JAPAN - Industrial Scale Shark Finning! SHOCKING!

It appears that China is not the only market for shark fins. JAPAN IS JUST AS GUILTY!

Shark fin soup is usually associated with China but new photos have exposed an industial scale opporation in Kesen-numa City in Japan.

At 5am on teh north eastern tip of Japan's main island of Honshu, 75 tons of dea sharks are arranged into piles or 20 sharks each. Six days a week small teams of Japanese workers are involved in "hush hush" industrial shark finning.

By 6:30am the piles have been arranged. First the sharks are disemboweled. The hearts of the sharks are ripped out by the workder wearing rubber boots and aprons. At 7am the sharks are hosed down to clean them of the blood. By 8am workers are moving up and down the aisles silently slicing the fins off of each shark. Every dorsal fin, pectoral fin and tail fin is savagely removed. One by one the fins start to pile up in small yellow palstic baskets. The baskets fill up fast and ar then wieghed. Finally, the baskets are carried to a truck nearby where a man with a notepad strikes a deal. By 9:30am it all over. The cruelty and damage that has been done cannot be imagined. Fork lifts scoop up countless lifeless bodies and dump them into a high-sided truck. It is a brutal sight to behold and is not for the faint-hearted or those with weak stomachs.

The fishing port of Kesen-numa City is located in Miyagi Prefecture in North East Japan: The Country's only port dedicated to catching sharks. Over 2 days, 119 tons of Blue Shark (Prionace glaucaof), 10 tons of Salmon Shark (Lamna ditropis), and 3 tons of Shrotfin Mako shark (Isurus oxyrinchus) landed on the dock.

On the IUCN Red List Shortfin Mako is listed as Vulnerable and Blue shark as Near Threatened!

The sadest thing is that the government knows about it. The landed tonnage numbers are provided daily by the port of Kesen-numa's Japanese only website, which is publically and unashamedly, available. About half of the shark that is processed here is destined for China, mainly Hong Kong and Shanghai. For wealthy Chinese, shark fin from Kesen-numa is seen as a premium brand. Mr Hatakeyema, 45, a shark-fin processor from Kesen-numa said: "Quite a bit of shark fin is sent to Shanghai from here as there are many rich people there. Our shark fin here can command higher prices than Chinese shark fin sourced form elsewhere in Asia, the Middle East of Africa. Even thought the Chinese have thir own shark fin, they prefer Japanese brands."

Like in China shark fin soup is commonly found at weddings and imprtnat celebratiosn or events in Japan. Much of the shark fin produced by small food factories dotted around the city ends up bound for Chinese Restaurants in Japan, of which there are many! The rest is sold to hotels to include on their menus for newly weds and corporate banquets.

In older times, shark fin was sometimes used as a substitute for gold when Japanese merchants traded with China. Understandably, and for the same reason, the exact location for fin drying in Japan remains a closely gaurded secret. A significant amount is shipped to China for sun-drying, although the exact location in China is an even bigger secret.

Shark populations is Japan are now so depleted that the Japan Fisheries Agency says that the nation's catch has halved since 1960. Kesen-numa accounts for 90% of the 35 000 tons cuaght in Japan every year!

There is now a new war against shark finning and it's happening in Japan. Conservationists have their work cut out for them. Hopefully we convince the public to not eat shark fin soup and hence remove the market. Say no to all products made from shark!

Source: Alex Hafford - please visit the full slideshow (withh video) here

Citi U-turn! Stay away from sharks!

The gloabl coalition of against shark finning has a surpisin new convert - Citigroup.

Citigroup is a US bank who tried to profit from the asian delicacy shark fin soup. It launched a promotion, offering credit card holders 15 % discount off shark fin soup and garoupa dinner in popular chinese restaurant chains in Hong Kong. Hong Kong is one of the biggest markets for shark fin soup! They offered the same discount at the Imperial Court Shark's Fin Restaurant in Singapore.

Citigroup had to learn teh hard way that as shark activists we don't take lightly to such "promotions"

Amid growing pressure, including a Facebook group: "Stop The shark-fin soup promotion" with 1023 members, teh bank anounced that it stopped all such promotions in Hong Kong. It says it will do so in all its Asia-Pacific markets.

There reply when asked why the change of heart was that the company is "committed to managing our business in a manner that benefits the society and the environment". At least its a start. We need to show that the world will not tolerate shark finning or those who support the industry!

Paul Hilton, a Hong Kong-based photograper and co-author of "Man & Shark" (a book and sort film about the shark fin trade) said: "I am very happy that Citi has realised that it is a dirty trade. It's the right move and in fact the only move they could have made."

It seems that the world is opening their eyes to the creulty of the shark fin trade. Another blogger launched a "Cut Gift Money for Shark Fin Banquet" campaign to stop the serving of fin soup at weddings and other celebrations. It asks that people rather give 30% of what they intended on spending on presents as hosts to a green charity movement. "

"We all understand that we banquet-goers are the true financiers of the banquets - we pay for our own meals in teh name of 'gift money' in teh red envelopes. As such, if we are concerned about our environment, why don't we 'follow the money' and make a change at the source ?!" writes Lee Yui-wah, who started the campaign.

Hopefully through awarness we can inform he public about the plight of sharks in the name of greed and money. We as consumers have the power to stop shark finning by removing the market!

ACT NOW! Say "NO" to shark fin soup!

Source: Financial Times