Darren Boon
“It’s time for Singaporeans not to just focus on economic growth but for moral progress as well.”
This is the message Mr Louis Ng, Founder and Executive Director for Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES), hopes to bring across at the first-ever gathering of animal lovers at Speakers Corner on Saturday.
Ng, the speaker for the day, declared 18 April as the day Singapore “will show the world that sharks should not and should never have been exploited” and to start the lead for change.
Calling the consumption of sharks fin and sharks meat a “destructive practice”, Ng exhorted Singaporeans to take it one step further, other than just rejecting sharks fin, and to be “advocates for the sharks”. Ng urged the crowd to share their reasons for not eating sharks fin with people around them.
Ng painted a grim reality of 3,800 sharks being caught every 20 minutes for human consumption.
“Let us stop whispering our concerns and let us start making our voices heard by speaking out. Let us take a stand, joining hands to start this movement and urge people to join us in making this important impact,” Ng said.
Chng Chye Tuan is one who has taken up Ng’s call. Chng, an avid diver and conservationist, sees the need to protect the shark species. As such he has left sharks fin soup out from the menu of his upcoming wedding dinner. He also urges his friends not to consume sharks fin and hopes restaurants can offer a menu free of the dish to customers.
Chye was one of the many attendees who showed up on Saturday in support of ACRES’ cause. Ms Jessintha Sasayiah, a teacher, came to lend support to the campaign though she admitted that the campaign wouldn’t change the number of people eating sharks fin immediately. The speech Ng delivered and the alarming facts and figures left a deep impression on her.
For many others gathered today such as Mr Ng Weiren, Ms Bianca Polak and Ms Jnaneepriya K, the jenga blocks and their subsequent collapse proved to be the highlight of the event.
The jenga blocks signify the ocean’s eco-system. Blocks with pictures of the sharks were placed at the bottom of the tower and were followed by the various species of fishes and other marine life that comprises the ocean’s eco-system. The final block with the words ‘When Sharks Die, The Oceans Die’, was placed at the top as a reminder to those present of the importance of sharks to the ecosystem.
Ng explained that the sharks that are in the lowest block help to maintain stability at the top. “If you take the higher blocks out, it will not collapse so soon…but what we’re actually doing is taking out the bottom pieces…it’s just a matter of time before the whole eco-system collapses,” Ng said.
The block with the sharks was removed and the jenga tower came crashing down.
“The toppling of the tower is symbolic of how much impact sharks have on the eco-system. Yet most people don’t know this impact,” Jnaneepriya said. “The killing of sharks is barbaric!”
The consumption of sharks fin is a cruel ancient tradition, she said. As with cruel practices of yesteryears that have been abolished, she sees no difference in abolishing the brutal practice of consuming sharks fin.
Speaking to The Online Citizen after the event, Ng flags Saturday’s event as a “good start” and hopes to generate a knock-on effect whereby Singaporeans will do more in spreading the message against the consumption of sharks fin and the reasons so, such as the destruction of the eco-system.
Meanwhile he hopes to bring the road-show around Singapore and into schools if possible. Ng is also working with restaurants around Singapore to remove sharks fin from their menus. He is optimistic that consumption figures will drop.
“It’s time for Singapore not to just to focus on economic growth but for moral progress as well,” Ng said.
——–
An alternative recipe to sharks fin soup:
Slideshow of the event / By Boris Chan:
HELP keep the voice of TOC alive!
If you like this article, please consider a small donation to help theonlinecitizen.com stay alive. Please note that we can only accept donations from Singaporeans. Thank you for your assistance.Do you have a flair for writing? Volunteer with us. Email us your full name and contact details to theonlinecitizen@gmail.com
Armadillo, well said!
I read that some environmentalists believe in “trigger effect”. They will focus in campaigning for “visible” species like tigers, lions, pandas, orangutans etc. thus, enabling setting up of wildlife reserves, so that all/ most animals in those reserves will be free from proaching & the ecological system will remain pristine & balanced.
anon & Wynnx, we each has our own concerns & priorities. U might like to know that since abt 8years ago, I have stopped taking sting rays (as they mature late & produce small “litters” -like sharks), tuna, marlin, swordfish & wild salmon (if I don’t know where they come from, I don’t order), recently, even stopped taking tian ji (frog), octopus, cuttlefish, squids. & only very occasionally do I take beef & mutton. I do try not to other meat dishes as much as possible but sometimes, it is not very convenient… Each of us can do something to further your belief/cause. anon, I agree that humans can be very cruel. But they can also be very kind. Choice. U can choose to be cruel or kind. Up to u…
50) Natalie:
If “ACRES is asking Singaporeans to make a change” why only ask Singaporeans to make a stand on sharks when sharks are not an endangered specie and not make a stand on lobsters, crabs, shrimps, fish, dolphins, whales, shell-fish, sea cucumbers, octopi, chickens, foxes, civet cats, bears, ducks, cows, goats, sheep and frogs and even caviar & foi gras? Why the double standard?
eat shark fin good, less sharks can swim less fear
http://www.animal-rights-library.com/texts-m/singer03.htm
Singer argues that animals can feel pain in the link above.
But I beg to differ.
Pain is a highly subjective state of mind as we all know, and we can even say it involves our emotional response to physical distress. I remember being cut quite badly and only felt the pain when I saw the blood and connected it to thoughts of being injured. Since animals do not seem to possess the same level of cognitive ability as us, is it possible that we are merely using our very human way of empathy to anthropomorphize animals’ ‘feelings’?
The fact that we know that humans can feel sorry for animals and not vice versa should be a clue that we are indeed very different from animals. There is a strong chance that pain as we know it is simply not the same physical sensations experienced by animals. Further, animals don’t seem to have the concept of self: they probably don’t even think the thought ‘ *I* am in pain’.
