as i meantioned in the thread below that i wouldbe posting these, here's a few images from my research for a documentary I am making (or hoping to finish if funds allow!?!?!) on problems with shark fishing in Ecuador, where I live most of the time. I'm in the UK for the moment doing some PR and fundraising for this, so I thought I'd take the advantage broadband offers and post some of these.
there's a couple of things that worry me about the current mood of concern re shark depletion, one i think too much concentration is placed on "finning" as opposed to general shark use, and the other, is that many view fisherman engaged in these prectices as gun toting pirates that will blow your brains out given the opportunity.
all of the sharks we see in ecuador get used wholly when they are caught, the fins get sold off to asia, and the bodies get used in frozen processed fish products, for as littls as 25 cents a pound. clearly pressure to end finning is a waste of time here as it doens't go on, what's the picture worldwide? ok finning is a horrendous practice, but if it's banned, sharks will go on getting hammered, but in a different way. (all the practices in these photos are outlawed by ecuadorean law by the way, so laws are already in place, just not being taken notice of).
it worries me that not enough is being done to look at what the fishermens needs are in these cases, there is a great socio-ecenomic question to be answered here, and if you take the time to get to know fishermen engaged in this, you will see more questions unfold before you with little forthcoming answer.
in two of these images, you can see unborn hammerheads that have been freshly removed from the mother. the others are a long row of threshers and some young hammerheads being removed from a panga. probably 90% of hammerheads we see year round are below reproduction age.
i'd love to hear your comments.
thanks,
mark
