Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Shrinking Whale Sharks


Amid worrying news that Whale Sharks numbers are dwindling and that individuals are shrinking in size due to over-exploitation, here come news of the remarkable sighting of an albino Whale Shark from in Galapagos.

Upon seeing a first images, I first thought of some photoshopped hoax, but then discovered this series in a photo library.
What a stunning encounter that must have been!

Protecting threatened highly migratory species like Whale Sharks, Billfishes and Tuna is especially difficult due to the need to coordinate Conservation efforts across political boundaries. So far, the fishing fleets have managed to always stay one step ahead of the efforts to regulate their activities.

Sadly, in all honesty, I cannot find an upbeat ending to this post.
If the travesty surrounding the Caviar trade is any indication of what's to come, chances are that some Japanese will be willing to pay a million bucks for the last sushi, and a wealthy Chinese businessman, the same sum for the very last serving of Shark fin soup. In a market for luxury items which is deprived of price elasticity, it will always pay to go out and harvest, regardless of how costly and difficult this may be.

Guess that, like in the case of Caviar, all we can do is keep up the fight to slow down what appears inevitable and in our case, enjoy the privilege of the wonderful encounters we are still blessed to experience.

After all

the past is a Memory
the Future, a Mystery
and the Present, a Gift.

That's why we call it "Present".

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