Shark Fin Soup Thread

[redrus]

According to conservationists, each year as many as 100 million sharks lose their fins and other body parts to hunters before they are thrown back into the ocean

Nuff said.....! :D

redrus

[Jamie]

I still don't understand the reasoning behind only harvesting the fins. I see nothing wrong with harvesting as long as it can be done in an environmentally sustainable way AND in which the ENTIRE fish is used. Unfortunately as long as there is a high demand market for it, people will do this.

[Nikkijah]

I still don't understand the reasoning behind only harvesting the fins. I see nothing wrong with harvesting as long as it can be done in an environmentally sustainable way AND in which the ENTIRE fish is used. Unfortunately as long as there is a high demand market for it, people will do this.

There apparently is no way of harvesting Sharks, as I recall, it has been tried but without success, if it could be done then I'm sure it would have been, along with cows, pigs, chickens, ducks, dogs...

[taxexile]

Hemingway's favourite fish escapes dish

By Charles Clover

Last Updated: 3:28am GMT 02/01/2007

A fast-growing chain of noodle restaurants that claims to serve only fish from healthy stocks has taken blue marlin off the menu after an investigation by The Daily Telegraph.

Wagamama, which has 70 restaurants worldwide, is part of a phenomenon of Japanese-style noodle restaurants and sushi bars taking Britain by storm.

Before marlin, Wagamama had aleady been praised by environmentalists for taking shark off the menu

Conservationists have accused some of these outlets of spreading an oriental taste for large predatory fish, including the larger tunas and swordfish, which tend to be overfished or actively endangered.

Blue marlin is one of the ocean's largest predators, growing to nearly a ton in weight, and is regarded by anglers as the ultimate sporting fish, partly because of its association with the writer Ernest Hemingway.

Hemingway's fictional account of an old Cuban fisherman's battle with a giant marlin, The Old Man and the Sea, is one of the pinnacles of fishing literature.

Nearly everywhere marlin is caught for sport it is tagged and returned to the sea alive.

Relatively slow growing and slow reproducing, Atlantic blue marlin occupies the red or "avoid eating" section of the Fishonline consumer guide compiled by the Marine Conservation Society.

advertisementHowever, blue marlin is listed as one of the ingredients of two noodle dishes, Seafood ramen and Wagamama ramen, on the menu at the noodle chain which opened its first restaurant in 1992 and now has 46 across Britain.

Wagamama, which was praised by environmentalists for taking shark off the menu because they were in decline, claims to serve only fish from sustainable sources.

When The Daily Telegraph first contacted Wagamama, its marketing director, Glyn House, said the chain had investigated whether blue marlin was a stock that was well managed before putting it on the menu. He said he had been told that the fish sold in the chain was a "by-catch," or accidental catch, brought in by long-line vessels in the Atlantic.

However, he undertook to review this in the light of any information brought to his attention.

The Daily Telegraph consulted the stock assessment for blue marlin compiled by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas last year. This says that the population of blue marlin is well below its optimum size and has not recovered as a result of conservation measures.

Scientists recommended that annual catches of blue marlin should not exceed 50 per cent of the number of marlin landed in the late 1990s. They further urged: "All blue marlin and white marlin brought to pelagic longline and purse seine vessels alive shall be released in a manner that maximises their survival."

ICCAT had no information on whether this happens. When The Daily Telegraph explained to Wagamama that ICCAT's recommendation was that marlin caught accidentally while fishing for other fish should be released alive, Mr House called back the next day to say the chain intended to take blue marlin off the menu. "We are testing alternatives and we will be taking marlin off the menu when we have found suitable alternatives and when we have used up our present supply. That should take about a month."

Bryce Beukers-Stewart, of the Marine Conservation Society, said: "We welcome the move by Wagamama. A high-profile growing business like this does have a role to play: if they can uphold a sustainable sourcing policy that will hopefully help others to do the right thing.

"This feeds back to the fisheries managers and can be a powerful force in changing behaviour.

"ICCAT's recommendation is that if it is caught accidentally it should be released alive, so if people serve marlin there is a greater chance that more will be killed when they are caught.

"This predator plays a key part in ecosystem dynamics, regulating the top of the food chain. Ecosystems have evolved so they are finely balanced. Blue marlin is more valuable left in the sea than served up at Wagamama."

from the uk daily telegraph.

[ashacat]

I would never eat Shark fin Soup. It is wasteful, cruel and unecessary. Sharks take a long time to reach sexual maturity and are unable to replenish their numbers quickly, furthermore many types of sharks are already endangered.

Edited January 3, 2007 by ashacat

[The Coder]

shark fin soup is in my books just next to turtle soup, rhino horns and tiger penises.

Well said. Also reminds me many a bear in the wild has been killed for the medicinal properties thought to be in the gall bladder and the rest discarded. The real cruelty in sharks is how they are harvested using "finning": slicing off the fins with a razor and throwing the bleeding creature back into the water. Sharks fin soup is a bowl of cruelty. I don't want to so much as step into a restaurant that has this on their menu. It's not like you are missing anything; sharks fin is nearly colorless and tasteless; those are qualities added by the chef from other ingredients.

