Shark Death Stats

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Just a shark reading out some stats, in my column with The Hindu Weekend.

Shark Fin Trade and the Fishing Industry

Last month, a shipment of 28 tons of shark fin was seized in Hong Kong, setting a new world record for shark fin trade. This came from 38500 sharks from the endangered thresher and silky sharks, and was traced all the way back to the Ecuador. This goes on to show how ineffective bans and regulations can be when there is a lack of enforcement. Although unlicensed trade of shark fin is illegal in Hong Kong, trade with a license and consumption are not, making it the world's largest consumer of shark fin (followed by China, Singapore and Malaysia).

Comic from my column with Sunday Mid-Day.

Greenland Sharks on Instagram

A comic on the Greenland Shark's lifespan from my column with RoundGlass Sustain. A Greenland Shark reported to be 512 years old has been found in the Arctic recently, which makes it the world's longest living vertebrate!

Sharks of D'Arros

Blacktip Reef Sharks and Sicklefin Lemon Sharks are two common sharks found in The Seychelles. The comic is a part of a project with Save our Seas Foundation, in which I worked in conjunction with marine biologists to convert their studies into comics. This comic takes notes from Shark researcher Ornella Weideli's studies.

Trump Brain Soup

US President Donald Trump recently celebrated his ties with Vietnam with shark fin soup, on his visit to that country. Here's an eco-friendly alternative to shark fin soup.

From my page with Gocomics.

Hammerhead Sharks of the World

Know your hammerhead sharks with this new poster! There are 9 species of Hammerheads (10, if you include the Whitefin Hammerhead, which is lumped with the Scalloped now). The Great Hammerhead is the largest species while the Scalloped Bonnethead is the smallest. The 'hammer' or 'cephalofoil' is used to locate and immobilize prey (specially rays, which are a favourite food of the larger hammerheads). Widely hunted for their fins, hammerhead populations are on the decline, with three species already endangered.

Buy Hammerhead prints and merchandise from my webstore here. Here are a few samples of the goodies available-

For orders within India, mail me on rohanchakcartoonist@gmail.com. The range of merchandise for Indian orders is listed below-

A1 Posters (loose)- Rs. 3000 each

A2 Posters (loose)- Rs. 1200 each

Mounted Posters (A3- Individual species and compilation)- Rs. 2000

Loose Posters (A3- Individual species and compilation)- Rs. 500 for the first copy and Rs. 200 for the second copy onwards

Fridge Magnets (65 x 65 mm, Printed in sets of 4)- Any 4 shark caricatures for Rs. 1200

Coasters (3.5" x 3.5", Printed in sets of 6)- Any 6 shark caricatures for Rs. 800

Coffee Mug (Compilation)- Rs. 850

Longline Fishing

On one of the most unsustainable fishing methods from my column with Mid-Day.

Illustration for Current Conservation

Current Conservation Kids runs a monthly column by ecologists who describe what a typical day is like for them at work. These illustrations were done for a column by shark boiologist Phl Doherty who studies the world's second biggest fish- the Basking Shark.

The latest issue of the magazine can be read here. While you're at it, do check out the fantastic cover illustration on coral bleaching by Prabha Mallya!

The Apex Predator of the Sea

One on sharks and marine pollution that appeared in my column in The Hindu BLink.

How to scare a shark- Shark Week 2013

Although shark finning is carried out almost worldwide, China can safely be called the hub of the trade as the demand for shark fins for fin soup and traditional medicine is increasing alarmingly in China and its territories. The removal of the fin from the body of the shark renders it unable to swim and hunt, and the animal drowns to an extremely painful death. Recent statistics have reported India and Indonesia to be the leaders among shark-finning countries. 

This work by Rohan Chakravarty is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Shark Week 2013

Shark Week begins tomorrow. More shark cartoons will be coming up shortly.

And for some glamour on my blog, here's a picture of the beautiful Chemudupati Samyukta of the Humane Society International, India with a print of my Whale Shark poster :) Samyukta is campaigning actively against shark-finning in Indian coasts.

Happy Shark Week!

Demand for shark fin soup continues to rise and shark populations across the world continue to be decimated. A soup that originated in Ming China, it uses shark fins indiscriminately as the fin only provides texture to the soup while the taste comes from other ingredients. This luxury item in Chinese culture is promoting the cruel practice of shark finning in which fins are chopped off live sharks and the rest of its body is thrown back into the sea, rendered unable to swim or hunt.

Say no to shark fin soup, say yes to sharks!

This work by Rohan Chakravarty is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Shark 'Weak'!

Sharks are illegally hunted for food and tortured brutally, with their fins chopped off and their bodies thrown back into the ocean. Without its fins, the shark is unable to swim, let alone hunt, and drowns and starves to death. This brutal practice is prevalent in most oriental countries, and over the years, there have been several reports of finning being practised along Indian coasts.

It is the Shark Week but the food network is celebrating it with shark recipes! Raise your voice against these shameful proceedings; please sign the petition here at http://www.change.org/petitions/food-network-stop-featuring-shark-as-food?utm_source=action_alert&utm_medium=email&alert_id=wJVKGJawHJ_BTyaWairNU

This work by Rohan Chakravarty is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.