54) Joshua Wong
If you think that animals don’t feel “pain” then you are in fact implying that they don’t have a nervous system. “Pain” is a survival mechanism present in all animals, including man, which have a nervous system.
If you don’t believe this try placing your leg on a hot stove. I would not suggest you do that to an animal, like a dog, because it too will feel the pain.
52) curious : Please visit ACRES website and the other comments: They do campaign on factory farming… if in doubt visit their rescue centre. I have not, but heard about the centre where they have a seperate room about the cruelty and conditions thats happening at the factory farms, other delicacies involving cruelty like veal, foie gras. I just researched and found in their website also : . And most of all I think one of their hottest Tee designs is on “vegetarianism” campaigning for the cows. Their list of animals in their t-shirt even includes spiders, ants and lizards, funny… In addition to wild animals, its good that these “avoided” topics are actually being voiced out such organisations. Why do you think they are biased on sharks? Do you think there is any incentive? SO!!!! Unless you HAVE a solution, lets please please not pull down these young people who are DOING SOME WORK!!!! thank you.
56) Armadillo.
Don’t get me wrong. I am not knocking the good work being done by ACRES.
What I am against is double standard.
As I wrote before “why only ask Singaporeans to make a stand on sharks when sharks are not an endangered specie and not make a stand on lobsters, crabs, shrimps, fish, dolphins, whales, shell-fish, sea cucumbers, octopi, chickens, foxes, civet cats, bears, ducks, cows, goats, sheep and frogs and even caviar & foi gras?”
In my opinion, human beings should be allowed to eat farm animals and wildlife PROVIDED they are not endangered species and PROVIDED they are culled in a humane manner.
This philosophy is not practiced in the animal kingdom and predators in the jungle are very vicious when they prey on smaller animals and eat them alive!
There is a lot of cruelty in the animal kingdom. It is survival of the fittest!
But man must be treat all animals with kindness. As Gandhi once said “We know a country by how they treat their animals”. I could not agree with him more!
But sharks are not an endangered specie so why campaign against eating sharks fins soup?
If ACRES really wants to save the sharks and other predators of the seas then it must campaign to slow down the indiscriminate, annual harvest of billion of tonnes of fishes from the oceans by large international trawlers as they are depriving these predators of their food source and will eventually lead to their extinction ! That is the big picture!
Also I like to know if ACRES receives donations from Western organizations like WildAid and WWF which also campaigned against eating sharks fin by Asians. If they do then I am disappointed!
@55
Why does saying that animals not suffer pain imply they do not have a nervous system? For example, certain scientific research has claimed that lobsters do not suffer pain since their nervous systems are too simple to process what we call ‘pain’.
Therefore, it is not necessary that no pain implies no nervous system.
Candid readers can judge your non-argument about putting my legs on a hotstove.
@57
Why should we save endangered animals only?
58) Joshua Wong
Lobsters do feel pain. Please see link below:
http://www.lobsterlib.com/feat/lobstersfeelpain/facing.asp
The first two paragraphs of the article describe this as follows :
“Scientists have discovered that lobsters have pain receptors and neurotransmitters that are very much like our own. University of Pennsylvania neurobiologist Dr. Tom Abrams says that lobsters have “a full array of senses,” and these senses include the ability to detect noxious chemicals and changes in water temperature and feel pain. Scientist John R. Baker states, “The nervous systems of lobsters and crabs … are complex; their sensory organs are highly developed; their responses to certain stimuli are immediate and vigorous.”
Dr. Nedim Buyukmihci, professor of veterinary surgery at the University of California at Davis, explains, “There is no question that lobsters have the ability to feel pain and suffer … Lobsters have a brain and a nervous system and are responsive to noxious (painful) stimuli. … [I]t would be inappropriate to do something to lobsters that you would not consider doing to conscious dogs, cats, or humans.”
To answer your question as to why we should save endangered animals I shall point out that if we don’t they will, as a specie, be wiped out.
But sharks are not an endangered specie so why are we campaigning against eating sharks fins soup?
@59
Thank you for the reference on lobsters. My main point was that saying nonexistence of pain does not imply the nonexistence of nervous systems, since we can only be sure that existence of pain must necessarily imply the existence of nervous systems. Or to put it another way, if p then q does not mean not p therefore not q.
The more subtle point is that most of the comments here are utterly confused about the distinct issues in the debate.
You merely pointed out a truism that endangered species will be wiped out soon, but did not answer my question clearly about why should we save endangered species only. In other words, I am asking the more fundamental question of do we have an obligation to save any other species. I don’t claim to know the answer, but I hope the discussion can take place on a more meaningful manner.
60) Joshua Wong
Yes, I can see your technical point that “saying nonexistence of pain does not imply the nonexistence of nervous systems.” This can, in fact, be illustrated when devotees walk on red hot charcoal or when a person is hypnotized or anesthetized to block the pain signals to the brain. That is not the central issue.
My point is that animals like lobsters, fish, dogs, cows, chickens, birds etc in fact, all animals feel pain when pain is inflicted upon them, if they have a nervous system and by extension, a brain, no matter how rudimentary it is!
To answer your question “why should we save endangered species only” and by extension “why not also save non-endangered animals”, my answer is that if they are not endangered species like farm animals or wildlife which is not on the endangered list of CITES, what is there to “save”? You only “save” a specie when it is in mortal danger of going into extinction.
In Singapore, endangered species are protected by the Endangered Species (import and Export) Act , Cap 92A.
Under this Act “animal” means any member of the Animal Kingdom, and includes —
(a) any mammal (other than man), bird, reptile, amphibian, fish, mollusc, arthropod, or other vertebrate or invertebrate, whether alive or dead, and the egg, young or immature form thereof; and
(b) any readily recognisable part or derivative of an animal;
Sharks are not an endangered specie, according to CITES, and therefore do not come under the preview of this Act. This is why selling or eating sharks fin soup is not an offense under the Act.
