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I’m sure most of you have heard about the ivory trade that kills thousands upon thousands of elephants every year, or illegal trade in Bengal tiger skins. These are tragic events among a whole host of inhuman animal trades that go on year after year.
But do you know what happens to the creatures under the water? In some ways its even more cruel. The trade in parts of marine creatures in unbelievable. To start with, 100 million sharks are killed worldwide every year. That figure is mind-boggling. But these sharks mostly aren’t getting killed for their meat. I’m sure a few of you have eaten Shark Fin soup at the local Chinese. Most of the sharks killed around the world are killed purely for their fins. The fishermen haul them up, lop off the fins with a knife, and chuck the sharks back in. The sharks are helpless. Those fins can’t grow back. They are vulnerable to attacks from other sharks, or any other marine predator. Even if they somehow evade predation, they can’t eat, having no way to steer, and they slowly starve to death.
The wings of rays are also big money. The rays most under risk are manta and eagle rays. These are two of the most beautiful creatures in the sea. Anyone else who has seen one diving will agree with me. But fishermen haul them up, chop off the wings to sell for food and throw the rays back in or leave them on the beach. A friend of mine went diving in Tobago, and he saw two of the most horrible acts of ray persecution. First, on a beach, two eagle rays were left to drown in air after a fisherman chopped off their wings and left them on the beach. These were spotted eagle rays, rare creatures whose loss cannot easily be replaced. Another time, he was driving home when he came up behind a fisherman’s truck. Across the back was dumped a gutted dolphin and a 3 metre wide manta ray. They were driving to the fish market to sell them off. Now dolphins aren’t usually fished for. No doubt they were trawling, found the dolphin caught up in the net, and killed it anyway.
Turtles are also at danger. The gentle animals, among them the Hawksbill and Green varieties – both rare, are killed and scooped out of their shells. The shells are later sold to tourists as decorations.
I realise that there’s a different side to this story. I’m not trying to place the suffering of marine animals above that of land animals. I’m also not trying to vilify the fishermen involved. Most of them are poor natives to the area, who are just trying to feed their families. The trade in marine parts is just their way of surviving. No, the problem is the tourists and Western consumers who make such a trade profitable. It’s simply cruel. The same is true of land animal poaching.
I’m not placing blame on anyone who’s eaten Shark fin soup or ray wings. Most are unaware of the truth behind what they are eating, and if you know, that’s your choice to make. I’m simply trying to make people aware of what is happening. If you know of any other stories concerning marine, or land animal slaughter, or think animals don’t matter if they can get a good Chinese meal for under £10, please post your opinions. That’s what this is for, after all.
But do you know what happens to the creatures under the water? In some ways its even more cruel. The trade in parts of marine creatures in unbelievable. To start with, 100 million sharks are killed worldwide every year. That figure is mind-boggling. But these sharks mostly aren’t getting killed for their meat. I’m sure a few of you have eaten Shark Fin soup at the local Chinese. Most of the sharks killed around the world are killed purely for their fins. The fishermen haul them up, lop off the fins with a knife, and chuck the sharks back in. The sharks are helpless. Those fins can’t grow back. They are vulnerable to attacks from other sharks, or any other marine predator. Even if they somehow evade predation, they can’t eat, having no way to steer, and they slowly starve to death.
The wings of rays are also big money. The rays most under risk are manta and eagle rays. These are two of the most beautiful creatures in the sea. Anyone else who has seen one diving will agree with me. But fishermen haul them up, chop off the wings to sell for food and throw the rays back in or leave them on the beach. A friend of mine went diving in Tobago, and he saw two of the most horrible acts of ray persecution. First, on a beach, two eagle rays were left to drown in air after a fisherman chopped off their wings and left them on the beach. These were spotted eagle rays, rare creatures whose loss cannot easily be replaced. Another time, he was driving home when he came up behind a fisherman’s truck. Across the back was dumped a gutted dolphin and a 3 metre wide manta ray. They were driving to the fish market to sell them off. Now dolphins aren’t usually fished for. No doubt they were trawling, found the dolphin caught up in the net, and killed it anyway.
