Bahamas Now Bans Commercial Shark Fishing, Shark Fin Soup Debate & Demand Continues (video)
Posted By Vicki McClure Davidson on July 9, 2011
The Bahamas now bans commercial shark fishing in its waters, more than 240,000 square miles
Sharks are beyond fascinating — there is so much about them that experts still don’t understand. Their worldwide numbers are reportedly are on the decline, and some countries have banned the commercial fishing of sharks.
The list of countries that ban shark harvesting has grown this week — the Bahamas can be added to the list of those banning commercial fishing of sharks. Others are considering banning the sale of shark fins for the coveted Asian dish shark fin soup, where it is a luxury item in Hong Kong and China. Finning is already illegal in the waters of the E.U., the United States, Australia, and other countries.
Reported by Washington Post, Bahamas bans commercial shark fishing:
The Bahamas announced Tuesday morning it would end all commercial shark fishing in its waters, an area that encompasses more than 240,000 square miles.
The move — under which only the catch and release of sharks is permitted — marks the second time in two weeks that a Caribbean nation has enacted broad protections for sharks in its exclusive economic zone. Honduras instituted a total ban on shark fishing in its waters June 24.
“The Bahamas government is determined to enhance the protection extended to sharks,” said Lawrence S. Cartwright, the country’s minister of agriculture and marine resources, at a press conference where he signed the measure into law. “As we are all aware, sharks are heavily fished in many corners of the world’s oceans.”
Roughly 40 species of sharks swim in the waters of the Bahamas, which is heavily dependent on tourism. Eric Carey, executive director of the Bahamas National Trust, noted in a recent interview that tourism accounts for 60 percent of his nation’s gross domestic product, and shark tourism alone generates $80 million in annual revenue.
From Miami Herald, Bahamas bans commercial shark fishing:
Although the Bahamas has banned commercial longline fishing for nearly 20 years and established a network of marine parks, there was no previous law that specifically protected sharks. Then last fall, a Bahamian seafood company floated the idea of exporting sharks to feed the demand for shark fin soup in the Far East. That prompted the Bahamas National Trust—which is comparable to the National Park Service in the U.S.—and the U.S.-based Pew Environmental Group to launch a petition drive and media campaign to push for the shark-fishing ban.
Marine artist/scientist/cinematographer Guy Harvey, who has long pushed for shark conservation around the world, joined the battle, along with Pierre-Yves Cousteau, son of ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau.
“Fantastic. Awesome news,” Harvey said by phone from Grand Cayman Island on Tuesday. “They have definitely done the right thing. These islands have nothing but the health of the reefs to sell people for diving. The sharks keep the reefs healthy, and without the sharks, the reefs go to hell.”
The expensive Asian delicacy, $100-a-bowl shark fin soup, is also under fire. Toronto is considering banning the dish from restaurant menus. Finning is believed to be a primary contributing factor in the decline across the world of many shark species.
As of 2010 records, fishing fleets catch approximately 70 million sharks each year.
Shark fin soup is usually reserved for serving at Asian celebration dinners and banquets. A trend may be growing to substitute the traditional dish with something else, such as lobster bisque, by younger Asian couples at their weddings.
Toronto considers banning of shark fin
From Benjamin Radford, LiveScience, Sharks Fin Soup Bans Don’t Stop Strong Demand:
Shark fin soup has been served as a delicacy for centuries in China and elsewhere. But it’s more than just an expensive bowl of soup; it’s considered to have special medicinal properties and is used in Chinese medicine. It’s one of many folk remedies and alternative medicine cures threatening endangered species around the world.
The shark fin industry has come under mounting pressure in recent months. Shark populations have declined dramatically in recent years, fueled in part by the demand for shark fins. Scientists estimate as many as 73 million sharks are killed annually for their fins. The sharks are often thrown back into the ocean to die after their fins have been cut off.
Some shark species populations have dropped by 90 percent, studies find.
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