Sharks piled high, rows of fins: Photos reveal breadth of killings in Taiwan

I don't think I can talk about this at the moment.

Sharks piled high, rows of fins: Photos reveal breadth of killings in Taiwan

By Juliet Eilperin
10/19/2011

Documenting the extent to which Taiwan is scouring the seas for sharks, the Pew Environment Group released a series of images Wednesday that capture that nation’s impact on global fisheries.

Shark fishing boats in Taiwan. ( Shawn Heinrichs for the Pew Environment Group) A series of photos and accompanying video suggest that Tawain, which reports the fourth-largest shark catch in the world, is an even greater player in the international shark trade than previously thought. The images capture imperiled shark species, such as scalloped hammerhead and oceanic whitetip, being prepared to be sold.

“These images present a snapshot of the immense scale of shark-fishing operations and show the devastation resulting from the lack of science-based management of sharks,“ said Matt Rand, director of global shark conservation at the Pew Environment Group. “Unfortunately, since there are no limits on the number of these animals that can be killed in the open ocean, this activity can continue unabated.” Scientists estimate the global shark fin trade kills between 26 million and 73 million sharks a year. Sharks have become an increasingly priority for enviornmentalists because of the rising prices of shark fins. California recently banned shark fin soup to curb the trade and a number of countries have created shark sancturaries to protect the animals from overfishing. Those measures have not stopped the trade. In Colombia, this week, the Guardian reports that divers discovered a huge shark massacre in a shark sanctuary of the cost of an islaned called Malpelo.

Taiwanese officials, contacted in Washington, emphasized that the catch Pew documented complied with both Taiwanese and international law. Only three shark species — whale, basking and white sharks — have international trade protections, and there are no global limits on shark fishing.

Grace Lin, deputy director of the economic division at the Taiwan Economic and Cultural Representative Office, said her country has a national action plan for sharks in place and is working to protect whale sharks, which swim in Taiwan’s waters. She added that as of Jan. 1 vessels will have to land sharks with fins attached, a move aimed at curbing the fin trade.

“We are aware of this,” Lin said of the massive shark trade in her nation.

Shark fins at a processing warehouse in Taiwan.

The U.S.-based environmental Pew Environment Group expressed concern over new photos that seem to show the killing of large numbers of "biologically vulnerable" sharks by fishermen in Taiwan

Shark fins

The remains of sharks after their fins have been removed.

A shark processing plant in Taiwan. (Shawn Heinrichs for the Pew Environment Group) WaPo

Shark Massacre Reported in Colombian Waters

It really is time countries stopped fucking about with these bastards. Gun boats in and sink the fuckers. Forget arresting them, forget international law, because that ain't worth a goddamn, you only have to ask NATO that. Forget the mister nice guy, sink the fuckers.

And let us not forget the root cause of all this, the fucking chinks and all the other slitty-eyed fuckers who indulge in this shit. Fucking twats!

Shark massacre reported in Colombian waters

Environmental authorities say up to 2,000 hammerhead, Galápagos and whale sharks were slaughtered for their fins
Sibylla Brodzinsky in Bogota
19 October 2011

Colombian environmental authorities have reported a huge shark massacre in the Malpelo wildlife sanctuary in Colombia's Pacific waters, where as many as 2,000 hammerhead, Galápagos and whale sharks may have been slaughtered for their fins.

Sandra Bessudo, the Colombian president's top adviser on environmental issues, said a team of divers who were studying sharks in the region reported the mass killing in the waters surrounding the rock-island known as Malpelo, some 500 kilometres from the mainland.

"I received a report, which is really unbelievable, from one of the divers who came from Russia to observe the large concentrations of sharks in Malpelo. They saw a large number of fishing trawlers entering the zone illegally," Bessudo said. The divers counted a total of 10 fishing boats, which all were flying the Costa Rican flag.

"When the divers dove, they started finding a large number of animals without their fins. They didn't see any alive," she said. One of the divers provided a video that shows the finless bodies of dead sharks on the ocean floor.

Calculating an average of 200 sharks per boat, "our estimates are that as many as 2,000 sharks may have been killed," Bessudo said.

The sanctuary covers 8,570 square kilometres of marine environment that provides a habitat for threatened marine species – in particular sharks. Divers have reported sightings of schools of more than 200 hammerhead sharks and as many as 1,000 silky sharks in the protected waters, one of the few areas in the world where sightings of short-nosed ragged-toothed shark, known locally as the "Malpelo monster," have been confirmed. In 2006 Unesco included the park on its list of World Heritage sites.

