Southern Fried Science - Shark Finning vs Tourism

Another in an excellent series by the fine folks over at SFS last week:

Continuing the discussion about shark feeding dives started last week by Aleks Maljkovic, Eric Clua discusses the economics of this practice and concludes that a living shark can be worth much more than a dead shark.

Hawaii - Shark Fin Bill 2169 and what's in it

Complete and revised Shark Fin Bill SB 2160bill here.

Add your voice to this important issue here with an email or phone call this week.

A BILL FOR AN ACT

RELATING TO SHARK FINS

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
SECTION

Sharks are one of the top predators in the marine food chain and play an important role in our ocean's ecosystem. Sharks have characteristics that make them more vulnerable to overfishing than most fish, and data from state, federal, and international agencies show a decline in the shark populations both locally and worldwide. Unlike other fish species, most sharks do not reach sexual maturity until seven to twelve years of age and then only give birth to a small litter of young. Thus, sharks cannot rebuild their populations quickly onnce they are overfished.

The practice of shark finning, where a shark is caught, the fin is cut off, and the shark is returned to the water, causes tens of millions of sharks to die a slow death each year. Some sharks starve to death, others are slowly eaten by other fish, and some drown, because most sharks need to keep moving to force water through their gills for oxygen. Shark fins are the principal ingredient in shark fin soup, and the demand for the delicacy has skyrocketed in recent years.

Despite state and federal laws to ban the practice of shark finning, fishers continue the practice on a massive scale. Since 1972 the number of blacktip sharks has fallen by ninety-three per cent, tiger sharks by ninety-seven per cent, and bull sharks, dusky sharks, and smooth hammerheads by ninety-nine per cent. The rapid reduction of sharks is disrupting the ocean's equilibrium.

Sharks are an essential element of the ocean's ecosystem, and by reducing the demand for shark fins, Hawaii can help ensure that sharks will not become extinct.

SECTION 2. Chapter 188, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:

Shark fins; prohibited.

(a) It shall be unlawful for any person to possess, sell, offer for sale, trade, or distribute shark fins.

(b) Any person violating this section or any rule adopted pursuant to this section shall be subject to:

(1) Seizure and forfeiture of shark fins; and
(2) An administrative fine of not less than $5,000 and not more than $15,000. In addition, the violator may be assessed administrative fees and costs, and attorney's 1 fees and costs.
(c) The department may adopt rules pursuant to chapter 91 necessary for the purposes of this section.
(d) For the purpose of this section, "shark fin" means the raw or dried fin of a shark with the shark carcass removed."

SECTION 3. Section 188-40.5, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is repealed.

Sharks; prohibitions; administrative penalties.

(a) No person shall knowingly harvest shark fins from the territorial waters of the State, or land shark fins in the State, unless the fins were taken from a shark landed whole in the State.
(b) Any person violating this section or any rule adopted thereunder shall be subject to:

(1) Seizure and forfeiture of shark fins, commercial marine license, vessel, and fishing equipment; and
(2) An administrative fine of not less than $5,000 and not more than $15,000. In addition, the violator may be assessed administrative fees and costs, and attorney's fees and costs.

(c) Any criminal prosecution or penalty imposed for violation of this section or any rule adopted thereunder shall not preclude seizure and forfeiture pursuant to chapter 712A, or the imposition of any administrative fines and costs or attorney's fees and costs under this section.

(d) This section shall apply to the following vessels when fishing outside the territorial waters of the State:

(1) Vessels that hold a fishing license or permit issued by the State as a prerequisite to participation in the fishery, or that have owners or captains who hold a fishing license or permit issued by the State as a prerequisite to participation in the fishery;

(2) Vessels that are registered under section 200-31; or

(3) Vessels with federal documentation that lists as a homeport a location within the State;
provided that the enforcement of this section on these vessels outside the territorial waters of the State shall not apply if enforcement of this section is in violation of, or in conflict with, federal law.

