Propelling Congeries

Shark Fin Soup! I still cant believe this!

This was the most insane thing I have heard in the recent past. I was watching the TED prize wish video of Sylvia Earle and during that talk she shows some shocking photographs of how they cut the fins from the shark and throw them back into the sea.

When I read more about it in Wiki, this is what I found:
Shark fin soup (or shark’s fin soup) is a delicacy that has been a popular item of Chinese cuisine since the Ming Dynasty, usually served at special occasions such as weddings and banquets. As a luxury item, the dish is also considered a symbol of wealth and prestige in Chinese culture. According to wildlife conservationists, much of the trade in sharks’ fins is derived from fins cut from living sharks; this process is called finning. Because shark meat is worth much less, the finless and often still-living sharks are thrown back into the sea to make room on board the ship for more of the valuable fins. When returned to the ocean, the finless sharks, unable to move, either die from suffocation or are consumed by other sharks or animals.

I was totally saddened after reading about this. This is just one example of how humans have depleted the rich ocean’s life and environment.