October round up

By Serina Rahman

It's the last quarter of 2008 and the shark campaign is trundling along. There have been interesting responses in the main press to proponents of shark's fin soup, some of which we have replicated here. Click on the Fins – Best on Sharks link under "In this blog..." to read more, including one from the IUCN Shark Specialist Group, Southeast Asian Region.

Thank you for your support and pledges thus far but we need more - it's easy to do - and the response that we've received so far indicates that a lot of companies have already made it an informal policy to not serve shark's fin soup, they just have not had any need to put it in writing... until now. So, let your voice be heard - send us your pledge, it will make a difference to this campaign.

All you need to do is to state on company letterhead that "(your company name) pledges not to serve shark's fin soup at any of our company dinners, functions or events." Have it signed and chopped and then fax it to Serina (MNS Marine SIG, Selangor Branch) at +603-22878773.

In return, we'll send you a certificate and a note of thanks and we will publicise your commitment in 2008. (Do include a contact name and address so that we can send these to you!) For once, we're not asking you for money, we're asking you to commit to NOT spending money... on shark fins!!

On a happier note, our shark fin wedding cards have gone to print. If you're getting married and would like to buy some of these cards to place on your dining tables - we are selling them at cost. These simple but elegant cards are in both English and Mandarin and politely explain why you are choosing to not serve shark's fin soup at your wedding. For more information or to place orders, simply get in touch with Serina at serina_mola@yahoo.com.