Why are sharks so important
to the balance of our ocean ecosystems?
Sharks play a very important role in the oceans in a way that an average fish does not. Sharks are at the top of the food chain in virtually every part of every ocean. In that role, they keep populations of other fish healthy and in proper proportion for their ecosystem.
Lance Armstrong does not seem to know this!
How else would you explain that he gives tips on his Live Strong website about how to cook various shark meats?
Below you can see the screen shots taken from Lance Armstrong's website. Please click on the picture to enlarge, or click here to visit his page and see for yourself.
The page in question is: http://www.livestrong.com/cook-shark/
and the contact page is: http://www.livestrong.com/contact-us/
Our friends John Flynn, Founder of WILDSEAS.ORG, and Erik Brush, have sent the following message to the Editorial Director of LIVESTRONG.COM asking them to remove this section from their website.
Attn: Adam Bornstein,
Editorial Director,
LIVESTRONG.COM
Dear Adam,
Firstly may I congratulate you on what is an excellent lifestyle site that promotes a healthy lifestyle and has acted as a springboard for many to improve their personal health. I am sure many people have turned their lives around for the better thanks to the site and for that you and the team should be applauded.
That said, I have to ask you, isn't "Live Strong" supposed to be about better health and overcoming cancer and illness? So why do you have shark recipes there?
Aside from the fact that sharks are over fished and many of the species you list are protected or endangered, sharks are LOADED with methyl mercury, lead, cadmium, and POP's (Persistant Organic Pollution) such as DDT and PCB's.
What you are advocating as a healthy meal has been directly linked to several cancers and neurological disorders such as Hodgkin's Lymphoma, Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's Disease, corrosion of skin and mucous membranes, loss of motor control, debilitation of the nervous system, brain, and spinal column. Ingesting mercury also causes death of fetus's, impotence, sterility, birth defects, loss of hearing, blindness, seizures, and death. This is JUST the mercury alone, without mentioning the affects of Lead and cadmium or the many POPs found in ever increasing levels in sharks.
The FDA does not regulate this meat well and has not updated its research in some time. But sharks and other apex marine species are the repository of a huge variety of industrialized waste chemicals which have been dumped in the oceans in great quantities since the 70's. They are a massive health risk!
Sharks are not only a conservation concern, they are also a health concern. While the Livestrong Foundation is an amazing and commendable organization this advocating of shark meat as a "healthy diet" is erroneous as well as environmentally unconscionable in a day and age when a third of all shark species are endangered or threatened with many down by 90% or more from their numbers only thirty years ago.
This brings us to the heart of the matter. I would very much wish to urge you to reconsider and remove these items from your recipes. Having further seen discussions transpiring among various conservation groups and NGOs it is only fair to share with you that press releases exposing the facts regarding this "health food" and Livestrong Foundation's advocacy of it could be shared with major news networks and affiliates. This would be a shame as we believe in the great work of your organization and what it has done to benefit others.
If you wish to research the affects of mercury ingesting perhaps a look at what has happened to thousands of people who lived in Minamata Bay Japan and experienced this first hand will help to assure you that removing these items is a good idea and will benefit the health of those you mean to aid.
Thank you so much for your time and consideration in this matter. Also thank you for the great work that you do each you to help better the lives of so many people.
Sincerely,