Ban Shark Fin Soup In Ohio
0 have signed.At 7,500 signaturesAt 7,500 signaturesDan Dunlap
Global conservation is not a salient issue and this mere fact slows our progress in making meaningful effects for imperiled species abroad. Thus, activating and motivating legislators in inland states can begin a process of local change to help address global conservation issues, like shark conservation. This project examines how to make real and actionable change in states that are land-locked, like Ohio. In fact, there are many issues to discuss with shark conservation and this is a reason the Association of Zoos and Aquariums has listed sharks on the Saving Animals From Extinction list.
A major driving force behind the decline in shark populations over the past decades is due to shark fin soup. This soup is very popular in many Asian countries and can cost as much as $150 a bowl. This soup is generally served at weddings and celebrations. Hong Kong, China, is renowned as the leader in shark fin soup consumption and trade . Even though its more prevalent in Asian countries, shark fin soup is still found in abundance in the United States and other countries as well. Amanda Morgan, shark biologist from Australia, has created a fin free logo that restaurants from around the world are adopting to let consumers know they do not serve shark fin soup . Below is the logo that Morgan created.
Right Now Anyone Travelling To The Uk From Outside Europe Can Legally Bring 20kg Of Dried Shark Fins With Them For Personal Consumption
Its enough to make 705 bowls of soup and has a black market value of around £3,600.
It’s illegal to bring meat or cheese on long haul flights yet legal to bring 20kg of shark fins.
This loophole in the law has created a legal route for the uncontrolled and unregulated movement of shark fins across 28 countries. And it takes no account of the announcement from The International Union for Conservation of Nature that 25% of all shark species are threatened with extinction.
For the survival of sharks the law must change.
In 2016 more than 154,000 people signed our petition calling on the EU to ban the personal importation of ALL shark fins to Europe. Sadly Brussels dismissed the request.
Now, in 2021, the charity is spearheading change in the UK.
Already Bite-Back has been at the forefront of discussions with parliamentary leaders and DEFRA to highlight and address the countrys involvement in the global shark fin trade and the charity remains hopeful, but confident, that its recommendations will be adopted.
Why Is This Important
Shark populations around the world are in rapid decline. Sharks grow relatively slowly, take many years to mature and produce relatively few young. These characteristics make sharks, like this porbeagle, particularly vulnerable to over-exploitation.
This vulnerability is exacerbated by the large and growing demand for shark fins and the general lack of management of shark fishing. Populations simply cannot replenish at the same rate as they are caught and finned to meet market demand.
Banning the sale of shark fins and shark fin soup in the UK will be one step in the right direction to protecting all species of shark around the globe. It is cruel to leave sharks to die in the ocean with all of their fins removed from their bodies. Help put an end to the endangerment and cruelty to sharks and make the UK a better place.
Also Check: Gf Cream Of Mushroom Soup Recipe
Shark Guardian Finspire Change Uk Campaign As It Happened:
A UK Petition #300535 was launched by Shark Guardian Ambassador Robin Gallagher. Robin a Politics student at Portsmouth University, has had a strong interest in sharks. Robin set up a petition asking the UK to ban the import of shark fins. He is extremely proud to be a part of the Shark Guardian team.
The launch of the UK Petition #300535 to ban shark fin was vital and time sensitive. Having left the EU, the UK could champion conservation measures much more forcefully.
September 2020: 115,380 Signatures reached & Government responds
Success! The Shark Guardian Finspire Change UK Petition reached 115,382 signatures by the time the petition ended on 11th September 2020.Since the petition surpassed the minimum number of 100,000 signatures, the UK Government provided their second response:
Councillors Back Proposal To Ban Shark
This article was published more than 10 years ago. Some information may no longer be current.
A glass jar of shark fins sold at a shop in Toronto’s Chinatown.Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail
A broad coalition of politicians and activists has launched a campaign to ban the sale and consumption of shark fins within Toronto, a feat they hope will trigger a legislative domino effect across North America.
The fins are used in several Chinese delicacies available at restaurants throughout Greater Toronto, but the often cruel methods used to harvest sharks have prompted conservation groups and politicians around the world to call for an end to their consumption.
“This is not a cultural practice I want to continue to take part in,” said Kristyn Wong-Tam, one of three city councillors to put their names on a petition calling for a “fin-free Toronto.”
Ms. Wong-Tam said she has sampled her share of shark-fin soup at weddings and other Chinese cultural celebrations, but she and the rest of her family stopped indulging about a decade ago when they found out about finning, a method of catching sharks and cutting off their fins before tossing them back in the ocean to die.
“My family and I have had shark fin pretty much all our lives,” said Ms. Wong-Tam, who is past president of the Chinese Canadian National Council’s Toronto chapter. “But times are changing.”
She compared the consumption of shark fins to the cultural practices of foot-binding and hunting elephants for ivory.
