Talk: Save our seahorses

Date: 3/3/07 Sat at Noon
Venue: MNS Auditorium, Jalan Kelantan
Fee: Free of charge, all is welcomed
Speaker: Choo Chee Kuang

Seahorses are elusive marine creatures seldom encountered by divers. But there is one place in Malaysia where you can see seahorses without having to get yourself wet. In the Pulai River Estuary at the southern Johor, there is a wide expanse of intertidal seagrass bed which nurtures a population of the Spotted Seahorse, Hippocampus kuda. A public volunteer program was initiated by Save Our Seahorses (SOS) to monitor the marine resources while creating some awareness. Find out more about seahorses, SOS and how you too can get involved. Attendance is FOC, all are welcome. For more enquiries or information, contact Khatijah at ija_02@yahoo.com

Here's how you can contribute

By Kerry Stansfield

We seek to promote awareness about the plight of the shark. We hope to reduce some of the human impact that is leading to the demise of many species of shark.

What YOU can do to contribute

Consumers of shark’s fin soup cannot know for sure whether by buying shark’s fin they are contributing to the extinction of shark species or whether the shark fin they are eating was taken from the shark while it was still alive. Thus we urge you to refrain from the consumption of shark’s fin and help us inform others:

1. Refuse the next bowl of shark’s fin soup offered to you and explain to your friends and family why you have decided to do so.

2. Commit your organization to NOT serving shark’s fin soup at company functions and events and send us your company’s pledge to NOT serve shark’s fin soup.

3. Give your colleagues, friends and family the opportunity to learn about sharks and the reality behind shark’s fin soup – ask us to present a talk on sharks and the reality behind shark’s fin soup at your workplace, community or club.

4. Get in touch with stories of how you chose to not serve shark’s fin soup at your wedding and how you overcame any repercussions of your decision.

5. Let us know how you convinced your company to stop serving shark’s fin soup at company dinners.

6. Send us recipes for alternatives to shark’s fin soup.

7. Sponsor the printing of wedding cards, shark merchandise such as pendants and T-shirts or publicity material to contribute to our goal of increasing awareness about the
shark and its plight.

To contribute, please contact Kerry at finsbestonsharks@yahoo.com.my.

New shark species to be discovered

By Kerry Stansfield
Photo by Graham Abbott

Currently there are approximately 373 described species of shark and around 400 species of ray, a close relative of the shark. Yet in the deep ocean and in more remote areas where few scientists have visited, new species are still being discovered.

Sadly, divers are unlikely to see a laternshark as they are deep-water species but they must be an amazing sight as they emit green light from the belly. A new species of lantenshark, Etmopterus burgessi was named and described by scientists of the Pacific Shark Research Center in California after four specimens were collected in deepwater trawls in the western North Pacific off Taiwan.

Lanternsharks are typically very small and have luminescent photophore organs - normally on the belly - that produce a bright green light. One species, E. perryi, may be the world’s smallest shark species, being fully-grown at around 15-20cm/6-8".

During an undersea survey of fauna off Indonesia’s Papua in an area known as the Bird’s Head Seascape, Conservation International, a US-based Conservation NGO, discovered a new species of epaulette shark that walks along the seabed on its pectoral fins! To see video of this shark please visit http://www.conservation.org. New species of fish, shrimp and coral were also discovered during the survey. The area is a hotbed of specification and a global priority for conservation due to its incredible biodiversity, unfortunately, it is threatened by fish bombing and cyanide fishing and there are plans to promote commercial fishing in the area due to depleted resources in current fishing zones.

New species are even being found in commercial catches. Biologist Juan Carlos Perez of Ensenada, Mexico recently discovered a new species of smooth hound shark while examining fishing trawler catch from the Gulf of California. The local fishermen are familiar with smooth hounds as they generally make up 80 percent of the day’s catch; it is possible that they had overlooked the new species in previous catches. The new species, Mustelus hacat, grows to one meter in length and lives at depths of more than 200 meters.

Obviously there is still much to learn about sharks. Unfortunately, while we are discovering new species, increased pressure on many shark species due to unregulated, unreported fishing practices is threatening many shark species. In addition, like many other species, sharks are also threatened by habitat destruction, pollution and climate change.

Due to limited available data on fishing intensities there are uncertainties with regard to the current conservation status of many species of shark. The World Conservation Union says 65 out of 373 known shark species are threatened. Much of the increased fishing pressure on sharks is attributed to the increased trade and consumption of shark’s fins. Given the scientific uncertainty about whether shark fishing and trade is sustainable, the precautionary approach to shark and shark fin consumption is the most appropriate.

