Shark depletion

Sorry for the delay - I was in Egypt, then returned almost straight to the maternity delivery room

Sounds like you're having fun!

No, I'm afraid I didn't call them as I thought filling in their form would trigger a response. I think I'll hang loose for a while as perhaps the change in leadership will mean they put something on the site that explains what they do.

Kevin

As a new member here I'm glad to see this subject getting some much needed exposure.

I've been a member of The Shark Trust for a couple of years after seeing them at a Dive Show and going to a seminar about shark conservation at the same show by the guy who runs the Walker's Cay dive centre in the Bahamas.

The Shark Trust are a registerd charity - No 1064185, see link below:-

Charity Commission - Shark Trust

As for what they've been doing recently - they've put a lot of work into trying to get an EU finning ban - but in the end the legislation was watered down due to the lobbying power of the fishing industry. After all the world's biggest exporter of shark fins is a European country (I think I read that somewhere).

They've also put a lot of work into CITES for Whale Sharks and basking Sharks.

So don't give up on them - I'm sure they'll be in touch shortly!

Cheers,

Math Stott

After all the world's biggest exporter of shark fins is a European country (I think I read that somewhere).

" S P A I N "

Sent over from Stan Waterman by email:

I got this from the Shark Research Institute (www.sharks.org) and

thought I ought to pass it along...

----- Original Message -----

From: Asiatic Marine Limited

To: Asiatic Marine Limited

Sent: Friday, May 09, 2003 9:21 AM

Subject: MasterCard/Shark Fin Promotion

Shark Conservationists,

Amongst some of the bad news coming out from Asia Pacific including the

spread of SARS, there is I am afraid another 'atypical' promotion from

Hong Kong for shark fin.

This promotion comes from MASTERCARD, as part of the MasterCard Premium

Selection within Hong Kong.

The advert recently seen in the SCMP (Post Magazine) reads-

Proudly presenting our May Programme of fine dining experiences:

Shark's Fin Buy One Get one Free (through one of their merchants) as

well as discounted dining at 2 other local hotels on offer.

Earlier this week I emailed MasterCard (HK) and then tried contacting

the respective advertising manager, leaving messages to call me back.

To this date he/she has not acknowledged my email nor returned my calls?

This polite form of response is not unexpected in Hong Kong.

As yet there is also no reply from the Corporations Headquarters where I

cc'd the email to various staff whom I expected might have had something

to add or say. Perhaps they have not had the time.

In the meantime before countless fins are given away I personally would

like to see this advert immediately withdrawn before it runs its course

through the month of May and for MasterCard (HK) to issue a statement

that such advertising campaigns might be better researched in the

future, and that using shark fin may not be such a rewarding example of

enticing customers to spend their money.

Having shark fins on offer, in a 'buy one get one free' promotion, is

what supermarkets use to entice customers to buy things like toilet

roll; the fins of the ocean's (a) apex predator and (B) a species that

is already globally threatened by the very shark fin trade does not need

this kind of non-sensical advertising nor to be given away as a

perceived infinite resource.

As I sit here looking at my MasterCard, (now seriously thinking what to

do with it) I urge you all over the weekend to write emails to those

concerned. There are plenty of us shark conservationists out there to

make a difference (remember Citibank, Hong Kong Tourist Board and many

other internet campaigns), so forward this email to colleagues & friends

etc as well. Ask those concerned at MasterCard to review their regional

advertising promotions and to be more accountable for the products they

use to attract big/small time spenders.

And you might want to think closely about how and on what you spend your

hard earned $$ before handing over your MasterCard for payment.

Some of the staff listed below are on the MasterCard website:

http://www.mastercardintl.com/newsroom/med...a_contacts.html

Georgette Tan, Vice President, Asia Pacific:

georgette_tan@mastercard.com

Joyce Lau, Staff, Hong Kong: joyce_lau@mastercard.com

Sharon Gamsin, Vice President, Global Communications & Corporate Public

Relations: sgamsin@mastercard.com

Chris Monteiro, Vice President, Global Marketing Communications:

chris_monteiro@mastercard.com

Regards,

Charles Frew

Asia Shark Watch

Asiatic Marine Limited

My Mastercards went back several weeks ago after hearing about this... They can subsidise the Stupid Association of Sharkfin Retailers themselves!

I realise that this thread started some time back but I'm new to Wetpixel and am still discovering things on here!

Unfortunately since this thread started, the European Parliament took the path of least resistance and made a decision that will undoubtedly make European waters a shark-free zone.

Whilst they issued a statement claiming, "MEPs back plans to outlaw shark finning" they have done nothing of the sort! Rather than agreeing to the proposal from last summer, that would have banned shark finning by all boats in the EU waters, they have agreed to a ludicrous compromise, which condones and legitimises shark fishing.

The best way to stop shark fishing is to make it unprofitable - and the simplest way to do that is to insist that fishermen bring back the entire shark carcas to shore, not just the valuable fins. Because this takes up too much space on their boats, it is more economical to catch alternative fish species. However, the European Parliament, in their infinite wisdom, have ruled that the cargo of fins can weigh up to 6% of the live weight of the sharks. This means that the bodies of 2 out of 3 sharks can be tossed over board and the fishermen will still have the appropriate ratio of fins to bodies on the quayside. Meaning it is still economically viable for fishermen to catch and sell shark fins.

This decision is still waiting the EU final approval - so if you live in Europe and you care PLEASE write to your MEPs.

In the UK there is a shark conservation organisation called BITE BACK which I am involved with, that focuses on educating and persuading restauranters to stop selling shark meat. It is truly shocking when you see shark meat on the menus in tapas bars and fish restaurants; in this instance, restauranters are starting to develop a consumer demand for shark which is currently non-existent in many markets. If you spot any restaurant in the UK selling shark meat or shark fin soup please let BITE BACK know!!

Link is Bite-Back

Quickly flew over this loooooooong thread....

I do not know if it has been mentioned before, but Germans

should visit: http://www.sharkproject.com which is a project

lead by Shark scientiest Dr. Erich Ritter and many others.

Sharks are strongly misunderstood and mistreated!

Really depressing article from nature:

Sharks suffer population crash: Species that once filled the oceans is on the verge of extinction.

"Oceanic whitetip sharks, once the most common shark in the world, are almost completely extinct, according to a new census in the Gulf of Mexico. Over the past 50 years, their numbers have crashed by more than 99% in the Gulf. Researchers think the same drop has happened around the world..."