Read Also: Mushroom Soup Sloppy Joes
Transport Of Loose Fins Cover
The trade with loose shark fins over Europe is allowed according to current legislation as long as it is not the 12 shark species protected by CITES. When trading whole shark bodies, these protected shark species can still be identified relatively easily, but if only shark fins are transported, even experts encounter their limits. One of the reasons for this is that the shape and colour of the fins change during the drying process and that the size proportion is missing without the corresponding shark body. In addition, the traded fins are usually a mixture of different age groups this represents a further difficulty, as in young sharks important characteristics are often not yet so distinctive.
The confiscation of three tons of shark fins at Frankfurt Airport in the spring of 2018 is an example of how easily trade in protected shark species can be covered up in this way. Among the fins, which were to be exported from Mexico to Hong Kong via Europe, there were also several protected CITES species. Some of these species can be identified by unique fin characteristics, which are also facilitated by special programs such as FAOs iSharkFin software. However, many species can no longer be differentiated in this way and complex DNA methods must be used.
SHARKPROJECT specifies and archives confiscated shark fins, 2018.
Shark Guardian Drives Uk Parliament Petition To Ban The Fin Trade In Great Britain
Great news!EU and UK have joined forces to end the trade of shark fins in Europe.
When the EU Citizens Initiative Stop Finning Stop the Trade was filed by 12 EU citizens in 2019, the UK was still part of the EU and we were ready for a joint European fight against this wasteful and often criminal exploitation of our oceans. However, when the voting started in February 2020, UK citizens could unfortunately no longer cast in their votes for the Initiative due to BREXIT. Many UK citizens were very disappointed as they were no longer allowed to add their voice to the end of the shark fin trade in the EU.
The trade of shark fins has become a real issue also in the UK, as a Guardian article showed. It stated People caught bringing meat or cheese into Europe would have that seized and destroyed. However, somehow, 20kg of shark fins is OK. Its enough to make 705 bowls of soup and would be worth around £3,500 on the black market. However, the UK participates in this trade not only as an importer of fins by either individuals or businesses, but it is also a player in the export of fins, as revealed by an Unearthed article in 2019.
Butnow a UK initiative has been started with the same aim like our EU Citizens Initiative. It is closing the gap we experienced due to BREXIT and reuniting UK and EU in their conservation efforts again:
The UK Parliament Petition is asking for a ban for the importation of fins into the UK:.
Read Also: Burger With Onion Soup Mix
Ban Shark Fin Products In Montreal
- by: Action Scuba
- recipient: The City of Montreal
As apex predators, sharks are at the top of the marine ecosystem, meaning that they play a crucial role in maintaining population balance and the health of the ocean. Live sharks are also an important tourist draw in many parts of the world.
Without sharks, our oceans and our planet would change profoundly for the worse.
Despite their importance to our planet, shark populations are in sharp decline due to overfishing many species of sharks are near extinction.
For the most part, this is due to the demand for shark fin soup and other shark fin products which are believed by some cultures to have health benefits and healing powers, most of which are based on myth and have never been proven. These products sell for extremely high prices.
This is facilitated by a public misconception of sharks as monsters. Were they cuddly and furry creatures, the public would not for a moment tolerate what is being done to them.
The method by which shark fins are cultivated is barbaric and inhumane: live sharks are caught and have their fins sliced off. They are then dropped back into the ocean to die, as they require constant movement to breathe and cannot do so without fins.
While most developed countries ban this practice, there are many countries that have not yet done so because the industry brings in too much money. Furthermore, even where this practice is illegal, it still continues.
Ban Shark Fin Soup And Save These Endangered Animals
- recipient: Florida Governor Richard Scott Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick New York Governor Andrew Cuomo
5,601signaturesof10,000goal
Tens of millions of sharks are killed each year for their fins, considered a delicacy in some cuisines. The Humane Society of the United States, Oceana and a host of other animal rights groups have sought to ban this practice, calling it inhumane and unsustainable. Sign this petition to tell the governors of Florida, Massachusetts and New York to support a shark fin ban in their state.
By signing, you accept Care2’s Terms of Service. You can unsub at any time here.
“The best way to predict the future is to create it!”
– Denis Gabor
Our Promise: Welcome to Care2, the worlds largest community for good. Here, youll find over 45 million like-minded people working towards progress, kindness, and lasting impact.
Care2 Stands Against: bigots, racists, bullies, science deniers, misogynists, gun lobbyists, xenophobes, the willfully ignorant, animal abusers, frackers, and other mean people. If you find yourself aligning with any of those folks, you can move along, nothing to see here.
Care2 Stands With: humanitarians, animal lovers, feminists, rabble-rousers, nature-buffs, creatives, the naturally curious, and people who really love to do the right thing. You are our people. You Care. We Care2.
Don’t Miss: Pork Chops Cooked In Lipton Onion Soup Mix
You Can Take Action And Make A Difference
- Say NO to shark fin soup and ALL shark products
- Invite HKSF to speak at your school, company or community to raise awareness about shark conservation
- Donate to HKSF individually or through your school or company
- Volunteer to help with operations, admin, creating graphics and at HKSF events
- Like HKSF on our FB, IG, LI, Twitter or Weibo social media and share to spread awareness
- Sign our petitions to be the voice for the voiceless
- Fundraise to support us and make a difference
Petitions and Pledges
A selection of the many global shark conservation petitions and pledges that you can sign.
