around them, including humans. It seems logical then to restore the natural balance by reintroducing the animal’s natural predator, conserving the population, and protecting the wild environment. Humans can no longer wait to address this growing environmental and ethical issue, and by establishing clear goals they can ensure the future of these species and ecosystems along with the continuing growth and success of their own. DOT: Sharks influence on the structure and function of ecological systems, both directly by regulating prey populations and indirectly through the interactions between their prey and other members of the ecosystem. The more severe thread, most of the time sharks are only hunted down for the profitable marked for their fins. Shark fin soup is much desired and theirs is a great demand for it. In consequence, there are special fisherman...
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...Shark Education What is Shark Finning? Shark finning refers to the removal and retention of shark fins and the discard at sea of the carcass. The shark is most often still alive when it is tossed back into the water. Unable to swim, the shark slowly sinks toward the bottom where it is eaten alive by other fish. Shark finning takes place at sea so the fishers have only the fins to transport. Shark meat is considered low value and therefore not worth the cost of transporting the bulky shark bodies to market. Any shark is taken-regardless of age, size, or species. Longlines, used in shark finning operations, are the most significant cause of losses in shark populations worldwide. Shark finning is widespread, and largely unmanaged and unmonitored. Shark finning has increased over the past decade due to the increasing demand for shark fins (for shark fin soup and traditional cures), improved fishing technology, and improved market economics. Shark specialists estimate that 100 million sharks are killed for their fins, annually. One pound of dried shark fin can retail for $300 or more. It’s a multi-billion dollar industry. Impacts of Shark Finning Loss and devastation of shark populations around the world. Experts estimate that within a decade, most species of sharks will be lost because of longlining. Unsustainable fishery. The massive quantity of sharks harvested and lack of selection deplete shark populations faster than their...
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...Shark finning is the practice of slicing off the shark's fins while the shark is still alive and throwing the rest of its body back into the ocean where it can take days to die what must be an agonising death. Some sharks starve to death, others are slowly eaten by other fish, and some drown, because sharks need to keep moving to force water through their gills for oxygen. Shark fins are used as the principal ingredient of shark fin soup, an Asian "delicacy". Demand for shark fin soup has rocketed in recent years due to the increased prosperity of China and other countries in the Far East. Shark fin soup, which can easily cost $100 a bowl, is often served at wedding celebrations so that the hosts can impress their guests with their affluence. Because there is such a high demand for shark fins, traders can make a lot of money from shark fin, but it is the restaurant owners who really "make a killing" in this foul trade. Fishermen are only interested in the fins because shark meat is of low economical value and takes up too much space in the hold. It also contains urea, which turns to ammonia once the shark has died and contaminates other fish. Shark fin itself is tasteless; it just provides a gelatinous bulk for the soup which is flavoured with chicken or other stock. Many people, especially the consumers, are unaware of the suffering that finning causes. To put it bluntly, shark populations have been decimated. Globally, tens of millions of sharks are slaughtered every year...
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...THE ROLE OF THE INTERPOL ON ENVIRONMENTAL CRIMES By: Fangon, Arvee E. Enriquez, David Jay Esguerra,Bon Josef Jaravata, Sherela Calcita, Ranilo What is Environmental Crime? An environmental crime is a violation of environmental laws that are put into place to protect the environment. When broadly defined, the crime includes all illegal acts that directly cause environmental harm. Such crimes are also referred to as ‘crime against the environment.’ What Is The Role Of The Interpol In This Environmental Crimes? Environmental crime is a serious and growing international problem, and one which takes many different forms Broadly speaking, wildlife crime is the illegal exploitation of the world’s wild flora and fauna, while pollution crime is the trade and disposal of waste and hazardous substances in contravention of national and international laws. INTERPOL's response In today’s global economy there is a need for an international strategy to deal with this type of crime. As the only organization with a mandate to share and process criminal information globally, INTERPOL is uniquely qualified to lead these efforts. The INTERPOL Environmental Crime Programme: Leads global and regional...
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...Shark fin soup, with an industry worth up to $1.2 billion, is a traditional Chinese dish served in special occasions. Considered a luxurious food item, this delicacy is priced upwards of $100 a bowl. But who knew such a specialty food has such a bloody background behind it? Affecting more than tens of millions of sharks per year, finning is the practice of hacking off a shark’s fins and throwing its still living body back into the ocean. These sharks either starve to death, are eaten alive by other fish, or drown from their gills not being able to extract oxygen. Is such an inhumane and violent practice worth it ? Sharks are often portrayed as the villain in many hit movies, leading to a society with such a skewed negative perspective on...
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...Endangered Sharks Rapidly declining shark populations has already been noticed and will continue to decline unless further steps are taken to ensure their protection as endangered species. 50 out of 307 shark species, listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), are either vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered. However, of those 50, only three, the White, Whale, and Basking sharks are protected internationally under CITES. CITES is the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. Sharks as a whole, represent the highest percentage of threatened marine species listed on the IUCN Red List of threatened species. Some well-known species that are endangered are Hammerheads, Tiger Sharks, Whale Sharks, Great White Sharks, Shortfin Mako Shark, and many tropical reef sharks. The decrease of shark populations has already had devastating effects on local coastal communities. Two of the world’s largest fish are on the endangered list. The Whale Shark is listed as vulnerable for extinction. They migrate seasonally and are targeted by commercial fisheries. Whale sharks feed on krill and plankton so they do not harm humans, the most harm one could face would be to get struck by its massive caudal, tail, fin. Whale Sharks are beneficial to many tropical reef areas. In addition, the Basking Shark is also listed as vulnerable. These are the second largest living fish left. They are found in all the worlds’ temperate oceans and are a...
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