Yes indeed, shark fin soup for you. Judge tosses TO shark fin ban.

[tennessee]

The topic truly upsets me.
i don't understand why our ban was struck down. Several other Canadian cities have bans already. Was it wording or just because no one has challenged it elsewhere?

Watch "shark water" or any other video on the topic... No compassionate human being could possibly condone this practise. I don't care what your ethnic customs are-if your customs are as cruel as consuming shark fin or profiting off of this horrible industry - it's time to evolve.

The thing that kills me most is that it's tasteless. Insanity.

I'm scared shitless of sharks- to the point where I've researched shark attacks before booking vacations lol... But I'm smart-enough to recognize the cruelty in it and the impact it has on the ecosystem.... I am perplexed that anyone could be ok way it continuing.

Shark fin was supposed to be a delicacy for the rich. China has turned it into a mass produced product- if your country can mass produce iPhones in factories (where nets need to be installed to curtail the number of people jumping from the roof)- fine... Sad but fine... But when the same mentality is used with destroying the ecosystem (while using the lame ass excuse that its your custom...). It needs to be stopped by whatever means possible.

I understand there is likely a flaw in the bylaw- but why should those who are profiting from it even have customers consuming the product?

What the hell is wrong with people???

Shameful......

For the simple reason that animals can't speak up. If a pig or a chicken occupied a place in the parliament then we would all be vegetarians by now.


I don't eat factory farmed meat myself, because the amount of cruelty is just beyond words. I hardly even eat organic meat because I know that companies like to cheaply throw labels like those around just to make a profit. It's all capitalism at play here. The sad truth is, we can do whatever we want with animals, from mutilating them to injecting them with countless antibiotics just to make a profit, and because they can't speak up, there's nothing stopping us from doing it. The shark fin case is a perfect example.

I'm not promoting veganism at all, but I think that it will be better if we reduce our meat consumption by 80%. Better for our health, for the environment, and for the animals well beings.

 

[Moviefan-2]

Any facts to back up your rhetoric?

Try this on for size:



Beyond tracking, the only mistake the City made was not either getting the revenue or ensuring it was directed to specific programs.

But don't let the facts get in the way of your virulent anti-everything "left" arguments.

My comment was about the bag ban, not the fee.

And I'm not sure you can simply call it a left/right issue. The Toronto Star, for example, has described the ban as "nonsense."

http://www.thestar.com/opinion/edit...dness-toronto-mayor-rob-ford-fumbles-bag-file

 

[Art Mann]

Perhaps this can add context to the issue

 

[blackrock13]

Link please. Just kidding. I also heard that sharks need lots of open water so they can keep swimming. Otherwise, they sink to the bottom and drown.

There are a very few shark that can stay in one spot and 'breath' with help of the currents, but most have to keep moving in order to move water through their gill slits and aid buoyancy.

 

[Rockslinger]

Isn't there anyway that science can clone shark fins?

 

[blackrock13]

Even if you were in a small pool with a shark in it, you're more likely to drown than to actually be eaten by the shark. True fact.

Shark attacks are relatively very rare. They really prefer to eat other fish and mammals. Apparently we aren't that tasty. They often mistake us or seal. most attacks are done by bull sharks in mirky river and tidal washes. Yes some sharks can live in fresh water. Greenlandic sharks have been seen in the St Lawrence as far the Saguanay River.

 

[canada-man]

Dr. Giam [a member of a United Nations body on endangered species] raised this point, too, arguing that many countries such as Germany, France, Australia and Iceland have long killed sharks for their meat. Sharks, he says, are not endangered - of the 400 species of the animal, only six have been considered endangered by the U.N.’s CITES.

http://shanghaiist.com/2012/02/21/shark-fin-culturally-discriminatory.php

 

[Dougal Short]

Nothing to do with sharks. City Council simply cannot legally legislate on issues and topics which are vastly beyond its purview. I ask myself why the fuck they got into this debate in the first place, knowing that they were acting illegally??!!

The one good thing that might come out of this is that it will move up the judicial system until it becomes a federal issue. Municipal bans on shark fin products are really only useful for bringing attention to the public about these issues.

A ban at the federal level would have some "teeth" (pardon the pun) so hopefully this will eventually happen.

All the same, a pox on the members of the Asian community that fought to have this overturned for the sake of tradition. Clearly they are putting greed over common sense, as it is going to be difficult to make shark fin soup when sharks have become extinct.

Apart from the barbaric method in which these animals are killed, it's just plain stupid to expect that this fishery can last long. Sadly, sharks are easy to catch, so the usual arguments that fishing will end when it no longer makes economic sense won't work. Some misinformed people are willing to pay ridiculous amounts of money for an animal which is easily caught, which will surely lead to it's demise unless the market for it disappears.

If you aren't aware of what's going on, I suggest you find a copy of Sharkwater and watch it a couple of times. http://www.sharkwater.com/

 

[**Sophie**]

Disgusting

 

[Aardvark154]

Still haven't seen the decision posted yet. Anyone else found it?

 

[Dougal Short]

And second if people like shark fin soup then theres nothing wrong with it. Animals have been going extinct for thousands of years I don;t see the big deal, and as far as I know the shark is not in any danger of extinction and is well protected in many waters.