Turtles are also at danger. The gentle animals, among them the Hawksbill and Green varieties – both rare, are killed and scooped out of their shells. The shells are later sold to tourists as decorations.
I realise that there’s a different side to this story. I’m not trying to place the suffering of marine animals above that of land animals. I’m also not trying to vilify the fishermen involved. Most of them are poor natives to the area, who are just trying to feed their families. The trade in marine parts is just their way of surviving. No, the problem is the tourists and Western consumers who make such a trade profitable. It’s simply cruel. The same is true of land animal poaching.
I’m not placing blame on anyone who’s eaten Shark fin soup or ray wings. Most are unaware of the truth behind what they are eating, and if you know, that’s your choice to make. I’m simply trying to make people aware of what is happening. If you know of any other stories concerning marine, or land animal slaughter, or think animals don’t matter if they can get a good Chinese meal for under £10, please post your opinions. That’s what this is for, after all.
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RastaBillySkank wrote:
yeah, I've seen that. It looks like it's gonna be
> awesome. The first ones devoted nearly entirely to the Blue Whale!
And the seconds going to be devoted to the deep, about creatures that hardly anyones seen. Apparently theres a creature don't there that can never close its mouth because its teeth are too big. God bless the Radio Times for this knowledge! And 10cm is quite big for a swordspine. Gah, beginners luck :)
yeah, I've seen that. It looks like it's gonna be
> awesome. The first ones devoted nearly entirely to the Blue Whale!
And the seconds going to be devoted to the deep, about creatures that hardly anyones seen. Apparently theres a creature don't there that can never close its mouth because its teeth are too big. God bless the Radio Times for this knowledge! And 10cm is quite big for a swordspine. Gah, beginners luck :)
I can and will blame them. As I've said, there are other alternatives. They may be harder, but nothing can be acheived if you always take the easy way. And don't say - you can talk, you don't have to support a third world family. These people have my respect, because they work harder than I ever will for far less money. But there ARE alternative,s and I stick by my view on this one.
Stryke wrote:
> RBS - You saw a swordspine? How big? Just the one, or a schoal?
> Damn, your lucky :) I've been on 55 dives and never seen one.
>
Yup, I saw a swordspine! Not too big, it was about 10 CM, and it was a solo SS.
Theres a series on BBC soon, The Blue Planet, about the life all
> around the sea. Should be good.
yeah, I've seen that. It looks like it's gonna be awesome. The first ones devoted nearly entirely to the Blue Whale!
> RBS - You saw a swordspine? How big? Just the one, or a schoal?
> Damn, your lucky :) I've been on 55 dives and never seen one.
>
Yup, I saw a swordspine! Not too big, it was about 10 CM, and it was a solo SS.
Theres a series on BBC soon, The Blue Planet, about the life all
> around the sea. Should be good.
yeah, I've seen that. It looks like it's gonna be awesome. The first ones devoted nearly entirely to the Blue Whale!
Exactly, our influence (HAH). It's the influence of the westerners that drive them to this. Besides, why toil on a farm all day when you can catch a few fish and get money for it? Why sell scrubby crops when you can sell shark fin for high prises?
In a society where people have millions of dollars for owning brand names, can you blame them for wanting more in life then toiling on a self-sufficient farm all their lives?
In a society where people have millions of dollars for owning brand names, can you blame them for wanting more in life then toiling on a self-sufficient farm all their lives?
RBS - You saw a swordspine? How big? Just the one, or a schoal? Damn, your lucky :) I've been on 55 dives and never seen one.
Theres a series on BBC soon, The Blue Planet, about the life all around the sea. Should be good.
Theres a series on BBC soon, The Blue Planet, about the life all around the sea. Should be good.
Jess - I may have been on an all-inclusive hotel, but I visited other islands, native islands, and I've seen what they can do. They have farmland. Sure, its scrubby, and its hard work, but they can be self-sufficent. They don't need to rely on Westerners. They distill fresh water, feed on the fish they catch and so on. It's only the influence we have on them that makes them do the brutal stuff.
Sigh, this argument is going to last ages...
Sigh, this argument is going to last ages...
Stryke wrote:
Go on, try scuba diving. Its
> the most amazing sport, if it is a sport, in the world. And sharks
> are quite hard to find, which goes back to the original topic,
> but... There are things under the water than make land animals look
> dull. Stingrays, batfish, snapper, moray eels...