Bessudo, a marine biologist, has spent much of her career in Malpelo and fighting to preserve the unique marine environment there.

But the high concentration of sharks in Malpelo and the remoteness of the marine sanctuary draws illegal fishing boats from nearby nations which trap the sharks, strip them of their fins, and throw them back into the water. Shark fin soup, considered a delicacy of Chinese cuisine, can fetch £63 per bowl in a Hong Kong restaurant.

Colombia's navy sporadically patrols the waters and maintains a small outpost on the 1.2 square metre island, which is 36 hours from the nearest port. At the time of the reported shark finnings, however, no navy ships were nearby.

Once the report of the finnings were made public, the navy dispatched a ship to the area and on Sunday reported the seizure of an Ecuadorian fishing boat, caught with an illegal catch of 300kg, including sharks and other species.

At the same time, Colombia's foreign ministry took up the issue with the Costa Rican government, which vowed to co-operate to help stop the practice by ships registered under its flag.

In a communiqué, the Costa Rican foreign ministry said it "energetically condemns" the reported finning and said it would prosecute if the participation of Costa Rican flagged ships were involved. At least three of the ships were identified by their names: the Marco Antonio, the Jefferson and the Andy. Guardian

Research Me Feckin Arse Says Teddy

And other bits of information, not least, Sea Shepherds, git'nr done

Committee on Special Permit Research Whaling Interim Report

http://www.jfa.maff.go.jp/j/study/enyou/pdf/chukantorimatome.pdf

[The translation is not official.]

3. Research Mechanism and Financial Resources

The following opinions were given regarding the research mechanism and financial
resources of the whaling research program:

● The current system of allocating the profits from the sale of byproducts (whale meat) to cover the research costs is not working very well. This is because 1) catch volume has decreased in recent years because of obstruction by Sea Shepherd Conservation Society while 2) sales performance is poor because of the disparity between demand and the [designated] market price, which was originally determined based on the research cost.




● If the program is to be continued as a part of national strategy, the current system of covering the costs of research from the sales of by-products should be reviewed, and the whaling research program should be conducted with improved stability under the national budget.

● Considering the growth of domestic whale meat stocks and the current demand for whale meat, coastal whaling is sufficient to cover needs. There is no need to continue the whaling research program in the Antarctic, with its incumbent high costs and risks.

● The income and expenditure of the whaling research program is not sufficiently transparent due to the current system in which the Institute of Cetacean Research engages Kyodo Senpaku to sell the by-products, and Kyodo Senpaku buys the unsold products at the end of each term and puts them on the market. It would be preferable for Kyodo Senpaku to specialize in the chartering business while the sale of by-products is entrusted to some other party.

● Another very important issue is to delocalize and vitalize whale meat distribution and consumption by promoting its nutritional benefits and cooking methods.



4. Other

There were a couple of other opinions such as the following:

● The Antarctic research was cut short due to harassment by anti-whaling NGOs and the catch volume was well below target. As a result, the Institute of Cetacean Research and Kyodo Senpaku have suffered a great financial loss and urgently need government measures to compensate their losses from the current operation.

● Japanese small-type whaling businesses are having difficulty surviving. Rather than continue the Antarctic whaling program, it is more important to concentrate on coastal whaling, which is rooted in our whaling tradition and food culture, and to resume the commercial hunting of minke whales under small-type whaling.
(p11)



Ⅳ[IV] Summary

This interim report summarizes the discussions at five whaling research commission meetings for the purpose of hearing a variety of opinions on the stable conduct of whaling research. Many opinions were expressed at the meetings regarding the whaling research - a majority suggested we should “continue with a resolute attitude (toward the research)" while a minority proposed to "downsize or end the research because of global criticism and cost efficiency".

None of these opinions proposed to expose the research vessels or the lives and assets of the crew to danger. On the contrary, the assurance of safety in the execution of the survey was considered essential and a basic premise.

We hope that this interim report will be taken into consideration during the formulation of future whaling policy.

Translation
JWCS Volunteer staff: Rie Semba, Simon Varnam Source

Juan Jose Padilla My Heart Bleeds For You Not: Re-Up

Update: Re-upped to include video in living gory colour. I normally have a severe aversion to gore, but on this occasion I'm quite delighted to make an exception.

Big tip of the hat to video compiler and uploader, meanstreak1977

As you might well imagine, the comments section is dripping with sympathy.

