My Opinions On Shark Finning

[Non Aligned States]

Not unless you got a gun, a good AK-47 would suit.

Contrary to popular belief, AK-47s are not so cheap and easily accessible that your average shark fisherman would have one lying around on their boats.

[Non Aligned States]

For some fucking soup that tastes like shit anyway.

That's your taste. I'm sure if we root around, we could find something you think is tasty but the rest of us find utterly gross.

[Non Aligned States]

So? The aztec people had been sacrificing people to their gods for hundreds of years, it was traditition, did that make it right? But lets not make a straw man argument. I don't beilive traddition justifies driving any creature to extinction. If they really want shark fin soup, they should make shark farms. If they can't do that, synthisize it, or use some other fishes fin that are already farmes and spice it so that it tastes like shark.

The straw man argument is the whole "tradition is bad because there were bad things in the past".

There's demand cause people find it tasty. Simple as that. If you think shark farms or synthesized stuff would work, why not start one up and corner the market before someone else does?

[Callisdrun]

Why can't they just farm sharks instead?

This is amazingly short sighted. If sharks are hunted to extinction, then nobody'll get to have shark fin soup.

Plus, you know, sharks fill an essential ecological niche and it'll throw their ecosystems drastically off balance if they're gone and all that.

[Non Aligned States]

Why can't they just farm sharks instead?

This is amazingly short sighted. If sharks are hunted to extinction, then nobody'll get to have shark fin soup.

Plus, you know, sharks fill an essential ecological niche and it'll throw their ecosystems drastically off balance if they're gone and all that.

I imagine shark farming doesn't happen for the same reason whale farming doesn't happen. Too large to grow in substantial numbers under a controlled environment.

[East Congaree]

You know, a while back, I read a series of Sherman's Lagoon comics where the main character gets scooped up by a bunch of (Chinese) fishermen, got his fins cut off, and is then dumped into the sea where he dies (temporarily). This got me thinking, so I looked up 'Shark Finning' on Wikipedia and it explained that one of the main points against this practice is the fact that after being finned, the sharks are dumped into the water-- while still alive! The sharks the die a slow agonizing death. This has got thinking, "Why don't the fishermen just kill the sharks before being thinned, why can't those Chinamen get the hint?

It's more so the waste than this. Do you realize how overharvested these things are, and do you realize how much meat is wasted if you just fin a fish, rather than eating it... Or if it is a variety of shark undesirable for human consumption, use the meat for other purposes?

[Zombie PotatoHeads]

This is amazingly short sighted. If sharks are hunted to extinction, then nobody'll get to have shark fin soup.

That's one of the problems there. Their way of thinking when told that with current demand, sharks will be extinct in a few years only encourages them to eat more so they can get their fill before it's all gone.

As Anti-Soc-Dar said, it's a stupid superstition as to why they eat it. Like turtle soup (turtles are teetering on extinction now in China seas), bear bile, tiger penis and rhino horn. I equate with the thinking primitive man had. "Me eat bear bile, me become strong like bear. Shark no get sick. Me eat shark fin, me no get sick. Turtle old, me eat turtle, me get old." and so on. When it comes down to it, that's the level of thinking as to why they eat this stuff. Sooner they grow up and realise it's just superstitious primitive bullshit, the better it will be for the environment. Unfortunately that time is not going to arrive soon, and when it finally does it'll be too late for many of those species.

[Barringtonia]

If you want more on this horrifying situation, watch Sharkwater - http://www.sharkwater.com/ - to see just how inhumane (or insharkane) and wholesale this practice is.

The main issue is that there is no legislative force that can protect the areas where sharks gather.

I refuse to eat Shark Fin Soup, it can create quite the fuss with the most common cry being 'but it's paid for!' at the various weddings and banquets one goes to here.

It's on an industrial scale now, if we trawled nets over Africa scooping up wildlife in the way we do with the seas there'd be an enormous outcry but here it's out of sight out of mind.

[GetBert]

I have eaten shark's fin soup in the past but don't anymore because of this.

[Helgrin]

Not unless you got a gun, a good AK-47 would suit.

Contrary to popular belief, AK-47s are not so cheap and easily accessible that your average shark fisherman would have one lying around on their boats.

Clearly, you haven't seen Jaws!

[Helgrin]

Well, because the Chinese use shark fins to make some sort of soup that's commonly served at weddings and banquets and is very popular. The soup has been around since the Ming Dynasty, so it's an ancient tradition.

And, if you've ever had shark fin soup you'd know just what a nasty, vile dish it is - blecch.

Some traditions should die, this is one of them.

This seems culturalist to me. Or whatever you call the culture version of racism.

[Risottia]

You know, a while back, I read a series of Sherman's Lagoon comics where the main character gets scooped up by a bunch of (Chinese) fishermen, got his fins cut off, and is then dumped into the sea where he dies (temporarily).

Wait. So the main character is a shark and dies "temporarily"...

mh... Comics, great source for info about reality... not.

This got me thinking, so I looked up 'Shark Finning' on Wikipedia and it explained that one of the main points against this practice is the fact that after being finned, the sharks are dumped into the water-- while still alive!

What a waste of meat.

[Teletropis]

Chinese with their finning, Japanese with their whaling.. Both fuckin' stupid in my opinion.

[Tagmatium]

This seems culturalist to me. Or whatever you call the culture version of racism.

Whilst it does sound culturally imperialistic, it does make sense. Some traditions are just stupid and do more harm than good.

