I don’t eat shark’s fin.
I haven’t been eating it for as long as I can remember. I’m not sure if I’ve even had it… But I know that if a bowl of shark’s fin soup is placed in front of me, I won’t touch it.
For the longest time, the reason I gave others for not consuming fins is because fins are obtained in a cruel manner. Fins are sliced off a live shark with a hot blade and the rest of the body (still breathing) is then thrown back into the sea, either for it to bleed to death or for other fishes to eat it alive.
About two months back, I got a call from Hossan (Shark Savers Singapore ambassador) and he asked me if I would be keen to help do PR for Shark Savers – pro bono. I’ve helped friends with some publicity work but I’ve never done it for a NGO and while I believe in the cause, I didn’t think my workload would allow me to work with this organisation in the most efficient manner.
I went for a Shark 101 and I was blown away with the facts. Did you know that only about five humans are killed by sharks each year? More people die from dog bits or even a vending machine falling on them. But, humans kill over 73 millions sharks each year. That’s just sad.
Another cool fact, sharks have been around longer than dinosaurs! They have existed for 450 million years and have survived five major mass extinctions – including the one that wiped out the dinosaurs.
So here I was, with a project I really wanted to be a part of and a group of people (my colleagues and bosses) that I had to convince that this would be a project really worth working on.
Cut the long story short, after a messaging session etc. we came up with the “I’m FINished” campaign that I feel awfully proud of. I’m FINished with fins. It’s edgy with a slight rebellious streak – perfect for our target audience (15-30ish).
My awesome team and I are FINished!
Everyone at Shark Savers is helping out because they believe in the cause. No one is paid for the work that they do and the response from everyone has been overwhelming. Behind the scenes, we’ve had Cathay Cineleisure Orchard come on board as the official venue sponsor, Gold 90.5FM as the official radio station, MediaCorp gave us bus stop space for our ads, @ccomplice offered their creative work etc.
Not forgetting all the various personalities that came onboard to support this cause. From Hossan Leong, to blogger Mr Miyagi, to supermodel Sheila Sim, to radio DJ Jean Danker, to female jazz band Tessera, to national fencer, Joan Ang. The list can go on and on and on but you get the gist. In case you’re wondering, all the beautiful photos are taken by famed underwater photographer Aaron Wong.
They're FINished too
Come this Tuesday (1 May), the world’s first ever SharkAid concert will take place from 5-8pm at Cineleisure (just outside World of Sports).
SharkAid is a public concert that will feature a star-studded cast of local and international artistes including Tessera, Sylvia Ratonel, Alicia Pan and Eli T coming together to raise awareness about shark conservation. Other than radio DJs including Ivy Tan and Yasminne Cheng, athletes such as Laurence (Captain of Singapore’s F1 power boat team), Arren Quek (National swimmer), Aaron Koh (wrestler) and Joan Ang (National fencer) will also be present. Hossan Leong, Shark Savers Singapore’s ambassador will be the host of the concert.
So, please come join and say “I’m FINished” with shark’s fin soup.
To find out more about SharkAid (gallery of personalities behind the cause, shark trivia etc.) and/or to take the pledge against the consumption of shark’s fin, please click on this link www.sharksavers.org/Singapore
Spread the shark love and I hope to see you there. Come say hi!
