Year of the Dragon: Amazing Agamids
from Lazy Lizard's Tales
120120 Kampong Chantek
from Singapore Nature
Skipper Day @ Mandai Park Connector
from Beauty of Fauna and Flora in Nature
Seagrass surprise on Cyrene!
from wild shores of singapore
golden orb web spider @ bukit brown - Jan2012
from sgbeachbum
Changeable Lizard
from Monday Morgue
Paul Fernandes Times of India 23 Jan 12;
PANAJI: Quicker heating up of the coastal belt due to the capacity of concretized stretches to soak up heat contributes to enhanced beach erosion as the winds and waves batter the coast harder, a scientist has stated.
Tourism and development activities have triggered rapid urbanization of the coastal belt and, though it may sound unusual, they are a major factor causing faster beach erosion. "The concrete buildings, such as hotels, bungalows and tarred surface of roads and parking areas heat up faster because of high heat capacity, causing a phenomenon called heat island," says Alvarinho J Luis, a scientist at the national centre for antarctic and ocean research (NCAOR).
Speaking at a recently-held state-level seminar 'Weather and climate change in Goa after liberation', organized by department of physics, St Xavier's college of arts, science & commerce, Mapusa, the scientist said the heated surface in the coastal belt pushes the air into the upper atmosphere (convection) causing a low surface pressure below as compared to the similar conditions in the atmosphere over the sea.
The scientist, who is working on a paper to be published shortly, has compared data collected over a decade. He has used satellite-based data related to wind speeds and numerical models pertaining to sea level pressure and studied the contrasts between land and sea.
"This gradient (over a large area) between sea and land enhances the winds toward the land and increases the wave height via momentum transfer (tangential push) to the water," he said.
The increase in wind speed observed by satellites over the sea off Goa during the last decade (since 2000) has been significant (0.23±0.7 m/s per decade (r2=0.64, significant at 95% confidence level) (Figure 1).
An NIO scientist agrees, "The wind is a powerful agent for transportation of sand and even dry soil. In some African countries, the sand particles suspended in the air even block the sunlight," he said.
In Goa, water resources department has initiated various measures including erecting gabion structures to prevent denudation of beaches, but not with much success.
Coastal erosion is a worldwide phenomenon and many major centres of beach tourism, including Goa are expected to lose shoreline stretches in the future. But it was hardly known that higher wind speeds are triggered by heating up of the coastal belt due to development and concretization.
"The increase in the wind speed is a result of decrease in the sea level pressure trend over land when compared with that over the sea off Goa," Luis said.
In his assessment of the higher trend over land, the Luis states that it is a result of urbanization of Goa in the coastal belts due to a high demand for infrastructure, hotels, bungalows and tar roads.
The soaring waves crash on the sandy beach and carry away sand to the littoral zone. "Littoral currents flow parallel to the beach while rip currents flow perpendicular to the beach contour and move material out into the sea, altering the beach morphology" Luis said.
Sand bars are formed due to deposition of sand in the navigational channel due to high sediment load in monsoon. "The Aguada sand bar formation off the Miramar beach during monsoon is a typical example," Luis said.
Keri in Pernem, Anjuna in Bardez, Campal in Tiswadi and Talpona in Canacona talukas are some stretches which are heavily eroded. "About 20 years we could easily walk from Campal to Miramar beach, but now it is eroded and it is more visible near the light house," Agnelo Pinto, a resident said.
The eroded beach becomes vulnerable to further sea incursions. "As the topographic gradient of the beach decreases towards the land, it becomes easy for the sea water to intrude landward, thereby damaging sand dune vegetation, man-made structures," Luis added.
Though the rise in sea level is also increasing the influx of sea water once the coastline is eroded, wind-driven erosion is likely to be more dangerous. "Compared to the slow sea level rise (less than 1mm per year along the west coast), wind contributes a large chunk of mechanical energy to waves which are effective mechanism for coastal erosion," he further said.
The sea level rise has a time scale of century, but the wind forcing has a time scale of few years to a decade, Luis added.
