Sharks

January, 2009

• 22 January

  Shark fin availability lessens on China-based website

  

  Efforts to halt the open sale of shark fins on a global-marketplace website seem to be paying off. Shark Diver reports that attempts to purchase shark fins on Alibaba.com earlier this week were met with less success than previously. Of the 10 sellers contacted, only two responded.  This is a …
• 21 January

  Fifteen sharks are dead after a mistake at the Indianapolis Zoo

  

  Officials say their 15 bonnethead sharks died Monday night. They were held in the first tank visitors saw when they entered the Ocean”s Building. Now that tank is nearly empty. Zoo officials say employees first noticed a problem around 7 p.m. Monday. “They saw fish that were giving clear indications …
• 21 January

  Shark’s fin not on menu

  

  When the Singapore Chefs Association (SCA) holds its annual lo hei dinner this year, one dish will be noticeably missing. Shark”s fin, a near staple at Chinese banquets, will be left out of the menu by the experts at making it. The dinner, which will be held on 1 Feb …
• 19 January

  Shark Finning Protest Demonstration in San Francisco’s Chinatown

  

  The Shark Safe Project is starting 2009 “The Year of the Shark” with a protest demonstration in San Francisco’s Chinatown on January 25th at noon. Please join us as we will be picketing several establishments including restaurants that serve shark fin soup and shark fin markets. This is intended to be …
• 16 January

  Sharks, not humans, most at risk in ocean

  

  (Fom uk.reuters.com) – Three shark attacks in Australia in two days this week sparked a global media frenzy of “Jaws” proportions, but sharks are more at risk in the ocean than humans with man killing millions of sharks each year.  Sharks are the top of the marine food chain, a …
• 12 January

  Ban on shark finning in U.S. waters on table in Congress

  

  (From sun-sentinel.com)- A shark conservation bill introduced last week in Congress would strengthen the ban on finning, in which the valuable fins are sliced off a live shark and the rest discarded. The fins generally are exported to Asia, where shark fin soup is a delicacy served at weddings and …
• 10 January

  Scuba diver helps get shark fin soup off menu

  

  (From signonsandiego.com)- Some local scuba divers and an executive chef combined this week to eliminate a controversial seafood item from a menu for a Chinese New Year celebration. Scuba-diving enthusiast Carl Robbins noticed the menu in an advertising flyer from Barona Valley Ranch Resort & Casino. Among the offerings was …
• 9 January

  Alibaba.com-Selling sharks fin 5000 kilos a week

  

  (From sharkdivers.blogspot.com)- Last month online sharks fin trader Alibaba.com and parent company Taobao.com put out a press release stating “Taobao.com announced to its 400 million online members that all shark fin products will be banned from trade on Taobao.com starting 1, January 2009.” Full release here.
• 8 January

  Halt in shark fin sales is a small step toward conservation

  

  (From latimesblogs.latimes.com)- Outposts congratulates each of the many groups that pressured the China-based global Internet marketplace, Alibaba.com, to cease allowing the sale of shark fins. For years, Alibaba endorsed the wholesale slaughter of sharks and the brutal practice of finning live sharks at sea, by offering shark fins, which are …
• 7 January

  Bordallo introduces Shark Conservation Act

  

  (From guampdn.com)- The Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society International yesterday applauded Guam Delegate Madeleine Bordallo for introducing legislation that would close a loophole on shark finning. Bordallo introduced the Shark Conservation Act, H.R. 81, which would provide increased protection for vulnerable shark species from “finning” and …
• 7 January

  Shark fins allegedly found on foreign vessel

  

  (From thewest.com.au)- A foreign fishing vessel which allegedly had 30kg of shark fin on board has been picked up in Australian waters. Customs said the Indonesian vessel was apprehended in the Australian Fishing Zone off the Western Australian coast on Wednesday. It was also allegedly carrying two tonnes of tuna …
• 6 January

  A Battle Won In The War Against Shark Finning

  

  (From divephotoguide.com) – As the year of 2008 comes to a close I can think of three main topics that have dominated DPG’s marine conservation news: Coral bleaching and global warming, the fishery crisis and the plight of the sharks.   Of those three topics, one really has caught my eye …