Soup Du Jour? Shark Fin
by Alicia Fisher
One pound of shark fin retails at around $400 in American currency. Because of this high value, shark fin soup is a delicacy and sign of wealth throughout Asian and other eastern countries, with a single bowl costing over $150.
Sounds outrageous for a bowl of soup right? Shark fins are so valuable because sharks are becoming endangered. Shark finning is a multi-billion dollar industry that is estimated at killing over 100 million sharks annually - just for their fins.
So you’re thinking, “So what? Sharks are blood thirsty, man-eating, underwater monsters. Why should I care if they are being killed for soup?”
I was fortunate enough to be able to attend a special screening of a film that is dedicated to educating the public on how the shark finning industry has endangered an entire species of sharks and disrupted a valuable ecosystem that makes up 70% of our earth. Sharkwater, released November of 2007, is a documentary following shark enthusiast, Rob Stewart (super conservationist hottie), in his fight to protect these animals from extinction.
This film takes the viewer all over the world on a courageous adventure. You’ll meet a revolutionary conservationist, Paul Watson who has long been engaged in the fight against shark finning through his organization - Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. Throughout Sharkwater Stewart and Watson battle pirate shark finning ships, get chased by Guatemalan gun boats, endure an arrest by the Costa Rican police, get sentenced by corrupt court systems fighting on the side of shark finning, escape a shark fin mafia from East Asia and much more.
Sharkwater is graphic and disturbing, but it reveals the truth behind the devastating effects of this murderous industry.
Sharks are caught using a long line. This is miles and miles of fishing line with thousands of hooks on it, pulled behind a boat catching anything in it’s path. Not only are sharks caught, but endangered sea turtles and other marine life which are reeled in and left to die. The sharks that are caught are brought on board, have their fins cut off and are then tossed back into the water. Without fins, the sharks can’t swim and are left to helplessly drift to the bottom of the ocean. Now, the once predator becomes prey as the finless sharks are eaten alive by other fish. And it’s not just one shark, it’s thousands at a time.
So why should you care about sharks? They are a very critical part of marine ecosystems which is an important resource to mankind. Sharks are at the top of the food chain in our waters and without them, their prey will reproduce exponentially crowding the waters of what was once a controlled species. Certain types of species that sharks eat feed on phytoplankton that turn carbon dioxide in the sea into 70% of the oxygen humans breathe. If shark aren’t there to eat the fish and fish populations that feed on phytoplankton reproduce at rapid rates and overpopulate, there will be less oxygen produced.
As for the reputation sharks get from films such as Jaws (great movie by the way), which display these creatures as large, murderous people eaters… It’s way off. How many people do sharks kill a year? I’ll give you a hint… There’s more fatal soda machine accidents than deadly shark attacks.
Answer: 5 people
Sharkwater is an eye opening documentary that has touched me very personally. At Benedict Advertising, two of my clients, Guy Harvey and Aquatic Release Conservation, are involved heavily in the support and conservation of fisheries and fish stocks around the world. The Guy Harvey Research Institute funds certain projects that assist in the research of sharks and how to increase their survivability rate in the ocean.
Although the advertising industry is all about marketing a brand and pushing sales of a product, I’ve now realized that the work I do everyday means something bigger. I’m contributing to a greater conservation effort that may one day make this world a better place for younger generations to come.
To learn more about sharks, shark finning devastation, and how you can help put a stop to this atrocious act of human greed visit www.sharkwater.com
December 16th, 2007 at 8:20 pm
you may not think so but this is and interesting read because it tells people what they may not know.. i never knew most of the detailed information given but i believe that it a given time you can do some good with this
December 17th, 2007 at 8:52 pm
Interesting take. $150 a bowl? How could anyone stomach eating a fin from a shark. No wonder they are putting lead in the paint.
January 9th, 2008 at 3:49 pm
I had a family member killed in a horrbile soda machine accident so this really hits clost to home for me…..I didn’t realize Sharks only kill 5 people a year… I guess living in Daytona and hearing about all the bites it’s easy to forget that they’re almost never fatal.