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Shark fin traders lose lawsuit against wildlife group
Mon Aug 16,10:56 PM ETBANGKOK (AFP) - An alliance of Thai shark fin traders lost a 110 million baht (2.6 million dollar) lawsuit they filed against a wildlife group which claims the Asian delicacy is putting both sharks and consumers at risk. The US-based conservation group WildAid was hit by the lawsuit three years ago after claiming the delicacy was behind a worldwide decline in shark numbers and that toxic levels of mercury stored in the fins posed a hazard to consumers. A group calling itself the Bangkok Association of Shark Fin Restaurants had accused WildAid of damaging their businesses through the awareness campaign. Hailing Monday's decision as a major victory, WildAid said the ruling would now legally allow the group to renew its campaign to have shark fin banned from Thai dinner tables. "We are very happy about today's court decision," WildAid spokesman Steven Galster said in a statement, while claiming that the group's report on shark fin toxicity to consumers had since been backed up by tests in Thailand. He said government reports from Australia, New Zealand and the United States also backed up claims of high mercury levels in the fins. According to WildAid, sharks are the oceans top predators and so end up as receptacles for all the toxic material swallowed by smaller fish feeding in polluted coastal waters. Shark fin soup is highly regarded among Chinese populations for its taste and supposed medicinal properties and is a top draw at restaurants in Bangkok's Chinatown. A bowl of premium-quality shark fin soup can cost as much as 100 US dollars. While few people probably consume enough pricey shark's fin soup to elevate their mercury levels, there is another more important element to this campaign. A new practice, called "finning" is being employed by those who harvest shark's fin. They scatter chum into the water and then haul aboard any sharks attracted to the feeding frenzy. These animals are then "finned," where all fins are sliced off and the remaining (living) carcass is tossed back into the ocean. Regardless of the cruelty, this destructive practice is devastating a vital link in the oceans' predator chain. Sharks are responsible for thinning fish shoals and scavenging remains. Without their important contributions the ocean ecology is put at risk. Scientists have measured a 90% decline in large fish stocks like marlin, tuna and swordfish. "The impact we have had on ocean ecosystems has been vastly underestimated," said co-author Boris Worm of Dalhousie University and the University of Kiel in Germany. "These are the megafauna, the big predators of the sea, and the species we most value. Their depletion not only threatens the future of these fish and the fishers that depend on them, it could also bring about a complete re-organization of ocean ecosystems, with unknown global consequences." Destructive tampering with marine predator populations is yet another ill-thought-out practice that potentially endangers our world. Posted by: Zenster 2004-08-17 |
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