Saturday, January 01, 2011

Man&Shark!


Synopsis

From the beaches of Africa, to the ports of the Middle East , a shark fin odyssey arrives back at Ground Zero... Hong Kong.

'Man & Shark' is book, and short film of the same name, which explores the barbaric practice of shark-finning in developing nations, so that consumers in Hong Kong and China can eat shark fin soup at their weddings, company banquets and other celebrations.

The multimedia project aims to show why sharks, as the ocean's apex predators, are necessary to keep the marine ecosystem in balance. 'Man & Shark' also bears witness to the ignorance of shopkeepers selling shark fin in Hong Kong.
It also explores why Chinese people eat shark fin soup in the first place, and the dangers to health from mercury poisoning.

'Man & Shark' was conceived in Mozambique, Yemen, and Hong Kong, and includes many underwater images of sharks from all over the world.


I say - stunning!
Yes Alex came through on his promise and I'm holding the book in my hands: fantastic pictures, great layout, compelling message. Paul and Alex have gone to great lengths in order to document and publicize the decline of a whole group of animals. Should everything fail, this book will stand forever as a first of its kind and historical document.
Great job, to the point that we shall post a link on our home page, like we've done for the books by Timbo and the epic book by Jimmy.

The question being, will this make a difference?
I just don't know. Apparently, and I tend to agree with this view, the most effective strategy for influencing public opinion in favor of conservation is to show beauty, not horror, very much in line with what Jimmy is trying to achieve. I'm also very much on record with my personal views about the non-effectiveness of trying to re-educate the consumer in the case of a supply limited fisheries like that for Sharks.
But having said this, I recently spent some time with some brilliantly intelligent people who promote that course of action and have become somewhat less absolutist in the process. Mind you: not totally convinced by any stretch of the imagination - just more hopeful!
Yes, it's complicated as always!

So here's to that hope, and to a fantastic job by two passionate people!

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