Increase in sea level is another factor that contributes to influx of more water once the coastal line is eroded. Compared to sea level rise (less than 1mm per year along the west coast), wind contributes a large chunk of mechanical energy to waves which are effective mechanism for coastal erosion. Note that sea level rise is a slow process (time scale of century), while wind forcing has a time scale of few years to decade.
Ruben Sario The Star 23 Jan 12;
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Wildlife officials are ushering in the year of the dragon by nursing an abandoned Borneo pygmy elephant calf rescued at a plantation in the east coast Lahad Datu district.
Describing the rescue as a Chinese New Year miracle, state Wildlife Department director Lauerentius Ambu said the several-weeks-old elephant was suffering from massive dehydration as well as numerous cuts and abrasions when it was pulled out from a moat yesterday.
“Our Wildlife Rescue Unit veterinarian and rangers managed to give it a massive amount of fluid and treated the wounds,” he said.
“Though the baby elephant's condition seems to have improved, it is still not out of the woods yet.
“It will still need critical and constant care for it to further improve and survive.
“Presently we have a veterinarian and four staff giving round-the-clock intensive care.
“If the baby can survive for the next 72 hours, its chances of pulling through will also be better,” Lauren- tius added.
He said the rescue of the calf was a significant event as in Sabah there were only some 2,000 of the elephants left in the wild.
Laurentius said the elephants faced severely fragmented habitat due to agricultural and human activities.
“Human-elephant conflict has increased with more of these mammals being killed and orphaned elephants rescued,” he added.
Wildlife Department veterinarian Dr Sen Nathan said the calf was likely to have been left behind by its herd after it was unable to pull itself out from the moat.
Baby elephant rescued
Sabah rescue unit monitoring animal
Kristy Inus New Straits Times 23 Jan 12;
AN abandoned male baby elephant, believed to be a few weeks old, was rescued by the Sabah Wildlife Department's Wildlife Rescue Unit at a plantation, about 40km from here, on Saturday.
Calling it the "Chinese New Year miracle", the team said it was alerted by the plantation workers who found the baby elephant in a deep moat and unable to move.
"Elephants are one of the best mothers in the animal kingdom. They do not abandon their babies.
The baby elephants are not only cared for by the mother but also by older siblings and other adult females in the herd," said unit head Dr Sen Nathan.
"The baby elephant was found to be severely dehydrated and had cuts and abrasions on its body.
"Veterinarian Dr Diana Ramirez and the rangers administered large amounts of intravenous fluids and treated the wounds."
Dr Sen said although the baby elephant's condition had improved, "it is still not out of the woods yet".
"It would still require constant care to improve in health and survive.
"A veterinarian and four staff are providing the baby elephant with 24-hour intensive care.
"If the baby elephant can survive for the next 72 hours, it has better chances of pulling through."
The population of Borneo Pygmy elephants in Sabah is dwindling fast, with only 2,000 left in the wild.
Its habitat is affected by agricultural and human activities, hence an increase in cases of elephants being killed and orphan elephants rescued.
The Wildlife Rescue Unit focuses on rescuing and translocating wildlife in Sabah. Last month, the team members assisted in the helicopter rescue of a rare female Sumatran rhinoceros here.
The Star 23 Jan 12;
KUALA TERENGGANU: The hunt for rampaging elephants is on.
The Terengganu Wildlife and National Parks department has deployed a team of six officers to capture wild elephants which have destroyed oil plam trees near Kampung Air Putih in Kemaman.
“We believe a group of wild elephants might have wandered into the village,” director Yusoff Shariff told The Star yesterday.
“Initial investigations revealed that the elephants might have rampaged through the plantation late at night.”
Yusoff said the animals would be relocated to the Ketiar Elephant Sanctuary in Hulu Terengganu once they were captured.
“So far the elephants have not injured any villager but I advice people to be vigilant,” he said.
The Star reported that rampaging elephants destroyed more than 50 oil palm trees in a villager Maizanah Abdullah's 2.8ha plantation.
The elephants have been using the village as a route to a nearby jungle.
The last “attack” at the plantation occurred some two years ago, where some 200 trees were destroyed.
