Dying to eat shark fins.

Changes

Alright guys, so it’s time I made some changes to the format of my blogs. Why? You ask. Because it’s hard keeping my mind focused long enough to produce some sort of quality literary production of the length that I’m aiming for. I am telling you all this, because basically…I need to know if you like it, rather you approve, or should it be scrapped. Personally I think this will make it easier for everyone to follow my rants, those of the future obviously. But, now that that’s all out of the way I’m sure you’re all interested in some sharks…well at least I hope so because that’s what I’m talking about.

What’s going on with the sharks?

I’m glad you all asked! Because I was ready to tell you, but before I do, let me ask you what is shark fin soup worth to you? That was completely rhetorical of course because if your answer is anything that isn’t akin to “nothing” then you honestly shouldn’t be here. I ask this because some peoples answer is their lives. Yes, that is correct eating shark fin soup now a days can be hazardous to your health, and the worst part of it all is that some people don’t care. It has been recently unearthed that shark fins must be prepared in a cocktail of hazardous chemicals before consumption. Among this roster of delightfully deadly concoctions are industrial grade hydrogen peroxide and ammonia, two things that I’m sure say “Do Not Eat” on the bottles, but then again you shouldn’t eat the shark fins either. To add insult to injury if the shark fins aren’t poisoned, they’re not real! Turns out that shark fins are tasteless. Yes a whole species of animal is being threatened for their tasteless cartilage, and because of this shark fin vendors and restaurant owners sometimes include fake shark fins made of fish glue in their soup. Makes me wonder why they don’t sell all fake shark fins and at least save a few animals.

According to the WildAid article this bleaching process is necessary for the shark fins to be sold and made into shark fin soup. There is a video including an interview of those who do the actual bleaching but it isn’t in English so I think I’ll pass on showing you all that, but here’s the dialog involved between the reporter and a shark fin factory worker.

“Reporter: Aren't these shark fins poisonous?
Worker: There's no other way. It's for the riches anyway.
It's non of our business.
The riches most likely take drugs anyway. There's no other way.
Reporter: Does your boss know these are poisoned?
Worker: Everybody know

s.”

If threats of death aren’t enough to quell your voracious shark fin appetites then I don’t know what else there is. The wealthy of Asian countries have always been an adventurous bunch though, eating things like blowfish because they KNOW they could die, it makes eating…exciting I suppose. I’ll stick to my more non-toxic food though.

What is being done about it?

Well that’s the million dollar question isn’t it? There is plenty being done about it on a national level, but it is a difficult situation to end. It depends on the reaction of the people to media the actual passing of legislation, and the willingness of those who purchase the fins to, well, stop purchasing them. Currently WildAid is focusing on putting a damper on demand, so that suppliers will have no need to restock. If this works, when the fins are no longer selling the sharks will have an actual chance at life. They have enlisted China born NBA star, Yao Ming, to attempt to reach out to the Asian countries, primarily China, one of the top shark fin consuming countries world-wide.

You see that? By Ming simply pushing away his cup o’ soup he completed decimated the shark fin trade. If everyone sees this commercial everything will be alright! I wish it were that easy, but along with the awareness campaigns via video WildAid is also utilizing guerilla marketing in the subways of china.

This is my favorite; it’s a shark being shot, and what is that at the center of the shattered glass? That’s right a coin. If you spend one cent on the illegal wildlife trade you might as well have killed the animal yourself. If you’re not a part of the solution, you are a part of the problem.

Poor Sharks

Where should I begin? The sharks…are dying! Okay, there, it’s all out in the open now. Whew, that feels better. Now…the question is what are we going to do about it? “Nothing” you say? “Because they eat people,” you add? Well, I’m not here to go into detail about how us humans are encroaching upon their marine territory, trying to claim their rightful habitat as our own. Nor will I mention the fact that we jump into the water flailing and wallowing around like seals, their natural prey. How dare they get confused by these willing intruders that have appeared in their rightful home resembling their dinner. In reality the “Jaws” hype of killer sharks is completely unwarranted, considering that being killed by a shark is far less likely than being struck by lightning or being killed by a pet dog in your neighborhood, with less than one person being killed by a shark per year, and most attacks being non-fatal exploratory bites. So do they really deserve this? :

I don’t think so, and neither does WildAid. That is why they began the “Say no to Shark Fin Soup” campaign to protect the sharks from who else but us, mankind. We’ve hunted these animals to near extinction, the great white shark being especially close to termination with less than 3500 great whites left in the wild. Studies suggest that tigers are more numerous than great whites at this time, due to the public stigma against these oh so “dangerous” creatures.

Some people are already on board with this campaign, Hawaii being the first state to put a legal ban on shark fin. This makes them the global leader of shark conservation.

Global - pertaining to the whole world; worldwide; universal

That’s right…the US’s fourth smallest state is the WORLDWIDE leader of the conservation of an animal that resides all over the planet. They’re ranked higher than countries all over the globe; a fact that they know all too well. “Globally shark catches are unregulated and unsustainable. The shark fin trade is completely unregulated worldwide. This is a first step in giving sharks a future,” says Stefanie Brendl of Shark Alliance. Sharks have been around for around 400 million years, and are their future is being threatened by a race to which they outdate by over 100 thousand years. A whole species is being destroyed, all for a tasteless piece of flesh.

