livin veg

There is a great opinion piece in the NY Times today on sharks. Killing a shark for it’s fins is to me, one of the most horrific reasons to kill an animal. It’s like killing an elephant for it’s ivory. Such a small part is used and then the rest of the corpse left to rot. The waste of a life. Not that I’d be much more thrilled if the entire body was used, but it would be like if a cow was killed for her hoof, and that’s it. And since fins are so small, many sharks die to meet the demand.

The opinion piece talks about the ramifications on the health of the oceans:

Nearly a third of shark species in the open oceans are threatened with extinction. Losing these top predators creates a cascading imbalance. The species whose numbers the sharks once controlled begin to explode; they then wipe out smaller fish, some of which humans depend on for food. Water quality suffers. Healthy oceans require sharks, and without healthy oceans, healthy fisheries are impossible.

If you want to learn more about finning  and information on the laws in the USA about finning, check out HSUS’s fact page on the topic. They have a lot of great info on sharks.

Sharks aren’t the most sympathetic creatures in the ocean. We have learned to fear them from films, and think of them as a threat to human safety. It’s a very rare occasion when a person is attacked by a shark. It’s easy to want to protect the fluffy and cuddly, but sharks need help too. Even if they are kinda scary.

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