LIZ KARAN: “The major finding is that there are endangered species in shark fin soup being sold in the United States. So, there is one sample taken from Boston that had scalloped hammerhead... Scalloped hammerhead is considered endangered by the International Union of Conservation of Nature’s red list for endangered species.”
BOB DOUGHTY: Sharks are important to the health of the ocean. They eat injured and diseased fish. Their hunting means other fish do not become too great in number. This protects other creatures and plants in the ocean. Shark finning is banned in the United States. Federal law requires sharks to be brought to port before their fins are cut. But shark fishing and the import of fins are permitted in most states. Five states have banned shark fin products. Yet finning is taking place in other areas of the world. Liz Karan says the ban is difficult to enforce.
LIZ KARAN: “Overfishing of sharks is a global problem. Hong Kong is currently the hub of the shark fin trade, and there are about eighty some-odd countries that contribute to that trade.”
The Pew Environment Group says the number of sharps has dropped almost eighty percent worldwide in the past sixty years. The group believes sanctuaries, or safe places, for sharks could help, especially when the animals are young and defenseless. Liz Karan says sharks are at risk for a number of reasons.
LIZ KARAN: “They have very long life spans and often don’t reach sexual maturity until their teens or twenties, and then when they do reproduce, some species only have maybe a couple of pups at a time. So their ability to repopulate and recover from overfishing pressures is very small.”
最新
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25