My fellow blogger Steve Pogonowski at Oceanic Explorer points to this news report. It’s about cutting the fins off live sharks then chucking the animals back into the sea.
Three months ago we learned that improvements might be coming. Last month another blogger, petrel41, told us that the European Union (EU) had voted to close loopholes in the law. Now, it seems, the change is to happen.
It’s not soon enough, say I. The photograph shown in petrel41’s and Oceanic Explorer’s posts make me feel physically sick. It’s not easy to do that to this biologist but oh my word, those tortured sharks.
Advertisements
That is indeed sickening. I accept that many people eat meat and fish, but it shouldn’t be necessary to commit this sort of cruelty in order to do that.
Yes. Blogging about maritime topics I’m learning how badly the sea and its creatures are treated. Who cares about sharks, anyway? They’re all just like the one in Jaws!
That’s the trouble, I suspect – creatures which aren’t cute and cuddly don’t get the general public on their side nearly as easily. A shame because sharks are much more diverse and interesting than the man-eating monsters of Jaws.
I was privileged to see a basking shark off the coast of Scotland once, which was awesome in the original sense of the word.And how can you not love something called a Wobbegong? 🙂 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wobbegong
Yes I saw a shark near Mull. Perhaps it was the same one!
That Wobbegong is fabulous. Even its other name, Carpet Shark, is irresistable. Did you check out skepticalsquirrel’s blog on WP? Thanks to her I’ve now seen film of a leopard flatworm swimming and I’ve learned about chitons with pink-studded girdles.
This is one of the reasons I love the internet – all this fabulous information a is just a few clicks away! Wonderful! And thank you!
Shark finning is gruesome, I can’t believe that people can do it to such spectacular and important creatures. But then I can’t believe they shoot rhino’s for their horn, or tigers for their penises, or drink blood from live cobras…etc. etc. etc…
A contractor I work with visited Japan recently and told me of a restaurant he was dined at where he chose the fish course from a tank of live fish, expecting it to be netted, killed and cooked. But instead the fish was served live and thin slices cut off it to be eaten eaw until it died, and that was considered wholely normal and acceptable by his host. Why? All those abuses are simply barbarous with no conceivable justification.
BTW one of my lifes ambitions is to see basking sharks in UK waters, I’m unfeasibly envious of you guys who have seen them!
Oh my word. Cutting up a live fish?!
I need to change the subject now. If you get the chance, go on holiday on the Isle of Mull. There are masses of excellent 1-day safaris there, on land and on sea. And you can take a trip to Iona.
Pingback: AMCS puts shark finning back in the news; Danny Green’s shark tale | Science on the Land
Pingback: Protection for sharks | Science on the Land
Remarkable! Its actually awesome piece of writing, I have got much clear idea on the topic of from this article.