# Why is it legal to serve shark fin soup!!



## ChuckRum

recently went to a chinese restaurant and saw it on the menu. it makes me so mad, this mass slaughter thats happening.


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## Ciddian

I was just listening to something on CBC news about the idea of banning it in California or something? They had asked if banning that soup was racist or not.

I don't feel it should be made anymore just as much as I don't think froi grais or whatever is acceptable either but some people will fiercely defend it because its a cultural thing. :/


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## ChuckRum

Ciddian said:


> I was just listening to something on CBC news about the idea of banning it in California or something? They had asked if banning that soup was racist or not.
> 
> I don't feel it should be made anymore just as much as I don't think froi grais or whatever is acceptable either but some people will fiercely defend it because its a cultural thing. :/


more importantly, its an environmental thing. i don't care what it is, if it is the reason for killing 250,000 sharks a day and over 73 million a year decreasing the population up to 90% and threatening our ecosystems then it has to be banned.

thats not even including the fact that its extremely wasteful and inhumane


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## shark

More than 80 Million sharks die per year just for their fins. Thousands more sharks die per year by natural causes. Putting everything together more than 100 million sharks per year die from natural causes accidental and Murdered by man. 

Sharks can't reproduce as fast as they are being killed and will soon become endangered as some species of shark already are. 

Japans fishing industries are the main culprits for our depleting ocean resources. 

Thousands or dolphins and whales and millions of shark and tuna die every year just to feel the people that live in the tiny island of japan! JUST JAPAN! 

Why do you thinl my name is shark!!!! Shark fin soup can still be found in some places in toronto stilllll!!!!!!!!!!


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## ChuckRum

shark said:


> More than 80 Million sharks die per year just for their fins. Thousands more sharks die per year by natural causes. Putting everything together more than 100 million sharks per year die from natural causes accidental and Murdered by man.
> 
> Sharks can't reproduce as fast as they are being killed and will soon become endangered as some species of shark already are.
> 
> Japans fishing industries are the main culprits for our depleting ocean resources.
> 
> Thousands or dolphins and whales and millions of shark and tuna die every year just to feel the people that live in the tiny island of japan! JUST JAPAN!
> 
> Why do you thinl my name is shark!!!! Shark fin soup can still be found in some places in toronto stilllll!!!!!!!!!!


some people estimate around 100 million die for their fins. The industry is always increasing in demand as our population increases and as countries become wealthier and are able to afford this "delicacy". It disgusts me how in a country where we are all educated, people can still support this slaughter.


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## trailblazer295

The part I hate the most about the harvesting of these fins, is that the sharks fins are cut off and then the shark is tossed back in the water alive to slowly die.


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## shark

trailblazer295 said:


> The part I hate the most about the harvesting of these fins, is that the sharks fins are cut off and then the shark is tossed back in the water alive to slowly die.


"One day we will look at croc farming and animal harvesting the same way we look at canibalism and slavery".

Steve Irwin


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## ChuckRum

trailblazer295 said:


> The part I hate the most about the harvesting of these fins, is that the sharks fins are cut off and then the shark is tossed back in the water alive to slowly die.


Or get eaten alive by other predators. How would you like it someone cut off your limbs, and threw you on the sidewalk?


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## ChuckRum

shark said:


> "One day we will look at croc farming and animal harvesting the same way we look at canibalism and slavery".
> 
> Steve Irwin


i only hope these animals aren't near extinction in the wild by then.


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## shark

ChuckRum said:


> i only hope these animals aren't near extinction in the wild by then.


More like extiction the way these numbers are increasing


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## ChuckRum

shark said:


> More like extiction the way these numbers are increasing


i know, but im too scared to face the possible reality.


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## Cypher

I think its more out of ignorance that people still eat it. Did you know that shark's fin is actually without much taste of it's own and chicken stock has to be added to give it flavor? 

Having said that, in China itself, celebrities like Yao Ming are actively trying to dissuade people from eating shark's fin. He's been at it for years now. Rome wasn't built in a day and habits can't be erased over night. If it offends you that much, I would suggest you boycott eating at that restaurant and send a polite letter to the restaurant's owner(s) explaining why, you have chosen not to eat there anymore. Perhaps that might get them to reconsider their menu. At the very least, it would give them an impression that eating sharks fin is frowned upon by some segments of their clientele.


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## ChuckRum

Cypher said:


> I think its more out of ignorance that people still eat it. Did you know that shark's fin is actually without much taste of it's own and chicken stock has to be added to give it flavor?
> 
> Having said that, in China itself, celebrities like Yao Ming are actively trying to dissuade people from eating shark's fin. He's been at it for years now. Rome wasn't built in a day and habits can't be erased over night. If it offends you that much, I would suggest you boycott eating at that restaurant and send a polite letter to the restaurant's owner(s) explaining why, you have chosen not to eat there anymore. Perhaps that might get them to reconsider their menu. At the very least, it would give them an impression that eating sharks fin is frowned upon by some segments of their clientele.


Yes, its simply dried almost flavourless cartilage that turns into a jelly substance when cooked in the soup. And i already have sent them an e-mail, and i plan on doing so to more restaurants that serve this. Being realistic, i know that they wont stop serving this because one person gave their opinion but like you said, its good to let them know that some people are aware and dont appreciate it.


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## Kerohime

As someone who grew up with mostly Chinese cuisine, I find it would be very difficult to persuade restaurants to stop serving shark-fin soup. At least when the old timers are still around to make/enjoy it. I am not going to deny the fact that I've had it before, but I do have to say that there are many types of the enriched chinese soup that tastes similar and that shark fin really only adds to a certain texture. I personally would not go seeking it out, or pay for the soup but it is a little impolite not to have it when you are being treated by a guest, or if its a special occassion. =x

Despite of that I agree with it being pointless and an unnecessary 'luxury'.


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## bigfishy

Unless your a vegetarian, then you shouldn't be making these comments

There are no differences between a slaughter house than a fish killed in the wild. Same concept, same rule, but it depends on how you look at the situation.


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## gucci17

bigfishy said:


> Unless your a vegetarian, then you shouldn't be making these comments
> 
> There are no differences between a slaughter house than a fish killed in the wild. Same concept, same rule, but it depends on how you look at the situation.


I have to admit, I'm a hypocrite because I drink/eat shark fin soup (special occasions) but do not condone the practices of harvesting the fins.

But, I will say this. It's not actually the same as farm raised animals that we eat. Those are controlled situations where we actually breed these animals no?

I'm just worried that the sharks will eventually become extinct because we don't have 'shark farms' to increase their population.

Just my thoughts...


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## Kerohime

bigfishy said:


> Unless your a vegetarian, then you shouldn't be making these comments
> 
> There are no differences between a slaughter house than a fish killed in the wild. Same concept, same rule, but it depends on how you look at the situation.


I disagree. There is a huge difference. 
When you are killing fish in the wild you are disturbing the ecosystem, and the niche that the animal has a role in is depleted. When you kill something that is farmed by man, you are not disturbing the ecological balance of the food web.

Also, in a slaughter house, you dont carve off a piece and then throw the rest in the trash while they are still suffering. In addition to the main meat or fillet, you can even buy bones and fins of a fish from a fish market. Just look at a video of how a Tuna carcass is painsakingly dispatched, they take a spoon to scoop the leftover meat attached to the bone.

And no offense to anyone, but I couldnt care less what a vegetarian has to say about what I eat. They choose their own dietary preferences, and I have mine.


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## solarz

Kerohime said:


> I disagree. There is a huge difference.
> When you are killing fish in the wild you are disturbing the ecosystem, and the niche that the animal has a role in is depleted. When you kill something that is farmed by man, you are not disturbing the ecological balance of the food web.


The vast majority of sea food we eat comes from ocean harvest and not from aquaculture. Agriculture itself disturbs ecological balance through pollution and habitat destruction.

The key point here is sustainability.


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## shark

bigfishy said:


> Unless your a vegetarian, then you shouldn't be making these comments
> 
> There are no differences between a slaughter house than a fish killed in the wild. Same concept, same rule, but it depends on how you look at the situation.


Are you crazy???????

Do you have no respect for the shark species, sharks are becoming endangered for this reckless disregard for the shark species. Sure you can kill a couple for food but most of the places where their selling these fins are in black markets because its ilegal. Many sharks are going to be extinct if this continues. The oceans will become unbalanced sharks are vital to the ocean ecosystem.

Just because your culture suports this unethical act, it does not mean the rest of the world does!


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## Greg_o

OP is right to inform the restarant you don't agree and vote with your feet (not give them your business)


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## solarz

shark said:


> Are you crazy???????
> 
> Do you have no respect for the shark species, sharks are becoming endangered for this reckless disregard for the shark species. Sure you can kill a couple for food but most of the places where their selling these fins are in black markets because its ilegal. Many sharks are going to be extinct if this continues. The oceans will become unbalanced sharks are vital to the ocean ecosystem.
> 
> Just because your culture suports this unethical act, it does not mean the rest of the world does!


Geeze, calm down.

Just because YOUR culture opposes this, doesn't mean the rest of the world does!

Stop being so ethnocentric. If we take a random sample of 1000 people drawn from everybody on Earth, I estimate that 200 of them will support shark fin harvesting, 750 of them won't care, and only 50 of them will oppose it. Despite how you may feel, only a small percentage of the world's population think eating animals -- however they're slaughtered -- is grounds for cruelty.

I don't eat shark fin, and I do not want to, because I too think it's a cruel practice. However, that doesn't mean I will force such a subjective belief on other people.

On the other hand, ecological balance is a very objective phenomenon, which is why I fully support a sustainable approach to any natural resource harvesting, including ocean fishing.