Elephant problems have been a norm for the state and the department has conducted several successful operations to relocate them.
Jumbo woes for estate owner
The Star 22 Jan 12;
KEMAMAN: An oil palm estate owner has a problem the size of many elephants.
Rampaging elephants have des-troyed more than 50 oil palm trees in Maizanah Abdullah's 2.8ha plantation.
“Besides destroying the trees, the elephants also chewed on the fruits and leaves of the bigger oil palm trees.
“I believe the elephants came at night because we found remnants of the trees the following morning,” said the 55-year-old owner.
She added that the elephants would destroy about 10 trees on a single night and to date, the number had climbed to over 50 trees.
“The last attack occurred some two years ago, when I lost around 200 trees and suffered thousands of ringgit in losses.
“I hope the attack this time around will not reach such devastation,” she said.
Maizanah claimed that the elephants had been using the oil palm plantation as a route to get to a nearby jungle.
She hoped the state Wildlife and National Parks Department would act as soon as possible.
“I also fear the elephants might injure some unlucky individual,” she said.
VietNamNet Bridge 22 Jan 12;
Cuong, Chim, Phuong, Phi and many other residents of Van Hung Commune of Khanh Hoa province have been trying to protect coral reefs – the “lung of the sea”, because, as Cuong said, they want to reserve the sea for the next generations.
The overexploitation of corals in Van Hung Commune of Van Ninh district in Khanh Hoa once destroyed the ecological environment, while the aquatic sources got depleted. The Ran Trao coral reef was left as the only “forest” in the hurt sea bed. Ten years ago, local residents of the Van Hung Commune vowed to protect Tran Tao. Thanks to their great efforts, the forest has nearly revived.
Just covering an area of 90 hectares, but Ran Trao contained 82 coral varieties, 69reef fish species, six species of sea grass and five mangrove plant species. Ran Trao is one of the places which provide natural sources of valuable marine species, such as lobster, grouper, sea cucumbers, snails to the whole Van Phong Bay.
Nguyen Cuong, one of the fisherman, who voluntarily joined the team of protecting the sea, said that unlike the 15 years ago, 85 percent of local residents have been aware of the importance of the coral reefs to their livelihood and they understand that it is necessary to protect the natural resources.
Overexploitation nearly killed coral reefs
Nguyen Van Chim in Xuan Tu 2 hamlet, recalled that in 1990s; people flocked to the commune to breed lobsters for profit, which then seriously devastated coral reefs. Fishermen also killed coral reefs during their trips to the open sea. Several years before, people once came there to exploit coral reefs to bring to the Central Highlands, where corals were used as fertilizer for the coffee plants. As a result, a vast area on the ocean bed got ravaged.
Aquatic resources got depleted. People tried to exploit corals not only by hands, but they also used mines, toxic substances which killed small fishes as well. The Van Hung Commune witnessed 3-4 people losing their legs and hands because using mines to exploit aquatic products. Two people were killed also because of the same reason.
Cuong and other fishermen in the sea village felt sorry for the overexploited sea. Many years ago, it took them just four hours to catch 30-40 kilos of lobsters, while they could catch 2-3 kilos at maximum now.
“I am afraid that one day, my grandchildren would ask me: “What was the fish like?” because they never can see that kind of fish,” Cuong said.
In 2000, a group of experts from the central marine conservation and community development (MCD) arrived in Van Hung. They said coral reefs are considered the green forests that protect the sea. Cuong, Chim and many other people realized that coral is a diverse ecosystem, the lung and the life of countless species. Therefore, keeping coral species means keeping the aquatic resources for the region.
From that day, Cuong and many other local residents have been trying to protect the sea and prevent people from devastating coral reefs. Three months later, a nucleus team in charge of protecting Ran Trao was officially established. As such, the model of preserving the sea with the management of the community, has been established with the technical support of MCD.
Coming back to life
Recalling the first days of implementing the task of protecting coral reefs, Cuong said these were very tough days. All the fishing and aquaculture activities are prohibited in the area. No one can bring anything to the area, and they cannot take away anything from there.
However, no one has given up the game, even though every of them could get 300,000 dong a month, and the money for fuel.
