Don’t eat sharks. Do not eat shark, which is the same thing as dogfish. Just as you would not eat or give your children food contaminated with toxic waste or illicit drug residue, you should not under any circumstances consume dogfish, sharks, rays, stingrays, fish steak or similar species. They are all unfortunately contaminated animals and most of them are at risk of extinction.
Summary: DO NOT EAT THEM!
I admit that when I read the news that sharks now have cocaine, I initially thought it was a joke. But when I saw that the publication was serious, I thought: “That’s it, that’s all we need for the end of the world.” And I asked myself: will they stop fishing, killing and selling them now?!
The recent news that a study found cocaine in the bodies of sharks raises serious concerns about the dangers of consuming shark meat for human health. The presence of illicit drugs in the oceans and their marine inhabitants is alarming and reveals the profound and harmful impact of human pollution on aquatic ecosystems. Consuming shark meat contaminated with toxic substances can cause serious health problems for humans, in addition to the already known dangers.
See the text published by FioCruz below:
“The Oswaldo Cruz Institute (IOC/Fiocruz) detected, for the first time in the world, the contamination of sharks by cocaine and its metabolite, benzoylecgonia. The data draws attention to the large amount of the drug that is consumed in the city and discarded into the sea via sewage. Conducted by the IOC’s Environmental Health Assessment and Promotion Laboratory, the study identified the presence of cocaine in 13 animals of the species Rhizoprionodon lalandii, popularly known as the “Brazilian sharp-billed shark”, “rolla roll shark” or “chicken shark”. The results were published in the scientific journal Science of The Total Environment.“
There is poisonous mercury in addition to cocaine
In addition to illicit drugs, shark meat is notorious for accumulating heavy metals, especially mercury. Mercury is a potent neurotoxin that builds up in the human body over time and can lead to Minamata disease. This disease is devastating, causing severe neurological damage and even fetal malformations when pregnant women are exposed to high levels of mercury. Therefore, consuming shark meat is an extremely risky practice for human health.
However, the danger is not limited to humans alone. Shark fishing has a profound and detrimental impact on the ecological balance of the oceans. Sharks are apex predators, essential for maintaining the balance of populations of other marine species. Overfishing of sharks can lead to their extinction, resulting in ecological imbalances that affect the entire marine food chain. Declining shark populations can cause an uncontrolled increase in the species they normally prey on, leading to the degradation of marine habitats and the collapse of entire ecosystems.
You had already been warned
And this is nothing new, just read this other post of ours here, talking about the consumption of dogfish meat, which is the same thing as shark. That’s right, in the year 2024 people can’t not know that dogfish is EXACTLY the same thing as shark. It has nothing to do with species, size, age or anything. Shark = dogfish. It’s that simple.
Therefore, killing and consuming sharks is not only dangerous to human health, but also to the health of the environment. It is crucial that we take steps to protect these magnificent creatures and the ecosystems on which they depend. Raising awareness about the risks associated with the consumption of shark meat and supporting conservation initiatives are important steps to ensuring the health of our oceans and future generations.
They've known for over 50 years and still make you buy
And the world has known this for some time now, just watch the video below, re-recorded by Robert Palmer, “Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)”, the second single from the 1971 album by American singer and songwriter Marvin Gaye, What’s Going On.
Fiperj and the Rio de Janeiro government serve poisoned meat to children
But the absurdity doesn’t stop there. In the state of Rio de Janeiro, Fiperj, despite all the information above, continues to advocate unsustainable fishing and the consumption of shark meat. And the state of Rio de Janeiro is signing off on this… what a shame, Fiperj and Governor Cláudio Castro. Below is the post on social media, in which Fiperj, after receiving criticism and protests directly from one of our founders, blocked comments. But since so many other people were criticizing, they ended up deleting the post, hiding their shame.
Don't eat sharks. Period!
If you were (WERE) one of those who still insisted on eating shark meat, now is the time to stop. We shouldn’t need to explain, ask or prove anything anymore, that’s enough, right?!
The time is NOW! Stop!
Did you know that you can do MUCH MORE to defend sharks and preserve the oceans? Yes, you can and it’s actually quite easy: join Divers for Sharks, helping our campaign to stay active and continue defending the largest part of our long-suffering planet: the oceans!
Help NOW here: www.d4s.eco.br.
We’re counting on you!