See also Animals and Birds Act, Cap 7 . which deal with the importation and exportation and transhipment of animals and birds.
Under this Act “”animal” means any mammal (other than man) or fish and includes any other living creature that is prescribed as an animal for the purposes of this Act or that falls within a class of animals that is prescribed for those purposes.”
Also wildlife species in Singapore, even when not endangered, are protected under the Wild Animals and Birds Act, CAP 351.
Under that Act “wild animals and birds” includes all species of animals and birds of a wild nature, but does not include domestic dogs and cats, horses, cattle, sheep, goats, domestic pigs, poultry and ducks.”
To answer your other specific question as to whether ” we have an obligation to save any other species” my answer is YES to ALL other species, only if they are endangered species, as classified by CITES.
If you wish to save one particular specie , to the exclusion of other species, even when they are not endangered, then there are moral hazards and that is exactly what I referred to as an example of a double standard: while its good for the goose but it is not good for the gander!
To truly save the environment, we should all go back to caves.
Are the activists trying to save earth for selfish reasons? Is it so that our descendants can continue to enjoy earth? If so, why not support space exploration to speed up colonization of outer space?
Earth is dying anyway. Saving a few sharks here and a few stingrays there may only delay Earth’s death by maybe a couple of years? The polar ice caps are melting, the ozone layer is depleting, countries are facing nuclear annihilation, etc.
ACRES and all animal activists are barking up the wrong tree.
Support space exploration!
Correct me if I am wrong,
Wasn’t the campaign against shark fin soup saying that sharks are a keystone to the whole ecosystem in the sea?
The sharks are the ones who will catch and eat the old and sick animals, which will prevent other animals which could get sick? For example, catching and eating a sick turtle with a contagious disease to other mammals will stop this disease passing?
Not because sharks are endangered, although this too is a valid point, if they are not endangered the time it takes for them to breed is much more than the time it takes a baot to catch and kill.
And I assume that everyone who has commented here about the fish etc who suffer are vegetarians? If so, and you recognise that these animals suffer and you still eat them?! Wow.
yes we still eat them, fully aware and fully admitting that they die for us, sometimes very painfully. but as omnivores, we have to eat to survive, just like carnivores kill their prey. why not choose to be vegans? cos we’re born omnivores! humans have all along been that way – why go against nature? to take it further, if all humans become vegans, the ecosystem will also be in chaos!
Anon: Why should we support space exploration, when we cant even support more than half of world’s population with decent food, water and sanitation? so we can screw up another planet’s resources also, when we cant even protect an existing wonderful planet full of resources?
Bob: I am a vegetarian since birth, In my view, apart from the conservation point, all animals deserve a right to live and they should not be treated so cruelly.
Keystone species refer to species whose extinction will eventually lead to collapse of an ecosystem, that does not mean that sick animals will be eaten as well. In fact, predators do not consume sick prey, they choose healthy animals.
I guess the animal advocates chose Sharks because they are wild animals, who are cruelly slaughtered for delicacy, and they also run campaigns for the millions of farm animals who suffer endlessly in factory farms, and used for everyday food and even snacks!!!!
Anon: Although there is evidence we we were once omnivores doesn’t mean that we have to still be omnivores now. i am a vegetarian, and am healthy. Just because we used to do or be something doesn’t mean we still have to do it!
Why go against nature? when you get ick do you not take medicine? Do you walk everywhere of drive/take the bus? This is all against nature. We, as a species, have changed, so why not diet?!
People used to burn ‘withces’ because they kept cats and were a little ‘strnage’ compared to the rest of society. We don’t do that now do we! See we can change…
Armadillo, my question about being vegetarian was to those who are complaining that the protest was about sharks only, and not all animals. They are the hypocrites, congratualtions on being a vegetarian and well done!
My point about sharks taking out the weak and ill was to highlight that we can’t just look at the cruelty issue, but at the fact that the ecosystem needs sharks to keep going. It is a delicate balance.
Thanks Bob! Great you are a vegetarian too! Congratulations to you too…
Yes true (on the ecosystem).
Well said – response to Anon. Human race was using slavery, practicing discrimination, genocide (which is still going on in some parts of the world) which are all extremely inhumane and cruel, we did change dint we. Dont we shun people who discriminate? This compassion also extends to other life forms, that we share this world with.
Seeing the bulk of Singaporean responses here, i am in utter disgust. Sharks are vital to the ecosystem. On a smaller scale, It’s like removing the frogs in a pond community. On a business scale, it’s like removing the port authorities in trade. These sharks regulate the ocean ecosystem, and given the millions of Asians depend on it for tourism/food etc, it’s appalling that this is still going on…
@68 – I completely agree with jac.
I think its sad that many Singaporeans are either blind, or choose to remain naively nonchalant to impacts.
Love shark fins? Start “tasting” your food and you would come realise that the fins are almost tasteless. Lets face it. What ppl loved is merely soup stock mixed into a broth that you need to flavor with vinegar + pepper. Fins merely add texture to the soup. But how does the fins taste? All you get to taste is everything other than the fin itself.
The fins are left out to dry in the sun for weeks and treated with hydrogen peroxide before they end up on your dining table. Lets not even talk about the taste – There’s no nutritional value at all. If you have spare cash to pay a bomb for a bowl of taste-less, nutrition-less pepper + vinegar flavored soup, then maybe you would be keen to note that the fins come with the high mercury levels that would lead to the risk of infertility and brain damage.
http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/Product-SpecificInformation/Seafood/FoodbornePathogensContaminants/Methylmercury/ucm115644.htm
http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/fish/advice/
Sharks are top predators in the ocean, and their decline will crumble the ENTIRE ocean’s eco-system. The current massacre running of appx 100 MILLION sharks every year for the sake of their fins, is plain stupid and absolutely short-sighted. 1/3 of sharks population is endangered, and the current population left in the world is less than 10% of what it was just 15 years ago. If we do not kill pandas for food bcoz they are endangered, why then are Chinese so pro-sharkfins? Bcoz you are Chinese and have to follow your roots?