Not only trying to protect coral reefs, local residents have been trying to cultivate coral reefs. 80-90 percent of corals developed by local residents can live, the achievement that no one could imagine before, even scientists.
Nurhidayah Ramli The Star 22 Jan 12;
JAKARTA: Malaysia and Indonesia have agreed on a permanent regional secretariat to look into issues of sustainable marine development, resources management, research and development projects and income improvement of coastal communities between the two countries.
The Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) regional secretariat will be set up in Manado, Indonesia.
Malaysia's Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili and the republic's Marine Affairs and Fisheries Minister Sharif Cicip Sutarjo met here on Friday.
The Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry said the meeting also paved the way for Dr Ongkili to take over as CTI Council of Ministers (CTI-COM) chairman from Sharif.
Malaysia was chosen to head the CTI-COM during the third ministerial meeting in Jakarta last October.
During their discussions, Dr Ongkili and Sharif touched on the challenges facing CTI and the plan to set up the regional secretariat.
Dr Ongkili also held meetings with high-level officials of the interim CTI regional secretariat (CTI-RS), led by Dr Gellwyn Jusuf, the secretary-general of the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries.
Regional secretariat executive chairman Dr Sudirman Saad said the meeting between the regional secretariat and the new chairman was an important milestone.
Dr Ongkili called on Indonesia's Research and Technology Minister Prof Gusti Muhammad Hatta, with whom he discussed existing cooperation in science and technology.
Both ministers agreed to closely collaborate and carry out joint researches in natural products, biotechnology, cyber security, marine and fisheries as well as food security.
Life History of the Common Red Flash
from Butterflies of Singapore
Sungei Cina (21 Jan 2012)
from Mega Marine Survey of Singapore
banded woodpecker cooling off @ bukit brown 15Jan2012
from sgbeachbum and stinkhorn fungus
UN International Year of Co-operatives 2012
from EcoWalkthetalk
Straits Times 22 Jan 12;
Travellers at Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal yesterday were greeted by sharks - made of cardboard.
The cut-outs are part of a campaign to persuade Singaporeans not to eat shark's fin - used mainly in soups in Chinese cuisine.
The campaign, called Say No To Shark's Fin, is a joint effort by conservation group WWF and the Singapore Cruise Centre (SCC). Booths with information about shark conservation will be located at the terminal until Feb 12.
Spokesmen from the WWF and SCC said they hope to bring the message of marine conservation to the cruise centre's passengers, especially during the Chinese New Year holidays.
Ms Christina Seow, SCC's chief executive, said the exercise marks the group's commitment to promote responsible tourism.
Visitors can learn more about shark conservation from WWF representatives at the terminal, as well as pledge to stop eating shark's fin.
One such visitor was Mr Dass Moses, 40. The operations supervisor, who describes himself as a 'shark lover', said he had seen documentaries about sharks that were left for dead after their fins were harvested. He stopped eating shark's fin more than 10 years ago.
'The poor fellas are dying out there. I feel very sad when I think about it,' he said.
Yen Feng
Feng Zengkun Straits Times 22 Jan 12;
The study of climate science here is receiving a boost with the arrival of a scientist who has surveyed coral reefs to uncover the climate history of the North Atlantic Ocean.
Dr Nathalie Goodkin, assistant professor of environmental science at the University of Hong Kong, plans to set up a geochemistry laboratory at the Earth Observatory of Singapore.
There, she and a team of scientists will study how changes to seas' surface temperature, saltiness and water circulation affected the South-east Asian monsoon in the past.
Piecing together this history is essential to predicting how climate in the region may change in the future, she said.
'There is a lot about tropical weather that has yet to be uncovered, and the information is crucial because of the dense populations that live in the region,' said Dr Goodkin.
In Singapore, such knowledge could also be used to plan for future drainage systems to cope with climate change.
Dr Goodkin was one of 10 scientists awarded the National Research Foundation (NRF) Fellowship on Friday.
Each year, NRF selects a group of scientists and researchers who are under 40 years old and offers them up to $3 million over five years and a salary to do research here.
