The Crazy Shark Lady: Sharkwater

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Here's the Skinny on Shark Fin Soup

Shark Photo of the Day

The beautiful and rarely seen Blue Shark.

Shark Story of the Day

When I lived in Cedar City there was this fancy (at least for Cedar City) restaurant called the Garden House. I found out that they served shark fin soup during Shark Week and I boycotted the restaurant. I never ate there again. Now I realize I should have spoken to a manager and encourage them to take it off the menu, but I didn't. However, if I go into a Chinese restaurant I always look to see if it is served. If I run into one I will not hestiate to speak to a manager before leaving the establishment. I encourage you all to do the same. NEVER eat shark fin soup! DO NOT support restaurants that serve it! Speak to a manager before you leave.

If you are asking yourself what the big deal is, I will telll you. Shark fin soup is basically a broth with vegetables in it. The shark fin adds no flavor to the soup, only texture. Plus, sharks are known to have a high amount of mercury in their systems which could be deadly to humans. That's just the surface of the injustice. The big problem is that shark fin hunters are cutting the fins off the sharks and then throwing the LIVING creature back into the water to die. They don't even utilize the whole shark! If a small island or something didn't have access to a lot of protein and they killed a shark and ate the whole thing for meat, that one thing. But I don't think freaking CHINA is hurting for food! This is a barbaric practice that must be stopped! Type save the sharks into your search browser of choice and see what you can do. There are TONS of petitions you can sign, which could make a huge difference! Do what you can and God will surely bless you for it!

Shark Shirt of the Day

Since I couldn't find a cool handmade shark in Mexico like I did in
Jamaica and Haiti, I settled for this really awesome looking T-shirt. :)

Shark Object of the Day

This is Sharkwater, the amazing documentary
I've been telling you all about. It is seriously amazing.
Go watch it on my shark page right now!

Shark Fact of the Day

Be glad you're not a shark, moms! The gestation period for a pregnant female shark can range from five months to two years!

Shark Art of the Day

This is a costume design I did. It is based on a shark.
Check out the art page to find out more about it!

Shark Meme of the Day

Friendsies!

Shark Treat of the Day

Shark Cake Pops! This was my first time making cake pops and it's really hard,
but the sharks turned out really cute! Don't you think so?

Shark Want of the Day

Rawr! So cute!

Sunday, August 4, 2013

Shark Hipster

HAPPY SHARK WEEK EVERYONE!!!

It's that time of year again. The time when all my friends send me a zillion shark memes on Facebook. The time when I am glued to the television and subsequently, the couch. The time of year when I, along with millions of others, celebrate my favorite animal of all time. That's right, it's Shark Week!

Each day of Shark Week 2013 I am going to share with you as much insight and love as I can so that you too will gain an understanding and hopefully an appreciation for these beautiful creatures. Every day is going to feature something new so be sure to check back each day! It's going to be an amazing week and I hope that by the end of it we will have saved a few more sharks from an untimely and barbaric death.

Shark Photo of the Day

The beautiful and majestic Whale Shark.

Check out more of these amazing photos here. I love art that supports a good cause!

Shark Week Schedule for the Day (Discovery Channel)

Bold indicates New Program for 2013

Times are Mountain Time

10:00 AM - Air Jaws: Sharks of South Africa
11:00 AM - Air Jaws II: Even Higher
12:00 PM - Ultimate Air Jaws
1:00 PM - Summer of the Shark
2:00 PM - Shark Week's 25 Best Bites
3:00 PM - Mythbusters
4:00 PM - Shark Fight
5:00 PM - How Jaws Changed the World
6:00 PM - World's Scariest Animal Attacks
7:00 PM - Shark Week's Impossible Shot
8:00 PM - Great White Highway
9:00 PM - Air Jaws: Countdown to Shark Week 2013
10:00 PM - Megaladon: The Monster Shark Lives
12:00 AM - Shark After Dark

Shark Story of the Day

I like to consider myself a shark hipster. Even though Shark Week has been around longer than I've been alive, I loved sharks long before I realized there was an entire week dedicated to them. People always ask me why I love sharks so much and I've always told them that I remember reading a book about them in sixth grade and being completely fascinated and it all took off from there. But recently I started thinking about it and I had to have liked sharks BEFORE that otherwise why would I have picked up the book from the library in the first place? I've loved sharks for a really long time. It's probably the mermaid gene in me. My love of the water and my love of sharks seem to compliment each other quite nicely!

In 2009 I saw a documentary called Sharkwater that completely changed my life. I was sitting in my dorm room and tears were flowing down my face. I remember running to my friend's room across the hall, while crying, and screaming, "They're killing sharks!" After that it became my mission to stop shark finning and save the sharks from that terrible fate. I do anything that's within my power, which unfortunately isn't much. Basically I do what I'm doing right now. I spread the word. I tell everyone I know to watch Sharkwater. I bring up the topic of shark finning and how killing sharks will eventually kill us too!

I encourage all of you to take an interest in the preservation of sharks. You can start by checking out my Shark page on this blog. You can even watch the entire documentary of Sharkwater there. There are so many simple things you can do to help. First and foremost - educate yourselves. Knowledge breaks the fear. Then spread the word. Let everyone know what's going on. You never know who might be the one to change the fate of sharks everywhere! You can also do something as simple as signing a petition or two. Oceana.org always has something you can sign to help out!

I hope you all enjoy Shark Week! Keep in mind the reason Shark Week exists is to raise awareness of the situation at hand, so be AWARE!