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 * //" We are a charity dedicated to spreading the awareness on the conservation of sharks that are on the brinks of extinction "//**

Remember watching Jaws? The shark slowly approaches you from behind and pulls you under water? We all have a general conception that sharks are very dangerous and life threatening. Truth is, sharks are more gent le than we imagine them to be. Much of what we think comes from the media. Much of the stigma on sharks come from TV, news, and movies because the media has the power to shape what and how we see things.


 * Shark finning** is the process of cutting off the fins of a shark and discarding the body at sea. The shark is most often still alive when it is toseed back into the water. Unable to swim, the shark slow [[image:sharkfins.jpg width="260" height="185" align="right"]] ly sinks toward the bottom where it is eaten alive by other fish. Finning takes place at sea so the fishers have only the fins to transport. Because shark meat is considered low value many fishers do not consider transporting the bulky shark bodies to market. Every year it is estimaed that 100 to 200 million sharks are killed annually for their fins alone. This practice is mainly for supplying shark fins for the so-called delicacy known as shark fin soup.

There are 400 species of shark, and many are used for their fins. Blue, hammerhead and silky sharks are the most highly traded in Hong Kong. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization over 100 million sahrks, skates and rays are killed ever year. That's just half the total, because another half is unreported. Because sharks reproduce slowly (some only have 1-2 pups every other year) and it takes nine or more years to mature, the population is declining rapidly.

Shark fins are being "harvested" in ever greater numbers to feed the growing demand for shark fin soup. Before you even consider having that soup think about how barbaric finning is. Sharks are basically slaughtered and left to die. Since the 1970's the populations of several species have been decimated by over 95%. This wasteful and cruel practice contradcits all principles of sustainable shark fisheres mangement and conservation. Because Finning is widespread, and largely unmanaged and unmonitored many cases are not reported. One poudn of dried shark fin can retail for $300 or more. It is a multi-billion dollar industry.  Shark finning is a massive destruction not just to the shark population but also to the ecosystem. Furthermore, it is unsustainable fishery. Meaning the massive quantity of sharks harvested and lack of selection deplete shark populations faster thantheir reproductive abilities can replenish. Many local waters today are invaded by large industrial, foreign fishing vessels that threatne traditioanl sustainable fisheries. The goal of The Finners is to campaign awareness on the issue of shark finning and work towards banning it. Banning people from eating shark fin soup is ultimately impossible because it plays a significant role in many asian cultures. So how do we change a custom or a practice that has been deeply ingrained in a culture? Thus, it is impossible to ask people to change immediately. But what we can do is to raise awareness on how shark fin soup is produced. Instead of banning people from eating shark fin soup, we need to first, ban shark finning. The Finners is campagning to achieve a worldwide ban on shark finning. If you are unsure or have some interest, take a look through our website. You can pledge online, sign petitions, or simply not take part in shark fin soup. Please take a look around our page and help raise awareness!


 * How you can help? Start right here**
 * Watch Sharkwater
 * Find out if your country is one of the 17 countries that have banned shark finning. If not, write your local government official asking them to ban shark finning.
 * Demand that your country stop the sale/importation of shark fins. Through petitioning
 * Don't take part in any "shark fin soup" activities
 * Click here to sign the petition
 * Check out other websites
 * [|Sharkwater]
 * [|WildAid]
 * [|Shark Trust]
 * [|Shark Project]