Shoven Nose Guitar Shark Ray

[MisterMan]

ok I have heard them called all a few things and I know they are more of a ray then a shark but same family...

I don't have the THai vocabulary to explain the tragedy of this to the vender. I simply say Mai Dee, Thalay mee nit noi tourist wont come.. pathetic I know. (not good, the ocean has only a little bit).

So my secret spot where is it?

THE KATA MARKET .. DAILY ONE. When she has shark i wont buy fish. (the cats get cat food that night).

Is there any literature in Thai? Something? Just to bring awareness.. step one.

Yes often there are baby white tips too. Blue spotted rays. Wonder what their fishing practices are to find these.. hard pressed to find one diving!

[h90]

Thanks, if there is some simple Thai sentence which means something like: "we don't buy at places that sell protected species" or "we don't buy at places that don't take care environment". Or something with similar meaning that is easily understandable in Thai. Please let me know.....

I got told in Koh Phayam that they fin Manta Rays. The tips of their wings, as that can be sold as shark fins

[ScubaBuddha]

Technically they are the same class-elasmobranches, but different family, although not all taxonomists are in agreement when it comes to sharks, rays and skates. (See also here.) Guitarfish, Guitarshark and Shovelnose Ray are commonly used names. As you said, other than general shape, there is very little difference between a ray and a shark.

The sad thing is most sharks and rays are not protected, especially in Thailand, so there is not much that can be done. CITES, the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species, suffered a setback recently when several shark species were removed from protection. An even sadder thing is shark meat is not good meat anyway. It's the fact that sharks are exotic or an incorrect belief that shark cartilage prevents cancer that is leading to the over fishing. That and shark fin soup, which is also incorrectly believed to enhance the male libido. I always kindly let the vendors know the dire situation with sharks.

I still see many pharmacies with shark cartilage for sale. A permanent signboard next to Kawasaki Big Bikes on Suthat Rd. advertises shark fin soup, a particularly disgusting Chinese tradition due to the manner in which the shark fins are obtained. Shark finning is a rather cruel practice of lopping off the fins of the shark, then usually throwing the shark back in the water to slowly suffocate. The restaurant opposite BlueFin on Thaina Rd. in Kata has a large "Shark" sign out front. I asked if they sold shark fin soup. They said no because they didn't know how. Foriegn divers in The Phillippines recently found a Whale Shark with it's fins and tail cut off, and still alive. Local authorities, no doubt in an effort to cover it up, claimed it had been caught in a net and fishermen cut off it's fins and tail to free it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=png419x4nyg

You can get involved here:

http://www.sharkwater.com/savesharks.php

http://www.savingsharks.com/

Edited January 11, 2011 by ScubaBuddha

[h90]

In Chinatown BKK, I passed a shop, can't recall where exactly, it was full with dried shark fins. From bottom to ceiling. Full. I can't estimate how many but it must have 1000s.

[MisterMan]

Makro Sells shark fins. Many people wrote a letter but they did not reply.

I heard John Gray of John Gray Sea Canoes was able to persuade Tesco to stop selling shark fin. Not sure how to go about it with Makro.

They have all the pages about social responsibly and NO CLUE

and contact info here:

http://www.siammakro.co.th/main/en/contact.php

[stevenl]

Makro Sells shark fins. Many people wrote a letter but they did not reply.

I heard John Gray of John Gray Sea Canoes was able to persuade Tesco to stop selling shark fin. Not sure how to go about it with Makro.

They have all the pages about social responsibly and NO CLUE

and contact info here:

http://www.siammakro.co.th/main/en/contact.php

I don't know if John Gray did anything, but do know that about 2 years ago me and some others started an action on several dive forums to get Tesco to stop selling shark fins. And we did succeed then.

[limbos]

Unfortunately Makro is selling shark fins since a few years, I reported about this over a year ago already but they don't seem to care at all.

[steelepulse]

MM do you know if these shovel nose guitar fish and other bigs come into port alive, or if they are thrown on deck after being caught? Any idea of where these fish are brought into before being sold to the various fish mongers? I wonder how some fish are brought into port alive while others are not?

[MisterMan]

No idea just keep seeing them at the Kata Market.

[thaibutty]

Makro Sells shark fins. Many people wrote a letter but they did not reply.

