The move follows Stein’s assertion that he plans to continue selling endangered fish species in his Cornish restaurants. Regardless of official guidelines, the chef says he will not stop selling shark, monkfish, skate or other endangered species, because his menu options would shrink by 80% if he did so.
"This is a worst-case example of a high-profile celebrity chef looking to maintain a wealthy business empire at any cost,” says Bite-Back’s Graham Buckingham. “Stein's restaurants are participating in a marine holocaust.
“The official guidelines for fishing certain species are there for a very good reason. His restaurants are effectively promoting the extinction of some our most valuable marine life. If we're especially unlucky, this will be during Mr Stein's lifetime."
Bite-Back invites supporters to contact Rick Stein about his decision. Go to http://www.bite-back.com/campaigns/campaigns.htm– or go direct to reservations@rickstein.com.
Moving up to direct action at European level, the UK’s Shark Trust, part of the Shark Alliance, is encouraging shark supporters to send an ecard to UK Fisheries Minister Huw Irranca-Davies, urging him to work to develop the new European Plan of Action for Sharks.
A strong approach could take the EU’s shark policies from “lagging to leading“, says the trust. It was a Shark Alliance petition that helped bring the plan to the table. http://www.sharktrust.org/content.asp?did=32290
Meanwhile, with 15% of the global total, Indonesia is said to be the world’s biggest catcher of sharks, according to wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC, with a number of endangered species being fished for their fins.
You can petition Indonesia’s Ocean Fisheries Minister Freddy Numberi to introduce a ban on shark-finning by visiting http://www.stopsharkfinning.net/campaigns/indonesia.htm. The site is also channelling opposition to the surprise decision of popular Pacific diving destination Palau to reverse its long-standing shark-finning ban.
Finally, on a global level, the Underwater Channel is sponsoring a petition aimed at drawing the attention of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon to the plight of the world’s sharks. It has produced a video on the subject and is looking to collect 10,000 signatures by 8 June. Go to http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/endsharkfinning
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