WildAid is putting its best foot forward to abolish the shark fin trade. They are constantly fishing for international cooperation for this cause, looking to sign treaties and international agreements for shark protection. They’re putting forward money to assist marine reserves that are protecting specific species of sharks. They have elevated the international profile and highlighted the importance of globally conserving sharks as a whole since the year 2000. They have achieved finning legislation in the European union, international protection for two shark species, and a significant decrease in shark fin consumption in Asian Countries. They are currently focusing on Central and South America, that’s right in our backyard, which are major sources of shark finning. They are also continuing their primary attack against the consumer base of this vile industry to reduce demand for said product, but will it work?

With less than 3500 great whites left in the wild, and other species facing a 99% decline, it’s now or never. WildAid is doing all that they can, but they can not do it alone. The sharks are fighting for their lives and its time that we fight too. We must fight back before we lose a vital part of our surroundings. Sharks are key players in the marine ecosystem, and the destruction of their population can, and will eventually, end in complete and utter disaster.

What is WildAid up to?

I’m back again, this time to bring you all pertinent information about the WildAid offensive. WildAid has taken the responsibility of protecting hundreds of animal species, and their influence is now being felt around the globe. I am going to present to you all their two largest campaigns that also happen require the most aid, so that you all may decide if you should support their causes. I, personally, think that we should all put some effort into protecting the world around us. If you feel the same I will also inform you all how you can make a difference for WildAid, the animals, yourself, and everyone else that inhabit this planet that doesn’t understand just how important this all is. Shark and tiger species are both critically endangered and face extinction relatively soon, if this isn’t a call for action I don’t know what is. These animals deserve a chance at life, they deserve to be protected, and we can make that happen, but will we?

The sharks of oceans nationwide are facing extinction due to the illegal wildlife trade, great whites especially. Their numbers have dwindled greatly over the last decade. Great white sharks date back 407 million years and now their numbers have possibly dwindled below 90% of their population in the past, but truly accurate numbers are very difficult to come by, but it is speculated that less than four thousand remain on the planet. The main causes of sharks becoming endangered are unregulated trade, and excessive hunting, by humans of course. Due to the public reputation of sharks though, it’s hard to get sympathy from many people, due to the fact that they believe a shark is but a killing machine that lives to feed upon human flesh. For this campaign to work it is necessary for this stigma against sharks to disappear. Until it does, people won’t feel the sharks are “worth” saving, because we get to decide that kind of thing.

Tigers on the other hand are loved by people all around the world myself included. As I told you all they’re part of the reason I chose this non profit from the beginning. Maybe they’re loved too much (voted world’s favorite animal in a poll conducted by Animal Planet) if there is such a thing. Maybe they’re too pretty or something, I’m not sure, but whatever it is it is getting many of them killed. Tiger species are in a lot of danger, threatened to go extinct within 12 years according to WWF or the World Wildlife Fund if things are allowed to continue on the path that they currently follow, with tiger populations dropping by 95% in the past few decades. Tiger populations face nearly the same issues as sharks including unregulated and illicit trade, excessive hunting, and also a loss of habitat. All this information bothers me really, due to my affinity for this amazing animal, but if some people feel that it is better used for food or furniture by all means, who am I to complain? No one, but I’m going to complain anyway and hopefully build a legion of fellow complainers to help me out.

It baffles me how one of the world’s most hated animals and the world’s most loved animal share the same fate, but the sad fact is that they do, and we’re the cause. Other humans, people just like us, are gallivanting around the world deciding if an animal deserves to breathe another day based on how they can make money using what makes the animals unique. The things that make this planet beautiful are all being destroyed, simply to put cash in someone’s pocket. These species need our help, and as much of it that we are able, and willing to give. That’s the broad scope of things, and the worst part is there are other people, who are once again, just like us that fuel this horrible industry by spending money to buy these ill gotten goods. They eat them and use their skin to furnish their homes, not worried about the repercussions of destroying a whole species of animal one fin or skin at a time. So as WildAid says, “When the buying stops, the killing can too.”

The National Geographic PT. 2

Hello all I’m back again, and as I stated last week this blog will not be about WildAid. Sad, I know seeing as we were just starting to get somewhere; the ice had been broken and it was time for some real deal exploration and expounding. Speaking of expounding, this blog might be somewhat shorter than the rest for the simple fact that I believe that I may have expounded a little too much in my last blog about The National Geographic, or I don’t completely understand the assignment of which I am trying to complete. I believe it is the latter, but no matter, let’s begin.

The National Geographic is a great magazine, and I believe you all should check one out next time you’re at a Walgreens, CVS, Walmart, any store of the like if you’re into that sort of thing. It provides its readers with a great experience, but its audience is very specific. Now, that my endorsement is over, in my last blog I mentioned about what I thought the audience of this magazine might want. I think that I was pretty spot on, but I do believe that there’s a possibility that I may have missed a point or two; okay just one. Along with wanting to be taken on a journey with their reading experience, I failed to mention that the readers want to be educated. They want to learn about the things that they can’t walk around and see. A lot of the smaller articles are about things that most people would know very little about, and they are just used so introduce some interesting facts that you might want to research on your own time a little later. I believe that the smaller articles are something like teasers so you can pick and choose where you educate yourself, while the featured article include almost everything you would ever need to know about a subject while showing you pictures.

I have noticed that the paragraph lengths do not change very much between featured articles and non-featured articles, but the length of the article varies greatly (from one to two paragraphs to 26 whole pages). This goes to show that they expound to the same degree but over a much more narrow scope, so no matter rather you read a smaller article or a full length one you are being both interested, educated, and taken to a place to expand the horizons of your thoughts.