Blue Shark Article in Honolulu Star-Bulletin -- Archive

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Subject: Blue Shark Article in Honolulu Star-Bulletin

Author:
Jim Morris

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Date Posted: 938119353PDT

Check out what Mr. Cook has to say(while reading such, keep in mind that he is a member of the Western Pacific Fisheries Management Council which has opposed the shark fin trade ban bill and Hawaii). The Western Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Council is mentioned in that "Discover Diving" article that Bob Endreson and I had co-written and which can still be accessed via the following Web link:

http://www.westpacfisheries.net/genocide1.html

Forwarded:

Tuesday 9/21/99 Honolulu Star Bulleting Editorial Section.

People are misinformed about blue sharks:

According to catch data, the blue shark is virtually the only shark species
retained in Hawaii for its fins. This species is not slow growing, it is not
overfished, and 98 percent of the time, it is not finned alive.

The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council views blue sharks as
a fishery and is examining options to ensure its sustainability through
amendments to its pelagic fishery management plan.

The council manages fisheries, including highly migratory species, in the
exclusive economic zone (generally three to 200 miles from shore)
surrounding Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and
remote U.S. Pacific islands. On the East Coast, migratory species are
managed by the secretary of commerce, and it is for this reason and not due
to preemption (as stated in your Aug. 19 issue) that regional councils there
do not manage sharks.

The council process for amending its plans includes receiving input from
scientists, the fishing industry and the general public. Some of these
groups have testified that a move to ban shark fins in Hawaii could cost the
state up to $45 million in lost imports,
transshipment and porting of foreign fishing vessels.

Restaurateurs are worried about the reputation Hawaii will have if its 2.5
million Asian visitors each year can no longer be served shark fin soup,
considered an Asian delicacy.

Entrepreneurs on Maui are interested in utilizing the entire blue shark,
including meat, jaws, sharks, cartilage, liver, etc. Supporting research and
development to develop markets for these products could lead to a
non-regulatory means for getting fishers --throughout the world --to land
blue sharks intact.

On the other hand, since Hawaii contributes only 1 percent of the shark fins
on the world market, any landing ban imposed solely on Hawaii fishers would
unfairly penalize them and would not significantly address the problem.

Jim Cook
Chairman
Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council

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Replies:

Subject	Author	Date
Re: Blue Shark Article in Honolulu Star-Bulletin	Bad Dog	938134736PDT
Re: Blue Shark Article in Honolulu Star-Bulletin -- Bob, 938380290PDT
Re: Blue Shark Article in Honolulu Star-Bulletin	John	938332646PDT
Re: Blue Shark Article in Honolulu Star-Bulletin -- Bob, 938380632PDT