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## Byronicle

solarz said:


> Geeze, calm down.
> 
> Just because YOUR culture opposes this, doesn't mean the rest of the world does!
> 
> Stop being so ethnocentric. If we take a random sample of 1000 people drawn from everybody on Earth, I estimate that 200 of them will support shark fin harvesting, 750 of them won't care, and only 50 of them will oppose it. Despite how you may feel, only a small percentage of the world's population think eating animals -- however they're slaughtered -- is grounds for cruelty..


thing is realistically speaking, if we were to use the "culture card", then you two would be dueling with swords right about now to settle this argument. but cultures evolve and change, suppose to be for the better because if it hasn't, then we still be in the dark ages then

also I have to disagree with saying only a small population would disagree

you tell Ghandi and the Dalai Lama if they care, they did and do and look at how many people were influenced by them


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## Byronicle

^of course with all the global warming, human exploitation and loss of biodiversity, clearly its becoming worst

but that is why people are voicing the need to stop and soon before things become irreversible


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## Byronicle

^most buddhists are vegetarians, the Dalai Lama wants to make Tibet a ecological safe haven

people in 3rd world countries starving will probably like to eat the rest of the shark too, so even though they may not agree about killing what, but will definitely disagree with the waste of meat going on here

also the people who don't care about eating shark fin soup, i bet most of them are not educated about the "process" going on and will disagree with that


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## solarz

Byronicle said:


> thing is realistically speaking, if we were to use the "culture card", then you two would be dueling with swords right about now to settle this argument. but cultures evolve and change, suppose to be for the better because if it hasn't, then we still be in the dark ages then
> 
> also I have to disagree with saying only a small population would disagree
> 
> you tell Ghandi and the Dalai Lama if they care, they do and look at how many people were influenced by them


Very few actually. That's the problem with ethnocentricity. We are constantly being bombarded by media that is tailored to our own culture, and thus we think that the rest of the world thinks just like we do, which couldn't be further from the truth.



> but that is why people are voicing the need to stop and soon before things become irreversible


That's why sustainability is the key. I have no problem with fishermen harvesting shark fins and whales, provided that they do so sustainably. I would not buy their products, but that is a purely personal choice.



> also the people who don't care about eating shark fin soup, i bet most of them are not educated about the "process" going on and will disagree with that


I think if you were aware of how animals are slaughtered in most developing countries, cutting off a shark's fin really doesn't sound like a big deal.


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## Byronicle

solarz said:


> Very few actually. That's the problem with ethnocentricity. We are constantly being bombarded by media that is tailored to our own culture, and thus we think that the rest of the world thinks just like we do, which couldn't be further from the truth.
> 
> That's why sustainability is the key. I have no problem with fishermen harvesting shark fins and whales, provided that they do so sustainably. I would not buy their products, but that is a purely personal choice..


you are right, it is tailored to our own culture. you think the japanese media displays the slaughter of dolphins? no, if you have watched the the documentary "blood dolphins", the majority of japanese people love dolphins and were shocked by what is going on. but this is no sustainable practise, this is just another thing being exploitated to extinction

hey I am mix, my mom is an asian immigrant but she doesn't eat dog because she knows the process is wrong, she has witnessed the process of killing dog and the majority of people where she is from say its wrong, but would my irish dad eat dog? he said he might if it was euthanized humanely. the thing is i dont think the media over in asia are showing the "finning process", because like you said its all customized and if they were educated, I am positive it will stop



solarz said:


> I think if you were aware of how animals are slaughtered in most developing countries, cutting off a shark's fin really doesn't sound like a big deal.


and no its not a big deal about eating the fin really, but i am sure the waste of food like i mentioned before would be a big deal to the starving people around the world in those developing countries you speak of. you can't argue that. it is truly a huge waste of meat


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## mrobson

i don't agree with it but its the old adage those who throw stones, I'm sure the idea of people eating veal or beef is extremely disturbing to those in the Hindu culture. I wouldn't dream of giving up my steak as I'm sure most of you would not, instead of condemning and pointing fingers we should be trying to figure out a way to sustain their need. Our slaughtering practices may seem more humane but i know guys who have worked inside these places and believe me the animals suffer just as much, not everyone on the kill floor wants the animal to die quickly. As far as people not supporting them if they knew exactly what was happening i strongly disagree with this, most people would gladly live in ignorant bliss or just not care. I think the show "swamp people" is a perfect example of this i had always wanted to try gator meat and would probably buy gator skin products i had no idea they hooked them then shoot them in the head. The 1st time i watched the show i was a bit put off by the whole thing but when i thought about it i have no problem landing a fish and tossing it in a cooler. At the end of the day it all comes down to were you draw the line between food and friend.


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## solarz

Byronicle said:


> you are right, it is tailored to our own culture. you think the japanese media displays the slaughter of dolphins? no, if you have watched the the documentary "blood dolphins", the majority of japanese people love dolphins and were shocked by what is going on. but this is no sustainable practise, this is just another thing being exploitated to extinction
> 
> hey I am mix, my mom is an asian immigrant but she doesn't eat dog because she knows the process is wrong, she has witnessed the process of killing dog and the majority of people where she is from say its wrong, but would my irish dad eat dog? he said he might if it was euthanized humanely. the thing is i dont think the media over in asia are showing the "finning process", because like you said its all customized and if they were educated, I am positive it will stop


It will stop because shark fins, dog meat, and foie gras are "luxury" foods. I.E. you don't depend on them for your nourishment.

However, if we're going to talk about morality, then what about the agricultural industry as a whole? How many people would stop eating pork or chicken after learning about the awful conditions those animals are raised in? How many people would stop eating rice and wheat if they learned how many wild animals are "blenderized" in the harvesting process?

The fact is, it's always easy to stop doing something you don't need to do in the first place. It's an entirely different matter when that something affects your everyday life.

Therefore, we really have no moral grounds to claim that slaughtering this animal in this way is cruel, while killing that animal in that other way is okay. That's why I think all feelings of animal cruelty (related to exploiting that animal for a particular resource, and not, for example, randomly torturing kittens) should be a personal belief, and not something that should be forced onto other people.



> and no its not a big deal about eating the fin really, but i am sure the waste of food like i mentioned before would be a big deal to the starving people around the world in those developing countries you speak of. you can't argue that. it is truly a huge waste of meat


Shark fins are never about nourishment, it's a highly priced commodity, so it's kind of irrelevant to talk about "waste of meat" here. Do we talk about "waste of food" when people grow corn for ethanol? Besides, shark meat won't really be wasted: it will serve as food for other marine organisms.


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## Cypher

bigfishy said:


> Unless your a vegetarian, then you shouldn't be making these comments
> 
> There are no differences between a slaughter house than a fish killed in the wild. Same concept, same rule, but it depends on how you look at the situation.


What you don't understand is that sharks are the APEX predators in the wild. They can not be farmed. Apex predators serve a very important role in that they control the population of other species and prey on the diseased and old, helping to keep fish populations healthy and the overall ocean eco-system (including coral reefs, seagrass beds, etc...) in balance. Take these APEX predators away, and you'll soon find reefs and seagrass beds in decline, being over eaten and over populated by animal populations that would otherwise have been kept in check by sharks. Sharks in general have a relatively low population in comparison to other fish, similar to the number of lions and the number of wilderbeast. Now they are being harvested in huge numbers for commercial purposes. In the simplest terms: *No sharks = No reefs, no seagrass beds = no fish for humans to harvest/ eat.*

Geez people *this is not about a judgment on the cultural eating preference of an ethnicity*. So stop comparing eating sharks to eating dog, cow, cat, gerbil or what ever weird creature your heart desires to consume. *To put it bluntly, this is very much about the long-term survival of the human race. Unlike more simple life forms on this earth, Human beings are very much dependent on THIS ECOSYSTEM. If it's damaged beyond repair, WE ARE ALL VERY MUCH SCREWED regardless of culture, color or creed.*


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## solarz

Cypher said:


> What you don't understand is that sharks are the APEX predators in the wild. They can not be farmed. Apex predators serve a very important role in that they control the population of other species and prey on the diseased and old, helping to keep fish populations healthy and the overall ocean eco-system (including coral reefs, seagrass beds, etc...) in balance. Take these APEX predators away, and you'll soon find reefs and seagrass beds in decline, being over eaten and over populated by animal populations that would otherwise have been kept in check by sharks. In the simplest terms: *No sharks = No reefs, no seagrass beds = no fish for humans to harvest/ eat.*


I don't think anyone argues that unsustainable shark fishing is good.


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## Byronicle

solarz said:


> It will stop because shark fins, dog meat, and foie gras are "luxury" foods. I.E. you don't depend on them for your nourishment.
> 
> However, if we're going to talk about morality, then what about the agricultural industry as a whole? How many people would stop eating pork or chicken after learning about the awful conditions those animals are raised in? How many people would stop eating rice and wheat if they learned how many wild animals are "blenderized" in the harvesting process?
> 
> The fact is, it's always easy to stop doing something you don't need to do in the first place. It's an entirely different matter when that something affects your everyday life.
> 
> Therefore, we really have no moral grounds to claim that slaughtering this animal in this way is cruel, while killing that animal in that other way is okay. That's why I think all feelings of animal cruelty (related to exploiting that animal for a particular resource, and not, for example, randomly torturing kittens) should be a personal belief, and not something that should be forced onto other people..


like u said, shark is a luxury, eating livestock is for nourishment. thing is the people who don't agree with the way we slaughter our livestock, are the same people who live in those countries. there are whole programs at UofT dedicated to environmental subjects, students write essays about this all the time. we are well aware of it, and many people here are trying to make change

im pretty sure most the green movement has a very strong influence in Canada, all i eat is organic and as a result because the meat is expensive, i eat less meat and focus more on fruits, veggies, grains and some whey protein shakes. its all people talk about in school at UofT, there are always students protesting on campus about factory farming.

so to say that its easy for us to say this and that about other people from other countries, we are criticizing ourselves everyday too. just walk around UofT campus and ask them what they think, its usually us students these days that have the energy to try and make change



solarz said:


> Shark fins are never about nourishment, it's a highly priced commodity, so it's kind of irrelevant to talk about "waste of meat" here. Do we talk about "waste of food" when people grow corn for ethanol? Besides, shark meat won't really be wasted: it will serve as food for other marine organisms.


people grow corn for ethanol to relieve the pressure on fossil fuels which are emitting CO2...

umm the shark is an apex predator in many ecosystems, killing them and leaving their bodies to be eaten yes provides other organisms food, but disrupts an entire food web, allows other species to thrive past sustainable levels. like you said sustainability is key, there is a reason why north carolina has deer problems = no wolves, now diseases spreads quickly among the deer and they starve to death because lack of food. killing the shark has way more negatives than positives, especially something considered endangered.

it is a waste of meat, killing something prematurely (since it is no natural cause, since when do sharks die of shark finning naturally?) and not making use of everything is a waste especially when it just promotes unsustainable consequences, at least feeding the poor will allow them to find other means to provide themselves rather than them being in a desperate situation where they are forced to unsustainably consume resources. poverty = reason for all these problems


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## mrobson

Cypher said:


> What you don't understand is that sharks are the APEX predators in the wild.