To add to all these, by supporting consumption of fins, you are directly supporting the cruel process of finning. If it does not bother you that sharks were finned alive and thrown into the ocean to die, you may also want to note that the long-line fishing to catch sharks also result in many deep ocean “by-catches” – endangered turtles, seals, etc were also caught and killed in the process.
Obediently following your grandparents’ fin-eating tradition is just a slit in your own throat – and this is as glaringly obvious as can be.
What good does it do to your health, your pockets, and the environment?
If you are still sneering, rest assured the last laugh will not be yours.
Wake up, people.
For those who wants to gain a little more insight, catch this movie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vog3z1NsMYU
I just have to say to all of those who are eating shark fin soup……..they never had an eye below the sea level and have seen what sensible environment it is…….therefore, I wish before you ever going to give any comment about marine life……have first a look whats going on below the oceans surface…… and dont even think to compare it with the land life…….. I guess you even are scared of the ocean to swim in it because deep in your self you feel that you did something wrong by eating SHARK FIN SOUP it create in your self a bad karma for the Nature it self and therefor you lost the contact to the reality.
Start Diving and see by your self whats going on…..if you have the guts!!!
i am a sharkfin soup drinker..if i go to weddin banquath..without sharkfin.. i give less
to me sharks eat human divers without a glanced or remorse..
they even bullied small fishes like leehsienhloong and famiLLEE bullied us…
~period~
My God. I think i just heard the dumbest, most uneducated comment from sharkfinmoneylender. Ever.
Sharks eat human? Where did you get that info from? From the movie Jaws, or Finding Nemo? Now chew on this and wake up:
MISCONCEPTION: Sharks eat humans.
TRUTH: Shark attacks are reported at 50 per year, of which, 90% results in superficial wounds. Every single day, we have people entering their homes, but deaths caused by sharks run at merely 5-10 deaths per year, GLOBALLY. If they really want to eat us, this figure would far exceed 5, bcoz we can never out-swim a shark. This figure pales in comparison to deaths caused by elephants, hippos… And in return, we kill 300 MILLION sharks a year for their fins.
The fear that we have for sharks is mainly media-influenced, just like how many people think hippos are cute, when they are actually deemed the most dangerous land mammal in Africa, killing more people than lions ever did.
Sharks are not what we think they are, and we have driven 1/3 of shark species to endangerment in the past 15 years. Being the top predators of the ocean, their decline will crumple the entire ocean’s eco-system. It is incredibly short-sighted, as oxygen on Earth is highly reliant on oxygen in water – we are bringing this day closer each time we allow the soup to be placed on our dining table.
Now before you spit your next brainless comment, sharkfinmoneylender, go gain a little more knowledge before throwing your dumbass face once more, and use your real name.
Correction to my previous post – just noticed my typo. meant to type 100 million, not 300. :)
With the exception of a few you, such as Jennifer Lee, Seashepherd and Jac etc, I think you are all simply brilliant! We have a lot to thank you for, for your contribution to this society as a whole – sharkfinmoneylender being the pick of the bunch – superb!
Let me explain that opening paragraph…..
I’m an expat that has now been living in Singapore for just over three years and continue to love every minute of it.
Before I came over, I was warned by many of my colleagues and friends that I should reconsider the move carefully as Singapore is boring and there are limitations to what you can do, such as chewing gum may lead you to getting hung, drawn and quartered! Phew – good job I don’t chew gum huh!
On the other hand, I was told how safe Singapore was, how clean the place is and how its so efficiently run with service being of highest level, as its included in all the bills, it must be!
A few of you may be smiling now as you have heard and read comments like this all the time and you know its purely stereotype and not completely based on fact.
Safe? Hmm, depends on where you live right? Clean? If you refer to the heavily frequented tourist areas, can’t argue with that. Efficient with high level of service being provided? Let’s save that for another forum shall we!
The thing is the whole sociological aspect of it all fascinates me to the point where I am getting a better understanding of the culture, attitude and behavioural aspects of the generically typical Singaporean.
I equate living in Singapore to something not too dissimilar to M Night Shyamalan’s The Village. In a safe and protected haven where red is bad (ang moh anyone?) and yellow is good. The majority of people do what they are told and abide by the rules, some may argue to the point of being like drones. They also tend to follow the masses, whereby just because someone says it is so, then it must be right. Just because everyone does it, it too must be right. And like The Village, customs of old must also be followed as again, it must be right.
Getting onto the subject of this particular forum, we see a lot of entries from such wonderful individuals who use reference points, such as some random individual’s blog or an entry in another forum. Is this fact that you are producing or just more hearsay?
I do believe that the integrity of your statements and arguments are stronger if you do away with any emotional comments or frivolous entries and focus on fact. This way, we are able to garner a more sensible discussion and thus the conclusion can best be made by the individual on their own accord and not dictated to them.
Take some time to delve into actual details on both sides of the coin and make judgements based on that. Don’t speculate or exaggerate for the benefit of making your entry more entertaining – it actually becomes counter productive. In fact, some entries would make me not eat shark fin simply because of the ludicracy that is being put down. As Seashepherd pointed out, get stuck in and see for self – why not literally submerge yourself in the glorious wet stuff that surrounds this tropical paradise you call home and open your eyes to the fact that it actually is a different world, and that world is awesome.
Yes, we can discuss about saving endangered species till the cows come home and the importance of the food chain and its devastating effect on the environment – in the long term. We can harbour on about the importance of cultivating traditional customs and respecting our elders. We can even discuss the merits of culinary delights and the importance of nutritional value.
