The Dorsal Fin

DiscoveryNetworks has posted the video above to their YouTube Channel. The video focuses on the repercussions of the extinction of sharks as top ocean predators. Researcher Andy DeHart of the National Aquarium points out the impact of the shark finning market on shark popluations but also notes that roughly half of the sharks killed each day as a result of accidental bycatch. DeHart goes on to say that of the roughly 400 species of sharks only 30 species are heavily fished. However, within those thirty species are some of the apex predators which help control stingray and fish populations. DeHart concludes the video discussing how the slow reproductive nature and small number of pups of some shark species also puts them at greater risk for extinction.

WARNING Video features multiple scenes of finning of shark carcasses

Al-Jazeera recently featured a story on the shark fin trade and its effects on shark populations in Arabian seas. According to the report, the waters of the Arabian Peninsula supply 10% of the world market of shark fins, most of which are sent to Asian markets, as demands for shark fin soup rise. The report notes that the shark fin market is indiscriminate, with pregnant females and juvenile sharks are being harvested for their fins.

Saoud Al-Habsi, of the Oman Fisheries Ministry, says that international action is needed quickly to protect species that are on the verge of becoming endangered in Arabian waters. However, many fishermen view harvesting sharks as a “gift from God” that should not be controlled by the government.

While the report essentially offers the same story we’ve unfortunately grown accustomed to on the subject of shark finning, most of the anti-shark finning features I’ve come across tend to be from Western media outlets. I found it interesting to get a Middle Eastern perspective on the topic. The “gift from God” argument is one that I had not really come across before. The report also addresses the issue that shark fishing provides for the livelihood of some of these fishermen, which certainly would present some opposition against regulating the industry. The problem that seems to escape some of these fishermen is that the indiscriminate killing of these species could ultimately lead to an end to the livelihood that these markets provide, if the species are fished to extinction.

According to The Miami Herald, Chef Phillipe Chow will no longer be offering shark fin soup on the menu at Phillipe Restaurant. In addition to pulling the dish from his upscale Chinese cuisine restaurants, Chow is encouraging other Asian restaurants to stop the use of shark fins. According to Herald, Chow had previously focused on purchasing Mako shark fins from “environmentally friendly sources” but has since decided it’s better to end the use of shark fins at his restaurants altogether.

Kudos to Chef Chow for his change of heart on the issue and for encouraging other restaurants to follow suit. As I’ve seen so often on another shark blog, “It starts with one.”

In related news, The Times-Picayune is reporting that Chef Scott Boswell has removed shark fin soup from the menu at Stella! in New Orleans. The decision to remove shark fin soup from the menu comes on the heels of a review in The Times-Picayune that made mention of shark fin soup, which elicited some negative response from readers (see Readers respond to "Stella!" rave with enthusiasm, outrage. Boswell is quoted as saying that he does not know whether the shark fin he had been using was “humanely harvested” or not, and he currently does not feel right about serving it. Boswell also went on to say that he decided to remove shark fin from his soup recipe until he can get a better grasp on whether or not he should be using it.

The Early Show on CBS ran the video segment below this morning in conjunction with Discovery Channel’s Shark Week. The segment is loaded with all the typical shark cliches that often accompany mainstream media reports, including Jaws theme music, the science and technology correspondent referring to himself as bait, and the entire morning crew getting a good laugh in about sharks having “a tough PR problem.” While the lead-in to the video mentions sharks being endangered, the focus of the segment doesn’t seem particularly rooted in conservation efforts, and the light-hearted attitude on the part of the crew back in the studio at the end of the segment really doesn’t convey to me that those involved with the show treated the declining shark population issue with much serious thought.

The segment is not completely without merit, in terms of shark conservation, Andy DeHart, of the National Aquarium, notes that 250,000 sharks are killed daily, and he discusses the impact that losing sharks would have on the marine ecosystem. Stuart Cove also brings up how the experience of diving with sharks can change opinions and attitudes about sharks. Although, with the controversy going on with shark diving in the Bahamas, this Tiger Beach footage in the segment might also drum up more criticism from those opposed to shark diving.

A text-based version titled, Making A Case For Saving The Shark, also appeared online today.

An editorial, The Death of Sharks, which appeared in print on July 29, 2009, on page A22 of the New York edition, focuses on the declining number of sharks due to finning and overfishing.

The editorial addresses the negative impacts of removing sharks as apex-predators from the marine eco-system:

“The species whose numbers the sharks once controlled begin to explode; they then wipe out smaller fish, some of which humans depend on for food. Water quality suffers. Healthy oceans require sharks, and without healthy oceans, healthy fisheries are impossible.”

Seeing editorials like this one appear in major U.S. media sources is encouraging, as it helps to promote awareness of the threat of extinction of many of the oceans sharks species. Hopefully, we will continue to see media coverage that focuses on shark conservation, as opposed to over-sensationalizing shark-related stories.