New law
A group of Pacific islands has become the first U.S. overseas territory to close the doors on shark finning. Tiny Saipan island – the administrative capital of 15 islands that make up the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands – has passed a new law banning the possession, sale and distribution of shark fins in its waters. The new green prohibition follows Hawaii, which last year became the first U.S. state to outlaw trade in the animal’s fins. Saipan is best known in Britain for its part in the Pacific conflicts of World War II, when Japanese troops fought pitched battles against U.S. marines who eventually won the territory for America.
Local conservation efforts
Now the island is the centre of a new fight – but this time with eco-warriors combating an industry that has heavily linked with the devastating onslaught on shark populations in the world’s oceans. Filmmaker and marine conservation campaigner Shawn Heinrichs, from Colorado, was at the centre of the crusade led by islanders, which included local school children. Heinrichs and fellow conservationist film maker Rob Stewart (the man behind the documentary Sharkwater), 31, from Canada, were contacted by sixth grade children from the island pleading that they help stop sharks from being killed in the area. “We had no choice. Who could say no to to these passionate kids who had decided to take control of their future and make a real difference for the people and environment of their islands? The business of shark finning is systematically wiping out shark populations around the world. The rapid expansion of the middle class in China, coupled with heavy promotion by the shark fin trade, has lead to an explosion in demand for shark fin soup in the past three decades. Shark populations cannot withstand this onslaught and as a result, many shark populations have been reduced by over 90 per cent. If things do not change soon, the future of many sharks species and the health of the ocean ecosystems they keep in balance, are in serious trouble.”
Source: The Daily Mail
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