But, there is one underlying fact about shark meat/fin – it contains the highest level of toxic mercury in any sea life (I don’t eat swordfish either by the way, as some smart alec’s may indicate its second on the list for its mercury content), which as you can imagine is not a good thing. Ingestion of mercury can lead to not only complications during pregnancy, but other side effects such as neuronal dysfunction.
You have a choice to eat healthily and safely and grow a backbone and stand up for what is fact and say no. In doing so, you will garner much more respect for your decision for you are doing so based on facts and not emotional attachment, superficial pride or ego to be an attention grabber or whatever other reasons people have accused those that choose not to pollute their brain with the consumption of shark products.
Or you can choose to follow the herd and do what everyone else is doing and basically eat something that is surprisingly tasteless and adds no nutritional value or wellbeing to your body and mind.
Yes, most people will push for the banning of finning for all the environmental reasons (without having to become vegetarian by the way), but if there is no demand, there is no longer a need for supply. As for black market supply, that won’t exist either if, I repeat, there is no demand – basic economic common sense there. You wouldn’t eat ‘Mad Cow Disease’ infected beef and you wont eat ‘Avian Flu’ infected poultry – so ask yourself why you are prepared to eat brain damaging Fin instead?
You may as well pour the contents of your thermometer into your soup whilst you are at it.
The people of exception I alluded to in the first paragraph exhibit signs of lateral thinking, creativity and forward thinking. They are not myopic or naive and it gives you the hope and faith that what Singapore needs to continue setting the benchmark as the forerunner of success, not just in Asia, but on the world stage.
However, for the rest of you, I salute you because like the most successful and effectively run communities in the animal planet – ant and termite colonies – we need drones to keep it running.
Without people like you, I probably wouldn’t have had the opportunity to come over here as the additional talent would not be required.
That is why you are brilliant and I think you are all superb!
Hmmm, maybe the mercury in the fins does have a positive effect after all……
[i]Sharks eat human? Where did you get that info from? From the movie Jaws, or Finding Nemo? Now chew on this and wake up:[/i]
wah your sharks vegetarian har?
wake up? seen jaws? neigh.. seen jaw1 jaws 2 jaws 3 and geylarg ahlong san ver 1.1b…
whoops forgot to tell ms jennifer the splinter that i am also contraDICK/contradicks as well
i hav many names..some called me handsome..some called me humsap..some even called me master yoda when i do no yoga…
i am incredibly amused by contraDICK or sharkfinmoneylender, whoever the hell he is, and i have to laugh terribly hard at his postings. if he ever attended primary school – his english teacher ought to be sacked, seriously! wrong vocab, wrong grammer, yet so much unrelated comments.
contraKnob or wannabetoughmoneylending weirdo – keep up the good work.
You prove my point entirely.
But please do us a favour and always practise safe sex (although I doubt any lass would be happy to participate with someone as braindead as yourself), as its vital that your DNA stays with you and thus will no longer be part of the future gene pool. Keep on trucking!
RE GIAM CHOO HOO’S ARTICLE IN 2006.
I was looking thro past comments listed by Xiao Meng and Sedap previously – the numerous hyperlinks provided all goes back to the same article (ONE only).
I think it is unfortunate that warnings from the entire globe including established and credible organizations are all swept off the carpet with just one article (posted 2006) by Giam Choo Hoo, only because he is a member of Cites and a member of the Royal college of veterinary surgeons, England.
What is one man’s words against so many others in the world?
If we could take a step back to recheck credibility, Mr Giam seemed to have managed to completely mislead Singaporeans (just by the pure mention that he is a CITES member) by painting a completely one-sided picture after the CITES meeting in 2006. The 2006 CITES meeting was also attended by a no of other wildlife organizations in SG and they would readily paint a different picture for you.
Mr Giam suggested that our fins come as by-products from European nations, but he seem to have missed out mentioning the bulk of taiwanese fleets and other illegal long liners roaming Australia, Africa and America – out to get ONLY fins. He seemed to have also forgotten to mention ecological impacts with DECLINE of an apex predator, not necessary the extinction.
You should have seen the amount of criticisms that Dr Giam underwent after his 2006.
It is sad how he successfully masked facts from a bunch of you, and bcoz his one same article got reposted on so many blog sites (all referring to the same article), he misled people into thinking its right to consume fins.
Think again – dont lay conclusions based on just one article.
JLo – thanks for bringing up the topic re high mercury levels in sharks.
To add on – consumption of fishes high in methylmercury not only affect brain functions and nervous systems, but also causes low sperm count in men, reproductive system in females, blood pressure irregulations, and the greatest effects of mercury will go to fetal development during pregnancy.
Exposure to mercury can be hazardous, especially for pregnant women and young children. During the first several years of life, a child’s brain is still developing and rapidly absorbing nutrients. Prenatal and infant mercury exposure can cause mental retardation, cerebral palsy, deafness and blindness. Even in low doses, mercury may affect a child’s development, delaying walking and talking, shortening attention span and causing learning disabilities.
As mercury bioconcentrades, sharks being apex predators, contain one of the highest mercury levels, and mercury is evenly distributed in its body – flesh, cartilages, fins alike.
http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/Product-SpecificInformation/Seafood/FoodbornePathogensContaminants/Methylmercury/ucm115644.htm
http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/fish/advice/
kudos for the attempt to raise awareness over these often ignored, larger picture issues.
if the comments are to go by, much of Singapore is still sadly stuck in the “me me now” mentality.Who cares what happens outside my personal immediate gratification? why change unless it becomes expensive not to? Who cares as long as I personally am not suffering!
Worthwhile cause? Yes! How long to change rigid self-serving minds? Centuries?
[i]It is sad how he successfully masked facts from a bunch of you, and bcoz his one same article got reposted on so many blog sites (all referring to the same article), he misled people into thinking its right to consume fins.