And those thing that live right down at the bottom of the sea, they are facinating. They once did a program about them, like all these fish and stuff. facinating, Facinating.
Go on, try scuba diving. Its
> the most amazing sport, if it is a sport, in the world. And sharks
> are quite hard to find, which goes back to the original topic,
> but... There are things under the water than make land animals look
> dull. Stingrays, batfish, snapper, moray eels...
And those thing that live right down at the bottom of the sea, they are facinating. They once did a program about them, like all these fish and stuff. facinating, Facinating.
Stryke wrote:
Go on, try scuba diving. Its
> the most amazing sport, if it is a sport, in the world. And sharks
> are quite hard to find, which goes back to the original topic,
> but... There are things under the water than make land animals look
> dull. Stingrays, batfish, snapper, moray eels...
I know, I did it on holiday and it was superb. Out of this world. I'm just saying that I would never go anywhere where sharks have been spotted. I saw giant clams that were literally 17 feet wide, I saw one of the rarest fish in the world, a swordspine, I saw the most amazing things.
Go on, try scuba diving. Its
> the most amazing sport, if it is a sport, in the world. And sharks
> are quite hard to find, which goes back to the original topic,
> but... There are things under the water than make land animals look
> dull. Stingrays, batfish, snapper, moray eels...
I know, I did it on holiday and it was superb. Out of this world. I'm just saying that I would never go anywhere where sharks have been spotted. I saw giant clams that were literally 17 feet wide, I saw one of the rarest fish in the world, a swordspine, I saw the most amazing things.
Stryke wrote:
It still disgusts me - the sheer brutality of what
> they do.
But it's not as bad as the things that are happening in Ireland at the moment.
Or not as bad as that bloke who killed half his family and then himself.
Mankind have got to sort out there own problems before they can start on the fish community.
I know that sounds a bit crappy, but it's true. We can't look after fish if we can't look after ourselves and, at the moment, we can't look after either.
Mankind comes first unfortuneatly. Again, this sounds primative, but we are the only intelligent life that will ever flourish in the Universe and we're messing it up. We've been given the most amazing gift and we're wasting it.
We've got to be realistic. When we can sort out ourselves then we can start on other animals.
Sounds a bit barbaric but it's the truth.
It still disgusts me - the sheer brutality of what
> they do.
But it's not as bad as the things that are happening in Ireland at the moment.
Or not as bad as that bloke who killed half his family and then himself.
Mankind have got to sort out there own problems before they can start on the fish community.
I know that sounds a bit crappy, but it's true. We can't look after fish if we can't look after ourselves and, at the moment, we can't look after either.
Mankind comes first unfortuneatly. Again, this sounds primative, but we are the only intelligent life that will ever flourish in the Universe and we're messing it up. We've been given the most amazing gift and we're wasting it.
We've got to be realistic. When we can sort out ourselves then we can start on other animals.
Sounds a bit barbaric but it's the truth.
No, it doesn't mean everyone has to comply with them. However, it's not as simple as a boycott of heinz baked beans for them, because it's their livelyhood.
No offence to you Gaz, but when you want to the Maldive (Maldrives?) You staying in an all inclusive hotel thing and didn't sample the culture of the country. If you do that and try to immerse yourself in the culture and how the community works, you'd see how very different it is to the UK and it is much tougher to live there.
I understand your conerns about the environment and endangering the species, but what about deforestation? the greenhouse effect? Polluting the atmosphere? Oil slicks? All of these things caused by the western world with are gradually destroying the whole environment and ecosystem. Not just a few species in the oceans.
No offence to you Gaz, but when you want to the Maldive (Maldrives?) You staying in an all inclusive hotel thing and didn't sample the culture of the country. If you do that and try to immerse yourself in the culture and how the community works, you'd see how very different it is to the UK and it is much tougher to live there.
I understand your conerns about the environment and endangering the species, but what about deforestation? the greenhouse effect? Polluting the atmosphere? Oil slicks? All of these things caused by the western world with are gradually destroying the whole environment and ecosystem. Not just a few species in the oceans.
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