Like there was a Cornish festival called "Darkie Day", in which people dressed up in blackface. It's not done anymore, but it people were bitching about it being an old tradition for this thing. Frankly, it was just racist.

Someone on the Jolt NS forums had a quote in their signature which pretty much summed it up, and it was something like "Tradition is just another way of saying it's broken, but we're not going to fix it."

[Helgrin]

This seems culturalist to me. Or whatever you call the culture version of racism.

Whilst it does sound culturally imperialistic, it does make sense. Some traditions are just stupid and do more harm than good.

Like there was a Cornish festival called "Darkie Day", in which people dressed up in blackface. It's not done anymore, but it people were bitching about it being an old tradition for this thing. Frankly, it was just racist.

Someone on the Jolt NS forums had a quote in their signature which pretty much summed it up, and it was something like "Tradition is just another way of saying it's broken, but we're not going to fix it."

But still, it seems a bit incensitive to just say that the culture of another country is stupid. And to say that it is dumb of them to think that it could have healing properties. It's another countries culture, and [puts on asbestos suit] one could say the same about religion.

[Tagmatium]

But still, it seems a bit incensitive to just say that the culture of another country is stupid. And to say that it is dumb of them to think that it could have healing properties. It's another countries culture, and [puts on asbestos suit] One could say the same about religion.

It is insensitive, but it's still bloody true. There's a whole host of traditions out there that make no sense, and this is just one of many. It's the fact that these "remedies" are placebos at best, and are driving many endangered species to extinction, primarily through ignorance and superstition. If that's not sign that it may not be the best idea to continue with it, then I don't know what is.

And it isn't just China which is guilty of this, virtually every nation/culture has a similar thing. It's just that they seem to be some of the worst culprits.

[EvilDarkMagicians]

This is fucking disgusting.
What a waste of life.

[East Congaree]

Chinese with their finning, Japanese with their whaling.. Both fuckin' stupid in my opinion.

While the Japanese are much worse in this regard, I must agree.

[Tagmatium]

Chinese with their finning, Japanese with their whaling.. Both fuckin' stupid in my opinion.

While the Japanese are much worse in this regard, I must agree.

But they're doing it for research purposes!

[Helgrin]

Chinese with their finning, Japanese with their whaling.. Both fuckin' stupid in my opinion.

While the Japanese are much worse in this regard, I must agree.

Does this seem racist to anyone else?!

[Tagmatium]

Chinese with their finning, Japanese with their whaling.. Both fuckin' stupid in my opinion.

While the Japanese are much worse in this regard, I must agree.

Does this seem racist to anyone else?!

Not really, as s/he's attacking things that those countries are doing, rather than having a go at the populations themselves. If s/he said that "Those fucking nips are barbaric for eating whales, same as them Chinks!", then that would be racist.

[East Congaree]

Chinese with their finning, Japanese with their whaling.. Both fuckin' stupid in my opinion.

While the Japanese are much worse in this regard, I must agree.

Does this seem racist to anyone else?!

I have a bias against Japan, and I sympathize with the Chinese. It's not because of their race, it's because of their practices. I don't root my opinion of people in their appearance, but rather by what they do. *Shrugs*

[Helgrin]

Chinese with their finning, Japanese with their whaling.. Both fuckin' stupid in my opinion.

While the Japanese are much worse in this regard, I must agree.

Does this seem racist to anyone else?!

Not really, as s/he's attacking things that those countries are doing, rather than having a go at the populations themselves. If s/he said that "Those fucking nips are barbaric for eating whales, same as them Chinks!", then that would be racist.

So it's not racist if they don't use racist words? But they are still genrallising, which is racist. I bet there are a fair few Japanese and Chinese people against shark finning and whaling.

[East Congaree]

Chinese with their finning, Japanese with their whaling.. Both fuckin' stupid in my opinion.

While the Japanese are much worse in this regard, I must agree.

Does this seem racist to anyone else?!

Not really, as s/he's attacking things that those countries are doing, rather than having a go at the populations themselves. If s/he said that "Those fucking nips are barbaric for eating whales, same as them Chinks!", then that would be racist.

So it's not racist if they don't use racist words? But they are still genrallising, which is racist. I bet there are a fair few Japanese and Chinese people against shark finning and whaling.

Uhm? I could name practices i'm upset with in the food industry of any country. For example, the way "factory farms" are managed in America. Does that make me "rascist against Americans"? (Lol, that doesn't even make sense, as Americans aren't a clearly defined race, or even an ethnic group....)

[Helgrin]

Chinese with their finning, Japanese with their whaling.. Both fuckin' stupid in my opinion.

While the Japanese are much worse in this regard, I must agree.

Does this seem racist to anyone else?!

Not really, as s/he's attacking things that those countries are doing, rather than having a go at the populations themselves. If s/he said that "Those fucking nips are barbaric for eating whales, same as them Chinks!", then that would be racist.

So it's not racist if they don't use racist words? But they are still genrallising, which is racist. I bet there are a fair few Japanese and Chinese people against shark finning and whaling.

Uhm? I could name practices i'm upset with in the food industry of any country. For example, the way "factory farms" are managed in America. Does that make me "rascist against Americans"? (Lol, that doesn't even make sense, as Americans aren't a clearly defined race, or even an ethnic group....)

No, I guess not. Genralisations just piss me off though. There are other countries that whale and shark fin, appart from Japan and China, respectively.