Quasimodo is dead. In the Seychelles, once-plentiful shark populations are declining rapidly, due largely to increasing demand for shark products -- mainly fins -- from Asia. But those sharks are all far away, right? Guess what? According the Ocean Conservancy, North Carolina is (quite unbeleivably) considering relaxing its ban on shark finning:

"Shark finning prohibitions were first adopted for the U.S. Atlantic and, with your help, have spread to the U.S. Pacific, many other countries, and most of the world's international waters. But now North Carolina commercial fishermen are attempting to reverse this progress by relaxing shark finning rules. We need your help to block this troubling maneuver. Lawmakers need to hear that the public, especially those from North Carolina, still strongly opposes the finning of sharks. Please take action today by urging your U.S. Senators to keep the shark finning ban strong."

(Despite laws protecting sharks, it seems some NC fishermen are ignoring the rules altogether.) If you are opposed to North Carolina relaxing its rules on shark finning, head to the Ocean Conservancy immediately, get some more details, and click the blue "Take Action" button. You'll be taken to a form that will enable you to send a pre-formatted email to your representatives, telling them you oppose this absurd proposal. Don't worry if you're not a resident of North Carolina -- you can change the text to read "As a visitor to North Carolina," or "As a concerned American," etc.

I did it. Did you?

[Via Wetpixel]