How to ban shark finning

Since the New Year is fast approaching, you have to start it by doing something good and making sure that you are able to help in making sure that the coming year will be something great not just for you, but for other inhabitants of the earth, as well. One of the ways that this could happen is by helping to ban shark finning. Get involved. 

Why do people like to harvest sharks’ fins, anyway? Here are some reasons why:

• To make shark fin soup, a popular Chinese dish that is often served in banquets and weddings. It is believed that shark fins are symbolic to wealth, honor and prosperity.
• Shark fins can be sold as dried fish products.
• Shark fins can also be used as toppings or ingredients to dumplings, and other Chinese dishes.

But, no matter what people say, and whatever these traditions may be, the fact that people hurt sharks just so they can use their fins for food is very unethical. It is a threat not just to the lives of sharks, but to people, as well. Why is that, though? Here’s what you should know:

• Sharks do not have the capacity to excrete the dirt and toxins that they have accumulated by eating fish and other things that may have been thrown in the sea. In fact, these toxins and waste materials may stay in their bodies for as long as 50 to 100 years. Therefore, it means that these dirty substances are still in their bodies and you are prone to getting them, too, by eating the body parts of sharks.
• Sharks are prone to absorbing Methyl-Mercury through ocean volatization, which is one of the most dangerous substances in the world because it comes from anaerobic organisms that live in oceans, seas, lakes, and rivers. Methyl-Mercury is harmful to people who are prone to allergies, and to pregnant women, as well.

How can you help?

Start the New Year right by making sure that you get to help sharks out. Here are some of the things that you can do to ban shark finning:

• Sign Petitions. While it may seem like an invaluable thing, it could actually help out in any cause because it is able to get people’s attention and it is a sign that many people believe that it is important to ban shark finning.
• Do not patronize shark fin soup, and other products made with shark fin. Because if many people do not eat shark fin soup and other shark fin products, then it means that putting sharks’ lives in danger would be for nothing, and it could be a big wake up call for those who are in the business of finning sharks.
• Join Environmental Activist Groups that work for the benefit of sharks. This way, you can be sure that you’re working for the same cause and that sooner or later, sharks will be free from harm.

One small step could cause a lot of positive things to happen. Start the year right by helping sharks out.

Give the sharks a gift this season by banning shark fin soup

Christmas is the time for love and giving. And, it does not have to be limited to loving and caring about people. While so many people like to try eating and cooking shark fin soup, you can opt to be different.

Eating shark fin soup is something that’s not just bad for the sharks, but for humans, as well. While you may think that it’s okay to eat just about anything this season, you have to remember that your life is not the only important thing in the world, and that you have to think about others, too.

Why it’s important to stop eating/serving shark fin soup

It’s essential to ban shark fin soup, especially this holiday season, because so many sharks are getting killed for something as trivial as eating them because shark fin soup is considered a delicacy in some countries. You have to put yourself in a shark’s shoes—or fins, for that matter. You have to think about a shark’s life, because you’re not the one who gave that shark his life, and thus, you have no right to take it. And no, just because you’re not the one who put out bait and killed the shark doesn’t mean that you’re not guilty.

Sharks have inhabited the seas for over 450 million years. Yes, they’ve been on earth for longer than you, your parents, or any of your ancestors has been. So, why take the life of a shark when it’s something that’s a big part of history, and is one of the things that make the seas beautiful, and the world beautiful, too?

You know how they say that Christmas should be about giving? That’s true. Christmas is a season to give love, and hope, and to give others the chance to be happy. Thus, you have to be one of those people who work to ban shark fin soup. If you choose to stand up for the sharks, and choose to give them the gift of life, then you are doing something good.

Benefits of not going for shark fin soup

There are many good things that avoiding having this soup can bring, some of which are as follows:

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         - The threat of sickness and ailments caused by eating sharks would be lessened. Since sharks are prone to eating and absorbing anything that lives or are thrown in the sea, they are not able to let go of the toxins inside their bodies. This means that once you eat them, you’ll be susceptible to diseases, too.

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          -   Sharks would be allowed to live in the seas freely, and threat of their extinction would be lessened. Sharks are one of the only oldest creatures in the planet and that’s why their lives have to be saved.

Why eat sharks when there are so many choices? This Christmas season, be a giver, and not a taker. Allow sharks to live happily and peacefully, and you’ll see, the gift of love and peace will come back to you.

Sharks are Friends—Not Food!

Sharks have always been pictured as the ruthless, ever-hungry predators that are always lurking just beneath the surface to snap their unsuspecting victims in two. Countless horror movies have been made with sharks in their core, so it comes as no surprise that sharks have always had an unsavory reputation.

While their reputation might be unsavory, however, their fins are apparently another matter. Nowadays, sharks have, among other animals, extinction danger. The fearless rulers of the deep that generations have feared are about to disappear forever because they have become from proud predators to lowly soup ingredients.

Flavorless Fishing

In Asian countries, particularly in China, shark fins are considered as luxurious delicacies, fit only for the likes of emperors and other dignitaries. It’s been served in the courts of the Forbidden Kingdom for centuries, and, as with most of its traditions, this practice continues on to this day. Shark fin meals are still very much in demand in restaurants—a demand that must be supplied constantly.

This demand has led to overfishing of sharks. As only their fins are wanted, they’re most likely left to die after having their fins cut off. A shark needs to be in constant motion to live, so having to swim without fins must be a bit difficult, right? Actually, it’s quite impossible for them to swim without their fins.

It’d have been a bit understandable if shark fins have incredible taste, but did you know that shark fin meat is actually tasteless? It doesn’t have any flavour, which is why the rest of the ingredients have to be seasoned strongly. The reason why shark fin is so desired is because of its chewy, gelatinous texture—and its supposed health benefits.

Doesn’t Hold Water

The Chinese are known for many things, one of which is their vast knowledge in health and medicine, but say what they want about shark fins—there are no studies or scientific evidence to support that shark fins can prevent hypertension and heart disease, much less evidence of them being able to boost the sexual prowess of a person, or to give smoother and younger-looking skin.

In fact, a bowl of shark fin soup contains the same amount of nutrients a bowl of vegetable soup may have, with a few differences in zinc and iron.

However, to harvest the fins of these creatures just for its texture and ungrounded health benefits is an outrage. Humans are killing an entire specie just because of their petty whims.

Sharks play an important role in the ocean’s balance. They’re apex predators—species who are on top of the food chain. They control the population of the other species below their link. Without them, that delicate balance will be broken, and the carefully controlled ecosystem might very well collapse. If that happens, sea creatures aren’t the only ones who’ll be affected—even land animals, and humans, will be affected, too. After all, several land animals get their food from the oceans too, right?

Finished with Fins

The harvesting of shark fins should be stopped! For all animals, extinctiondanger shouldn’t even exist. Everyone needs everyone else to survive. We need to stop hunting sharks and start protecting them and their natural habitat. Remember: sharks are friends, not food!

Do you think sharks should be hunted for food?

Visit Shark Angels is Leading a worldwide movement to save sharks by inspiring others through their own actions.