Social Media
Links to HKSFs Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and Weibo.
Donate
Our bank details for donations and deposits.
Be our Volunteer
Email us as for more information.
Identifying Fins A Complex Dna Procedure
The identification of shark fins in imports and exports is important to detect illegal trade and to take criminal action if necessary. Experts can help, but in many cases the species can only be clearly identified by DNA analysis. The method known as DNA barcoding works in a similar way to genetic fingerprinting in criminology: the DNA of shark fins is isolated, processed and sequenced. Subsequently, individual gene segments are compared with a database and the shark fins can be attributed to their species on the basis of species-specific genetic characteristics.This method has also proven, for example, that many shark and ray species classified as threatened are still available on the international market and that British Fish & Chips products contain shark meat, including endangered species.
Although DNA barcoding has been used successfully in science and for the protection of endangered species for several years, the process is still labour-intensive and costly. DNA barcoding of large quantities of traded shark fins, such as the three tons of confiscated shark fins at Frankfurt Airport in 20181, is therefore very costly. Although this method is well suited for spot checks and scientific studies, it is not ideal for routine testing of large quantities.
Restricting shark trade to whole bodies promises to make it much easier to identify protected shark species during routine checks. The costly DNA analysis would then be used only in exceptional cases.
Recommended Reading: Campbells Chicken And Rice Bake Recipe
The Uk Bans The Import And Export Of Shark Fins Following The Successful Campaign By Shark Guardian
Government statement 12 May 2021:
The UK has a strong track record in marine conservation, and we have been pressing for stronger international action to protect sharks against unsustainable fishing practices and shark finning. Shark finning is the practice of removing a sharks fins at sea and discarding the finless body back in the water. It is a barbaric practice that has rightly been banned in the UK for nearly 20 years, but we do still import shark fins which may contribute to the practice. To this end, we will bring in legislation to ban the import and export of detached shark fins.
The announcement of the ban was published in the UK Governments new Action Plan For Animal Welfare campaign that will revolutionize the treatment of animals in the UK and introduce measures to protect the welfare of animals abroad.
In the new Action Plan, the shark fin import and export ban falls under the ‘Protect animals Abroad’ section which states:
Prohibiting the import and export of detached shark fins to protect the iconic shark species
Floridas Shark Watch Program
Shark Watch offers volunteers an opportunity to actively protect sharks. Shark Watch is a citizen’s initiative established to keep Florida’s beachgoers safe and protect sharks by monitoring the actions of shore-based shark fishers and reporting dangerous and illegal activity to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission . Taking on the task of overseeing SBSF activities can be overwhelming for an organization such as the FWC who only has around 850 officers in charge of regulating 8,400 miles of coastline, 13,200 square miles of offshore waters, and more than 34 million acres of land.
The Shark Watch Program provides FWC law enforcement with much-needed support and encourages local communities to get involved with protecting their beaches, beachgoers, and marine life. Shark Watch volunteers help relieve some of the burdens placed on FWC law enforcement officers. Shark Watch volunteers are the eyes and ears on the ground needed to patrol our beaches and ensure that shore-based shark fishing laws are followed and enforced.
Recommended Reading: Campbells Chicken And Rice Casserole Recipes
Reach Out To Stores And Manufacturers That Sell Shark Products
Aside from not purchasing and consuming shark products, as well as making your friends and family aware of the issue, you can reach out to merchants, restaurants, online distributors and manufactures that sell shark products. Ask them to discontinue their product by explaining the importance of healthy shark populations and their rapid global decline. You can find fact sheets and letter templates in our Shark Free Products campaign.
Who Are The Main Consumers Of Shark Fins
The vast majority of shark fins are destined for a relatively small number of regions in East and Southeast Asia, such as China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam.
Over 50% of the worlds shark fin trade passes through Hong Kong, but since 2011/2012 there has been a sharp drop in shark fin imports. The reasons for this are probably a decline in demand and the decimation of shark populations. On average, Hong Kong re-exports 64.7% of imported shark fins, in the past mainly to China, since 2008 primarily to Vietnam. This is due to the cheaper packaging and processing of shark fins in Vietnam, as well as tax reasons. However, there are also indications that shark fins could be illegally imported from Vietnam to China, which would simplify trade in CITES-listed species . 2] Data indicate that CITES-listed species are often imported without documentation.
New data show that the shark fin market in Thailand, Malaysia and Japan has developed very significantly in the trade of smaller shark fins of lower value. Hong Kong and China are mainly trading large fins of high value.
Dent, F. & Clarke, S., 2015. State of the global market for shark products. FAO technical paper.
HoShea, K. & Wai LunTo, A., 2017. From boat to bowl: Patterns and dynamics of shark fin trade in Hong Kong implications for monitoring and management. Marine Policy, 07, pp. 330-339.
Dent, F. & Clarke, S., 2015. State of the global market for shark products. FAO technical paper.
Don’t Miss: Weight Watchers Potato Soup With Hash Browns
