Quick post for now as on the road but I have just stopped through Jakarta International Airport in Indonesia. I have photo`s and will post them later of a sight that completely disgusted me. A small shop with row after row of sharks fins for sale. The size of some were clearly belonging to those of either Whale or Tiger shark. It made my stomach turn. I will be formulating a letter of concern to the Indonesian Tourism Office. For a destination that openly promotes diving as an attraction to tourists I can only share the dismay that other divers have and will experience if they have to transit through this airport on their ways to or from their diving vacation.
Saddened.
Mark.
Hi Mark/All
Similar to this, there was a shop selling shark jawbones (amongst other items) in the departure hall of the airport at Male, Maldives. I have written to the airport authority and the Ministry of Tourism, but haven't reeceived any response.
Maybe if more people contacted these people and expressed their concerns?
The Maldives Tourism promotion board's email is : mtpb@visitmaldives.com
Please let us know the Indonesian version and I will mail my disgust!
All the best
Adam
I put an article about this in ScubaDiver AA a year ago. Shame they are still being sold
Sadly this store has been there for quite awhile. Each time I transit through the airport I am saddened to see the shelfs loaded with fins. I haven't seen any indication that this will be changing anytime soon.
Very, very sad. Quite ironic as well considering a lot of Indonesian and Maldive tourism is by divers who would like to see the fins ON THE ANIMALS ALIVE rather than on a shelf in a store in the airport.
Shark fin soup is sold at the Asian grocery store in Irvine, CA. <$5 for a 16 oz. can.
Shark fins can also be bought in many Asian shops in Australia. They sell them dried or in cans. It is actually not illegal to sell shark fins in Australia and probably in many countries. By the way, when you go shopping and buy "flake" or when you eat fish and chips in Australia, what you eat is shark meat.
The point is that sharks are eaten by many people in both developing and developed countries. They are part of many people diets.
So if you see jaws or teeth or fins, the shark have probably been used entirely including the meat. What I strongly disagree with is when they only cut the fins and let the shark helplessly drown to the bottom of the sea.