(e) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, this section shall apply only to vessels that off-load cargo in the State or its territorial waters.

(f) As used in this section:

"Land" or "landed" means when the shark or any part thereof is first brought to shore.

"Shark fin" means the raw or dried fin of a shark with the shark carcass removed.

"Whole" means the entire shark with its head and flesh intact, allowing for the removal of the blood, internal organs, and tail at sea."

SECTION 4. Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 5. This Act does not affect rights and duties that matured, penalties that were incurred, and proceedings that were begun before its effective date.

SECTION 6. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2010.

Taiwan civic groups protest chain stores selling shark-fin soup

Smart direct action protests begin with indigenous populations. The issue of sharks fin soup has been a tricky one with the perception of Westerns trying to influence a primarily Asian cultural issue.

Asians, for good reason, are resistant to heavy handed direct action eco push by outsiders. A fact many within the Western shark conservation community have discovered first hand over the years.

So, how do you change destructive indigenous cultural practices?

The IUCN has an idea, protesting and messaging with local populations:

"Lured by high profits, fishermen kill sharks only for their fins. They cut off shark's fins and dump the sharks into the sea and let them bleed to death," said Wang Yu-min, director of the Environment & Animal Society of Taiwan. "Each year, some 4,000 to 7,000 sharks are killed for their fins. The International Union for Conservation of Nature warned that 111 species of shark are being threatened, of which 20 species are seriously threatened and 25 species face
extinction," she said.


Complete Story.

Fuchsia Dunlop BBC - Refusing Sharks Fin

The BBC has a first rate story today on the culture of shark fin soup and one woman's determination to end it's acceptance at the dinner table.

It is a classic tale of east vs west mentalities with a surprising twist at the end. The shark conservation movement may just end the practice of eating sharks fin soup "one table sized international incident" at a time:

"There was an awkward silence. My dinner companions had not heard this kind of stuff before and certainly not from me, who they know as the Englishwoman who eats everything."

Complete Story.

Shark Conservation Messaging, Fiji, Imagine

We have been continually impressed with the ongoing commercial shark diving and conservation efforts of Beqa Adventure Divers in Fiji. They have been innovative leaders in the community.

From set aside regional shark reef reserves, to refusing Shark Porn in film and television, they often do what is right, rather than what is easy.

In our industry you lead by example.

This week we want to highlight BAD on a recent shark conservation PSA. Once again setting the bar for conservation messaging by a commercial shark diving operator - this video is short, visually stunning, and meaningful to a broad range of viewers.

Watching this clip you cannot help but imagine the force multiplier effect of 500 similar PSA's featuring worldwide sites and guest speakers from the global shark diving community.

Like we said many months ago in a post “Noblesse Oblige" this video represents the finest example of that ethic. Operators on the front lines of an issue taking a stand for what is right, for the betterment of the entire shark diving community and for the sharks themselves:

CNN-Wild Aid-Conservation Home Run

After months of bad news about sharks, along comes this mornings in-depth and quite frankly astonishing coverage of Taiwans sharks fin trade by CNN's-Lisa Ling and Peter Knights of WildAid

The "Planet in Peril" crew traveled with Knights to Taiwan's southern port city of Kaohsiung, which is considered one of the world's main hubs for shark fins. We watched as the fishermen unloaded their catch. Thousands of fins were thrown from one of the ships that had spent months fishing the international waters of the Pacific.

Real and lasting conservation media starts with credible sources and ends with in depth reporting like this. Kudo's to the entire team who put this together, from the video crew to the line producers, this is first rate NGO work and first rate television/media.

EU May Stop Shark Fishing-Dogfish, Porbeagle Off Menu

Some great shark conservation news we suspect had something to do with the constant governmental pressure being exerted by NGO's on this subject:

The European Commission is planning to end all fishing for spiny dogfish, porbeagle and angel sharks while also expanding protection for rays.