That must have hurt, all those barbs in the back. Poor bull, at least he took half the matadors face with him.
face off!
Nice shoes
haha...awesome. take that you wanker

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I normally reserve my little saying: Isn't it nice, when the twats of this world get theirs? for fallen public figures. But I shall allow myself a little divergence today and say, in the case of Juan Jose Padilla, bullfighter, isn't it nice, when the twats of this world get theirs?

Shame the bull didn't poke your other eye out, you twat.

Juan Jose Padilla, Spain Bullfighter, Suffers Terrifying Face Goring
by Harold Heckle
Oct 8, 2011

MADRID -- A Spanish bullfighter is likely to suffer facial paralysis and lose the sight in one eye after a terrifying goring, the hospital treating him said Saturday.

Television images showed the moment when the bull's left horn ripped into Juan Jose Padilla's lower jaw to emerge beside his protruding eyeball as spectators in the northeastern city of Zaragoza screamed in horror.

Padilla is in a stable condition and recovering from a five-hour operation to repair his face, the statement from the Miguel Servet Hospital said.

It said Padilla, 39, suffered eye, bone, muscle and skin damage when the bull pinned him to the ground and gored him. Surgeons had not been able to repair a severed facial nerve.




TV footage also showed Padilla getting up from the ring, his face gushing blood, as the bull was distracted by bullring assistants.

"I can't see, I can't see anything," the matador shouted as he was rushed to emergency facilities at Zaragoza's Misericordia bullring before being driven to the hospital.

The bull, named Marques, weighed 508 kilograms (1,120 pounds) and was the second fighting beast Padilla had faced late Friday, during the second day of the annual Virgen del Pilar festivities in Zaragoza.

Surgeons used titanium plates and mesh to reconstruct parts of Padilla's facial bone structure and eye socket, doctors Simon Sanz and Nadal Cristobal said in a very detailed, signed statement.

Padilla was lucky the horn did not penetrate his brain, said Vicente Yesteras, one of Padilla's retinue of bullring helpers. huffpo

Previous: A Whale and Bull Story

Juan Jose Padilla My Heart Bleeds For You Not

I normally reserve my little saying: Isn't it nice, when the twats of this world get theirs? for fallen public figures. But I shall allow myself a little divergence today and say, in the case of Juan Jose Padilla, bullfighter, isn't it nice, when the twats of this world get theirs?

Shame the bull didn't poke your other eye out, you twat.

Juan Jose Padilla, Spain Bullfighter, Suffers Terrifying Face Goring
by Harold Heckle
Oct 8, 2011

MADRID -- A Spanish bullfighter is likely to suffer facial paralysis and lose the sight in one eye after a terrifying goring, the hospital treating him said Saturday.

Television images showed the moment when the bull's left horn ripped into Juan Jose Padilla's lower jaw to emerge beside his protruding eyeball as spectators in the northeastern city of Zaragoza screamed in horror.

Padilla is in a stable condition and recovering from a five-hour operation to repair his face, the statement from the Miguel Servet Hospital said.

It said Padilla, 39, suffered eye, bone, muscle and skin damage when the bull pinned him to the ground and gored him. Surgeons had not been able to repair a severed facial nerve.




TV footage also showed Padilla getting up from the ring, his face gushing blood, as the bull was distracted by bullring assistants.

"I can't see, I can't see anything," the matador shouted as he was rushed to emergency facilities at Zaragoza's Misericordia bullring before being driven to the hospital.

The bull, named Marques, weighed 508 kilograms (1,120 pounds) and was the second fighting beast Padilla had faced late Friday, during the second day of the annual Virgen del Pilar festivities in Zaragoza.

Surgeons used titanium plates and mesh to reconstruct parts of Padilla's facial bone structure and eye socket, doctors Simon Sanz and Nadal Cristobal said in a very detailed, signed statement.

Padilla was lucky the horn did not penetrate his brain, said Vicente Yesteras, one of Padilla's retinue of bullring helpers. huffpo

Previous: A Whale and Bull Story

New Zealand Attacks Japan's Decision to Resume Whaling

New Zealand attacks Japan's decision to resume whaling

New Zealand has condemned Japan's decision to resume whaling in Antarctic waters later this year.

The New Zealand government described the seas around Antarctica as its neighbourhood, and called Japan's whaling plans "entirely disrespectful".

Wellington also expressed concern at Japan's plans to increase security to protect its whaling fleet.

Last year Japan cut short its whaling season because of harassment from anti-whaling activists.

Japan's Fisheries Minister Michihiko Kano said on Tuesday that extra ships would escort the fleet to the Antarctic.

'Lives at risk'

There has been a ban on commercial whaling for 25 years, but Japan catches about 1,000 whales each year in what it says is a scientific research programme.

