The Dorsal Fin

The RJ Dunlap Marine Conservation Program were kind enough to provide a nice free meal for this 3m lemon shark, as part of their shark research. The lemon shark had apparently had a run-in with fisherman at some point, based on the fish stuck in its jaw.

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.

CBS is reporting that police were called to a street in downtown Miami on July 21, 2009 due to the body pf a 6′ (1.8m) nurse shark being deposited on the road. Reports indicate that two men had tried to sell the shark to multiple fish markets, asking $10 for the animal. The men were seen carrying the shark around and even rode the city’s Metromover train carrying the body of the deceased shark. According to CBS, “authorities say the incident could lead to misdemeanor charges of improper killing and disposal of an animal, and selling a shark without a license.” The Miami Herald is reporting that the body of the shark was returned to the ocean, according to wildlife officials.

Personally, I hope the perpetrators are prosecuted for this act of needless stupidity.