Spiny dogfish are sold as fish and chips in the UK and as smoked belly flaps in Germany; fillets are eaten in other EU countries including Belgium, France, and Italy. Female spiny dogfish remain pregnant for nearly two years, a record in the animal kingdom.

The move was welcomed by the Shark Alliance whose policy director Sonja Fordham said: “These proposals demonstrate the most solid step to date toward a new, more responsible era in the management of European shark fisheries.

"We urge each and every EU Fisheries Minister to follow the Commission’s responsible lead and support proposals to eliminate catches of these beleaguered species and at last set them on the path to recovery.”

Coast Guard, Cook Islands Ministry of Fisheries seize shark fins

The eco enforcement winds of change begin slowly at times.

15lbs of sharks fin? It's a start.

With the enaction of the Shiprider Agreement the US Coast Guard will now be conducting vessel boardings all over the planet. Last week in the Cook Islands the 71-foot fishing vessel Pacific Horizon, home ported in San Diego, Calif was found to have 15lbs of dried and illegal sharks fin on board.

While this bust is a literal "drop in the bucket" it is the beginning of legal enforcement in areas of the world that have no navy to patrol protected areas and fisheries:

HONOLULU — U.S. Coast Guard boarding team members seized 15 pounds of shark fins aboard a fishing vessel in the Cook Islands Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) Thursday at approximately 5 p.m.

A Cook Islands Ministry of Fisheries law enforcement officer and a boarding team from the Coast Guard Cutter Walnut, a 225-foot buoy tender home ported here, conducted a fishing vessel inspection Thursday approximately 2,200 miles south of Hawaii in accordance with the new bilateral law enforcement agreement with the Cook Islands.

It is a violation of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1996 to have shark fins aboard any U.S. vessel. The seized fins are aboard the Walnut as evidence and will be transferred to National Marine Fisheries Service specialists who will determine if a formal Notice of Violation (NOVA) will be issued.

Shark Fin Du Jour-Sponsored by Yahoo! Inc

Our new weekly feature on Underwater Thrills:Swimming With Sharks is the "Shark Fin Du Jour".

It's a weekly look at Alibaba.com the NYSE of Shark Fin Products on the Internet-Sponsored by Yahoo! Inc.

We will take you into the individual sellers listed on that site and introduce the top companies, what species they sell and how many thousands of pounds of shark fins they have for sale on the global market.

Today our Shark Fin Du Jour is Horn of Africa Traders based in the U.K. While their commercial website states they are traders in Myrrh and Frankincense dried gum resins. Once they became a member of Alibaba.com they started trading in sharks fin as well:

Horn of Africa Traders first established in North Eastern Somalia and our current head quarter is in United Kingdom. Our company specializes manufacturing and exporting of various products such as dried shark fins salted and unsalted.

Indonesia from Tiger to shark fins

Sharks, if you want to know how 80 million are being slaughtered for fins each year look no further than local fisheries in places like Indonesia:

Shark Fishing Vessel Ho Tsai Fa No. 18

We blogged about this mystery illegal shark fishing vessel off the coast of Bali last week.

At the time rumors of a dead and or missing captain and a murderous crew were part of the ongoing story. Now that story is beginning to firm up and the details are amazing. Which leads us to the simple conclusion "shark fining is bad business".

Dark oil and darker rumours seep from Bali beach's ghost ship

ATTEMPTS to refloat a Taiwanese "ghost ship" that ran aground on Bali's best surf break have foundered, prompting fears of an environmental disaster.

Police have described the vessel as a crime scene, confirming its captain may have been murdered. Taiwanese investigators have arrived in Bali to carry out their own inquiry.

The Ho Tsai Fa No. 18 has a chequered history. It was apprehended off Costa Rica in 2003 with 60,000 kilograms of illegally caught shark fin. Early this year, Greenpeace activists intercepted the ship fishing illegally in the Pacific.