How can sharks not farmed is their not programs in place that breed sharks for release into the wild, why could they not do the same for food? Yes the over head cost would go up but it would be a step in the direction.


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## mrobson

Cypher said:


> What you don't understand is that sharks are the APEX predators in the wild.They cannot be farmed.


How can sharks not farmed is their not programs in place that breed sharks for release into the wild, why could they not do the same for food? Yes the over head cost would go up but it would be a step in the direction.


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## solarz

Byronicle said:


> people grow corn for ethanol to relieve the pressure on fossil fuels which are emitting CO2...


Actually, ethanol is a horrible idea for "green" energy. Producing ethanol from corn costs more energy than the ethanol supplies. More importantly, doing so on any useful scale requires gigantic tracts of agricultural lands, which means habitat destruction, soil erosion, and pollution from fertilizers.


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## Cypher

mrobson said:


> How can sharks not farmed is their not programs in place that breed sharks for release into the wild, why could they not do the same for food? Yes the over head cost would go up but it would be a step in the direction.


If you understand the biology of sharks, you'll understand why farming them is a near impossibility to meet commercial demand. Either accept that statement, or go read up and research on sharks, their biology and their reproductive cycles.

It's almost as absurd as asking why can't Panda's be commercially farmed for human consumption. 

I'm going to repeat this until I'm certain everyone on this thread has read this and is not just blindly replying to the latest post:

*Geez people this is not about a judgment on the cultural eating preference of an ethnicity.* So stop comparing eating sharks to eating dog, cow, cat, gerbil or what ever weird creature your heart desires to consume. *To put it bluntly, this is very much about the long-term survival of the human race. Unlike more simple life forms on this earth, Human beings are very much dependent on THIS ECOSYSTEM. Sharks are a keystone of this ECOSYSTEM. Pull that keystone out, everything else falls apart. Just like in Jenga. If it's damaged beyond repair, WE ARE ALL VERY MUCH SCREWED regardless of culture, color or creed.*


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## shark

solarz said:


> It will stop because shark fins, dog meat, and foie gras are "luxury" foods. I.E. you don't depend on them for your nourishment.
> 
> However, if we're going to talk about morality, then what about the agricultural industry as a whole? How many people would stop eating pork or chicken after learning about the awful conditions those animals are raised in? How many people would stop eating rice and wheat if they learned how many wild animals are "blenderized" in the harvesting process?
> 
> The fact is, it's always easy to stop doing something you don't need to do in the first place. It's an entirely different matter when that something affects your everyday life.
> 
> Therefore, we really have no moral grounds to claim that slaughtering this animal in this way is cruel, while killing that animal in that other way is okay. That's why I think all feelings of animal cruelty (related to exploiting that animal for a particular resource, and not, for example, randomly torturing kittens) should be a personal belief, and not something that should be forced onto other people.
> 
> Shark fins are never about nourishment, it's a highly priced commodity, so it's kind of irrelevant to talk about "waste of meat" here. Do we talk about "waste of food" when people grow corn for ethanol? Besides, shark meat won't really be wasted: it will serve as food for other marine organisms.


Sharks are not like eating cows chickens or pork their our staple food and there are tons of them for us to eat sometimes there are more of them than humans. Sharks have a purpose in the ocean and are being slaughtered. What you mean the meat is not going to waste these sharks are limit in numbers by fining and are just tosed back in the ocean alive. 73 MILLION die each year and that number is increasing rapidly. Now its hard to find big sharks in the ocean because of all this. By supporting this or eating it you are increasing the demand and more will be slaughtered. I cant belelive that this is a fish forum and sharks are fish but you guys care so much about the fish in your tanks but not the apex predators in the ocean.

Maybe this can clear your understanding


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## Cypher

I'm going to repeat this until I'm certain everyone on this thread has read this and is not just blindly replying to the latest post:

*Geez people this is not about a judgment on the cultural eating preference of an ethnicity.* So stop comparing eating sharks to eating dog, cow, cat, gerbil or what ever weird creature your heart desires to consume. *To put it bluntly, this is very much about the long-term survival of the human race. Unlike more simple life forms on this earth, Human beings are very much dependent on THIS ECOSYSTEM. Sharks are a keystone of this ECOSYSTEM. Pull that keystone out, everything else falls apart. Just like in Jenga. If it's damaged beyond repair, WE ARE ALL VERY MUCH SCREWED regardless of culture, color or creed.*


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## gucci17

Cypher said:


> I'm going to repeat this until I'm certain everyone on this thread has read this and is not just blindly replying to the latest post:
> 
> *Geez people this is not about a judgment on the cultural eating preference of an ethnicity.* So stop comparing eating sharks to eating dog, cow, cat, gerbil or what ever weird creature your heart desires to consume. *To put it bluntly, this is very much about the long-term survival of the human race. Unlike more simple life forms on this earth, Human beings are very much dependent on THIS ECOSYSTEM. Sharks are a keystone of this ECOSYSTEM. Pull that keystone out, everything else falls apart. Just like in Jenga. If it's damaged beyond repair, WE ARE ALL VERY MUCH SCREWED regardless of culture, color or creed.*


I'd have to agree with this post...


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## Byronicle

Cypher said:


> *Geez people this is not about a judgment on the cultural eating preference of an ethnicity.* So stop comparing eating sharks to eating dog, cow, cat, gerbil or what ever weird creature your heart desires to consume. *To put it bluntly, this is very much about the long-term survival of the human race. Unlike more simple life forms on this earth, Human beings are very much dependent on THIS ECOSYSTEM. Sharks are a keystone of this ECOSYSTEM. Pull that keystone out, everything else falls apart. Just like in Jenga. If it's damaged beyond repair, WE ARE ALL VERY MUCH SCREWED regardless of culture, color or creed.*


I brought up dog because the argument is that the people eating shark may have a different view if they knew the process of finning (and I should've added if they knew the importance of shark as an apex predator). The process of eating dog is really cruel and its a turnoff to people in these countries where it is known that people eat dog. Just saying that a little education is needed to teach about sustainability for people to become aware. In other words it was someone racially profiling people, thinking the majority all feel the same which is untrue, they just don't know what is going on.

It was argued that very little amount of people in the world would care about sharks and the subject, and I argued that people from many many countries have the views in relation to sustainability and views that we share, i.e. Dalai Lama and Tibet, in the past Ghandi and still today many practising Buddhist are vegetarians.


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## Jackson

Umm is it not white fisherman supplying the F'ing fins?


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## Byronicle

Jackson said:


> Umm is it not white fisherman supplying the F'ing fins?


most people who supply the fins are people living in poverty who have to find a source of income, which is why many argue alleviate poverty = better living standards for all


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## Cypher

Jackson said:


> Umm is it not white fisherman supplying the F'ing fins?


They're being commercially fished everywhere Jackson, from Africa, Asia, North America to South America. Even small time local fishermen of all back grounds are being paid a nice chunk of change for shark's fins. To add to the problem, out of ignorance they're also targeting juvenile and very young sharks.


----------



## solarz

Cypher said:


> I'm going to repeat this until I'm certain everyone on this thread has read this and is not just blindly replying to the latest post:
> 
> *Geez people this is not about a judgment on the cultural eating preference of an ethnicity.* So stop comparing eating sharks to eating dog, cow, cat, gerbil or what ever weird creature your heart desires to consume. *To put it bluntly, this is very much about the long-term survival of the human race. Unlike more simple life forms on this earth, Human beings are very much dependent on THIS ECOSYSTEM. Sharks are a keystone of this ECOSYSTEM. Pull that keystone out, everything else falls apart. Just like in Jenga. If it's damaged beyond repair, WE ARE ALL VERY MUCH SCREWED regardless of culture, color or creed.*


Geeze, nobody is arguing fishing sharks until they're extinct. It is perfectly possible to do sustainable fishing.


----------



## Jackson

Byronicle said:


> most people who supply the fins are people living in poverty who have to find a source of income, which is why many argue alleviate poverty = better living standards for all


So your saying they are poor people who go out in a dingy and catch these sharks? From what I've seen in a few documentaries they are white guys who have at least a few mills worth of equipment under their feet slaughtering these sharks.


----------



## Jackson

Cypher said:


> They're being commercially fished everywhere Jackson, from Africa, Asia, North America to South America. Even small time local fishermen of all back grounds are being paid a nice chunk of change for shark's fins. To add to the problem, out of ignorance they're also targeting juvenile and very young sharks.


Majority is being fished by white fisherman. I know it's being done all over but the white fisherman are supplying the largest numbers.


----------



## Jackson

Truth is ignorance is the problem and education is the key. People need to open up their eyes and use their heads. Problem is stupidity is very hard to cure.


----------



## Cypher

solarz said:


> Geeze, nobody is arguing fishing sharks until they're extinct. It is perfectly possible to do sustainable fishing.


Far more education needs to be done to create a 'sustainable' fishing habit for sharks. This thread in itself is damning evidence that education wise we are far behind where we need to be. We would have to reduce our consumption of sharks to 1% of what we are currently consuming. Most shark species do not reproduce as quickly nor as plentifully as other fishes. Their gestation period alone is very similar to that of mammals.

And I fear by the time people are educated enough to understand the importance of sharks to OUR existence as a species, we would have gone far beyond the point of no return.

I'm going to repeat this until I'm certain everyone on this thread has read this and is not just blindly replying to the latest post:

*Geez people this is not about a judgment on the cultural eating preference of an ethnicity.* So stop comparing eating sharks to eating dog, cow, cat, gerbil or what ever weird creature your heart desires to consume. *To put it bluntly, this is very much about the long-term survival of the human race. Unlike more simple life forms on this earth, Human beings are very much dependent on THIS ECOSYSTEM. Sharks are a keystone of this ECOSYSTEM. Pull that keystone out, everything else falls apart. Just like in Jenga. If it's damaged beyond repair, WE ARE ALL VERY MUCH SCREWED regardless of culture, color or creed.*


----------



## mrobson

im not saying we could set up a shark farm tomorrow but its not going to stop, whaling has been outlawed yet the Japanese get around this by saying they are conducting "research". It's not going to go away the only way to ease the problem is to find a sustainable alternative, the only reason we have so many cows and chickens is because we realized if we didn't farm them they would be wiped out like the dodo. Just holding your breath and stomping your feet isn't going to fix anything, i watch shark week i understand how important they are. Just like Pandas, rhinos, whales etc no one is going to listen until they are basically gone we should be researching how to fix things now and not wait for the inevitable.