[realthaideal]

"but i never knew that shark meat was loaded with mercury , how come shark has more mercury than other fish?

why is the rest of the shark thrown back after the fin is cut off , wouldn’t it make more sense after catching a shark and going to the trouble and danger of de-finning it to use the whole shark , i.e. the meat as well as the fin."

A couple things here...... first off is that yes, the soup is tasty, but this is almost irrespective of the shark's fin. You could very well have any other good sinewy, chewy, gummy thing that Asian's like like jellyfish, or some kind of seaweed, or gluten-y thing. The broth is the key, and all the other additions like scallops and mushrooms add to the taste of the soup.

Though it may be medicinal to some people, yes, it is deadly to the sharks. They are harvested solely for their fins because it is much easier to go around hacking fins and drying them in the sun for days at a time, than to venture around with a cargo of fresh shark meat that may go bad in just a few hours if not refrigerated or sold off. So sadly, just the fins are the prize, the whole rest of the shark is wasted, and the shark drowns and bleeds to death, tossed back in the water unable to swim and navigate without its fins.

As for mercury, much as with swordfish and all other top-level predators, the mercury in the fish becomes concentrated as you work up the food chain. So small fish eating plankton and plants may contain very little. But they are in turn eaten by larger fish, and these by even larger ones. Each time you move up the line, the amount of mercury and other toxins is more concentrated in the fish. As we move all the way up to top predator fish, who have fed on hundreds of smaller ones, who fed in turn on hundreds or thousands even smaller ones, the toxins can get to be quite a bit. Now as humans fish for them, we become the new top predator of this legacy of toxin concentrations. And thus the warnings about how much seafood to eat per month, when pregnant, or if suffering from certain diseases, have come into being.

Hope that answers your questions. For me, i try to eat very little shark and swordfish as they already over fished anyway. And when it comes to the shark's fin soup, I don't eat it anymore. It's just not right. And there are plenty other Chinese soups out there that are just as nourishing and don't cause severe harm to wildlife populations.

[Nawtilus]

A shark ate my brother....go for it.

[DragonQuest]

A shark ate my brother....go for it.

see what kind of world we live in today guys?

this is the longest & best thread i made on thaivisa.com lol

im working on it:)

Edited January 3, 2007 by DragonQuest

[Donz]

WHo gives a ####, its an animal, we are humans.

We are the superior and animals are to be our slaves/food etc.

Kill them all, the slower the better

[November Rain]

WHo gives a ####, its an animal, we are humans.

We are the superior and animals are to be our slaves/food etc.

Kill them all, the slower the better

Thank you Donz, for explaining that to us. Some of us were obviously labouring under the gross misapprehension that we were all put on this planet together & should show some respect, if not even (gasp) kindness to our fellow creatures. Good job you have a direct hotline to the almighty & can translate his will to the rest of us!

[ashacat]

"WHo gives a ####, its an animal, we are humans.

We are the superior and animals are to be our slaves/food etc.

Kill them all, the slower the better " Donz

What a <deleted>.

Edited January 4, 2007 by ashacat

[Nawtilus]

Thats what he whispers in the girlz earz

[thedude]

i suppose a compromise would be to make finning illegal and only properly processed sharks are allowed to have their fins harvested.

this may be easier than trying to change the eating habits of 1.3 billion people...and Chinese people at that.

the ensuing supply crunch would raise market prices to the extent as to make shark farming viable, and soon there'd be millions of humanely farmed and harvested sharks, just like cows and pigs.

for the record many sharks also roam the world's beaches chewing off human limbs and leaving the rest of the victim uneaten and left to drown, that's pretty cruel too. bad shark, bad bad shark.

[ashacat]

for the record many sharks also roam the world's beaches chewing off human limbs and leaving the rest of the victim uneaten and left to drown, that's pretty cruel too.

I hope you are joking when spouting such misinformed drivel.

[Donz]

We eat chickens, most of them in the whole world are treated like sheeet and get thrown around and usually have broken legs.

We chop down tree's and destroy animals houses.

So its just human nature too kill animals.

How can you be whingers about this when you eat meat yourself (im guessing) If your a vego then I will understand.

I mean some people only eat parts of meat because the other part doesnt taste as good and throw it out.

Whats the difference.

[Mid]

We eat chickens, most of them in the whole world are treated like sheeet and get thrown around and usually have broken legs.

We chop down tree's and destroy animals houses.

So its just human nature too kill animals.

How can you be whingers about this when you eat meat yourself (im guessing) If your a vego then I will understand.

I mean some people only eat parts of meat because the other part doesnt taste as good and throw it out.

Whats the difference.

we don't chop a drumstick of a chook and leave the rest of the bird to die ...................

do some research on ' finning '

[Nawtilus]

'If your a vego then I will understand.'

Tomatoes have feelings also....what about the brussel sprout that gets tossed out the window by little johnny.

[Donz]

We eat chickens, most of them in the whole world are treated like sheeet and get thrown around and usually have broken legs.

We chop down tree's and destroy animals houses.

So its just human nature too kill animals.