Think again – dont lay conclusions based on just one article.[/i]
can the hindus tell you not to eat beef just because they prayed to the cow?
and what would your answer be?
ok?
and when the muslim command you not to eat pork simply because your charsiew fun is tastier than their ikanbilis nasi laumaks?
ok again?
you and YOUR bloomin selfish crusade here..when the world ends.. even if its a dead human carcass you would have used a carvin knife to get your portion…
and if you ever think i am jokin or pullin your splinter repulsa lon hair…
you are dead dead wron!!!
the north korean @ 1 time was eatin dead people bodies whn their food chain ran out simply because the north koreans was sufferrin from famine..the act of GOD to the extends of north koreans peasants dared not buried their DEADs….
[i]although I doubt any lass would be happy to participate with someone as braindead as yourself[/i]
asked your sister..i guranteed she will asked for more…unless you want to says she for you to use only…
Why must these Westerners tell us Easterners what we should kill and eat?
After all how often do we consume sharks’ fins? Only during wedding and birthday celebrations perhaps. Do we tell them not to slaughter their turkeys for thanksgiving
and Christmas? After all, turkeys are rare birds in these part of the planet.
Every year we harvest tons and tons of other fishes from the sea, and did they make any
noise?
I suggest all these self-righteous people go take a hide and preach their messages back
to their compatriots.
to this John Tan,
you have no clue about anything man……. your comment is so weak and shallow……it makes me laugh big time!
Thanks to the English you in Singapore learned about having education and a proper civilization (in historical terms), then your comment about how often do Asian People consume Shark Fin Soup…..may may may…. did you think about that you have a population of over 1Billion People?? probably not, cause if you did you could calculate that the western hemisphere together reaches this amount of population…..and then if you calculate each of this 1 Billion people consume rarely Shark Fin Soup….. you will still get a huge amount of kilo Shark Fins that needs to be supplied. Do you get it what we are talking about or not? if not, go back to school and learn a bit more for being ready to give a proper comment!!
I have to express my deepest sympathies to our STAR of the year – gutless, nameless sharkfinmoneylender, who is more than happy to flaunt his ability to stay home the entire Sunday, sitting in front of the PC, waiting for people to shower attention to him, and feeling obviously pathetic about what a mockery he made of himself here.
Here we have! A guy, frantically hammering away at his keyboard thinking damn hard what he can write here to feel somewhat better about himself (i hope). Someone who cant wait to tell the world that he can pay $7.5k at one shot (despite graduating from Cambridge?), and that he fucked 10 brit lasses? As in after paying them for it?
If typing all these junk here is a fantastic way for you to vent frustrations due to your bruised ego, you are a sad, sad soul because you have absolutely no idea how desperate and pathetic you actually sounded, and you have no idea how much laughters you are bringing to those tuning in to all your irrational blabbers.
FYI – i dont know about JLO or Jennifer or seashepherd but im a Singaporean. And I feel completely disgusted having anything associated with Singaporeans like you. (Or are you even local?)
And oh, forgot to congratulate you for being able to buy 55 LCDs and pay $7.5 cash on delivery. This has got to be a HUMONGOUS sum to you, because you’ve gotta be SUPER proud of this sum of money otherwise, you wont have made such tremendous efforts to put it out loud like this. I have to say that I am incredibly impressed! that you are so capable of forking out what is less than 1 month of my earnings.
Where’s your shop (if any)? I’d love to visit. hope you can sell them all while the warranty runs.
Tee Kay: Agreed, and that’s what made conservation efforts in SG an up-mountain task, seeing the type of response garnered here. Shame, I have to say, and at its most glaring.
I wonder why John commented that farmed turkeys are rare birds – do we take them from the wild such that we impact the food chains?
As for your question on how often do we consume shark fin- we are killing sharks (taken from the wild, hence directly impacting ecosystem) at 100 million a year. Sharks take 7-25 years to reach maturity and at the rate we are killing them, their population will not be able to recover.
We have reduced sharks populations by 90-99% in the past 10-15 years – I have no expertise in wild turkeys but you may like to provide the statistics and we can make a comparison. The impact of sharks’ decline is not like any other fish. They are a keystone species and has the power of collapsing stability of entire ocean.
This is the message that ACRES was trying to push through in this article. Unfortunately, this forum has been steered completely out of scope.
Hi everyone,
The article is about sharks and sharksfin. It is not about whether Cambridge is in London or anything else. Good grief! How did this discussion turn into this?
Please keep to the topic and avoid insulting each other or making personal attacks and deviating from the topic. Else, we bring out the lock and key and close this thread.
Thank you – and no, Cambridge is not in London. ;)
Even sharks fin soup cannot get singaporeans out of their apathetic shell.
i admit i’m an illiterate when comes to environment and conservation issues.
can someone pls explain to me, an ignorant person, that if killing wild animals (sharks) for food is bad, but killing farm animals (cows, goats etc) is ok- why don’t we start farming sharks? will there be no objections if we do that? it is difficult change the preference of one billion people- isn’t it easier to solve it by providing a more enviromentally friendly avenue?
Dear RW
Thank you very much for posting a sensible and valid question to which I am actually surprised no one has yet asked before.
I will give my stab at answering it based the background of my agricultural degree that I am in possession of – please feel to correct me if I am wrong.
The genetic make up of cows, sheep, chickens and even goats that we consume today have evolved over time and genetic modification into what you now see in the fields and farms around the world. These animals were domesticated and then specifically bred and cross bred to satisfy the need and desire of the human’s insatiable appetite ever since man learnt how to hunt.
The nomadic tribes soon settled in areas where food and fresh water were in abundance and they too evolved into creating a fixed settlement and realised that if they kept such animals and bred them, they were able to sustain a living without having to wander the land and face potential conflict with other tribes or face any predatory animals that existed during that time.
Through advancing animal husbandry and improved nutritional additives to the diet of these ‘farmed’ animals, they became more productive and thus more economically viable to maintain. It also helps that they have a fairly short gestation period which enables the stock to be effectively maintained.