----------



## Byronicle

Jackson said:


> So your saying they are poor people who go out in a dingy and catch these sharks? From what I've seen in a few documentaries they are white guys who have at least a few mills worth of equipment under their feet slaughtering these sharks.


curious to know if you would remember whats the name of these documentaries?

is shark finning illegal over in europe? I've eaten shark steaks before, and I assume the fin of that shark gets into soup, but where is shark finning happening the most? usually its illegal in countries but some where there is a lot of corruption and poor regulation, shark finning gets away unmonitored



Jackson said:


> Truth is ignorance is the problem and education is the key. People need to open up their eyes and use their heads. Problem is stupidity is very hard to cure.


yup people need to be aware via education


----------



## Jackson

Some nations get away with genocide. People killed off because they believe in different things. If we can't stop things like that from happening still to this day then how can humans stop shark fishing, seal hunting and so on?

Humans are the nastiest animals on earth. Dirty, stupid and ruthless. 

I think one day someone is going to discover that we are indeed parasites lol


----------



## Brian

Shark fin soup is awesome. 

I`d make a petition and get the other billion of my people to sign it if it were made illegal.


----------



## Jackson

Byronicle said:


> curious to know if you would remember whats the name of these documentaries?
> 
> is shark finning illegal over in europe? I've eaten shark steaks before, and I assume the fin of that shark gets into soup, but where is shark finning happening the most? usually its illegal in countries but some where there is a lot of corruption and poor regulation, shark finning gets away unmonitored
> 
> yup people need to be aware via education


The documentaries I've seen mostly had nothing to do with this issue. They were about commercial fisherman. Majority of them were not set out to fish for sharks but a lot I mean huge numbers end up in nets and they figure hey it's money and off with the fins.
Good one to watch about this is I think sharkwater? I don't remember the name. 
Also from what I know shark fin is a black market product. So I guess that means it's illegal all over. I'm not sure about other countries laws and our country is a joke when it comes to laws like this. 
Yet they follow the DEA's every command and cause grief to people who want to smoke a joint.


----------



## solarz

Cypher said:


> Far more education needs to be done to create a 'sustainable' fishing habit for sharks. This thread in itself is damning evidence that education wise we are far behind where we need to be. We would have to reduce our consumption of sharks to 1% of what we are currently consuming. Most shark species do not reproduce as quickly nor as plentifully as other fishes. Their gestation period alone is very similar to that of mammals.
> 
> And I fear by the time people are educated enough to understand the importance of sharks to OUR existence as a species, we would have gone far beyond the point of no return.


I'm not sure where you get the 1% from, but I'm sure you must be aware that a large percentage of shark catches/kills are in the form of "by-catches". Are those sharks consumed? I don't know, but it's clearly not just a matter of telling people to stop eating shark fin soup. There's an entire industry that needs to be better regulated and enforced.

Also, I disagree with the statement that sharks are apex predators. Most shark species are small enough to be prey themselves. Not that the distinction matters much as I agree that sharks play an important role in the ecological balance (just like any other animal, really), but it does show that even those who advocate protecting sharks fall prey to myths.


----------



## mrobson

To say "white" fishermen are the main cause of the problem is laughable and a tad offensive. Japanese and Portuguese fishing fleets are some of the largest in the world. They use basically illegal fishing practices they have been warned about fishing in almost all other countries waters, Canada has major issues with these guys each year. Most Japanese fishing ships rarely come ashore instead they off load their catches to processing ships they even do this for their whaling fleets.

Oh and F.Y.I the worlds largest fish market is located in Tokyo i highly doubt "white" people are running the show or even providing 5% of total product coming in.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsukiji_fish_market


----------



## Jackson

mrobson said:


> To say "white" fishermen are the main cause of the problem is laughable and a tad offensive. Japanese and Portuguese fishing fleets are some of the largest in the world. They use basically illegal fishing practices they have been warned about fishing in almost all other countries waters, Canada has major issues with these guys each year. Most Japanese fishing ship rarely come ashore instead they off load their catches to processing ships they even do this for their whaling fleets.
> 
> Oh and F.Y.I the worlds largest fish market is located in Tokyo i highly doubt "white" people are running the show or even providing 5% of total product coming in.
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsukiji_fish_market


I'm white lol

Most if their fish in the last few years arecoming from abroad. Their waters have been so polluted that jellyfish have taken over and made fish almost impossible.

In your link read operations.


----------



## Brian

jellyfish is also yummy.


----------



## Jackson

Brian said:


> jellyfish is also yummy.


LoL

They don't eat them. They drink them lol


----------



## Cypher

Solarz,

You seem like a well educated, intelligent person - I say this without sarcasm. I would strongly encourage you to read up on sharks, their biology, diversity and reproduction.

Initially, yes sharks were harvested from by-catches. Now however, there are fisheries that specifically target sharks due to the relative high-price of their fins (in comparison to prices for other fishes). Even small time line and hook fishermen in Africa and Southeast Asia are fishing sharks as middlemen are paying them a nice sum for them.

Sharks are as wide and varied in size, shape and even color throughout the oceans and seas of the world. *Regardless of size, they are the APEX predator in every niche they've evolved into.* Of course small sharks can and do fall prey to larger animals. Every carnivour in the natural world is an opportunistic feeder. If it fits their mouth and they can run it down, they'll try to eat it.

There's even a type of shark that can live in freshwater - even breed in it! But as I previously mentioned, sharks do not reproduce in the numbers that other fish species do. They gestate for weeks, even months at a time. Some give live births, others lay single to a handful of eggs a year. *So sustainability is really a very difficult goal to achieve, though I have to admit, it's one that we REALISTICALLY need to strive for.*

I'm going to repeat this until I'm certain everyone on this thread has read this and is not just blindly replying to the latest post:

*Geez people this is not about a judgment on the cultural eating preference of an ethnicity.* So stop comparing eating sharks to eating dog, cow, cat, gerbil or what ever weird creature your heart desires to consume. *To put it bluntly, this is very much about the long-term survival of the human race. Unlike more simple life forms on this earth, Human beings are very much dependent on THIS ECOSYSTEM. Sharks are a keystone of this ECOSYSTEM. Pull that keystone out, everything else falls apart. Just like in Jenga. If it's damaged beyond repair, WE ARE ALL VERY MUCH SCREWED regardless of culture, color or creed.*



solarz said:


> I'm not sure where you get the 1% from, but I'm sure you must be aware that a large percentage of shark catches/kills are in the form of "by-catches". Are those sharks consumed? I don't know, but it's clearly not just a matter of telling people to stop eating shark fin soup. There's an entire industry that needs to be better regulated and enforced.
> 
> Also, I disagree with the statement that sharks are apex predators. Most shark species are small enough to be prey themselves. Not that the distinction matters much as I agree that sharks play an important role in the ecological balance (just like any other animal, really), but it does show that even those who advocate protecting sharks fall prey to myths.


----------



## Brian

*slurpppp* mmm... mmm... mmm... jelly-fish-y


----------



## mrobson

Jackson said:


> I'm white lol
> 
> Most if their fish in the last few years arecoming from abroad. Their waters have been so polluted that jellyfish have taken over and made fish almost impossible.
> 
> In your link read operations.


i think it has more to do with over fishing, ive read the page its an Asian dominated fish market that dates back to the Edo era id like to see you find 1 white major supplier.


----------



## shark

Jackson said:


> Some nations get away with genocide. People killed off because they believe in different things. If we can't stop things like that from happening still to this day then how can humans stop shark fishing, seal hunting and so on?
> 
> Humans are the nastiest animals on earth. Dirty, stupid and ruthless.
> 
> I think one day someone is going to discover that we are indeed parasites lol


totally agree


----------



## Jackson

mrobson said:


> i think it has more to do with over fishing, ive read the page its an Asian dominated fish market that dates back to the Edo era id like to see you find 1 white major supplier.


It's a market most of the products are imported read more and not just Wikipedia.

White does not mean you have to be from North America


----------



## Tropicana

Oh look the oceans operating system Earths_oceanv1.0 just crashed. Well it was running fine until it got a virus called Human_vertrojan.Earthxe and then a Blue screen came up that said Critical error. Maybe Earths_oceanv1.0 will restart... Oh its missing vital components in its system now, darn looks like it will just get worse...


But I mean really, culture/people who believe in it, cant stay the same forever or were doomed. I don't think the humans relied on it to survive and thats why were here today. Were made to change, and if that is what has to be done to survive, sorry culture but your not worth dieing for. Nor destroying the planet for and its the truth. If anything Culture needs to update to stay compatible with future.Earthxe heh. 

I mean this whole thread has some really good info about whats happening and how we can change and people need to look ahead and not behind us.

One funny thing I read was that how breast size is increasing in the USA. Well so is obesity... lol yeah its not really just larger breasts its the larger person behind them too. Many humans consume much more then they should and of the wrong things. Its not like you can tell them no though. It becomes a touchy subject when dealing with anything in the world today.


----------



## Cypher

HEheLOL.....funny shit. 



Tropicana said:


> Oh look the oceans operating system Earths_oceanv1.0 just crashed. Well it was running fine until it got a virus called Human_vertrojan.Earthxe and then a Blue screen came up that said Critical error. Maybe Earths_oceanv1.0 will restart... Oh its missing vital components in its system now, darn looks like it will just get worse...


----------



## ChuckRum

bigfishy said:


> Unless your a vegetarian, then you shouldn't be making these comments
> 
> There are no differences between a slaughter house than a fish killed in the wild. Same concept, same rule, but it depends on how you look at the situation.


you do realize that we breed cows, pigs, and chickens. 90% of entire shark populations are gone. if they go extinct the entire ecosystem is screwed as they are the top predator. im not against killing for food, im against killing on a mass level like the extimated 73 million that die each year. its also wasteful and way more inhumane as only 5% of the shark is used. If sharks are gone it will have devastating affects on us as well.


----------



## ChuckRum

Kerohime said:


> I disagree. There is a huge difference.
> When you are killing fish in the wild you are disturbing the ecosystem, and the niche that the animal has a role in is depleted. When you kill something that is farmed by man, you are not disturbing the ecological balance of the food web.
> 
> Also, in a slaughter house, you dont carve off a piece and then throw the rest in the trash while they are still suffering. In addition to the main meat or fillet, you can even buy bones and fins of a fish from a fish market. Just look at a video of how a Tuna carcass is painsakingly dispatched, they take a spoon to scoop the leftover meat attached to the bone.
> 
> And no offense to anyone, but I couldnt care less what a vegetarian has to say about what I eat. They choose their own dietary preferences, and I have mine.


i could not agree with you more.


