On Saturday, May 15, 2021 at 4:16:53 AM UTC-10, Ophelia wrote:
> On 15/05/2021 13:38, Gary wrote:
> > Ed Pawlowski wrote:
> >> A TV program on Nat Geo, To Catch a Smuggler showed some fins going
> >> through customs illegally. They can go for $500 a pound.
> >
> > I saw that episode. I also previously watched a documentary showing
> > asian fishermen harvesting those shark fins.
> >
> > They catch the sharks, cut off all the fins then toss the still alive
> > shark back into the ocean. Without their fins, they can't swim or hunt
> > so they sink to the bottom and just lay there until they die.
> >
> ======
>
> That is appalling(( I hope they suffer the same fate!!!

Shark fin soup is not popular on this rock. The Hawaiians viewed sharks and other creatures as forms that their gods might take. They sometimes regarded sharks as a family god or the spirits of their ancestors that would appear to offer help or protection. Generally speaking, killing a shark was considered kapu. Killing and eating the spirit of your ancestors would be a very bad thing.