The message below comes from Eva Shivdasani, Creative Director for Six Senses Resorts and Spas. It is important that each of us understands the importance of sharks to the vitality of our oceans and our world environment.
Eva is a passionate environmentalist who constantly takes action to bring about positive changes on issues that affect us all. Each of us should follow her lead and do our part.
Dear Friends,
Please take a moment to read this, and I would really appreciate if you could send it to all your friends. We have to save the world’s Sharks for many reasons.
There are almost 100 million Sharks killed each year. Most of these are killed for their fins in order to make a tasteless soup. This soup is consumed in Asia and where Asians live, as a gruesome status symbol. (This soup is extremely expensive.)
This cruel and unecological practice has led to a 90° decline in the shark population over the last 50 years. Some large species like Hammerheads, Blue Mackerel and Tresher Shark have declined by 99.99%.
Shark finning is a very cruel and inhuman practice. The Shark is caught, lifted up in the boat, all the fins are cut off, and the live body is thrown back into the sea to sink to the bottom and slowly die.
Putting the cruel treatment of the Shark aside, we badly need the Shark for our eco system, to keep the ocean’s species balanced. The Shark is the top predator, and bringing its population to the brink of extinction will allow for another species to take over. This could be a disaster, as we cannot control which one will, and there seems to be an invasion now of stinging Jellyfish.
Because the Shark is the top predator and the ocean’s “vacuum cleaners” they are full of mercury. Therefore anyone eating Shark fin soup will also get a huge dose of mercury on their plate. As we know, mercury is one of the most toxic and dangerous substances around.
Unfortunately restaurants serving Shark fin soup have also popped up in the western world, and many people ordering it are oblivious to what a huge damage they are doing to their, and their children’s world.
We have worked for a long time in the Maldives to put a stop to shark fishing, as I wanted at least Maldives to be a safe haven for the Shark, and where people could come and see these majestic animals while diving. The Government has now finally put a ban on catching Sharks, so the Maldives might become the only Shark sanctuary in the world.
I have heard that some other places in the world have also banned Shark finning, which is wonderful news.
Please ban all restaurants serving Shark fin soup, raise your voice and tell them why. Please make sure the only sharks your grandchildren will see will not be in an aquarium, and that they can bathe in a sea without masses of stinging jelly fish.
If no one speaks up, nothing will happen, and when the demand stops there will be no more need to kill these beautiful creatures. They have lived on this earth for millions of years. In the short time we humans have been here we have managed to almost make them extinct, and all this for a soup!
Eva