----------



## mrobson

if your talking about the outter markets as well it gets even less white i was talking about the main fish markets not the hundreds of smallers outter markets and shops 

there are many other major fish markets, spains being 2nd and Australias 3rd largest white guys cant compete in the asian markets.

Oh and F.Y.I im from England but thanks for coming out


----------



## mrobson

Agent Smith: I'd like to share a revelation that I've had during my time here. It came to me when I tried to classify your species and I realized that you're not actually mammals. Every mammal on this planet instinctively develops a natural equilibrium with the surrounding environment but you humans do not. You move to an area and you multiply and multiply until every natural resource is consumed and the only way you can survive is to spread to another area. There is another organism on this planet that follows the same pattern. Do you know what it is? A virus. Human beings are a disease, a cancer of this planet. You're a plague and we are the cure. 

i think this is the best way of describing us.


----------



## Brian

Why eat the other 95% if only 5% tastes good? Shark fin soup wouldn't be called shark fin soup otherwise.

And have you seen how most cows, pigs and chickens are slaughtered? Most of them die very inhumanely unless its done through the process of making them "kosher" or "halal".

But I guess that doesn't matter because cows, pigs and chickens are plentiful and do not have an impact on the ecosystem so it doesn't matter if its inhumane.

By the way, they also taste very delicious!



ChuckRum said:


> you do realize that we breed cows, pigs, and chickens. 90% of entire shark populations are gone. if they go extinct the entire ecosystem is screwed as they are the top predator. im not against killing for food, im against killing on a mass level like the extimated 73 million that die each year. its also wasteful and way more inhumane as only 5% of the shark is used. If sharks are gone it will have devastating affects on us as well.


----------



## Brian

What's it gonna be, blue or red?



mrobson said:


> Agent Smith: I'd like to share a revelation that I've had during my time here. It came to me when I tried to classify your species and I realized that you're not actually mammals. Every mammal on this planet instinctively develops a natural equilibrium with the surrounding environment but you humans do not. You move to an area and you multiply and multiply until every natural resource is consumed and the only way you can survive is to spread to another area. There is another organism on this planet that follows the same pattern. Do you know what it is? A virus. Human beings are a disease, a cancer of this planet. You're a plague and we are the cure.
> 
> i think this is the best way of describing us.


----------



## mrobson

Brian said:


> Why eat the other 95% if only 5% tastes good? Shark fin soup wouldn't be called shark fin soup otherwise.
> 
> And have you seen how most cows, pigs and chickens are slaughtered? Most of them die very inhumanely unless its done through the process of making them "kosher" or "halal".
> 
> But I guess that doesn't matter because cows, pigs and chickens are plentiful and do not have an impact on the ecosystem so it doesn't matter if its inhumane.
> 
> By the way, they also taste very delicious!


lol i dont see why they cant use the rest for shark steaks or even chum at the very least and cow do have a major impact on ecosystem they create more greenhouse gases than cars so like i said "those who live in glass houses"


----------



## ChuckRum

Brian said:


> Shark fin soup is awesome.
> 
> I`d make a petition and get the other billion of my people to sign it if it were made illegal.


I didnt know anybody could be this ignorant. I'd like to see you still say this when our entire ecosystem turns to shit due to people like you.


----------



## Cypher

I have a need... to repeat...

I'm going to repeat this until I'm certain everyone on this thread has read this and is not just blindly replying to the latest post:

*Geez people this is not about a judgment on the cultural eating preference of an ethnicity.* So stop comparing eating sharks to eating dog, cow, cat, gerbil or what ever weird creature your heart desires to consume. *To put it bluntly, this is very much about the long-term survival of the human race. Unlike more simple life forms on this earth, Human beings are very much dependent on THIS ECOSYSTEM. Sharks are a keystone of this ECOSYSTEM. Pull that keystone out, everything else falls apart. Just like in Jenga. If it's damaged beyond repair, WE ARE ALL VERY MUCH SCREWED regardless of culture, color or creed.*


----------



## Brian

Yah yah, the ecosystem is going to come crashing down in fiery flames because I eat shark fin soup.

Glass house? I love it, makes it look so pretty and I can see everything. Kinda hard to see through brick, my X-Ray vision has been hindered... -1 for sitting too close to the TV.

All this talk about shark, fin and soup has gotten me hungry. Thanks for the tip on what to order tonight for dinner! Jellyfish milkshake and shark fin soup - don't worry, I'll be sure to snap some pictures.


----------



## ChuckRum

Brian said:


> Why eat the other 95% if only 5% tastes good? Shark fin soup wouldn't be called shark fin soup otherwise.
> 
> And have you seen how most cows, pigs and chickens are slaughtered? Most of them die very inhumanely unless its done through the process of making them "kosher" or "halal".
> 
> But I guess that doesn't matter because cows, pigs and chickens are plentiful and do not have an impact on the ecosystem so it doesn't matter if its inhumane.
> 
> By the way, they also taste very delicious!


If your wasting 95% percent of the animal then you shouldnt be eating them at all! Not to mention the fact that shark fins have little to no taste and are enhanced with other meats. It's an old cultural delicacy that we have taken too far. Humans are supposed to be the most intelligent animals to walk this Earth, yet we do not know how to do things on a sustainable level. And of course it matters that chickens, cows, and pigs and are slaughtered inhumanely, but right now the shark situation is much more important. take care of the planet you live on, so future generations of people can see it as we do.


----------



## Brian

Yah, I don't see why either.

So I guess it makes everything better if more of the shark was utilized? I don't mind having a shark steak with a side of shark chum gravy to go with my shark fin soup!

I'll even wear a shark tooth necklace and earrings to bling up the occasion.



mrobson said:


> lol i dont see why they cant use the rest for shark steaks or even chum at the very least and cow do have a major impact on ecosystem they create more greenhouse gases than cars so like i said "those who live in glass houses"


----------



## ChuckRum

Brian said:


> Yah yah, the ecosystem is going to come crashing down in fiery flames because I eat shark fin soup.
> 
> Glass house? I love it, makes it look so pretty and I can see everything. Kinda hard to see through brick, my X-Ray vision has been hindered... -1 for sitting too close to the TV.
> 
> All this talk about shark, fin and soup has gotten me hungry. Thanks for the tip on what to order tonight for dinner! Jellyfish milkshake and shark fin soup - don't worry, I'll be sure to snap some pictures.


Please do us all a favour, and get some education. Do not deny scientific fact just because you like the taste of shark fin soup.


----------



## Brian

ChuckRum said:


> If your wasting 95% percent of the animal then you shouldnt be eating them at all! Not to mention the fact that shark fins have little to no taste and are enhanced with other meats. It's an old cultural delicacy that we have taken too far. Humans are supposed to be the most intelligent animals to walk this Earth, yet we do not know how to do things on a sustainable level. And of course it matters that chickens, cows, and pigs and are slaughtered inhumanely, but right now the shark situation is much more important. take care of the planet you live on, so future generations of people can see it as we do.


I eat around the fungus of oranges going bad and toss the rest out. I know they aren't animals and everything but since we're on the topic of waste, I guess I should just eat the whole thing next time.


----------



## Brian

ChuckRum said:


> Please do us all a favour, and get some education. Do not deny scientific fact just because you like the taste of shark fin soup.


Did I deny scientific fact? My double major also says I have somewhat of an education.

Shark fin soup is still tasty to me though... guess you should ask science to explain why my taste buds enjoy it.


----------



## 1200assassin

For the record. Shark Fin soup or the shark fin part of it is virtually tasteless. I come from an island that does fish for shark. We eat the shark and dispose of the fin. Very yummy fish btw minus the mercury etc of course (not the most healthy thing that you can put into your mouth)

Although I do not agree with the shark fin harvesting I also do not agree that they are the only inhumanely killed meat that is injested by humans. Even halal or kosher meat is inhumanely slaughtered. After all slaughter is inhumane isnt it?

The main problem that I see is that sharks are not treated like endangered creatures so no real controls or safe guards are put into place to prevent their eradication.

This makes it not a cultural thing but a global thing. It's not choosing what you like to eat but choosing what you should and should not be eating due to affect on the populus of a species.



Brian said:


> Why eat the other 95% if only 5% tastes good? Shark fin soup wouldn't be called shark fin soup otherwise.
> 
> And have you seen how most cows, pigs and chickens are slaughtered? Most of them die very inhumanely unless its done through the process of making them "kosher" or "halal".
> 
> But I guess that doesn't matter because cows, pigs and chickens are plentiful and do not have an impact on the ecosystem so it doesn't matter if its inhumane.
> 
> By the way, they also taste very delicious!


----------



## 1200assassin

It's not the shark fin that makes it tasty its the seasoning that goes into the soup that gives it it's taste.



Brian said:


> Did I deny scientific fact? My double major also says I have somewhat of an education.
> 
> Shark fin soup is still tasty to me though... guess you should ask science to explain why my taste buds enjoy it.


----------



## Brian

Isn't taste subjective? I'm sure a lot of people like salad but I hate the living shit out of it...

Dude, one day I'll grab the shark steaks and you can cook it for me island style. Would love that 

I don't think killing animals for consumption is inhumane. Most butchers or slaughter houses do some wired shit before the animal actually dies, which I'm sure you know which I do believe is inhumane.

Kosher/Halal is a direct slice to the throat, killing the animal and bleeding out all the blood which is healthier for you. (For you scientists out there, I'm sure you would know this).

I'm all for protecting sharks from going extinct and what not but seriously, stopping a culture from eating a food of its traditions... get real.

What if a bunch of yuppies said dude, stop eating pigs... its not good for you. Would you stop? Probably not. How do I know? Muslims already brought up this topic.

On a side note, when I say "you" I'm not specifically referring to you, 1200assassin, not in all cases of this reply anyways.



1200assassin said:


> For the record. Shark Fin soup or the shark fin part of it is virtually tasteless. I come from an island that does fish for shark. We eat the shark and dispose of the fin. Very yummy fish btw minus the mercury etc of course (not the most healthy thing that you can put into your mouth)
> 
> Although I do not agree with the shark fin harvesting I also do not agree that they are the only inhumanely killed meat that is injested by humans. Even halal or kosher meat is inhumanely slaughtered. After all slaughter is inhumane isnt it?
> 
> The main problem that I see is that sharks are not treated like endangered creatures so no real controls or safe guards are put into place to prevent their eradication.
> 
> This makes it not a cultural thing but a global thing. It's not choosing what you like to eat but choosing what you should and should not be eating due to affect on the populus of a species.


