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 Editorials | Environmental | May 2008 
Wildcoast Launches New Campaign to Reduce Shark Slaughter in Mexico
 SurfLine
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| | Sharks are threatened by fining, a practice in which fishermen slice off the fins and dump the carcasses back into the sea | | |
Due to the recent deadly shark attack on Dave Martin in Solana Beach and a San Francisco surfer in Troncones, Mexico, these ocean predators have been touted as a "vicious killing machines", and the ultimate ocean enemy. Through the years, man-eating sharks have earned top billing in the in best-selling books, news segments and blockbuster films. Despite the hysteria over the presence of sharks in San Diego and Mexican waters, great whites and countless other sharks species are extremely endangered. Shark researchers estimate that more than 100 million sharks are killed for their fins annually.
Just across the border in Mexico sharks are threatened by fining, a practice in which fishermen slice off the fins and dump the carcasses back into the sea. Shark fin soup can fetch up to $300 a bowl throughout Asia. For that reason, WiLDCOAST has launched a new initiative to reduce the senseless slaughter of sharks in Mexico and worldwide, before we lose the ocean's top predator forever. At shark camps throughout the Mexican Pacific coast, beaches are covered with the carcasses of slaughtered sharks.
"We need to act quickly to stop the senseless slaughter of sharks or we will lose one of our most important ocean predators forever", said Aida Navarro, the Wildcoast Wildlife program manager. "At the top of the food chain, sharks are a crucial part of our complex marine ecosystems to guarantee a healthy sea", she added.
WiLDCOAST recently partnered with Manα, the Grammy winning rock group of Mexico to raise awareness about the plight of sharks during the band's North American tour.
The coastal waters of Mexico and San Diego harbor some of the world's most significant shark populations. There are 370 known species of sharks in the world, 150 of which live in Mexican waters. At least eight are in grave danger of extinction due to shark fishing and fining including hammerhead sharks, blue sharks, bull sharks, sand sharks, tiger sharks, mako sharks, great white sharks and thresher sharks.
"We need to make everyone aware of the fact that shark populations are being wiped out and we will be asking everyone, especially in Mexico to stop eating shark meat. We cannot afford to lose these amazingly complex animals forever," explained Navarro. "Sharks are not a threat to ocean safety in San Diego. But we are a huge threat to sharks."
WiLDCOAST is an international conservation team that protects coastal ecosystems and wildlife in the Californias and Latin America. Visit the website at WiLDCOAST.net. |
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