On Tuesday, September 23, 2003 5:33 AM, Mika wrote:

> Strike said:
> >It's now approaching 500,000 square kilometres and has rigid
> controls in place to protect all of the marine species - unlike, for
> example, the Maldives, (included in the TOP 10 ECO DIVING destinations)
> where shark finning is still carried on!!!! <

> Are you sure about this? Wasn't there a recent announcement that the
> Maldives had banned all shark fishing, let alone finning?

Banning it and stopping it are two different things!  Judging by a photo
that I was shown fairly recently, instead of just slicing the fins off and
throwing the still living carcass back into the water, the fishermen now
weight them by tying rocks around the sharks body so that they sink out of
sight to the sea-floor.  (The fishermen are, it seems to me, not at fault!
They're simply trying to make a living by catering to supply and demand.
Hence my support for the campaign, "Say NO to Shark Fin soup!"  - and other
dishes like, "Seahorse Wellness Soup", that the restaurant in the Singapore
Aquarium  was serving up to diners during Marine Awareness week!)

Strike