Depending on the size of your outfit, chickens can be kept in barns, small but free ranging pens/coops or just roaming your backyard. They are beneficial because they are not only a source of meat, but also provide your eggs that you have with your kaya and toast.
Sheep require more space and land for grazing and you need more than one field because you need to sustain the growth of the grass and ensure disease doesn’t build and fester in the same field – so you have a field rotation system where for a year, a field remains empty and is set aside.
However, the offset of this cost can be achieved via the production of wool and of course meat via lamb or mutton when they are older.
Cows are similar, just requiring larger fields, but they are great because they produce milk, meat and also leather from their hides (I apologise to any veggies and vegans out there if I am offending them, I am just stating the facts).
All of the above, if managed efficiently can be economically sustainable and thus farming makes sense.
Trust me, wild cows, chickens and sheep are a thing of the past – evolution has made that happen.
Let’s take a look at the shark. The gestation period of sharks vary from 2-3 years and up to 7 years before they produce any pups. They also need to be kept in free flowing tanks with plenty of room for them to swim (hence the cruelty factor that people have been posting about sharks not being able to breathe when they don’t have the constant flow of water flowing over and through their gills due to the removal of their fins).
The cost of maintaining such a large salt water tank facility would be sky high as the maintenance fees will be the crippling factor (and they have to be large because to be economically effective, you need to be ‘farming’ large finned sharks)
Add to this that we are referring to fin consumption as no other part of the shark appears to be a selling point for the market.
They are not known for their ability to cross breed and
So exactly where is the economical viability for farming such consumer demanded produce? This is why you dont see many if any shark farms in the world to sustain the billion people who demand it during banquet time and this is kind of the reason why you have so many passionate people rallying against fin consumption as its a finite industry – we are not and cannot make it sustainable.
You have to thank the power of marketing and word of mouth and then associate that with Asian traditions and materialistic pride to understand that people don’t view fin as a necessity in their diet, viewing it as a delicacy that must be cherished as it feels like elitism.
For arguments sake, lets assume the billion people wake up and realise the harmful effects of actually consuming fin as opposed to any beneficial value. You will still have a band of people who will remain dog eared fin eaters and you simply wont be able to change their ways (aside from a threat of death, but that’s not practical). They have no means of harvesting such produce themselves and therefore will happily pay through the nose for it.
The fishermen and the suppliers are all too aware of this and know that they can therefore charge whatever premium they want. Recognising this fact, there is no way that they would ever want this multi-billion dollar industry to go towards the way of farming, that would inevitably bring their market value down and thus affect their livelihood. Now behind every fisherman, there is a family that is dependant on him to maintain the roof over their heads and provide food on their tables –and I am OK with that.
Govts too are aware of this I may add, but if they were more environmentally inclined, then there is possibly a way for them to control the devastation of these wonderful creatures, and still fill their coffers up nicely. Quota control and taxation….but that’s another topic altogether. I hope my stab at answering the question as to why sharks aren’t being farmed as well was satisfactory enough.
Also, thanks to TheOnLineCitizen for finally recognising that this forum is to have these discussions and not for immature postings. Also good to see that you know your geography ;-P
I am wondering, how much all these facts, intellectual arguments, etc., all these dedicated efforts by ACRES and environmentalists worldwide have worked to reduce shark fins consumption, and by how many percent?
Will there be any survey or research carried out to find out the effectiveness of this campaign?
Thank you very much! :)
Hi Worrier, I dont thnk there’s any organizations doing any research on this subject at this point (at least not that I heard of so far), but comparing responses garnered toward such topics between now VS some years back, I have reasons to believe things shd have taken a somewhat better turn. Additionally, more and more people (esp of younger generations) are now informed of the importance of sharks and the impacts of allowing the shark-fin tradition to continue.
I’ve heard from a friend tt one of the (more prestigious) schools in SG has taken leading roles in ensuring their students are well-informed of such conservational issues and even gotten their students to work on anti-fin related projects. However, this is not part of the current curriculum in our education system.
If any of you in this loop works in the EDUCATION INDUSTRY, it may be time to consider heavier focus on conservation in our education system – not just the current save-water-save-electricity type but also move on to wildlife conservation. How many Singaporean grow up thinking tigers are found in Africa, and how many would actually call a donkey, a horse? You’d be unpleasantly amazed.
Seeing the nonchalence and ignorance of many SGeans, something is definitely lacking.
While many are still living lives entrapped in their fins-means-face-conservation-means-nothing mindset, focus can be placed on our future generation, and this does not come miraculously.
This support should come from our govt (through ACTION & not lip service), bcoz a country shd not be relying 100% on ppl like ACRES to run (seemingly almost) the “entire show”.
Meanwhile, this is one of the most amazing documentary you’d ever watch – SHARKWATER. This movie will straighten all your perceptions, and may even change your life – bcoz this is what it did to me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vog3z1NsMYU
Buy the DVD if you like the show, and share this with all your friends.
I will not discount the “immature” postings, because they are people who will continue to consume shark fins soup, also, don’t forget: “buddha-jump-over-the-wall” delicacy that contains all the seafood “goodies” including shark fins. “Buddha-jump-over-the-wall”, I think this one is even more attractive if made affordable. Anyway, my concern is, how to convince them? You may win in arguments with all the valid facts etc., but you will still not be able to win them over to be on your side by “smashing” their ego in this manner (the question of whether they deserve ego smashing or not is another issue). I am just concerned that such attacks will only make them distant themselves further making them feel more sure that the attackers are being self-righteous snob, hypocrites etc., and will insist on using other irrelevant points to justify themselves, like:”I have the right to decide what to do with my hard-earned money. When I am struggling there is no mercy, why should there be more mercy towards other animals when there are so many suffering humans that are not granted with mercy?” etc. etc., human rights suddenly brought up against animal rights…. Whoever says that humans are always rational? Sometimes it’s the more personal emotional ways that will win them over, don’t you think so?
