On September 25, 2017, Hang Hing Herbal Medicine Ltd. imported a shipment containing 22 bags of processed shark fins, declared as fish bone, into Richmond, BC. The Canada Border Services Agency noted that the shipment contained wildlife products and referred it to ECCC Enforcement. Wildlife enforcement officers inspected the shipment and concluded that the products, declared as fish bone, were in fact shark fins. DNA testing was used to determine that the shipment contained two species of shark, one being a CITES Appendix II-listed species, Carcharhinus longimanus (oceanic whitetip shark). An importer must obtain a permit from the country of export before importing an Appendix II species into Canada. No permit to import the 12, 984 Oceanic Whitetip Shark fins had been obtained.
Read MoreBan The Shark Fin Trade
A ban on the shark trade would help keep the ecosystem stable. The low level of sharks
in the oceans has a detrimental effect on the ecosystem as a whole. For instance, the University
of Miami’s organization SRC (Shark Research and Conservation) led by marine biologist Dr
Neil Hammerschlag says that “Our research team found that across reefs where sharks have been
depleted, prey fishes had significantly smaller caudal fins and eyes compared to the reefs with
intact shark populations (up to 40 and 46% relative difference in standardized means).”.
Save Blue Sharks From Extinction
An estimated 20 million blue sharks are killed every year and enter the shark fin trade. Save this species form overfishing and the fin trade by protecting them under CITES Appendix II .
Read MoreSharktober: Why We Need Sharks and Why We Protect Them
On September 28, 2021, the ACS San Francisco Bay chapter was honored to host an exciting presentation by David McGuire, Founder and Director of Shark Stewards, National Geographic Explorer, and Emmy award-winning filmmaker.
Read MoreSharktoberfest- Celebrating Sharks and Their Habitat
Join Shark Stewards celbrating our 15th Annual Sharktoberfest with our Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary and watch it on YouTube
Read MoreEmbarking on Green Careers
The partnership with Shark Stewards and UC Berkeley’s Fung Fellowship was fruitful. Founder and Director David McGuire challenged students to develop a better way to coalesce data on California shark sightings, in part to create a rapidly shareable public response and education system that could aid scientific study as well as help minimize the risk of human-shark encounters
Read MoreWonderful Whales Sharks: the Ocean’s Biggest Fish
The Whale Shark (Rhincodon typus) is the largest fish in the world, and they are disappearing.
Read MoreSharks: King of the Sea
“Shark!” The scream goes throughout a beachfront scene as movie goers watch the carnage of a vicious attack unfold before them. Jaws was the first of many movies to show these sensationalized stereotypes for rks, now there are several hundred “rogue shark” films in today’s industry. This needs to change amongst the entertainment industry as the media’
Read MoreSharks and Mermaids: the Mythical Creatures of Aquatic Park
Nancy is helping to plan a special upcoming event: the Shark Steward’s 1st Annual Mermaid Parade on Saturday, 8/28th from 11am- 3pm! There will be a costume contest and awards for best dog costume, child costume and more. They will make a parade route from the Aquatic Park & Pier bleachers all the way to Pier 39. You can learn more about this at https://sharkstewards.org/event/sharksmermaids/.
Read MoreSpecies Spotlight: The Bull Shark
The bull shark is an iconic shark species. With their blunt snouts, classic grey and white coloration, and big reputation, bull sharks are very well known. Found in tropical and subtropical waters around the world, these sharks are present in many different environments.
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