The Anti-Shark Fin Soap is made of seaweed and sea salt. It is marked with a paper fin on top to highlight the animal’s most distinct feature.
Approximately 70-100 million sharks are killed each year for their meat, oil, cartilage, and fins. Shark fishing is a lucrative industry, fueled by the high demand for shark’s fin soup in many countries. Populations of many shark species have fallen by over 90%. It is unknown to many that sharks, as the apex of the marine ecosystem, have among the highest levels of toxic mercury found in fish. This can cause male sterility and extensive damage to the nervous system and fetuses.
In addition to its potential health hazards, the high consumption of shark’s fin soup and shark meat has alarming implications to the environment. As the top predators of the sea, sharks play an important role in regulating all the species in the marine ecosystem. The loss of sharks can cause the entire marine ecosystem and biodiversity to collapse.
Shark fishing is being done in coastal areas in the Philippines. The only shark species protected by national law is the whale shark, or butanding.
SPS and LUSH are gathering an ideal set of champions to make a stand for marine conservation and against the shark finning and fishing industry. SPS invites public participation in this campaign by holding a photo shoot on the day of the launch, October 15, 2012 from 10AM-7PM at the Shangri-La branch of LUSH.
The pictorial will be conducted by SPS. All photos will be digitally edited to have a unifying design. The tagline for this campaign is, “Sharks are friends, not food.”
Supporters are also encouraged to write letters to leaders using the “Sharks are friends, not food” postcards.
