>>151655> > the envirokook lies that Western hunters are somehow responsible> > for the loss of wilderness areas and extinction of wildlife,> well they certainly used to be, but thats pretty much done and over since the colonial daysExcept you've got it ass-backwards; wildlife flourished during the colonial period,
as the colonial powers encouraged conservation of wildlife and wilderness areas.
It was only with the independence of the former African colonies, that all these
species were faced with loss of habitat and ultimately, extinction.
"(March 23, 2010) -- In China, shark's fin soup is a culinary delicacy whose popularity
causes the death of tens of millions of sharks each year. And the soup won't be removed
from menus anytime soon.
U.N. delegates at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild
Fauna and Flora, meeting in Qatar on Tuesday, were not able to muster enough votes
to regulate the trade of several species of sharks, The New York Times reported.
Shark finning, as it is known, consists of catching a shark, hacking off its dorsal fin, and
then tossing the animal back into the water. Without that fin, the sharks cannot swim.
They end up on the bottom of the sea, where they drown or are consumed by other fish.
The fins themselves are made of cartilage and have little taste. "Shark's fin soup is often
served at weddings and big events," said Sutton. "It's a delicacy, like caviar."
U.S. law forbids fishing vessels in American waters from removing a shark's fin and dumping
the carcass back in the sea. The European Union banned shark finning in 2009."