There is no quota as to the number of scientists who can be chosen, and since the programme started in 2007, 38 scientists, not including this year's recipients, have accepted the fellowship.
Fellows can carry out any research provided they are hosted by a Singapore-based university or research institution.
Besides Dr Goodkin, this year's fellowships were also awarded separately for the first time to two scientists who are husband and wife.
Dr Silvija Gradecak plans to use the fellowship to continue her work on ultra-small wires, which can be used to create more energy-efficient light bulbs.
An assistant professor of materials science and engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, she said changing the composition of the wires can make them emit different colours.
Combining red, green and blue light from the wires produces white light. This can be used to make light bulbs to replace current energy-wasting tungsten versions, she said.
Her team will also research other ways to reduce energy for lighting that is converted to heat instead.
'Twenty per cent of the world's electricity is used for lighting. If we can reduce heat wastage, the energy savings would be substantial,' she said.
Meanwhile, her husband, Dr Slaven Garaj, will concentrate on creating a full genome-DNA sequencing method that costs less than US$1,000 (S$1,280).
Such a technique - 10 times cheaper than current technology - could lead to a better understanding of diseases and more personalised medicine.
Dr Garaj, a researcher at Harvard University, said the method will use materials such as super-thin carbon - also known as graphene - instead of the traditional chemicals to decode DNA.
Not using chemicals makes DNA sequencing cheaper and eliminates the risk of destroying biological data, he said.
Dr Chong Yidong, who did research at Yale University, is the only Singaporean among this year's awardees. His interest is in theoretical optics, specifically how to filter light so it can be absorbed or rejected by materials.
This could be used in the future generations of computers called optical computers, which will be powered by light in addition to electrons.
Dr Francis Yeoh, the NRF's chief executive officer, said the fellowship helps young scientists to establish themselves. 'We expect many to become international scientific leaders in due course as well as role models to aspiring students,' he said.
The fellowship evaluation panel also checked on the progress of fellows in recent years and found it promising.
Said Professor Anthony Leggett, a Nobel Prize winner in physics and a member of the panel: 'It's encouraging... that these young researchers have managed to set up substantial research groups in such a short time.'
Philip Lim Agence France-Presse Inquirer 22 Jan 12;
SINGAPORE – As Asia’s ethnic Chinese sit down for lavish banquets to usher in the Lunar New Year, a delicacy long considered a must at celebratory meals is fast disappearing from menus and dinner tables.
A growing number of shops, restaurants and hotels have in the past few months given up selling shark fin, which in Asia is usually eaten in soup, throwing a lifeline to the marine predator that activists say is long overdue.
“Yes, we do see an increasing number of locals and international businesses saying no to shark’s fin,” said Elaine Tan, chief executive for environmental group WWF in Singapore.
“This change in attitude could be due to an increasing awareness of the plight of sharks as well as the result of many shark campaigns worldwide,” she told AFP.
About 73 million sharks are killed every year, according to WWF, and more than 180 shark species were considered threatened in 2010, compared to only 15 in 1996.
Many are slain for their fins, considered by the Chinese to be a delicacy and costing hundreds of dollars per kilo.
Soup made from the fins is a pricey yet common staple at festive occasions such as the Lunar New Year and weddings in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and countries with large ethnic Chinese populations such as Singapore.
One well-known shark-fin soup restaurant in Singapore sells the dish at Sg$20 ($16) per diner, but it can cost many times that.
“We are concerned about the environment and we have a strong corporate responsibility,” said Maria Kuhn, director of corporate communications of Shangri-La’s international operations.
The global luxury hotelier took shark fin off its menu on January 17, in a major boost to the campaign.
“The younger generation has specifically been very aware of the issue and been stepping away from using shark fin… In the long term it will be a natural progression anyway.”
In Hong Kong- the top shark-fin trading center, handling about 50 percent of the global trade—conservationists lauded Peninsula Hotels group’s decision two months ago to similarly ditch the dish.
“We are very happy to see what they have done and we believe the demand for shark-fin consumption in Hong Kong will reduce,” Stanley Shea, project coordinator at the Hong Kong marine conservation group Bloom, told AFP.
