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Petition: Ocean Crisis
A Plea to End the Cruel and Wasteful
Practice of Shark Finning
lla France Porcher
French Polynesia
ila@smartech.pf
Hello everyone,
An oceanic crisis has been precipitated by the massacre of sharks for shark fin
soup, a party dish in increasing demand in China and other Asian countries.
Shark finning is a barbaric practice in which the limbs are cut from the living
animal, and then it is tossed back to die slowly, writhing, as it sinks into the
crushing depths. Shark finning has only been in wide-spread practice since the
1980's yet has already resulted in a worldwide loss of sharks that has been
compared to the slaughter of the buffalo on the North American plains two
centuries ago. More and more shark species are being added to the list of
vulnerable and endangered species. The elimination of the top predator from all
oceans will ultimately be reflected in comparable ecological upheavals, and will
affect all people on earth, not just those who consume shark fin soup. I
therefore urge you to add your voice to the following petition, which will be
sent to the United Nations.
Please copy and paste the whole body of this message into a new e-mail before
you sign it and forward it on to as many people as possible. To do this,
highlight the entire e-mail, then go to the "edit" menu bar, and click on
"copy." Then open a new e-mail, go to "edit" again, and click on "paste." Then
sign it, address it, and send it. When it reaches 100 signatures, please send it
back to me at: ila@smartech.pf, so that I can send it on to the United Nations.
Here is the letter:
Dear Sir or Madam,
We, the undersigned, note that the cruel and wasteful practice of shark finning
is in contradiction of each of the following decrees of the United Nations'
World Charter for Nature:
"Aware that:
"(a) Mankind is a part of nature and life depends on the uninterrupted
functioning of natural systems which ensure the supply of energy and nutrients,
"Convinced that:
"(a) Every form of life is unique, warranting respect regardless of its worth to
man, and, to accord other organisms such recognition, man must be guided by a
moral code of action,
"(b) Man can alter nature and exhaust natural resources by his action or its
consequences and, therefore, must fully recognize the urgency of maintaining the
stability and quality of nature and of conserving natural resources,
"Persuaded that:
"(a) Lasting benefits from nature depend upon the maintenance of essential
ecological processes and life support systems, and upon the diversity of life
forms, which are jeopardized through excessive exploitation and habitat
destruction by man,
"Adopts, to these ends, the present World Charter for Nature, which proclaims
the following principles of conservation by which all human conduct affecting
nature is to be guided and judged.
"I. GENERAL PRINCIPLES
"1. Nature shall be respected and its essential processes shall not be impaired.
"2. The genetic viability on the earth shall not be compromised; the population
levels of all life forms, wild and domesticated, must be at least sufficient for
their survival, and to this end necessary habitat shall be safeguarded.
"II. FUNCTIONS
"10. Natural resources shall not be wasted, but used with a restraint
appropriate to the principles set forth in the present Charter, in accordance
with the following rules:
"(a) Living resources shall not be utilized in excess of their natural capacity
for regeneration;
"(c) Resources, including water, which are not consumed as they are used shall
be reused or recycled;
"11. Activities which might have an impact on nature shall be controlled, and
the best available technologies that minimize significant risks to nature or
other adverse effects shall be used; in particular:
"(a) Activities which are likely to cause irreversible damage to nature shall be
avoided;
"(b) Activities which are likely to pose a significant risk to nature shall be
preceded by an exhaustive examination; their proponents shall demonstrate that
expected benefits outweigh potential damage to nature, and where potential
adverse effects are not fully understood, the activities should not proceed;
"III. IMPLEMENTATION
"16. All planning shall include, among its essential elements, the formulation
of strategies for the conservation of nature, the establishment of inventories
of ecosystems and assessments of the effects on nature of proposed policies and
activities; all of these elements shall be disclosed to the public by
appropriate means in time to permit effective consultation and participation.
"21. States and, to the extent they are able, other public authorities,
international organizations, individuals, groups and corporations shall:
"(a) Co-operate in the task of conserving nature through common activities and
other relevant actions, including information exchange and consultations;
"(c) Implement the applicable international legal provisions for the
conservation of nature and the protection of the environment;
"(d) Ensure that activities within their jurisdictions or control do not cause
damage to the natural systems located within other States or in the areas beyond
the limits of national jurisdiction;
"(e) Safeguard and conserve nature in areas beyond national jurisdiction.
"23. All persons, in accordance with their national legislation, shall have the
opportunity to participate, individually or with others, in the formulation of
decisions of direct concern to their environment, and shall have access to means
of redress when their environment has suffered damage or degradation.
"24. Each person has a duty to act in accordance with the provisions of the
present Charter, acting individually, in association with others or through
participation in the political process, each person shall strive to ensure that
the objectives and requirements of the present Charter are met."
The practice of shark finning, to provide just one luxury dish, within one range
of cultures, is in flagrant contravention of all the above points. If there is
one practice which best symbolizes the wasteful, careless attitude of humanity
towards nature and living things it is this one. Most particularly, paragraph 23
has been denied to all local peoples who have lost their populations of sharks
to shark finning interests and left with no means of redress. Paragraph
Functions II.
11. (a) and (b) points out that the practice should have never begun.
We ask that you take the necessary measures to stop, unconditionally, this
wasteful and unsustainable practice which is rapidly driving so many species of
sharks towards extinction.
Signed:
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