----------



## ChuckRum

Brian said:


> Did I deny scientific fact? My double major also says I have somewhat of an education.
> 
> Shark fin soup is still tasty to me though... guess you should ask science to explain why my taste buds enjoy it.


you denied the fact that ecosystem will crash.


----------



## Brian

ChuckRum said:


> you denied the fact that ecosystem will crash.


Did I? Go read it again.


----------



## 1200assassin

Lol it's ok I did not take it as directed towards me. Yes the bleeding of an animal does make it healthier to eat but I have seen the process first hand and know that after the cut the animal is still alive and is left hanging to bleed to death.

While I agree that if someone told me to stop eating pig I wouldnt I have to argue that if someone said that if I didnt stop eating pig that in another few years no one will have any pig to eat would make me think seriously about supplementing my pig diet with other things to extend the amount of time I have left eating pig in my life. Ok bad analogy but you get the point. 

People arent saying that it is bad or wrong to eat shark fin. People are saying that if we as a human race dont drasticaly cut back the rate at which we do then we wont have any left to eat at all. So one way or another I guess we'll all have to stop eating it. The problem with the specific animal, as we have eaten a few others out of existance, is the roll it plays in the eco-system. 

It is a control mechanism. No control mechanism = a drastic change in the ecosystem = direct affect on the environment = unpredictable affect on us as a human race.

If sharks could be farmed like most other fish in this hobby then for sure eat all the shark fin that you can stomach. But unfortunately that isnt the case.

Clowns are also at the point of erradication. What if someone told you that if you didnt stop buying wild caught clown that there would be no clowns for anyone ever again. Wouldnt this make you think? (yes i know they are farmed but what if they werent / couldnt be)


----------



## Holidays

hold on a minute there I have a crystal ball and it reveals that in the future shark has evolved into a fish called "krahs" it doesn't have fin! just like ranchu. no seriously it also reveals that orang utan actually evolves into orang.


----------



## bigfishy

Oh boy! Oh boy! I gone for a few hours (work) and you guys made a 6 pages essay for me to read *shake fist* 

I didn't even said about me of eating shark fin and I got bombard *sniffles*

so....

Let's say we all agree about eating shark fins are wrong.

What are you going to do about it??? What's your next step??? 

The best you guys can do is to tell us "we are screwing up the environment, we are going to turn it to mush"

but are you guys doing a thing about it? No! 

Since you guys are so well educated about sharks, about how you can change the world, why don't you guys take some action?

Instead of Bsing people in this forum of what we did wrong? 

We are only a microscopic fraction of the 6 billion people! 

and

Sharks are still dying out there every second, your wasting your time! 

It doesn't help by repeating the same message to us over and over again. "We get it!"

Go out there and tell the world! go protest it at the parliament! 

Agree?


----------



## Brian

That's not what it sounded like but hey, I could be just assuming. To me, it sounded like someone wanted to ban the choice of me being able to order shark fin soup whenever the hell I want.

Maybe a more happy solution to this situation is for you to ask your buddies to stop throwing out the fins. Chop em to the Chinese, you'll be making some coin and feeding the stomachs of many people out there who enjoy this type of food! 



1200assassin said:


> Lol it's ok I did not take it as directed towards me. Yes the bleeding of an animal does make it healthier to eat but I have seen the process first hand and know that after the cut the animal is still alive and is left hanging to bleed to death.
> 
> While I agree that if someone told me to stop eating pig I wouldnt I have to argue that if someone said that if I didnt stop eating pig that in another few years no one will have any pig to eat would make me think seriously about supplementing my pig diet with other things to extend the amount of time I have left eating pig in my life. Ok bad analogy but you get the point.
> 
> People arent saying that it is bad or wrong to eat shark fin. People are saying that if we as a human race dont drasticaly cut back the rate at which we do then we wont have any left to eat at all. So one way or another I guess we'll all have to stop eating it. The problem with the specific animal, as we have eaten a few others out of existance, is the roll it plays in the eco-system.
> 
> It is a control mechanism. No control mechanism = a drastic change in the ecosystem = direct affect on the environment = unpredictable affect on us as a human race.
> 
> If sharks could be farmed like most other fish in this hobby then for sure eat all the shark fin that you can stomach. But unfortunately that isnt the case.
> 
> Clowns are also at the point of erradication. What if someone told you that if you didnt stop buying wild caught clown that there would be no clowns for anyone ever again. Wouldnt this make you think? (yes i know they are farmed but what if they werent / couldnt be)


----------



## 1200assassin

http://www.wildaid.org/globalpledge/index.asp?ID=sign&PetitionID=1

We can start here.

Good additional info http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shark_Conservation_Act



bigfishy said:


> Oh boy! Oh boy! I gone for a few hours (work) and you guys made a 6 pages essay for me to read *shake fist*
> 
> I didn't even said about me of eating shark fin and I got bombard *sniffles*
> 
> so....
> 
> Let's say we all agree about eating shark fins are wrong.
> 
> What are you going to do about it??? What's your next step???
> 
> The best you guys can do is to tell us "we are screwing up the environment, we are going to turn it to mush"
> 
> but are you guys doing a thing about it? No!
> 
> Since you guys are so well educated about sharks, about how you can change the world, why don't you guys take some action?
> 
> Instead of Bsing people in this forum of what we did wrong?
> 
> We are only a microscopic fraction of the 6 billion people!
> 
> and
> 
> Sharks are still dying out there every second, your wasting your time!
> 
> It doesn't help by repeating the same message to us over and over again. "We get it!"
> 
> Go out there and tell the world! go protest it at the parliament!
> 
> Agree?


----------



## Holidays

how much is a shark fin soup anyway?


----------



## Brian

Very affordable.

You should try it some time... prices range from restaurant to restaurant and depending on whether or not you order a small, medium or large bowl.



Holidays said:


> how much is a shark fin soup anyway?


----------



## 1200assassin

I agree trust me. I got into this discussion with at the time my girlfriend. I am now single lol because I chose freedom of choice as that is what she was agruing against. Yes i am a devils advocate sometimes.

However this is a real problem. I dont agree that a persons freedom of choice should be taken away but I do agree that something needs to be done to protect these creatures.

I mean i'm sure that there are tons of people out there that used freedom of choice for being upset at protesting the fur trade or seal hunting. But this moves the focus away from the real issue (the rate that we are harvesting fins and killing sharks exceeds their reproduction rate) to a personal rights issue (i should be able to do what I want to do as an individual.

At the end of the day which is really more important. The individual opinion of freedom of action or the global crisis of a species being erraticated for profit?



Brian said:


> That's not what it sounded like but hey, I could be just assuming. To me, it sounded like someone wanted to ban the choice of me being able to order shark fin soup whenever the hell I want.
> 
> Maybe a more happy solution to this situation is for you to ask your buddies to stop throwing out the fins. Chop em to the Chinese, you'll be making some coin and feeding the stomachs of many people out there who enjoy this type of food!


----------



## ChuckRum

Brian said:


> Isn't taste subjective? I'm sure a lot of people like salad but I hate the living shit out of it...
> 
> Dude, one day I'll grab the shark steaks and you can cook it for me island style. Would love that
> 
> I don't think killing animals for consumption is inhumane. Most butchers or slaughter houses do some wired shit before the animal actually dies, which I'm sure you know which I do believe is inhumane.
> 
> Kosher/Halal is a direct slice to the throat, killing the animal and bleeding out all the blood which is healthier for you. (For you scientists out there, I'm sure you would know this).
> 
> I'm all for protecting sharks from going extinct and what not but seriously, stopping a culture from eating a food of its traditions... get real.
> 
> What if a bunch of yuppies said dude, stop eating pigs... its not good for you. Would you stop? Probably not. How do I know? Muslims already brought up this topic.
> 
> On a side note, when I say "you" I'm not specifically referring to you, 1200assassin, not in all cases of this reply anyways.


We dont have to stop the killiing of sharks , or stop the a culture from eating its favourite food. But cant you atleast agree with the fact that it has to be cut down to a sustainable level?

if you were truly all for protecting sharks, then you wouldnt be supporting shark finning by eating it.

If people who eat shark fin love it so much and will continue to eat it and support the mass killing of sharks, then you wont have the privelage to eat this shark for much longer. If the ecosystem is at risk, then yes people should be stopped from eating it to a certain extent. What makes more sense, eating all the sharks now until theyre all gone?, or only eating a sustainable amount so you can eat them forever.


----------



## solarz

People, stop confusing the issues of conservation with culinary culture!

With sustainable fishing practices, it is perfectly possible to eat shark fins while preserving our ecosystem.

If you're concerned about the environment, then take a good look at the fishing industry instead of of yelling at people to stop eating something they've been eating for millenia!

Ultimately, like all other environmental issues, it's not about WHAT you take from Nature, but HOW (much) you take!


----------



## Holidays

I don't know my budget is like 1.99 for wednesday whopper or 99 cents value meal...okay maybe on paycheck day I get 2.79 toonie tuesday. damn that double major has earned ya some pretty good livin.



Brian said:


> Very affordable.
> 
> You should try it some time... prices range from restaurant to restaurant and depending on whether or not you order a small, medium or large bowl.


----------



## 1200assassin

Very well put. My point exactly.



solarz said:


> People, stop confusing the issues of conservation with culinary culture!
> 
> With sustainable fishing practices, it is perfectly possible to eat shark fins while preserving our ecosystem.
> 
> If you're concerned about the environment, then take a good look at the fishing industry instead of of yelling at people to stop eating something they've been eating for millenia!
> 
> Ultimately, like all other environmental issues, it's not about WHAT you take from Nature, but HOW (much) you take!


----------



## solarz

ChuckRum said:


> We dont have to stop the killiing of sharks , or stop the a culture from eating its favourite food. But cant you atleast agree with the fact that it has to be cut down to a sustainable level?
> 
> if you were truly all for protecting sharks, then you wouldnt be supporting shark finning by eating it.


You know, those two statements are contradictory.


----------



## ChuckRum

solarz said:


> People, stop confusing the issues of conservation with culinary culture!
> 
> With sustainable fishing practices, it is perfectly possible to eat shark fins while preserving our ecosystem.
> 
> If you're concerned about the environment, then take a good look at the fishing industry instead of of yelling at people to stop eating something they've been eating for millenia!
> 
> Ultimately, like all other environmental issues, it's not about WHAT you take from Nature, but HOW (much) you take!