I heard John Gray of John Gray Sea Canoes was able to persuade Tesco to stop selling shark fin. Not sure how to go about it with Makro.

They have all the pages about social responsibly and NO CLUE

and contact info here:

http://www.siammakro.../en/contact.php

I don't know if John Gray did anything, but do know that about 2 years ago me and some others started an action on several dive forums to get Tesco to stop selling shark fins. And we did succeed then.

I remember that action Steven mentioned well as I participated as well via the dive shop I was working at the time. It did help and they stopped selling shark fin quickly. Same, a couple of years back, when the Hilton Arcadia was offering shark fin soup at their Sunday brunch. The intervention of some dive shop owners helped to stop them.

Still, the professional fishers are catching sharks everyday. Almost no sharks left anymore, just a couple of leopard sharks and the occassional small white tips at Similan, and Black tips in shallow water at Surin and Phi Phi.

I would say it is time for the divers to get together and do something against it. Just not sure what the consequences would be....

Farang dive shop owners and instructors against the Thai fishing industry, would probably lead to the forced closure of a lot of dive shops...

[h90]

Makro Sells shark fins. Many people wrote a letter but they did not reply.

I heard John Gray of John Gray Sea Canoes was able to persuade Tesco to stop selling shark fin. Not sure how to go about it with Makro.

They have all the pages about social responsibly and NO CLUE

and contact info here:

http://www.siammakro.../en/contact.php

I don't know if John Gray did anything, but do know that about 2 years ago me and some others started an action on several dive forums to get Tesco to stop selling shark fins. And we did succeed then.

I remember that action Steven mentioned well as I participated as well via the dive shop I was working at the time. It did help and they stopped selling shark fin quickly. Same, a couple of years back, when the Hilton Arcadia was offering shark fin soup at their Sunday brunch. The intervention of some dive shop owners helped to stop them.

Still, the professional fishers are catching sharks everyday. Almost no sharks left anymore, just a couple of leopard sharks and the occassional small white tips at Similan, and Black tips in shallow water at Surin and Phi Phi.

I would say it is time for the divers to get together and do something against it. Just not sure what the consequences would be....

Farang dive shop owners and instructors against the Thai fishing industry, would probably lead to the forced closure of a lot of dive shops...

Well a lot of the educated Thais are against shark fining. On ASTV (or one of the groups channels) you have now Dr. Than (spelling?) speaking every week.

I think that Shark Fin things is a Chinese thing or?

[limbos]

Disney land in Hong Kong had to stop selling shark fin soup after a public outcry. It is possible but a few attempts so far have not been very successful.

[limbos]

Makro Sells shark fins. Many people wrote a letter but they did not reply.

I heard John Gray of John Gray Sea Canoes was able to persuade Tesco to stop selling shark fin. Not sure how to go about it with Makro.

They have all the pages about social responsibly and NO CLUE

and contact info here:

http://www.siammakro.../en/contact.php

I don't know if John Gray did anything, but do know that about 2 years ago me and some others started an action on several dive forums to get Tesco to stop selling shark fins. And we did succeed then.

I remember that action Steven mentioned well as I participated as well via the dive shop I was working at the time. It did help and they stopped selling shark fin quickly. Same, a couple of years back, when the Hilton Arcadia was offering shark fin soup at their Sunday brunch. The intervention of some dive shop owners helped to stop them.

Still, the professional fishers are catching sharks everyday. Almost no sharks left anymore, just a couple of leopard sharks and the occassional small white tips at Similan, and Black tips in shallow water at Surin and Phi Phi.

I would say it is time for the divers to get together and do something against it. Just not sure what the consequences would be....

Farang dive shop owners and instructors against the Thai fishing industry, would probably lead to the forced closure of a lot of dive shops...

Well a lot of the educated Thais are against shark fining. On ASTV (or one of the groups channels) you have now Dr. Than (spelling?) speaking every week.

I think that Shark Fin things is a Chinese thing or?

How about some finned Hammer head sharks in September 2005 on Laem Din market. One would almost suspect hat there are hammer heads in the Gulf.

Edited January 18, 2011 by limbos

[WimJ]

Found a guitar shark in a local restaurant the other day..pics here