few day ago along with a good friend of mine discussed about plastic pollution and to to organize an cleanup event. A part of this discussion was a graet project/journey to raise awareness of ocean pollution. the man behind it, david de rothschild, publicated a book about this project. i'm proud to notice he's attention about shark fin problem.
so this is his story. words by david de rothschild
''it's hard to love a killer, but sharks could use a few friends. between 73 milion and 100 milion of these predators are being slaughtered annually to satisfy the growing demand for shark fin--soup in asia's thriving economies.
in china, hong kong, taiwan, and elsewhere in the r
egion, shark-fin soup is a status symbol once reserved for elites but now in demand by the region's expanding middle class. at a price of up to $150 a bowl, shark-fin soup served at weddings and other ceremonies signals newfound wealth.
shark fin can fetch $500 a pound, which has unleashed a worldwide fishing frenzy for most varieties of shark. it's common practice for fishermen to butcher the fin from live sharks and then toss the wounded fish overboard. without its fin, a shrak can't swim, so it sinks to the bottom and endures a slow, painful death.
for the sake of human vanity, an apex species in the ocean food chain-and as a result, marine ecosystems dependent on sharks-is in peril. (imagine the havoc in africa if we eradicated big cats). shark populations are down 70 percent in the past three decades, with wh
itetip sharls leading the way toward extinction with a 99 percent decline.
the cruel irony is that shark fin is a chewy, flavorless hunk of cartilage. in june 2010, hawaii became the first jurisdiction to ban the sale of shark-fin soup and criminalize the possession or sale of shark fins. the nonprofit conservation group wildaid is leading a campaign to end the sale of shark-fin soup that includes tv spots and billboards featuring nba star yao ming.''
so, yes... we can
