The film completely revolutionized the way I felt about sharks. I've spent many winters on the beaches of Florida, and have always been afraid of the monsters of the deep. The film bashes those stereotypes and shows us the kind nature of these remarkable creatures.
Soda pop machines kill more humans than sharks annually. So do toasters.
The film was intended to be a "pretty underwater movie about sharks". While filming in Costa Rica, Stewart witnessed first-hand the slaughter of sharks. His creative direction changed, and he became inclined to save the sharks. We follow his journey, along with Sea Shepherd's Paul Watson in their attempt to end the atrocious mass-killing of sharks in protected sanctuaries.
The sharks are being slaughtered for their fins. The film documents Central American fishermen killing sharks and cutting of their fins. What makes this even more atrocious is that 90% of the animal is wasted, since fishermen literally throw the shark (often still alive and in serious pain) back into the water, where it will struggle and bleed without its fins until it dies.
There is a huge "shark fin mafia" based in Costa Rica. They fish in their waters and dry the find on top of roofs. When Stewart broke house arrest (he was arrested for "attempted murder" after the Sea Shepherd boat tried to stop a Costa Rican boat that was long-line fishing illegally), he broke into operations where they had millions of dollars worth in fins drying out on roofs. When the workers realized Stewart was filming them, they desperately tried to hide the evidence from view.
In Costa Rica, the value of shark fin is about 80 cents per pound, but it is then resold in China for upwards of $200 a pound. This is big business for Asian corporations, and the Costa Rican government (and other countries worldwide) turn a blind eye to this, as this corrupt industry helps build their infrastructure.
But why the obsession with shark fins? In China, shark fin soup is a "food of the emperors". A symbol of wealth, health and prosperity, the soup has grown in popularity in the past 20 years, and is a customary dish during wedding receptions.
Chinese people that eat this soup are deluded into the notion that by eating the shark fin (which is completely flavourless), you can cure arthritis and cancer. They believe sharks have no disease, when in reality, sharks suffer from cancer and can have high levels of mercury due to pollution.
Stewart is working on getting the film into China, in hopes of persuading the public to change their culture and views on finning. In Chinese, "shark-fin soup" is translated into "fish-fin soup", so it is likely that people do not comprehend the origins of what they are consuming. The film was set to be released in China, and would air on a large TV network, but they had to pull the plug, since they found a picture of Paul Watson shaking hands with the Dalai Lama.
The film exposes the ugly truth of the industry and makes you reflect on the impact humans have on animals and our ecosystems. Shark populations have gone down 90%, and some are close to extinction, thanks to the lucrative finning business. Over 80 countries have banned finning, but there are no laws that prohibit the importation of finning.
We likely know of places that serve or sell shark fin soups in Toronto. Even Loblaws came out with a President's Choice brand of shark fin soup, and thanks to Stewart and organizations, the product was removed from their lineup. It is up to us to take action, and pressure the government into banning those products. Take the pledge to help save the sharks.
Sharks are never thought of as "endangered". I have never seen a WWF advertisement promoting "save the sharks". It's always save the tigers, polar bears or pandas. People want to help animals that are cute and relatable, no one wants to help a man-killing monster. Tigers and elephants killed 100 people last year, yet sharks only killed 5. Who's the monster now?
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