Shark fin sales dip, aquarium board considers dolphin release, super-sized marine sanctuary created, and much more in this week’s edition. Please READ, LIKE, SHARE!
1. Vancouver Aquarium: Whale and Dolphin Breeding Programs No More!
The Parks Board of Vancouver, B.C., voted unanimously to end the whale and dolphin breeding programs at the Vancouver Aquarium. The committee also called for a study to look for alternatives to cetacean exhibits and to examine the impacts of captivity on these intelligent social mammals. “We feel that breeding an animal for a life of captivity without there being a sound conservation reason for that should be banned and prohibited,” said board member Niki Sharma.
2. Another Asian Airline Soars As Thai Airways Bans Shipment of Fins
Thai Airways International
3. “California Dreaming” About Rainfall: Driest Conditions in History of the State
The United States federal government has been monitoring drought since the 1990s. This year has tipped the scales and been the worst on record. The state’s $44.7 billion agricultural industry is being threatened, as are the natural flora and fauna. The U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate is blaming man-made global warming for this season’s drought.
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4. Dramatic Fall in Chinese Shark Fin Sales After Banquet Ban
Demand for shark fin soup in China has dropped following a ban at government banquets. Restaurants, hotel chains, and airlines are taking the soup off their menus, and some seafood wholesalers have stopped selling fins. Young Chinese in particular are rejecting the traditional dish. Shark fin trade in Guangzhou, the center of the industry, is down 82%.
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5. New Caledonia Unveils the World’s Largest Nature Preserve at 320 Million Acres
6. Trinidad & Tobago Join Growing List of Countries With Shark Fin Bans