Hmmmm… human rights vs. animal rights… any takers?
What if sharks are captured both for their fins as well as their meat ? Isn’t it the same as fishing other fishes ?
Is shark an endangered species ? If so, then the campign should be “No to shark fishing”rather than no to eating shark’s fins”.. is it not ?
can someone explain ?
I also need a simple way to convince the older generation, for example, my grandparents. Going the food chain way and how important the ocean ecology is and how important shark is will only invite blank stare. “Our times are up, we are dying, and all we ask of is this bowl of soup that we can only afford to dream when we are your age. Raising you up so hard all our life, and all you did is to come up with all these excuses. Why not just cut the crap and say that you are not willing to spend? You unfilial ungrateful……”
I definitely don’t want to risk my beloved family relation because of sharks. Help!
@worrier
That’s quite tough. I’m sure a bit infuriating too. But it should be clear to them that times have changed. They themselves should know this isn’t the same world they lived in when they were young. The environment’s been ruined because of selfish short-sightedness–their great grand kids will possibly live in a world without sharks and safe (mercury-free) seafood. But I’m told it’s rude to argue logic with seniors. At most order a couple of small bowls while everyone eats something else. If they still want to be drama about it, say you’ll pray for them and their health. Shark is a predator high on the food chain–if you do your food/health research, it means it’s super high in toxins, and probably carcinogens too.
Another question, in these times when unemployment is threatening many, I suppose, shark fins consumption will reduce already, yes? no?
Anyway, seriously, for a person who only takes shark fins soup once a year or once in two years during wedding banquet, he/she will really frown like crazy when we keep advocating: “don’t eat shark fins soup ok? For life!” Even the person is happily convinced and say, ok, then go to the wedding banquet, the whole table eat up his/her share of shark fins soup, and the person will be left wondering, in what way have I made a difference??? I am feeling so so awkward in here! The rest of the people tell me this fact and it makes sense: the fish is killed already served in front of you. You don’t want to eat it also, it’s dead.
I think one point wasn’t addressed, if it’s true: why is restaurant charging more when we ask for no shark fins soup to be served for our wedding banquet? Restaurants are forcing consumers to take shark fins soup? What is going on?
I am also interested to know if the whole shark fins business collapse (banned maybe), what will be the job replacement for the shark-fins fishermen. How’s the economy of fisheries or other industry be affected?
PS: I have refused shark fins soup many years ago, but, I need to know how to resolve all these irony. I went to corporate functions, everyone else happily took over my share of shark fins soup. The rest of the people are feeling so happy that they got this dish for chinese new year lunch treated by their boss: “Good Generous Boss, finally doing us some justice!” And they happily and proudly introduce to the foreigners that this is a special dish special delicacy created by Chinese for the emporer. Only Emporer last time get to taste it!
That time, there was no campaign for sharks. But I imagine now if the same scenario, when the foreigners just refuse: “No, it’s cruel to the sharks.” Oh, so now you foreigners are accusing us Chinese as being cruel is it? Huh! I fear this kind of sentiments will arise and cause more rebel. Especially nowadays there are much dissent towards foreign worker issues. When I chanced upon ACRES roadshow last year, I notice in a few minutes of observation, most chinese people look at the title, immediately turn away from the booth, some don’t even bother because they can’t or don’t want to read something that’s not written in Chinese, those who took interest are mainly foreign executives, happily smashing away bowls and pledge support of no shark fins. (I wonder how many people feel unhappy to see the bowls being smashed, I went to donate and pledge support but I told them I refuse to smash the bowls. I feel these bowls were being treated with disrespect.) Those few minutes of observation were done during lunch time for the working people. I wonder as an overall, how many percentage of those ACRES managed to attract constitute of the right audience.
Back to the dining scene, while insisting politely my wish not to take the shark fins soup, I did fear being looked at as self-righteous self-think-altruistic snob that time: the fact that I chose not to eat sharks means I am more compassionate than the rest of you, I really feared people look or think of me that way, or even for being a hypocrite when I continue to consume and enjoy other dishes of meat. Only people who were forgiven are the vegetarians. Even then, I really can feel a bit of the awkwardness, especially in front of the vegetarians, when others go on to engage happily in discussing how delicious the food is (shark fins soup or other meat dishes), it’s like those who enjoy the food also start to feel disturbed as soon as they exhibit their passion for their food, and very soon changed topic and just quietly eating away. The whole happy atmosphere was not fluid when it’s suppose to be a very homecoming feeling to be immersed in such social networking eating culture of our Chinese tradition and custom. It is suppose to be something that bond all of us together to celebrate Chinese New Year.
Maybe there should be separate table for those who choose not to consume shark-fin soups or meat, to really make a difference, then again, this again creates separateness… those who consume meat might sarcastically think this way even if they don’t say it: those are altruistic holy people, different from our kind! We finally can be left in peace to party! Perhaps I shouldn’t be worried about that, right? Let people think what they like as long as we do what we deem as the right thing?
There’s so much dilemma. Help!
Thanks JC, I think using health hazard is a better shot. :))))) I think they probably understand also that mercury is very poisoning. Hmmm… silly me! :) Why didn’t I think of that earlier?
Talking about health hazard, hmmm…. maybe there should be more research done to see if there are poisonous chemicals released when animals are under stress or cruelty when killed. This is one of the points driven by vegetarians all these while, just that, I am not so sure, because they seem to come mostly from the Taiwan side. Taiwan sometimes like to sensationalize things, so, I hope to see more research done on this to be conclusive.
Great forum! :) Because of sharks, I also learned of theonlinecitizen and then directed to temasek review, both of which highlight a lot of very interesting socio-political issues and discussions. Cool!
Moderating Editor: Thank you for the compliment and we are glad to have you contributing to the discussion as well!