FINNING
I have spent months trying to come up with an analogy that would work for finning, but either the idea is too horrific or does not express the gravity of the term enough. As unsettling as finning is, you should know what it is, but before getting into the article I want to talk about Rob Stewart. He was a photographer, filmmaker, and conservationist who lost his life in a drowning incident while filming a documentary that exposed the shark finning industry. Whereas I do not expect you to watch the film, I do hope you look up ‘Sharkwater extinction’ and the man himself. These people who risk their lives to expose an industry that so many people are not even aware of deserve a larger audience. These are the real heroes and these are the films we should all be watching.
So what is this word I have already used like ten times? As Wikipedia defines it, ‘Shark finning is the act of removing fins from sharks and discarding the rest of the shark back into the ocean.’ Or in other words, catching an alive shark, cutting off its fins, and throwing it back into the ocean to bleed out and die. It's unimaginable that this is a $540 million to $1.2 billion (2007) trade.
This huge industry takes a lot of toll on our oceans, an estimated 100 million or more sharks are killed globally per year. Tens of millions more sharks and rays are killed each year, primarily through illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing (IUU). 181 shark species are Red listed as vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). I hope these statistics raise the question ‘why’ in your mind. Why is there a demand for shark fins? All for soup. Shark fin soup is a traditional Chinese soup that is also coming into demand in the West. Maybe and hopefully you are not a consumer when it comes to this dish, but it might be something you have come across on a menu card? Or on a TV series? The point being when it comes to wildlife and wildlife trade it is rather easy to ignore its existence if it does not concern you, yet these menu cards are in a way defining your future. Extinction of any species has a very large implication on the health of our planet and especially our oceans, and I cannot stress enough that these very oceans that are taken for granted, regulate this planet’s temperature.
Shark Finning is illegal in many countries, but this industry needs a lot more regulation. I feel the act itself goes against humanity and this small introduction does not do the issue justice. I hope you share this information with someone and create more awareness. There are a lot of ongoing online petitions that you can sign and documentaries and articles that you can access.
