Hongkonger: Ran Elfassy, shark rescuer
Sharks are very important creatures, but they have terrible PR. As the beasts that swim at the top of the underwater food chain, their very existence is crucial to sustaining the health of marine eco systems – but how often do you hear about that? Instead, we greedy humans gobble them up in massive quantities without a second thought, whether it be in fancy soups featuring their hacked-off fins, or occasionally swaddled in deep-fried batter, posing as the ‘fish’ part of our fish’n’chips meal.
As a former PR man, Ran Elfassy is more than aware of sharks’ publicity problems. They’re largely seen as predators of the sea, but even more often they’re just seen as tasty – especially in our city. Elfassy says that phenomenon has translated into Hong Kong being the planet’s most prolific traders of shark products, with more than half of the world’s shark imports and exports passing through our borders, according to the United Nations’ Fisheries and Aquaculture Department.
“Hong Kong is arguably the uncontested leader in marine habitat destruction, globally,” says Elfassy, a Canadian who has been living here for six years. Elfassy worked in communications for the Human Rights Commission in Toronto before moving to Hong Kong, working as a media consultant and personal assistant before setting up Shark Rescue (sharkrescue.com) in August last year.
His goal is to use Shark Rescue to help turn Hong Kong into a world leader of shark preservation by 2020. “I am an optimist,” he says with a degree of understatement, “and I believe that tomorrow can be better than today. But that takes quite a lot of will and understanding from people.”
He set up his company, which sells educational products and raises awareness for the plight of his finned friends, to call for a ban on the shark trade around the world. “We can kill sharks dramatically quicker than they can reproduce,” he says. Sharks reproduce infrequently and only in small numbers, and they can take more than a decade to reach maturity. “There’s no such thing as a sustainable shark fishery.”
Shark Rescue is running a competition (sharkrescue.com/contests) that ends on Monday 1 and asks people to purchase a pack of postcards that call on Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang to bring an end to the shark trade. The winner gets a sailing trip in Indonesia that explores some of the world’s best diving spots.
All very well – but what of the cultural challenge Elfassy faces in changing shark-fin-soup-loving Hongkongers’ long-ingrained habits? “It’s just food,” he asserts. “That’s something we have to not forget.” If shark isn’t on the menu, it’s not the end of the world. After all, we always have that fail-safe but infrequently uttered option: eat something else.
Hamish McKenzie
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It is great to see an organization fighting for such a cause. It's so easy to run a campaign to save the cuddly panda, or the royal lion - but not many take the time to help sharks and creatures of the ocean. When it comes to ocean sustainability we have a lot of work and learning to do. This is a step in the right direction!
It was refreshing to hear about Ran Elfassy's challenge to Hong Kongers to become part of the solution rather than the centre of the problem of marine environment destruction. As a frequent visitor to Hong Kong I am increasingly impressed with the growing level of environmental consciousness of the residents. Thanks to people like Ran who help lead the way to planetary sustainability.
If 100 million humans' arms and legs were cut off, something would get done but it's only sharks.(????) Fisherman who fin and people who order or eat the soup are all the same....RAPISTS! Stop raping these beautiful creatures before it is too late. Protect our sealife.
Thanks, Ran, You are doing a great job and much appreciated. It would be good if you could extend your Sharkrescue campaign to include the shark habitat. If this goes, sharks go with it !! The UK-based Shark and Coral Conservation Trust has been concentrating on this aspect of shark conservation recently, but support your effors there wholeheartedly !
Now that sharks and Tuna failed to get any protection at Doha I feel the only way forward is direct action in the form of protest in front of famous restautrants that specialize in shark fin to highlight this issue.Next public holiday lets get support to make this happem to educate people on the facts. Low reproduction rate Damage to the ecosystem Mercury content On a seperate issue I also feel the other way forward after Doha is implementation of artificial reefs and more marine reserves,. CLP will go ahead with its Windfarm east of Hong Kong.How about the pillons below the surface have moulded cavities the size of rice bowls to enhance fish aggregations.The pillons can be deseigned to promote spawning of sea life.You can also bet that Marine dept will cordon off the area to boating and fishing so why not push the Govt Ag and fish dept to also make the area into a Marine Park. I am also for dumping vehicles in the area below 30 metres to enhance sea life once the fluids are drained. We therefore must make more areas where sea life can flourish unhindered so sharks have a chance to mature as no Govt or WWF is going to change anything.
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