Shark finning is an unethical and illegal operation where poachers cut off the fins of sharks and sell them to black markets. The poachers save only the fins and dump the bodies of the sharks back into the sea. Many times the sharks are still alive after their fins are cut off and they are discarded in the ocean. Without fins, the sharks can not swim and sink to the bottom of the sea where they inevitably die of suffocation.
The shark finning racket is fueled mostly by China and other Asian countries where the shark fins are used to make shark fin soup. Tons of shark fins are being processed in Hong Kong and Taiwan, later to be shipped to China. Here in America, there are states like Florida that continue to allow the sale and trade of shark fins in spite of the damage it is causing to the ecosystems of the environment.
At Costa Rica’s Cocos Island National Park in the Pacific Ocean, there is a silent kind of war going on to save sharks from extinction. In this war there are the patriots and the traitors. Things are not always like they appear on the surface. For example, the government of Costa Rica has been accused of benefitting corruptly from illegal shark fins and other sea food trades to black markets, such as China and other Asian countries. There is evidence of a judge from a local court of justice who allowed 22 poachers to avoid prosecution.
Park rangers say it is hard to catch poachers who sneak into the park’s territorial waters to set long fishing lines with floats; rangers complain they can not reach the poachers in time after seeing them on the radar screen. Obviously, there are many ways to stop the illegal poaching. Aside from placing numbers on the ships, the rangers could use helicopters and markers to identify poacher ships.
A critical time has been reached in the survival of sharks. Because of a slow growth rate and a low reproduction rate, sharks can not replenish their numbers at the rate they are being killed. It is urgent that all fishing for sharks be prohibited; it is also of paramount importance that all sharks accidentally caught (bycatches) be immediately released unharmed back into the sea.
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Everyone who consumes shark fin soup should be aware of where it is coming from. People everywhere should be thoroughly informed about the illegal plunder of endangered sharks. China and other Asian countries have been accused of operating crime syndicates that are promoting the shark fin racket.
A lot of mistakes were made in the past in exploiting marine animals. The demand for whale oil once almost caused the extinction of whales. In the mid-19th century, inexpensive kerosene began replacing whale oil for lighting, and this virtually put the whalers out of business. Today, Japan and Norway continue to illegally kill whales for food.
The oceans have become vulnerable hunting grounds for huge numbers of renegade fishing vessels. In this lawless environment illegal poachers are plundering the seas with no restraints. These criminals should be brought to justice no matter which country they come from.
It is important to expose how sharks are being mutilated and killed by degenerates all over the world. This horrendous decimation of the shark population has been covered up for too long. Embargoes and sanctions should be levied against all of the participants in the illegal killing of sharks, including China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Malaysia, Spain, Britain, France, Portugal and Italy. A lot of countries are involved in the criminal enterprise of decimating shark populations. It is urgent that new laws are legislated and enforced to stop the overkill of sharks.
When one part of an ocean is contaminated or changed, it affects all of the other oceans because of ocean currents. The unification of the oceans make it extremely important for all countries to go by international laws that protect endangered marine life. Like the whales, sharks have to be protected from degenerates who would kill them off until they are extinct.
--Marlin O. Wallace
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