Critics say it is commercial whaling in another guise.

Objection - A country formally objects to the International Whaling Commission (IWC) moratorium, declaring itself exempt. Example: Norway
Scientific - A nation issues unilateral "scientific permits"; any IWC member can do this. Example: Japan
Indigenous (aka Aboriginal subsistence) - IWC grants permits to indigenous groups for subsistence food. Example: Alaskan Inupiat

Japan's fleet sails south to the Antarctic in the autumn each year, returning the following spring.

But last year it returned early, citing safety concerns, after confrontations with an anti-whaling activist group that had followed the fleet south.

The group, Sea Shepherd, has pledged to follow the fleet again this year and obstruct its hunt.

In the past there have been collisions between its vessels and the whaling fleet, and its activists have also boarded Japanese vessels.

There had been speculation that the activists' campaign, budget problems in the wake of the 11 March earthquake and tsunami, and new rules at sea might persuade Tokyo to stop whaling.

But Mr Kano said that this was not the case.

"Japan will conduct the research whaling while strengthening measures against acts of sabotage, including dispatching Fisheries Agency escort ships," he said.

New Zealand's Foreign Minister, Murray McCully, expressed alarm at recent statements from Sea Shepherd suggesting its vessels could use life-threatening tactics to stop whalers.

"The New Zealand government has consistently urged all parties to act responsibly during the whaling season, and to avoid actions that may put their lives, or the lives of others, at risk, " Mr McCully said. BBC

Paul Watson Talks to CNN on Japan's Proposed Return to Illegal Whaling

SeaShepherd.Org Rename Fleet

Why do I get the impression that The International Fund for Animal Welfare might be a tad more disposed towards this bear rather than this one?


Patience.

Japan urged to abandon outdated whaling policy
30 September 2011

LONDON, England -- The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) is disappointed but not surprised that Japan's whaling fleet is reportedly planning a return to Antarctica later this year to kill more whales for its dying market.

Following Japanese media reports today that whaling will continue with around US$27 million in additional government security budget to protect the fleet, Patrick Ramage, Director of IFAW's Global Whale Program, said: 'I'd bet this is whaling's last gasp. The industry is out of gas and crashing. This move is more about pride than profit, more about politics and prerogatives of the Japanese Fisheries Agency than it is about public support.'

IFAW opposes whaling because it is cruel and unnecessary; there is simply no humane way to kill a whale. Footage of Japanese whaling analysed by IFAW scientists has shown whales can take more than half an hour to die. Whaling is also uneconomic, whereas whale watching offers a humane and profitable alternative to the cruelty of whaling, generating around US$2.1 billion annually for coastal communities.

Ramage added: 'If true as reported, this decision doesn't change the basic facts: whaling is an economic loser that makes no more sense for post-tsunami Japan than it did before the tragedy. The government bureaucrats are throwing good money after bad to pursue whales in a sanctuary.

Patience I tell ye!

'Meanwhile, the good people of Japan have lost their yen for whale meat and coastal communities around the country are pursuing profits from whale watching. The future lies with them. That Japan will quit the Southern Ocean seems certain. But Tokyo will determine when and how they will retreat, not Canberra, Auckland or Washington.'

IFAW urges Japan to reconsider its decision to continue whaling in the pristine Southern Ocean Sanctuary, in defiance of global opposition and several international laws.

Despite the worldwide ban on commercial whaling, Japan hunts whales in Antarctica under the loophole of 'scientific whaling,' which in reality is commercial whaling by another name. There is no science in scientific whaling; in fact non-lethal research is providing us with all the data we need to unlock the secrets of these incredible mammals.

Last November, the Japanese fleet headed for Antarctica to train its harpoons on around 1,000 whales. However, under pressure from many fronts, Japan called an early halt to its whaling season and headed back to port having killed less than half of its self-allocated kill quota.

The Australian government has presented a case against Japanese whaling in the Southern Ocean to the International Court of Justice. IFAW calls on all governments to take the strongest diplomatic action possible against Japan and demand that it ends its whaling programme now. IFAW

''Many Fronts'' not very gracious of them is it?

Please support Sea Shepherd Org. Go on, send them a few quid, or become a regular donator. They'll even send you a t-shirt and some decals for your car, but that's nothing compared to the feel good factor you will carry around with you.





Previous:

Greenpeace: Money Well Spent?

Greenpeace. So What You Are Saying Effectively, Is, That You Are A Waste Of Fucking Time?

Oi! You Lot, Yes You Greenpeace, Will You Fucking Stop!

h/t Dive Spot