To Whom It May Concern:
I am contacting you to request the removal of shark products in your casino. As you are aware many concerned local residents contacted your hotel on January 16, 2009 requesting a removal of shark from your menu.
Your reluctance or refusal to act puts Fallsview Casino in a very negative light environmentally.
Shark fining kills over 100 million sharks a year. The barbaric practice is performed by fishermen bringing these sharks onboard and brutally hacking off the animal’s fins and then tossing it back into the sea to sink to the bottom in agonizing pain and drown.
Not only is the practice of fining brutal, the consumption of shark is not recommended due to the very high levels of methyl mercury all large fish. Methyl mercury causes central nervous system and brain damage. Pregnant women are highly advised NOT to eat large fish during pregnancy because unborn children are very susceptible to this type of poisoning. You run the risk of making your guests very sick
Did you also know that most of our environment’s carbon dioxide absorption is performed by small marine plants? If sharks are no longer the top of the food chain millions of species will inevitably suffer; included us – We need those plants to breathe.
You and your hotel are contributing to the extinction of a species that has populated this planet for over 400 million years. As these sharks are fished out of existence our marine ecosystems are destroyed.
As of January major trade companies in Asia have banned and removed all shark products from their trade websites. Locally, Loblaw’s and The Great Canadian Superstores have also removed shark fin soup from their shelves. Please take their lead and remove these sharks from your menu too.
Show your environmental responsibility. Advertise that you can no longer in good conscience sell a product that is proven to contribute to the end or our aquatic eco-systems.
Thank you for your time during this International Year of the Shark.
Regards,
Your Name.