I prefer to focus on sharks as they have the most vital role in our ocean ecosystem rather than other fish.


----------



## solarz

holidays said:


> i don't know my budget is like 1.99 for wednesday whopper or 99 cents value meal...okay maybe on paycheck day i get 2.79 toonie tuesday. Damn that double major has earned ya some pretty good livin.


rofl!!!!!!!!


----------



## ChuckRum

solarz said:


> You know, those two statements are contradictory.


not necessarily, i was replying to his original statements.


----------



## Brian

Yes, I agree something needs to be done to regulate the finning but what caught my attention was the possibility of me not being able to enjoy this in the near future.

I don't go out and have shark fin soup every other day. The last time I had it was probably a year and a half ago, if not more... doesn't change the fact that I would like to be able to have it when I wanted it.

What's more important, the individual opinion of freedom or the global erradication of a species for profit? To me, what I want is more important. To me, I live in my own world. To me, nobody should be able to tell me what I can or cannot eat. 

This "free" society we live in isn't as "free" as what many people may think. I would hate to let some ass regulate what I can eat, he already regulates what I can smoke or what I can say or where I can go.


----------



## Brian

That double major hasn't earned me squat, lmao.

Being on the grind has earned me what I have and that isn't much but food is a basic necessity of all life, obviously. I like to spend my flow on something that tastes good as opposed to many other things, like shitty candy.

+1 for toonie tuesday... finger lickin' good homie!



Holidays said:


> I don't know my budget is like 1.99 for wednesday whopper or 99 cents value meal...okay maybe on paycheck day I get 2.79 toonie tuesday. damn that double major has earned ya some pretty good livin.


----------



## 1200assassin

Well technically it's the import/export trade and the profitability of a product the regulates what you can and can not eat. I mean none of us actually grow our own food correct?



Brian said:


> Yes, I agree something needs to be done to regulate the finning but what caught my attention was the possibility of me not being able to enjoy this in the near future.
> 
> I don't go out and have shark fin soup every other day. The last time I had it was probably a year and a half ago, if not more... doesn't change the fact that I would like to be able to have it when I wanted it.
> 
> What's more important, the individual opinion of freedom or the global erradication of a species for profit? To me, what I want is more important. To me, I live in my own world. To me, nobody should be able to tell me what I can or cannot eat.
> 
> This "free" society we live in isn't as "free" as what many people may think. I would hate to let some ass regulate what I can eat, he already regulates what I can smoke or what I can say or where I can go.


----------



## Brian

Real talks. +rep.



solarz said:


> People, stop confusing the issues of conservation with culinary culture!
> 
> With sustainable fishing practices, it is perfectly possible to eat shark fins while preserving our ecosystem.
> 
> If you're concerned about the environment, then take a good look at the fishing industry instead of of yelling at people to stop eating something they've been eating for millenia!
> 
> Ultimately, like all other environmental issues, it's not about WHAT you take from Nature, but HOW (much) you take!


----------



## 1200assassin

Woot if we keep this up i'll be a devoted member in 1 thread lmao.


----------



## bigfishy

1200assassin said:


> http://www.wildaid.org/globalpledge/index.asp?ID=sign&PetitionID=1
> 
> We can start here.
> 
> Good additional info http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shark_Conservation_Act


Too slow!!!!

we can "START" here... need immediate action

we "CAN START" now....

by the time it get across to people around the world.. shark is a goner..

Just like the ST datnoid tiger fish, being over fish for food and aquarium use. They are almost extinct in the wild and only got 2 family genes left and "WE CAN START HERE" by protecting them from extinction

Same thing goes for those giant sturgeon in China, we can "START HERE" when they are nothing left in the wild

"WE can START" protecting sharks by filling the peptition, they will be all gone before we can "START" protecting it!


----------



## Brian

You're taking this to a different tip... one on which if I decide to step on, would go to another level.

To stay on point though, the entire point of this thread was to do something about the regulation of finning, correct? Now to achieve that, one would have to find a way to regulate the import/export trade then, I assume? And in order to do that, one would most likely require a large amount of support, signatures, etc., right? So I guess in the end, it isn't the import/export trade who may have the final say on whether or not I can have shark fin but the person(s) who is trying to regulate it in the first place... yeah?



1200assassin said:


> Well technically it's the import/export trade and the profitability of a product the regulates what you can and can not eat. I mean none of us actually grow our own food correct?


----------



## mrobson

Brian said:


> Yes, I agree something needs to be done to regulate the finning but what caught my attention was the possibility of me not being able to enjoy this in the near future.
> 
> I don't go out and have shark fin soup every other day. The last time I had it was probably a year and a half ago, if not more... doesn't change the fact that I would like to be able to have it when I wanted it.
> 
> What's more important, the individual opinion of freedom or the global erradication of a species for profit? To me, what I want is more important. To me, I live in my own world. To me, nobody should be able to tell me what I can or cannot eat.
> 
> This "free" society we live in isn't as "free" as what many people may think. I would hate to let some ass regulate what I can eat, he already regulates what I can smoke or what I can say or where I can go.


I used to live like that not caring who was effected as long as i was happy since having my son i realize now i need to make sure he has the opportunity to enjoy his life. We need to only take what we need and give back what we can to make sure everyone gets a slice of the pie.


----------



## bigfishy

Holidays said:


> how much is a shark fin soup anyway?


if it's cheap like $1.99, then it's fake.. they use noodles for substitute

on average.. $20+ depends on what kind of sharks



too rich for my blood, I rather to spend the $20 to buy fish


----------



## Brian

mrobson said:


> I used to live like that not caring who was effected as long as i was happy since having my son i realize now i need to make sure he has the opportunity to enjoy his life. We need to only take what we need and give back what we can to make sure everyone gets a slice of the pie.


Its a great way to live.

I would hate to be responsible for the classroom of kids I teach to not be able to see the mystical beauty of this ancient predator in real life action but at the same time, I would hate for these very same children to not be able to taste this awesome predator if they ever decided to try it... lol.


----------



## mrobson

oh dont get me wrong i think everyone should have a slice of the pie just not the whole thing, never tried the soup but i love veal and have to deal with the stigma that comes with it. If it tastes half as good as veal parmigiana i wouldnt want anyone telling me i couldnt eat it, theirs nothing better than good food.


----------



## Brian

Veal is epic! So is lamb, bison, buffalo and deer.

Would love to try rabbit, turtle, snake and all that other good shit though... *sits back and watches the fuel mixing with the fire*...


----------



## 1200assassin

Notice this is an already established group that "HAS" been doing something about it. ANd since none of us has "STARTED" doing anything how do you propose we have an immediate impact any other way?



bigfishy said:


> Too slow!!!!
> 
> we can "START" here... need immediate action
> 
> we "CAN START" now....
> 
> by the time it get across to people around the world.. shark is a goner..
> 
> Just like the ST datnoid tiger fish, being over fish for food and aquarium use. They are almost extinct in the wild and only got 2 family genes left and "WE CAN START HERE" by protecting them from extinction
> 
> Same thing goes for those giant sturgeon in China, we can "START HERE" when they are nothing left in the wild
> 
> "WE can START" protecting sharks by filling the peptition, they will be all gone before we can "START" protecting it!


----------



## mrobson

yea deer and bison burgers are awesome not a fan of lamb but i grew up in England so i had it all the time, i would also love to try snake and gator i hear its very rich would probably make good soup.


----------



## 1200assassin

Import / export is government regulated. You can either try to convince all of your friends not to eat shark fin soup. Best case senerio 100-500 people. Or you could petition for regulations, or join / support a group that has already been doing this, see my post with the web link, at a government level and actually make a difference ie controlling the amount that is allowed to be imported into Canada and how much we as Canadians harvest. The second sound like a better option to me.



Brian said:


> You're taking this to a different tip... one on which if I decide to step on, would go to another level.
> 
> To stay on point though, the entire point of this thread was to do something about the regulation of finning, correct? Now to achieve that, one would have to find a way to regulate the import/export trade then, I assume? And in order to do that, one would most likely require a large amount of support, signatures, etc., right? So I guess in the end, it isn't the import/export trade who may have the final say on whether or not I can have shark fin but the person(s) who is trying to regulate it in the first place... yeah?


----------



## 1200assassin

My apology for the bad spelling. Trying to do to many things at once.


----------



## Brian

1200assassin said:


> Well technically it's the import/export trade and the profitability of a product the regulates what you can and can not eat. I mean none of us actually grow our own food correct?


+



1200assassin said:


> Import / export is government regulated. You can either try to convince all of your friends not to eat shark fin soup. Best case senerio 100-500 people. Or you could petition for regulations, or join / support a group that has already been doing this, see my post with the web link, at a government level and actually make a difference ie controlling the amount that is allowed to be imported into Canada and how much we as Canadians harvest. The seond sound like a better option to me.


=

Some asshat controlling what I can or cannot eat.

And no worries! I'm not an english teacher


----------



## ChuckRum

bigfishy said:


> if it's cheap like $1.99, then it's fake.. they use noodles for substitute
> 
> on average.. $20+ depends on what kind of sharks
> 
> 
> 
> too rich for my blood, I rather to spend the $20 to buy fish


atta boy big fishy 

not just cause im personally against shark finning, but id rather spend 20 bucks on a fish rather than my favourite soup from my culture.


----------



## Byronicle

I am surprise no one mentioned the real reason why people eat shark fin. people do not eat shark fin soup for the taste, or the luxury

thing is shark fin soup just got popular recently after a guy wrote a book titled "Sharks Don't Get Cancer" in 1992, which skyrocketed the harvesting of these fish, so is it really a culture thing then? Or just an excuse to give reason to eat this?

it is said that eating the shark fin has anti-cancer medicinal properties which of course there is absolutely no scientific evidence and this all a marketing ploy to swindle money. I guess being decieved taste good to some people? 

just like how endangered black rhino horns is an aphrodisiac (this was originally a Western belief) and how endangered siberian tiger paw gives hulk smash. all of it just marketing ploys


----------



## Jackson

mrobson said:


> if your talking about the outter markets as well it gets even less white i was talking about the main fish markets not the hundreds of smallers outter markets and shops
> 
> there are many other major fish markets, spains being 2nd and Australias 3rd largest white guys cant compete in the asian markets.
> 
> Oh and F.Y.I im from England but thanks for coming out


K mate

You dont get it. You are talking about the buyers I'm talking about the suppliers. Majority of their product is imported believe or not. It goes through jobbers/wholesalers and then sold to the Asian consumer. The Japanese don't supply all the product on their own. It's a fact.