Photo: This epaulette shark (Hemiscyillum freycineti ) uses its pectoral fins to 'walk' across the seafloor.

This article is the second in a series of shark-related content brought to you by the Marine SIG (Selangor Branch) as part of our Fins - Best on Sharks campaign.

Teaching English on Redang

By Kyle Petrozza

I only had 22 days on Pulau Redang and there was a lot to be done those Nov/Dec months of 2006. The class was populated by a mix of ages, genders and abilities but my regulars were mainly adolescents and about a dozen adults. A total of 121 people signed into the class at least once and attendance fluctuated between 30 to 70 students daily. All of the 50 vocabulary books I'd brought to the island had been given out but people were continually asking for more.

After a large turnout the first night, the students were divided into two classes, advanced and beginners and lessons were tailored for each class according to their abilities. Without tests or exams to gauge progress and the disparate abilities of the students, I found the best way to gauge both student improvement and teacher effectiveness was through the enthusiasm and the willingness of the students to speak (in English!) during class. The students were initially shy and didn't dare to speak out but games encouraged, if not demanded, that they spoke in English and to each other. This also allowed them to enjoy class and every good educator knows that with smiles comes learning.

During the first week of class I was grateful to have Roky, a well-respected Redang native fluent in English, translating to the class anything they did not understand as my Melayu was poor at best. It was clear I needed to learn Bahasa and the students did well in teaching me their language, all the while having to use English to do so.

I found that small group activities worked better than large ones and that the more fun that was had in class, the more students showed up. Tailoring each class to suit the needs of as many individuals as possible was by far the largest hurdle I faced. Each student brought a different level of ability to the table and future volunteers will need to find what works best for them in navigating these inconsistencies.

The people I lived with, taught and befriended are wonderful people who are eager to learn, especially given the ever present development on their island. I know I'll be back again sometime soon to visit my new friends and family and who knows, maybe to teach again.

Shark’s fin soup - to eat or not to eat?

By Serina Rahman

A number of Chinese restaurants and chefs have embraced the growing call to stop serving shark’s fin soup and have removed the item from their menus.

In Sabah , Assistant Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Karim Bujang was reported to have said that the government no longer serves shark's fin soup at official functions. Sabah ’s Anglers Association is said to have called for a ban on the serving of shark’s fin soup at all restaurants. A number of environmentally-aware hotel restaurants have also taken to suggesting fish maw and fish lips as a replacement for shark’s fin soup at wedding dinners.

This slow but gradually-growing pool of people who no longer see the need for ostentatious symbols of affluence is a source of encouragement for conservationists who would rather see the fin remain on the shark than in a bowl of chicken soup.

It is hard to convince everyone that there is a need to decline a bowl of shark’s fin soup however. There will always be those who unflinchingly argue for the need to retain tradition and culture and those in positions of influence who assert that there is no shame in eating the soup.

It is true that some environmentalists take things too far in their bid to convert the average man and that eco-terrorism is unnecessary and often harmful.

But the sad fact is that modern fishing practices are raping our seas much faster than they can be repopulated. In the case of sharks, their slow maturity and protracted reproductive cycle ensures that the speed at which they are being harvested – whether for meat or for just their fins – is a sure-fire recipe for their eventual extinction.

On top of that, there is the possibility that the shark fin that lines your bowl of chicken soup was retrieved in an incomparably cruel manner. Divers and anglers alike have often reported finless carcasses of sharks, the remains of those who had been hauled onto a fishing boat alive, finned (or in our terms – amputated) then tossed back into the sea – still alive – but left to drown or bleed to death.

If animal cruelty is not enough to make you put the spoon down then consider the scientific evidence found by health authorities in the UK, US, New Zealand, Thailand and even Hong Kong that show that the mercury content in large top predators such as the shark can be dangerous to humans, possibly leading to damaged nervous systems and even infertility.

There are many arguments against the consumption of shark’s fin soup: environmental, scientific or purely economical (not serving shark’s fin soup at a wedding saves the host about RM1000 per table), yet not everyone is convinced. We can only hope that it will not take the complete annihilation of this spectacular species to prove to the disbelievers that we should’ve all just said no to shark’s fin soup.

This article is the first in a series of shark-related content brought to you by the Marine SIG (Selangor Branch) as part of our Fins – Best on Sharks campaign.