Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Save a shark, eat something else - Op Ed

From the Shedd Aquarium this week you have to love reasoned, well written responses to shark propaganda:

As Director of Sustainable Practices at Shedd Aquarium, I am disappointed that for the second year in a row, shark is being served at Taste of Chicago.

The Chicago Tribune article, "Shark Among Healthy Offerings at Taste of Chicago" (Entertainment) dated June 25, also raises a red flag over misconceptions about shark consumption.

Nearly 50 million sharks are killed each year for their fins, meat and cartilage, and another 50 million are accidentally caught by fishery nets and hooks intended for other species. This approximates to three sharks killed per second. A "red list" report from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) found that 26 percent of all sharks and related species in the regional waters are threatened with extinction.

Avoiding shark meat and shark fin soup is one way we can help save shark populations worldwide, but we have much more work to do if these animals are still appearing on local plates.

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