Online Sales of Shark Fin? - You Bet

Wolfgang in the Bahamas. Amanda Cotton amazing shot

Back in the day a loosely knit group pre-shark activists took to the Internet to demand that Alibaba.com stop selling shark fin online.

Lead by the irascible and wizened shark sage Wolfgang Leander, and worked on by a host of others, Alibaba.com eventually caved and stopped selling shark fin.

A victory?

You could say so. It was really that first corporate turnabout and a movie that appeared shortly after which started the shark conservation movement as we know it today with a plethora of shark groups, agendas, and some real wins to celebrate five years later.

But the story of online sales has not ended. Like a water balloon, in the corporate world if you squeeze a market on one side it bulges out the other, and where shark fin is concerned at $300-500 a kilo, that marketplace is still thriving.

Or so says Mark Harding who highlighted Rich Clothier from Shark Guardians this week.

We have to agree. Over a year ago we posted this finding online to mostly dead air from the shark conservation community working on consumption side economics of the shark fin equation.

But sales online continue, they may not be called shark fin anymore, fish maw, fish bones, and other names have changed the way traders seek buyers. In fact 90% of the sellers who sell dried seafood products still, when asked, will provide and source shark fin.

How do we know?

We have been involved with this since 2007. It's not hard to track online portals, pose as a buyer, and ask for shark fin. The results are immediate and abundant to the tune of several thousand kilos per transaction and sometimes even more.

Are there solutions to this problem? You bet.

But the problem has become a 'wider problem' if you want to harness the conservation bandwidth out there to make a dent in the trade. Right now that doesn't seem to be the case.

Industry "Quote of the Week"

"The world is always in trouble when dilettantes mess with professionals.... "

-Wolfgang Leander August 26, 2009

Oceanic Dreams Blog - Breaking News

Wolfgang Leander got the shark scoop this afternoon from Washington DC.

With shark news from both the Maldives and now in the US it would seem this is has been a great week for sharks:

Some very good news coming out of Washington D.C today...The House of Representatives passed the Shark Conservation Act of 2009 (H.R. 81) yesterday. This bill would require sharks to be landed with their fins still naturally attached, which allows for better enforcement and data collection in stock assessments and quota monitoring.

For more information please read Oceana's press release (who also happened to be a driving force behind this initiative) and visit their website - specifically their shark section.

Editors Note:Kudos to those that made this happen. On the subject of first rate eco work support Oceana.org, they actually effect change with your money and your time.

Iconic Shark Image 2009-Amanda Cotton

Recently Wolfgang Leander introduced us to Amanda Cotton. We have been big fans of Wolfgang's honesty and pure love of sharks. Wolf has quietly been the voice of conscience within the shark community for a number of years now. He's got a rare and unique talent with these animals in water that is "organic".

Amanda shot what we believe is the "Iconic Shark Image" of 2009 featuring Wolfgang and a female Tiger with a hook in her mouth. As a stand alone image the story telling is terrific and as an ambassador image to the plight of sharks worldwide there are few that compare.

We have always been partial to black and white underwater images of sharks. It is much harder to shoot in black and white because you are "compelled to tell a story" with the image-and that takes talent. As talented as Old Wolf is with his shark interactions so is Amanda with her seemingly organic ability to "be there for the image".

Wise Words-Where Credit is Due

From the Oceanic Dreams Blog words to stop and read:

I just finished reading the new book by Seth Godin: Tribes. The book is essentially about "opportunities for leading your fellow employees, customers, investors, believers, hobbyists, readers...etc." One of the sections is called "Where credit is due"It says that leaders don't care about credit...this made me think of the shark community: photographers, videographers, scientists, non-profits, activists, and the hundreds of online communities that have sprung up on Facebook and other social networks. It is unfortunate to see that lack of togetherness because too many people want credit - they want credit for bringing the media’s attention to something, changing a law, making a movie, getting a grant…the list goes on.

I see the bickering between people on Shark Group forums; I have heard that scientists do not like one another and that organizations refuse to work together. Too many people have their own agendas and are just using sharks and their misfortune as an opportunity to springboard themselves to “fame”. If everyone’s agenda was to save sharks - sharks would be safer today.Unfortunately I feel that our shark community has no leader and therefore not as much gets done and change is slow. I hope that whoever reads this does not in any way feel attacked-and if you do, you are probably one of the people that wants credit.

The section of the book ends with: "There's no record of Martin Luther King Jr. or Gandhi whining about credit.

Credit isn't the point. Change is.

Editors Note: Along comes one of the most insightful posts we have read in a while, Kudos!

Vote for Cocos Island-Wolfgang Leander

From Oceanic Dreams Blog today a reason to send in a few clicks:

Two weeks ago I was in Costa Rica – work related. As my father mentioned in a previous post, I work for Burson-Marsteller, and one of our clients in the Costa Rica Tourist Board. During my visit to San Jose I was introduced to Fundacion Amigos de La Isla del Coco and Sistema Nacional de Areas de Conservacion – Costa Rica (SINAC) which are responsible for the up keeping of 160 protected areas including the Island.

We spoke in length about the park and some of the problems it faces – the most obvious and personal to me: shark finning and overfishing. Then the conversation shifted to Cocos Island being one of the nominees for the New 7 Wonders of Nature and how we could generate more awareness and votes for Cocos Island.

The New7Wonders Foundation is behind the New 7 Wonders of Nature campaign which currently has over 200 nominations of natural wonders around the world.

People are asked to support and vote on various nominees until December 31, 2008 – at this point a total of 21 candidates will be shortlisted for the final voting stage which will run through autumn of 2010 when the winners will be officially declared.

Aside from Cocos Island, there are other locations that deserve our attention and our vote: The Galapagos Islands, Malpelo, Belize Barrier Reef, Great Barrier Reef among others.

Each email address (one person can vote multiple times) can select seven locations to vote for. While the vote does not have a direct impact on saving sharks – it will bring worldwide attention to these “Paradise Lost” places.

To vote, either click on the Cocos Island badge on the right or click here.

Wolfgang Leander and Son-Shark Family

There are precious few "originals" in our dive industry these days.

Even more so when you add sharks into the mix.

Here's one "absolute original" that we just had to introduce you to this morning. Hope you enjoy him.

From the Oceanicdreams Blog:

Usually when my dad and I get together sparks fly at one point or another – this time was no different: me giving him dirty looks or him giving me the stink eye when I would not get close enough for the shot of him in-between three large tiger sharks feeding on whale meat. But this trip just reaffirmed something to me: my dad LOVES sharks and is truly passionate about these magnificent animals.

For a long time I have quietly sat behind and listened to the conversations on various shark groups, seen scientists bicker, film makers becoming famous, Shark organizations refusing to work together and people fighting over credit of campaigns; I have come to wonder if these people are really passionate about sharks or about the fame and exposure for themselves or the organizations they represent.

I know one thing, my old man does not care if his photos are published, if his face is on a movie poster, if someone else takes credit for a campaign; (sure you might argue that you need the fame and exposure to get the message out – but it can be done together)…the only thing he cares about are sharks and spending as much time as possible with them. It is so deep that he got seriously depressed when he found out that some of the tiger sharks in both Aliwal Shoal and Tiger Beach were killed.

William Winram, world class freediver and waterman, said something to my dad that stuck with me: “You are an inspiration”…Wolf was the first one in the water and last one out…mind you he is 67.

And while I am sure the sparks will continue to fly I am very proud of having him as my father and consider him one of the few people that are truly truly passionate about sharks and their fate…