Mon Aug 16,10:56 PM ET BANGKOK (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.
#1
This is one of the few times where I'll side with the "Tokin' With Gaia" crowd. This is a deplorable practice. I would, however, like to point out that there is probably some connection between the world's assertions that we behave arrogantly and the Left's ongoing crusade to shut down whatever means the third-worlders find to get by.
#2
good post zenster. ima going use this. if you are ever see it on animal planet this is horible thing. they lines they are thro out many miles long and they are just bring up one shark after nuther and chop off they fins and throw em back in water to sink and drown. this is need to be stop! maybe someone is shuld put out report that shark fin soup is cuase penis shrinkage.
#4
A little OT, but whenever we were in open waters, and I was Officer-of-the-Deck, I was never tried very hard to miss those huge nets the Japanese and Korean ships tossed out. Of course, I always worried about fouling the screws, but, damn it, who cries for the fish?
Muck: the problem in the Asian world is that everything seems to be an aphrodisiac.
#5
This sounds just as sick as the slaughter of bison solely for their hides and tongues in which the rest of the carcass was left to rot. I'm very happy to see the enviros win this round!
Mucky--Good idea for a rumor! I think it's great as a likely unintended consequence that Viagra is helping to curb the sick black market for things like tiger penises, etc., for the "erectionally-challenged". Better living through chemistry for all parties involved, I say!
Posted by: Dar ||
08/17/2004 17:05 Comments ||
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#6
When they manage to graft shark fins onto rats' backs, the problem'll be solved. They're only cartilage-based, after all. Mmmm.
#9
Thank you all for the many postive replies. Sadly, this is not much of a victory. Reading the fine print will show you that WildAid has only won the right to continue protesting and not any injunction against the practice of "finning."
Yes, finning has been going on for some time now. Along with gill nets and shrimping, these practices are irreversibly damaging one of the last great food sources on earth. You need only examine the cod depletion of the Grand Banks to see what is coming.
BH, in this one particular case an abolition of "finning" would not have such a major impact on really poor people. Long line boats cost a lot to operate and those who purchase the fin soup aren't buying it at little mom and pop restaurants.
Dreadnought, nice to think that a couple of those gill nets got shredded. Sadly, when these nets are cut loose by activists, they can drift forever and continue to kill without end. Industrial gill nets can be miles long and are known as "vacuum cleaners of the sea" for the way they scour up all marine life including sea birds. New advances using monofilament instead of nylon make it so unintended bycatch can break free, but the damage is still tremendous.
Dar, you could not be more right about the beneficial side effects of viagra for so many threatened and endangered species. This a sterling example of how scientific breakthroughs can defeat myth and superstition.
Mucky, you are most welcome. Your love of animals is truly admirable. Here's a really interesting article about unintended negative consequences of using gill nets to abate alien fish species that threaten Irish trout. My wolf hybrid sends you a bunch of his best tail wags.
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