A survey by Bloom last year showed 78 percent of people in the southern Chinese city now consider it socially acceptable to leave shark-fin soup off the menu for a wedding banquet.
It is a sentiment which is gaining ground in Singapore too.
Alex Teo, 29, said he left shark fin off the menu at his wedding last year despite initial worries that guests might be disappointed.
“We were not sure if people would feel unhappy about it, but seven personal friends who, when they replied about their attendance, asked me if we could not have shark fin, so we went ahead,” he said.
“We actually wanted to remove it because we wanted to save sharks,” Teo, a banker, told AFP.
Mainland China – believed to be the world’s top consumer of shark fin – is also seeing a dip in its popularity.
Basketball superstar Yao Ming, who stopped eating shark fin five years ago, added his considerable size to the cause in September by urging others to join him and British entrepreneur Richard Branson in their abstinence.
As public awareness grows in China, there are even moves towards a ban on the trade.
Businessman delegate to the National People’s Congress Ding Liguo made the proposal, saying Beijing should lead the way because 95 percent of shark fin is consumed in the mainland, Taiwan and Hong Kong.
TRAFFIC, an international network that monitors the trade in wildlife, said more action from Asian governments was needed.
“We see a clear shift in the public and corporate mindset away from shark-fin consumption and sale,” Elizabeth John, an official with TRAFFIC Southeast Asia, told AFP.
“Unfortunately, it’s not reflected in decision and policy making except in very few cases.”
Hazel Oakley, a representative of Shark Savers Malaysia, which lobbies for a shark-fishing ban, said: “The time for this legislation is now.
“Public opinion has changed… The shark-fin wealthy Chinese market is definitely dying.”
Supermarket chains in Singapore have also begun to jump on the bandwagon and WWF’s Tan said an initiative encouraging restaurants to provide shark-fin-free menus has gained traction in Singapore and Hong Kong.
More than 100 hotels and restaurants in the two cities are now part of the programme, up from only 12 when it was launched in 2010, Tan said.
But it is not all good news.
Restaurants in Thailand were reporting a surge in shark-fin consumption ahead of the Lunar New Year, while high-end eateries in Malaysia – here there is a sizable ethnic Chinese population – are also holding firm.
“The number of people eating shark fin is only increasing, especially during Chinese New Year,” said Tiyamon Tiang-ngok, assistant manager at Summer Palace restaurant, at Intercontinental Hotel in Bangkok.
“Our main customers are Chinese Thais. When they dine at our restaurant, they often order our set menu, which includes shark-fin soup.”
Wong Chun Wai The Star 22 Jan 12;
Let us usher in the Year of the Dragon without the popular delicacy.
IT has taken me a long time to come to this decision but it needed to be made. I will no longer consume shark fin soup.
Enough is enough when it involves the senseless killing of sharks just for their fins, which are quite tasteless by the way.
I feel the timing is appropriate because, over the next few weeks, there will be the endless round of Chinese New Year celebration dinners to attend. Shark fin soup is compulsory at these eight-course dinners and no Malaysian host would go without it..
But more and more young Malaysians are now saying no to shark fin soup in line with the campaign to prevent the killing of sharks for their fins.
Getting the support of the young is crucial in the campaign because of the massive increase of the middle class in China and other Asian cities.
If the younger set is prepared to say no to shark fin in their menu, it will be a major step forward in the global campaign against shark-finning.
Roping in retired Chinese basketball icon Yao Ming in the fight against eating shark fin in his homeland last September was a major coup.
Together with British tycoon Richard Branson, he then made an appeal against eating shark fin to a group of 30 of China’s richest and most influential business people.
“When demand happens, the buying happens and the killing happens,” Yao, the seven-foot-six-inch-tall (2.29m) former centre who retired in July due to injuries after eight seasons with the Houston Rockets, was quoted as saying.
Yao is now using his post-retirement free time to help campaign against the slaughter of sharks, which is said to involve around 1.5 million sharks a week and is taking some of the species close to extinction.
The event sponsored by the conservation group WildAid is aimed at starting a conservation movement in China “not just to protect the sharks but to protect tigers, and to protect other species that are in peril of extinction,” Branson said.