So thanks for not understanding what you're trying to argue.


----------



## mrobson

i am talking about the people who bring the fish to the markets the Japanese have some of the largest fishing fleets in the world. White people do business with the European and American markets the Asians deal with the Asian markets. Believe it or not their is a lot of Asians in Asia and they have lots of boats, its not just Japanese people feeding the demand.

most Asians tend to stick to their own people and their people work for a lot less.


----------



## Jackson

Brian said:


> Its a great way to live.
> 
> I would hate to be responsible for the classroom of kids I teach to not be able to see the mystical beauty of this ancient predator in real life action but at the same time, I would hate for these very same children to not be able to taste this awesome predator if they ever decided to try it... lol.


LMFAO  too funny


----------



## mrobson

Jackson said:


> K mate
> 
> You dont get it. You are talking about the buyers I'm talking about the suppliers. Majority of their product is imported believe or not. It goes through jobbers/wholesalers and then sold to the Asian consumer. The Japanese don't supply all the product on their own. It's a fact.
> 
> So thanks for not understanding what you're trying to argue.


here it is in bar graph form you seem to be a little slow on grasping new ideas i thought even you would be able to understand this.

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/env_mar_fis_cat-environment-marine-fish-catch


----------



## Jackson

mrobson said:


> i am talking about the people who bring the fish to the markets the Japanese have some of the largest fishing fleets in the world. White people do business with the European and American markets the Asians deal with the Asian markets. Believe it or not their is a lot of Asians in Asia and they have lots of boats, its not just Japanese people feeding the demand.
> 
> most Asians tend to stick to their own people and their people work for a lot less.


China okay. Largest takers and consumers.

I'm not talking about total supply were talking shark fins.

I won't argue the fact that Japan is the second largest in terms of fleets and catch.

Problem is both nations have exhausted their waters. Pollution and overfishing are the major problems. So now the suppliers for these delicacies are coming from abroad.


----------



## mrobson

these guys are out their finning just as hard as the next guy only theirs a lot more of them doing it. its not just sharks their taking whales too they dont care about international fishing laws and boundaries because like you said they have ruined their own. Not only that but their actions make it harder for the guys whos governments hold them to the laws and are force to compete against a stacked deck.


----------



## Jackson

mrobson said:


> here it is in bar graph form you seem to be a little slow on grasping new ideas i thought even you would be able to understand this.
> 
> http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/env_mar_fis_cat-environment-marine-fish-catch


Add up the number non Asians bring in more.


----------



## Brian

My entire family has never read or heard of that book and I can guarantee they've been enjoying shark fin soup prior to 1992. My first taste came when I was still in the womb of my loving mother.



Byronicle said:


> I am surprise no one mentioned the real reason why people eat shark fin. people do not eat shark fin soup for the taste, or the luxury
> 
> thing is shark fin soup just got popular recently after a guy wrote a book titled "Sharks Don't Get Cancer" in 1992, which skyrocketed the harvesting of these fish, so is it really a culture thing then? Or just an excuse to give reason to eat this?
> 
> it is said that eating the shark fin has anti-cancer medicinal properties which of course there is absolutely no scientific evidence and this all a marketing ploy to swindle money. I guess being decieved taste good to some people?
> 
> just like how endangered black rhino horns is an aphrodisiac (this was originally a Western belief) and how endangered siberian tiger paw gives hulk smash. all of it just marketing ploys


----------



## Jackson

mrobson said:


> these guys are out their finning just as hard as the next guy only theirs a lot more of them doing it. its not just sharks their taking whales too they dont care about international fishing laws and boundaries because like you said they have ruined their own. Not only that but their actions make it harder for the guys whos governments hold them to the laws and are force to compete against a stacked deck.


I agree they bully smaller nations and harass their fishing boats. They have become pirate fisherman lol but that's China not Japan.

Since they have almost killed off their natural supply of many fish they do buy from abroad and the ones abroad supplying them are just as bad or even worse IMO. They know what's been done but don't care. Shark fins are big money all over. As stated before majority harvested are by-catch. At least that's what they tell us. White fisherman south American whatever are just as bad.

It's a problem that can't be fixed just like the dam in the xingu river it's all about the money. Fish and animals are expendable.


----------



## mrobson

Jackson said:


> Add up the number non Asians bring in more.


hope you remembered only add up the "white" countries as your point was "white" people were bringing in the most. Once you get that number then subtract the countries were finning has been banned as those "white" fishermen are force to follow the law. Maybe then you will realize that you were talking out of your ass.


----------



## Brian

ChuckRum said:


> atta boy big fishy
> 
> not just cause im personally against shark finning, but id rather spend 20 bucks on a fish rather than my favourite soup from my culture.


Just cause you would, doesn't mean everyone else feels the same way.

Many people spend $2000+ on handbags and jeans whereas some others would prefer to spend that on an arowana or a jprl... or a nice long weekend of skiing.


----------



## Byronicle

Brian said:


> My entire family has never read or heard of that book and I can guarantee they've been enjoying shark fin soup prior to 1992. My first taste came when I was still in the womb of my loving mother.


lol @ womb

the book just sparked an increase in harvesting, doesn't necessary mean people haven't been eating shark fin before and it doesn't necessary mean that the book itself influenced you. what if i read the book and told someone about shark fins and how i read (without mentioning the book) that sharks kills cancer? the book itself doesn't say eating shark cures cancer, it just says that sharks rarely get cancer (but still do) compared to other organisms

what i said was shark fin soup became popular after the release of the book. people have been eating shark for ages, but now they feel there is a beneficial reason (cures cancer) that gave people more of an incentive to eat shark fin, increasing its demands and leading to the problem we have with it today. all that happened was that the book was read by a couple of people, was misinterpreted and this misinterpretation spreaded like wild fire which resulted in overharvesting. i ate a shark before too, not saying anything is wrong with eating a fish, its sustainability that is the issue.

people don't eat black rhino horns anymore, there is real modern medicine for that called viagara but mainly because its not true that it is an aphrodisiac and populations are extremely low. i mean we hear about these cures and remedies all the time, hey a wolverine heals completely after a day, does that if i get shot up by an AK47, i should immediately eat a wolverine?

but i ate a grizzly bear sausage. why? because a hunter killed it, took its pelt and sold the meat to a butcher that turned it into grounded bear, and the unwanted organs into dog food (raw food diet is great for dogs). they have hunting season and a certain limit to the number of bears shot to make sure they don't deplete their own resources, since it is natural for us to eat other organisms, we are the ultimate apex predator


----------



## Ciddian




----------



## Cypher

I think, there are a lot of people here who feel THREATENED because something they are accustomed to is "unofficially being hinted at being made unattainable" LOL. Digest THAT.

There seems to be a fundamental lack of understanding of ecosystems. Funny, espcially in a aquarium forum where we try to replicate natural systems in a glass box.

Regardless of what you chose to believe my fellow shark eaters (yes, I too have eaten shark), *at the rate in which we are currently consuming this creature, like it or not (Brian), WE WILL ALL LOSE THIS PRIVILEGE OF EATING SHARK within our life time. *Not because of some arbitrary yet to be proposed law, but because the law of consumption. They will be extinct. THAT is the truth of the matter.

To Brian and my fellow GTAA'ers who chose to eat shark: Enjoy it, in moderation as with everything else. BUT, do yourself a favor, and read up on the biology, ecology, reproduction of Sharks. *Most of all, please read up on Marine ecology to get a basic understanding why some of us have chosen not to eat sharks.* Optionally, read up on shark harvesting. *Not for the sake of trying to change your habits, but do it so at least you can have some basic understanding and information in arguing your point if/ when another discussion like this appears.*

Because for the most part, the replies have been emotional rather than logical.


----------



## Jackson

mrobson said:


> hope you remembered only add up the "white" countries as your point was "white" people were bringing in the most. Once you get that number then subtract the countries were finning has been banned as those "white" fishermen are force to follow the law. Maybe then you will realize that you were talking out of your ass.


Go and do some more reading you really need to.

The one talking out their ass is you.

I was a bit vague by saying white people I should of said Caucasian.

As for those laws they are a joke and don't do much.


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## Ciddian

OHHHKAY! I was trying to lighten the mood but apparently everyone has their blinders on.

Can you all please not attack each other with this? Or is it one of those lowly black holes of forum never-ending BS again?

Can you guys be a bit more respectable when talking to each other? I know its a sensitive subject and things get lost in text but _come on_.


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## TBemba

Brian said:


> Yah yah, the ecosystem is going to come crashing down in fiery flames because I eat shark fin soup.
> 
> Glass house? I love it, makes it look so pretty and I can see everything. Kinda hard to see through brick, my X-Ray vision has been hindered... -1 for sitting too close to the TV.
> 
> All this talk about shark, fin and soup has gotten me hungry. Thanks for the tip on what to order tonight for dinner! Jellyfish milkshake and shark fin soup - don't worry, I'll be sure to snap some pictures.


WOW, a Moderator that is a TROLL as well


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## TBemba

Brian said:


> Veal is epic! So is lamb, bison, buffalo and deer.
> 
> Would love to try rabbit, turtle, snake and all that other good shit though... *sits back and watches the fuel mixing with the fire*...


sweet another TROLL response... Do you have a box of kleenex beside your computer? 

funny how there are two sets of rules on some forums?


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## Cypher

The need... to repeat.

To Brian and my fellow GTAA'ers who chose to eat shark: Enjoy it, in moderation as with everything else. BUT, do yourself a favor, and read up on the biology, ecology, reproduction of Sharks. *Most of all, please read up on Marine ecology to get a basic understanding why some of us have chosen not to eat sharks.* Optionally, read up on shark harvesting. *Not for the sake of trying to change your habits, but do it so at least you can have some basic understanding and information in arguing your point if/ when another discussion like this appears.*

Because for the most part, the replies have been emotional rather than logical.


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## Darkblade48

This thread should just be closed. I am surprised it has made it to 14 pages.


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## Cypher

Yep. I agreed. Have pm'd uninvolved mods.


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## bigfishy

Just let it go people! 

We are all great people!



It's time to put this discussion to a rest!


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## Ciddian

Closed. Sorry I was out doing dishies. 

Really displeased with how everything turned out here.. :/


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