Miami being number one of shark fin imports: maybe not a bad thing

Any shark lover would be alarmed to hear that Miami is number one in the nation for importing shark fins. Disturbing right? Not really. It is a cause and effect thing. Between 2010-2014 the Port of Miami saw a decline in the number of imports. It wasn’t until California and New York banned shark fin imports that Miami started seeing the increase. So the increase is actually due to a positive thing and is a win for sharks, right? I am not so sure after all the fact that Miami has experienced the increase indicates a demand for fins still exists.

I am not for but people wanting to eat shark but it is a free country. What is disturbing to me is the matter of

how the fins are obtained. It is like the scene in Dances with Wolves where the whites came through and killed all the buffalo for only their hide. The Sioux were not against killing buffalo but they harvested everything from the animal. With finning, the only thing taken from the shark is the fin. After being thrown back into the ocean the sharks suffer a very slow and painful death. It is the ignorance or people not caring that is difficult to accept.

So what is being done to educate or regulate people: lots and you can help. There are many organizations like Sharkbytes that are devoted to educating people of the importance of sharks in our world. Donate to them. Like us many are non-profit who rely on donations to get the word out.

There is also much being done in trying to regulate the fishing industry. Currently there are a total of twelve states in the United States that have bans on shark fins. You can have a voice in making it thirteen by signing a petition at Change.org to ban shark fin sales in Florida

Finally, there are several bills in the congress now that address the issue on a national level. If you'd like to voice your opinion follow the

to tell congress to ban the trade of shark fins in the US.

Please do what you can to contribute to saving sharks. Working together as a whole can bring about the change we need to preserve this beautiful creature that is vital to our environment.