Proposed marching route on 13th of May.
Lobby the new HKSAR Government for a new start for sharks!
On 25 March 2012, CY Leung was named as HKSAR’s new Chief Executive, effective 1 July 2012. Now you can join the HKSF sharkettes as they ‘swim’ from Legco to CGO, asking CY to see why he should put shark conservation on his political agenda.
Just because shark-finning doesn’t happen in Hong Kong waters, it doesn’t mean Hong Kong should turn a blind eye to shark conservation. On the contrary, it is the unsustainable demand for shark fin soup that is driving many species of shark towards extinction and Hong Kong is the global hub of the shark fin trade. HKSF believes that, as an international city, Hong Kong should acknowledge its international responsibilities with regard to global shark conservation.
Historically, the HKSAR Government has hidden behind the ineffective trade restrictions set by CITES (the Convention for the International Trade in Endangered Species). Government officials have consistently ignored the fact that CITES only protects three species of shark (the Great White, the Whale Shark and the Basking shark) whilst over 140 species of shark have been listed by the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) as threatened with extinction, now or in the near future.
But the tide is already turning! High profile companies such as the Bank of China and the Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts group have publically announced shark-free policies and, in 2011, a local study revealed that 85% of the Hong Kong public showed strong or moderate support for a ban on the importing of shark fin into Hong Kong*. With the advent of CY’s new Government, we have our best opportunity yet to ask for a new start for shark conservation in Hong Kong.
The time to change is NOW. The place to change is HERE. The people to make it happen are YOU!
Sharks cannot speak for themselves – we are their voice, so please help us get that voice heard by joining our March for Sharks! Wear blue or grey, make your own fin-hats, dress as a shark, buy an HKSF T-shirt (email: bertha@hksharkfoundation.o
For enquiries, please email info@hksharkfoundation.org
See you on the 13th!
Event details:
Date: Sunday 13 May 2012
Time: 11:30pm – 1:30pm
Start point: Walkway between Legco & Statue Square, Central
End point: West Wing, Old Central Government Offices (Lower Albert Road, Central)
HK Shark Foundation
PS. As part of the event, HKSF will also be introducing our own Govt lobbying petition – supported by BLOOM, Divers Kinetic, HSI, Man & Shark, Sea Shepherd, Shark Rescue, Shark Savers, SPCA and WWF Hong Kong. The petition asks the new Government to make a public policy not to serve shark fin at official functions. It’s a simple request but one that, if met, will open the door to the bigger discussion about a potential full ban. The petition doesn’t close until 8 June 2012 (World Ocean day) but we don’t want to wait ’til then to let CY, or indeed the rest of the HK public, know of its existence. In the meantime, we need as many signatures as possible so please SIGN & SHARE!