Normally, I'd try to make some comment about this, but clearly you are ill-informed, so I won't waste my time and yours. Let me say this only:

As someone who has spent a lifetime working and playing in the ocean, I can assure you that many species of sharks (and all sorts of other fish) are highly threatened. Until recently, there was no regulations anywhere on earth protecting sharks, and for the most part, there still isn't. There is no treaty in existence that prevents fishing for sharks in international waters. What bans have been placed on fishing, only apply to various countries territorial waters... which make up a tiny, tiny percentage of the oceans.

A perfect example of this can be found in the Canadian government's attempts to protect the cod fishery. While they could limit the catches within Canadian waters, most reproduction of this species took place outside of our territorial waters. Other nations, especially the Portugese, sent large fleets to fish and process their catches in these breeding grounds and effectively wiped out the species in a very short period of time. The economic effects of this will be felt in the maritimes for years. In the mean time, those fleets have moved on to rape the shit out of some other species. This is happening all over the world... tuna, salmon, you name it. Fish is good for us, but we can't keep harvesting it the way we do. And aquaculture has its own set of problems, but that's a topic for another day. The worst part of the shark fishery is that 98% of the animal is wasted. Which is perhaps a good thing for those that eat it since, like most predatory fish, the meat is loaded with heavy metals and other toxins.

What is required to save these beautiful animals is a ban on the trade, importing and selling of the products. It's not possible to stop the fishing since it can be done on a small scale and still have a devastating impact. Destroying the market by imposing significant fines on those businesses that sell the products is the best way to insure survival of these amazing creatures.

To msog87, I'm sure you are a very nice person, but before you make these moronic comments, I'd like to suggest that you make a little effort to try to get your head around the concept of bio-diversity and the critical role that apex predators play in an ecosystem.

 

[blackrock13]

Dr. Giam [a member of a United Nations body on endangered species] raised this point, too, arguing that many countries such as Germany, France, Australia and Iceland have long killed sharks for their meat. Sharks, he says, are not endangered - of the 400 species of the animal, only six have been considered endangered by the U.N.’s CITES.

http://shanghaiist.com/2012/02/21/shark-fin-culturally-discriminatory.php

That's using a legal official definition of 'endangered', but when you see a 90% reduction in any species, it's 'in' danger. Many of those sharks species are not listed because they aren't or can't be studied due to low numbers in the wild. Of the 200 species that are of commercial value over 30 are on the downwards slide and of great concern.

From CITIES

The "International Action Plan for Sharks" initiated by CITES and the FAO (Food and Agricultural Organization) have established that:

1. more than 100 out of 400 shark species are being commercially exploited
2. many of these shark species are so overexploited that even their long-term survival can no longer be guaranteed
3. a serious monitoring and control program is lacking for international shark trade.

You also might want to read and I do mean read, through this site;

http://www.shark.ch/Preservation/index.html

 

[blackrock13]

To msog87, I'm sure you are a very nice person, but before you make these moronic comments, I'd like to suggest that you make a little effort to try to get your head around the concept of bio-diversity and the critical role that apex predators play in an ecosystem.

Hmm. A frosty Friday in July comes to mind.

 

[blackrock13]

Still haven't seen the decision posted yet. Anyone else found it?

According to Rubbie you live in a barrel or something like that. Apparently he knows where it is.

 

[train]

I think this is another example of goofy city councillors thinking they had the right to ban certain things within city limits. Regardless of what you think of shark fin soup ( I am opposed do to fishing methods) you have to laugh at these clowns in city hall. Do they have the slightest clue as to what it is they are supposed to be doing as city councillors? Or what constitutes good municipal goverment? A bigger group of idiots is difficult to imagine.

 

[Rockslinger]

Other nations, especially the Portugese, sent large fleets to fish and process their catches in these breeding grounds and effectively wiped out the species in a very short period of time.

Meanwhile other Europeans think we need more seals because seals eat fish. The Europeans should spend more time and energy on solving their debt and unemployment problems than dumping on Canada.

 

[Stoo]

Don't get me started on our sealing practices. It's about the only thing that actually embarrasses me as a Canadian. Well, that and the oil sands...

As for these municipal bans, while they are largely symbolic, sometimes symbolism is actually really useful. Until Rob Stewart came along, I venture to say that the number of Canadians that new about shark finning was miniscule. The bans serve to bring the matter into the public eye, and that's a good thing.

 

[Ceiling Cat]

Meanwhile other Europeans think we need more seals because seals eat fish. The Europeans should spend more time and energy on solving their debt and unemployment problems than dumping on Canada.

The Europeans over fished the cod stocks and the fishery collapsed in 1992. They should be concerned with all the seals eating up their precious bakala.

 

[blackrock13]

The Europeans over fished the cod stocks and the fishery collapsed in 1992. They should be concerned with all the seals eating up their precious bakala.

The collapse was a combination of things. The elimination of the fishing license limits in the 60's in the Maritimes, the heavy demands of the fishing from Europe and the ban of seal imports in Europe and the seal hunt which caused an explosion in the seal population which is still eating too many fish for the fish population to recover.

 

[Rockslinger]

the heavy demands of the fishing from Europe and the ban of seal imports in Europe and the seal hunt which caused an explosion in the seal population which is still eating too many fish for the fish population to recover.

Damn Europeans! Too bad we can't eat seals.