In the July 2009 edition of the Magneto magazine, 1500 readers were excited to see the first official FINished Foundation article to go to print, written by co-founder Joe Cashmore.
We at FINished would like to congratulate Magneto on the slew of awards won at the ASPA Fairfax Media Award, including best small publiation.
Enjoy.
As a daring campaign launch, five eager activists bared all, in an effort to draw attention to an overlooked cause: Shark Finning. The event was the first held as part of the Skins for Fins movement in Melbourne. Skins for Fins is a local event conducted under the umbrella of the broader FINished campaign, focusing on protesting the practices involved in obtaining shark fins, predominately used as the key ingredient in shark fin soup both locally and internationally. Through the focus of Skins for Fins movement, FINished is also targeting plans for the introduction of a Shark Fishery on the Great Barrier Reef. Fishing quotas will be assigned to major fishing companies, therefor undermining small and illegal trade. FINished is an ongoing global campaign which is fighting to redeem the sharks’ reputation in the public eye.
“Sharks are actually beautiful, shy and intelligent animals,” says organiser and marine zoologist, Sara Keltie. “What I was most surprised to learn is that most people don’t know how shark fin is obtained,” says Keltie. The most common method, is ‘long-lining’: Boats are tailed with kilometres of line with baited hooks in the water, which indiscriminately catch every creature curious enough to investigate. The shark remains fully conscious during the removal of its fin. The rest of the shark is then discarded back into the ocean. This causes the shark become immobile and eventually drown, as constant movement is crucial to all fish, allowing water to pass over the gills and extract oxygen to breathe. “It’s no less barbaric or painful than cutting off a persons’ legs.” Says Keltie.
Doused in fake blood, mimicking a de-finned shark and framed by the FINished banner, the finless five lay side-by-side, motionless and fully naked, near the popular Fitzroy pier. They did this for for over an hour as onlookers were informed of the sharks’ plight by spokesperson Keira Anderson. Posters and pamphlets were distributed to the crowd in a bid to expose more than just the backsides of the 5 conservationists. “Its quite sad but the destruction of the Earth’s most vital ecosystem and the eradication of one of its most pivotal species doesn’t seem to get much interest from the media or general public,” says Keltie, “but sex does sell! “Whenever people rally against the Canadian seal hunt we don’t hear much about it – but we sure hear about the naked people that rally against the seal hunt, and this keeps the issue in the media and in people’s consciousness. Conservation should be fun and enlightening, and I consider it to be quite sexy.” she added.
The launch was designed as the first step of the Australian contribution, in what is weighing up to be a long and multi faceted campaign, against a large international industry of which little is known among the general public. Group organisers promising a convoluted and multifaceted series of events to draw attention to the subject. The ultimate goal of Skins for Fins is growth, Keltie emphasises. “What we would really love to do is continue to hold other rallies and photo shoots until it’s so large; the world’s media is enticed.” She says excitedly. “If we can show the industry and government how many people are willing to go naked and boycott shark fin and other pointless shark derivatives, hopefully we can evoke some fear in the people allowing these vulgar practices to continue.” The event has been regarded as a success by all involved, generating enough interest to start a FINished group on the popular social networking site, Facebook – as well as gather likeminded members to join it. “What comes next, you’ll just have to wait and see. But trust us when we say this is only the beginning,” says Skins for Fins photographer, Simone Spicer. The work is not in vane as the FINished icon is now spreading around inner Melbourne and plans for the next Skin for Fins are already underway. Sara and the finless 5 are on the look out for anyone willing to brave our beaches and bare all in the name of Shark conservation. “The people involved in this campaign all displayed how seriously they take this cause and how far they are willing to go to get [shark finning] some desperately needed attention.” Keltie says. “There is nothing scarier to a business or a government than a mass of young people willing to go to extremes for what they believe in.”
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