Sea Shepherd in the Galapagos
Since 2000, Sea Shepherd has maintained a strong, positive presence in the Galapagos Islands. From patroling the Marine Reserve stopping illegal fishing activities, to busting shark finners, to educating the local youth, Sea Shepherd carries out its mission of promoting ocean conservation using a wide range of methods and actions.The Galapagos is our line in the sand. If humanity cannot protect such a unique and diverse ecosystem, we will not be able to protect any ecosystem. The Galapagos is a challenge and battlefield for the effort to halt human greed and destruction. These Enchanted Isles are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and this means all of us have a responsibility to help protect them from illegal exploitation.
| Shark Fin Soup Facts |
 |
 |
 |
| Thursday, 14 January 2010 07:09 | |||
If I was referring to the ever-happy dolphin or a baby seal instead of sharks, I’d have people lining up behind me. But, one mention of the “S” word sends a shiver down many a spine. Maybe you’ve seen the movie Jaws or heard a man-eating shark story, or both. Even if you’ve never seen a shark outside of your local city aquarium you probably still think of them as villains. If you feel this way, you’re not alone, but it might surprise you to know that although there are more than 350 distinct species of sharks, only a few even bother with humans. The giant Whale Shark doesn’t even have teeth. Shark-like fish have been in existence for about 400 million years and even before the dinosaurs. Mother Nature put them in every ocean but, because they are resilient, she built in a number of natural controllers: relatively short life spans (20 to 30 years), long gestation periods, small number of young, and slow maturity rates. With all these constraints, they basically regulate themselves. But what she didn’t count on was the human factor. Read Full Article by Laurel Beauprie 
|
It wouldn’t be news if I told you our planet has its environmental problems. We’re making some progress in controlling what we put into the air, put into our landfills and even put into our oceans. But we’re not paying enough attention to what we are taking out of our oceans – sharks – and they’re being killed at the rate of up to 73 million per year. That number refers to the number being killed only for their fins and almost entirely to make shark fin soup. You may not really care much about sharks but our oceans account for about half of the planet’s oxygen supply and sharks play a key role in maintaining the health of the oceans.
I have to admit that until recently I didn’t know much about sharks, or cared to. Then I saw the television documentary Sharkwater and it changed forever the way I look at sharks. So I decided to do some research myself and, lo and behold, they weren’t exaggerating a bit; the bulk of the shark population is being depleted for their fins.
Show/hide comment form
Our Campaigns
Top Stories
Hosting donated by
