shawnh 0 Posted March 23, 2010 AP Associated Press DOHA, Qatar – Asian nations on Tuesday blocked U.S.-backed proposals to protect the heavily fished hammerhead and oceanic whitetip sharks on concerns that regulating the booming trade in fins could hurt poor coastal nations. Japan, which successfully campaigned against an export ban on Atlantic bluefin tuna and regulations on the coral trade, led the opposition to the shark proposal at the 175-nation Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100323/ap_on_...ving_species_29 ____________________________________________________________________ It seems that in addition to its war on whales, Japan is dead set to drive every great animal in the oceans to extinction. The word back from CITES is that the Japanese delegates were out in force to defeat anything related to marine conservation. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
adamhanlon 0 Posted March 23, 2010 Hi all, There is an excellent article about the debate over the status of bluefin Tuna here It would seem that the political power of the fishing lobby has overruled the evidence. I think that these meetings will in the future be seen as another missed opportunity. It's a bleak picture for Apex marine species. Adam Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rocha 0 Posted April 8, 2010 I deal with some of these people because of my involvement with the IUCN. Unfortunately I think they will only (maybe) be convinced when there is unquestionable data showing that targeted species went extinct due to fishing. Really sad. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shark8matt 0 Posted April 9, 2010 We at The Shark Research Institute sent a contingent of 6 people to CITES to help bolster efforts for shark protection. The outcomes were very, very disappointing to say the least. I heard that one of the Japanese delegates simply stated "I don't care if it is the last fish in the ocean, if it tastes good i will catch it and eat it." I just can't imagine how someone can have such a selfish, narrow-minded view of nature. This is the crux of the problem. We have data and rational arguments on our side, but we are not dealing with rational people...Very very sad... - MDP Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tdpriest 115 Posted April 16, 2010 I wish I could say that this was unexpected, but it's really just deja vu all over again... ... scientific evidence has always fallen foul of economic or, worse, political imperatives. Tim Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
loftus 42 Posted April 16, 2010 Really starting to feel guilty about buying ANY Japanese or Chinese products, not sure what I'll buy then though! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
xariatay 1 Posted April 22, 2010 Want to know which Asian nations voted against protection for the sharks? Jakarta Post Titled: Indonesia Helps Defeat Hammerhead Shark Protections - March 23, 2010 "Doha, Qatar. Indonesia, along with Singapore and Japan, on Tuesday voted against a US-backed proposal to protect the heavily fished hammerhead shark at a UN wildlife meeting here." I just read it & it made me really angry & ashamed to be a Singaporean. Many Yao Ming could give our cabinet ministers a piece of his mind??? Since they would be more likely to listen to an international celebrity? Maybe divers should stop using Singapore as a transit hub! This place is NOT SHARK FRIENDLY! DO NOT spend any money here! Following the lead from a cause Facebook Cause, will email to the ministers too... But some of the figures look a little large, would appreciate if someone could verify the data... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
xariatay 1 Posted April 27, 2010 (edited) The reply has been received from AVA (Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of S'pore). Reply from AVA I think it is very contradicting... Excerpts, "At the recent CITES COP15 in Doha, Singapore did not support the sharks proposals. However, we wish to clarify that this is not because the Singapore government does not care about the plight of the sharks. We are of the view that the CITES mechanism is not appropriate for management of shark fisheries.........." "The AVA regulates the import of sharks and shark's fins through a licensing scheme. Only licensed fish dealers are allowed to import sharks and shark's fins and for CITES-protected shark species, only shipments with valid CITES documents are permitted." Edited April 27, 2010 by xariatay Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
greedo5678 1 Posted May 20, 2010 It is well known that Japan offered financial insentive to its developing neighbours to back them in the vote. Of course it was not a 'direct' bribe but a helpful hand to its neighbours with a helpful nudge and a wink when japan needed votes in the house. Even if they did not actively vote with Japan, but they didnt help the protection of sharks. Finally, what do Japanese politicians taste like? cos if they taste good... Olly Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
xariatay 1 Posted July 12, 2010 We are losing sharks... Japan's shark fin capital The scale is huge... "If you thought shark finning was exclusively a Chinese problem, think again. Welcome to Kesen-numa City, Japan's shark fin capital. Here, six days a week, small teams of Japanese workers go about the hushed business of industrial shark-finning." Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