News reports have quoted anti shark-finning campaigners as saying that fishermen kill more than 70 million sharks each year for their fins, which can sell for US$700 (RM2,175) a pound (450g) while the soup can cost up to US$80 (RM248) a bowl.
It is said that the fins are cut from the sharks and their bodies are discarded, leaving them to die.
Last week, the Shangri-La group declared that its 72 hotels would no longer offer shark fin or other shark products in their menu.
It is not clear whether the order came from Robert Kuok, the Malaysian tycoon who owns the luxury chain of hotels worldwide, many of which are in China.
Its rival, the Peninsula chain of hotels, which also has operations in China, stopped offering shark fin in their premises on Jan 1.
The Shangri-La’s decision is crucial because over 90% of shark fins are consumed in China and countries with huge Chinese population, including Hong Kong and Taiwan.
With an increasingly affluent Chinese population, the demand for shark fins has shot up sharply in recent years. This means more sharks would be hunted for their fins, and that means the population of sharks will disappear much faster than anticipated.
Besides soup, shark fin is also used in some dim sum delicacies, especially in some dumpling wrappings.
Westerners are only familiar with shark fin soup but the product is also widely used in other forms of cooking.
The campaign against eating shark fin involves film and music celebrities but businessmen must also be included as they wield tremendous power. At a practical level, they host dinners almost on a daily basis, especially in China.
They can set an example by taking shark fin soup off the menu for corporate dinners, thus sending a strong message to their staff, clients and even rivals. It is good corporate practice now to stop eating shark fin products.
Politicians should also join in the campaign because this appeals to the young set of voters who are revolted by the practice of shark-finning.
Many hotels and restaurants have also responded positively by offering artificial fins without compromising the taste of the soup.
Customers are happy to pay for the fakes as they feel that the restaurants are ready to meet the changes.
As we usher in the Year of the Dragon, the topic of conversation at the reunion dinner should not just be about political sharks, who need no saving, but of the global campaign to save the real sharks.
Let’s all join the campaign!
Muguntan Vanar The Star 22 Jan 12;
KOTA KINABALU: An online petition drive has been kicked off by conservationist and divers in their bid to protect sharks and other marine creatures in Sabah east coast Semporna.
They are hoping to push for the setting up of the Semporna Shark Sanctuary which covers some 83 islands including the world renown diving haven of Sipadan and its neighbouring Mabul island.
A Sabah based non-governmental organisation Borneo Conservancy is promoting the move for the petition that has already received some 5,000 supporters and at least 16 organisations worldwide.
They are hoping to get at least 50,000 supporters though organisers said 10,000 would be enough for them to promote the idea of setting up a sanctuary in Semporna waters.
According to a spokesman, the local community and the tourism industry supported the Semporna Shark Sanctuary proposal.
They are hoping to submit the proposal to the state government once they get sufficient signatures.
They explained that a third of all shark species are nearly extinct and some species of sharks such as the Hammerhead have declined by up to 90% in the last 50 years.
Semporna is home over 83 Islands, including the world famous dive destinations of Sipadan.
The Semporna Sea is also home to many species of shark - from the extremely rare and elusive Borneo and Hammerhead shark to the largest fish in the sea, the graceful whale shark, the spokesman said in explaining the rationale.
He said sharks played an important role in marine diversity and if it went extinct the marine biodiversity could collapse.
In Semporna many shark species are encountered on a daily basis and we are one of the lucky places that can still say that we can 'prevent' their decline instead of having to 'reintroduce and rehabilitate, he said.
He explained that though they were supportive of the states total ban of shark hunting and finning in Sabah, it would be important for Semporna to be made a sanctuary as it could be focused and easier to enforce.
The whole of Sabah would be difficult to enforce shark hunting but if you just focus just in Semporna it will be enforceable, the spokesman said, explaining that most of the sharks were in the Semporna waters.
The petition is available at http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/support-a-semporna-shark-sanctuary-and-the-future-of-our-oceans/or can also be accessed via its Facebook page Semporna Shark Sanctuary.
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