How can you be whingers about this when you eat meat yourself (im guessing) If your a vego then I will understand.

I mean some people only eat parts of meat because the other part doesnt taste as good and throw it out.

Whats the difference.

we don't chop a drumstick of a chook and leave the rest of the bird to die ...................

do some research on ' finning '

The Donz doesnt do research, I know everything already.

Who cares about sharks? there good for nothing, they can skin them alive for all I care.

We humans do bad things to all animals, make chickens sit on a metal box and lay eggs all its life, fattening up animals until hey cant walk then butcher them up.

Might as well start complaining about all animals then

[steve w]

very sorry to say this but the donz is an unqualifed twonk!

[Donz]

very sorry to say this but the donz is an unqualifed twonk!

I forgive you

[mrbojangles]

I'm not even gonna rise to the "bait" (pun intended) of what Donz has wrote.

Apart from the disgusting way in which theses Sharks are treated, just for their fins. There is also the problem of <deleted> up the whole food chain. For instance, the old grounds (i think it is in the Pacific) of the Hammerhead Shark, that where once plentiful, are now barely seen. This has led to a massive population growth of the "Red Devil Squid". This Squid can grow upto 1.8 metres and can kill small Sharks AND humans, as well as strip the area of small fish. The Sharks used to keep the population of these Squid at bay but due to very low numbers of Shark left, these are starting to take over.

Think about what it will be like, when not only have the Sharks become extinct (due to humans) but some fish types are extinct or in very short supply, due to large numbers of Red Devil Squid. This is only ONE instance, there are many, many more!!!

[Donz]

when the red devil squid gets big in numbers dont worry im sure they will start being on the menu.

[DragonQuest]

ROFLMAO, just curious what does "the donz" really mean sorry im a newbie here, as for shark fin, it looks like we humans will eat anything that lives or moves for that matter><

[redrus]

ROFLMAO, just curious what does "the donz" really mean sorry im a newbie here, as for shark fin, it looks like we humans will eat anything that lives or moves for that matter><

Don't come near my cooking pot then son........!

redrus

[mahdoo]

A few links to videos on youtube about shark finning

A musical protest:

Small time fishermen:

A Chinese protest:

mahdoo

[realthaideal]

"We eat chickens, most of them in the whole world are treated like sheeet and get thrown around and usually have broken legs.

We chop down tree's and destroy animals houses.

Whats the difference."

Alright Donz, I'll bite halfway, though you're either trying to provoke, or resigned as to what you can do to make a difference in this world.

We are talking about overharvesting and and reckless harvesting of a natural resource here. The cruelty thing is just one other aspect of it. Granted we/ (I too!) eat animals, but there is a big difference between f#*&ing up nature's balance and ecological systems, and farm raising your food. When we mess with larger ecological systems like this there will be implications for all of us, creatures great and small.

And in Thailand, I'm happy that I live in the North and eat alot more of the free range chickens than farm raised ones. they are tastier by far, and I enjoy the extra chewiness too. Believe it or not.

As for the squid population rise, it is awhile before we see the total impact of this. But if my GF is any indication of what is to come of this, let the squids be warned ! 'Your days are numbered!' She will eat you as chips, fried with garlic, roasted whole, boiled in lime juice, or dried and reheated over coals off a street cart. Any way she can cook you up and eat you, she will do it.

Methinks the Thais in general will be able to fight back against any squid overpopulation.

[Donz]

"We eat chickens, most of them in the whole world are treated like sheeet and get thrown around and usually have broken legs.

We chop down tree's and destroy animals houses.

Whats the difference."

Alright Donz, I'll bite halfway, though you're either trying to provoke, or resigned as to what you can do to make a difference in this world.

We are talking about overharvesting and and reckless harvesting of a natural resource here. The cruelty thing is just one other aspect of it. Granted we/ (I too!) eat animals, but there is a big difference between f#*&ing up nature's balance and ecological systems, and farm raising your food. When we mess with larger ecological systems like this there will be implications for all of us, creatures great and small.

And in Thailand, I'm happy that I live in the North and eat alot more of the free range chickens than farm raised ones. they are tastier by far, and I enjoy the extra chewiness too. Believe it or not.

As for the squid population rise, it is awhile before we see the total impact of this. But if my GF is any indication of what is to come of this, let the squids be warned ! 'Your days are numbered!' She will eat you as chips, fried with garlic, roasted whole, boiled in lime juice, or dried and reheated over coals off a street cart. Any way she can cook you up and eat you, she will do it.

Methinks the Thais in general will be able to fight back against any squid overpopulation.

Life is a cruel place, driving cars and pollution is farking the ecological system, so who really cares, not me.

Animals are just to be eaten by humans.

Its just the way it is

[ashacat]

Life is a cruel place, driving cars and pollution is farking the ecological system, so who really cares, not me.

Animals are just to be eaten by humans.

Its just the way it is

Nice trolling Donz.

[pampal]

I don't eat shark or any fish for that matter, but a shark would eat me in a heartbeat, if given a chance.

That's the nature of a shark, predator.

So it's all fair in love and war.