Marine Life & Conservation
Tell Bumble Bee Tuna to Stop Killing Sharks
Pulled from the water, a shark thrashes helplessly as its fins are hacked from its body. Mutilated and in pain, the shark is thrown back into the ocean. Eventually it either bleeds to death or suffocates.
Each year this torture is how millions of sharks around the world needlessly meet their end. All so their fins can be sold in soups served at expensive restaurants and fancy weddings. The shark fin trade is cruel, unsustainable, and it’s being fueled in large part by the tuna industry.
Millions of sharks are killed every year by tuna vessels — either as bycatch or from illegal shark finning practices. The US tuna brands that hire these vessels, like Bumble Bee Tuna, aren’t taking steps to stop it.
That’s why Greenpeace kicked off Shark Week last week with a public campaign to get Bumble Bee to clean up its act. And with nearly half of all shark species currently at risk of extinction, there isn’t much time.
Help Greenpeace send 30,000 messages to Bumble Bee CEO Chris Lischewski telling him to ensure that his company’s products don’t come with the hidden cost of millions of dead sharks.
Killing sharks is no accident — and it appears that it may even be part of the business plan for companies like Bumble Bee.
For many tuna boats, shark fins are a source of extra income for fishermen who are not being paid a living wage. For the tuna companies, allowing fishing practices that are guaranteed to catch sharks is one way to get away with paying fishermen so poorly — shark fins are their “tips” and provide supplemental income.
Bumble Bee likes to say it follows the guidelines of the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF), but talk is cheap. Pointing to these guidelines is useless unless the company can show that its supply chain — its own operations as well as the vessels owned by Chris Lischewski himself — AND all the independent vessels that it buys fish from are not finning sharks.
Fishermen need to be paid a living wage and companies like Bumble Bee need to move away from a reliance on unsustainable fishing practices. Until that happens, nothing is going to change. As an industry leader, Bumble Bee has the ability to set an example for the other major companies to follow.
Tell Bumble Bee CEO Chris Lischewski that shark finning and unsustainable fishing are destroying the oceans and is bad for business.
The ocean ecosystems that we all depend on are rapidly destabilizing as overfishing and pollution destroy the fine-tuned balance of species. Saving sharks from the painful fate of finning and the wasteful practices of unsustainable fishing by getting US tuna companies like Bumble Bee to address the problem is part of restoring that balance.
Great strides have been made to protect sharks recently. Shark finning is already prohibited on US vessels, and several other countries have also banned the practice. States like New York and California have banned the sale of shark fin soup, and a growing number of airlines have stopped transporting shark fins.
Ultimately, the shark fin trade will end. The question is, will it be because we changed the actions of companies like Bumble Bee, or because we drove the species to extinction?
Together we can make sure the answer isn’t extinction. Take action today. Sign the Petition to Chris Lischewski, CEO of Bumble Bee Foods, here.
Photo: Alex Hofford
After a two-year tour of UK art galleries, community spaces and aquariums, the Shark Trust’s acclaimed Oceanic31 exhibition takes its final bow at the Royal Geographical Society later this month. And the unique collection of artwork, depicting 31 species of oceanic sharks and rays, donated by 31 artists, is now open for bids from art lovers and shark enthusiasts. The online auction, launched today, will close on the 7th December at 8pm (BST). The money raised will support the Shark Trust Oceanics Programme.
People can now bid on 27 of the artworks by visiting this website:
https://superstars-auctions.com/sharktrustauction
It is a chance to own a beautiful piece of original art and to support the Shark Trust. The timing of the auction also means that these would make a very special Christmas gift for any shark-lover.
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- Bigeye Thresher Shark by Janina Rossiter
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- Carcharodon carcharias by Jimmy Higgs
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- Croc VR 2030 by Tom Mead
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- Oceanic Whitetip by ATM
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- Silky Street by ScapaJoe
The diversity of pieces mirrors that of the sharks and rays they represent. You can bid on paintings, digital creations, sculptures, mixed media and more. You can pick your favourite artist or species of shark. Or you can select the perfect artwork to make a statement in your home or office. Whichever you choose, you will be supporting the work to protect these amazing animals.
One of the pieces of art has been selected to be auctioned live by Steve Backshall at the For the Love of Sharks event at the Royal Geographical Society in London on the 29th November. In addition to this, two further pieces will be raffled at this event, giving people a chance to win an incredible piece of shark art. For the Love of Sharks is the Shark Trust’s flagship evening. A night to celebrate sharks. Steve Backshall is the headline speaker at this event that will see other prominent shark advocates join him on stage.
Tickets for the event can be snapped up here:
https://thesharktrust.org.uk/Event/flos24
Those that would like to see the Oceanic 31 exhibition have one final chance. It is being displayed at the Pavilion at the Royal Geographic Society from 26th November until the 7th December. Entry is free.
Find out more here:
https://www.rgs.org/events/upcoming-events/oceanic-31
Paul Cox, Shark Trust CEO, Said “This exhibition has given us the opportunity to reach out to a new audience. And inspire more people with the wonderful sharks and rays on which our Big Shark Pledge campaign is based. We are immensely grateful to the 31 artists who have worked so hard to create these works.”
Bid for your favourite Oceanic 31 artwork here:
https://superstars-auctions.com/sharktrustauction
Banner Image: Smooth Hammerhead by Alicia Hayden
Until 28 November, prizes worth a massive £10,000 – including experiences, products and tuition – feature in a line-up of items that can be won for £5 in an online prize draw to celebrate Bite-Back Shark & Marine Conservation’s 20th anniversary and help generate crucial funds for the future.
Top of the list of prizes is the chance to spend time with adventurer and wildlife expert Steve Backshall, a workout session with Nat Geo star Aldo Kane, a kayaking trip alongside white-water expert and diver Sal Montgomery and a Zoom call with ‘shark whisperer’ Cristina Zenato.
On top of that, some of the most admired companies in the diving and scuba industry have been quick to support the charity with fabulous prizes that make the £5 ticket price worth more than just a flutter.
Master Liveaboards, BSAC, Midlands Diving Chamber, Go Freediving and Blue Shark Snorkel have all generously donated experience prizes, while celebrated photographer Alex Mustard has donated a print and artists Scott Gleed and Olivier Leger have donated a sculpture and illustration to help boost the fundraising pot.
Fourth Element has donated Ocean Positive gear and LA watch company Nodus has gifted the charity a stunning dive watch. For land lovers, the charity has included a five star London hotel stay at Bankside Hotel plus a family visit to Longleat Safari Park in the roster of prizes.
Campaign director for Bite-Back, Graham Buckingham, said: “We’ve been overwhelmed with support from companies and individuals that we truly admire and who have supported us on our 20 year journey and we’re truly grateful to them all. While we feel incredibly proud of our achievements over the past two decades – and we are super excited about the next chapter – this prize draw isn’t a vanity project. It represents a real lifeline to our work and important advancements in the global protection of sharks. So we hope divers, dive clubs and even bargain hunters grab some tickets to make this a massive success.”
The charity hopes that the prize draw will generate crucial funds to launch a brand new, ground-breaking, campaign to enrol the public and increase support for the protection of sharks around the world.
To enter the competition visit www.bite-back.com/prizedraw. The prize winners will be announced on 1 December 2024.
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