Coming on the heels of the alleged “shark fin threat” letter delivered to the Toronto Chinese Business Association the pro-shark fin lobby counted another PR success story last week with a story alleging that the municipal shark fin ban in Mississauga had been overturned – “Missasauga backtracks on shark fin ban.” The story also ran in Toronto Life, Vancouver Sun and City TV among others. Although vague, most sources stated that the ban had been repealed.

Why do I call this a PR victory? Well, the ban was not repealed at all. In fact, nothing changed with the ban. Mississauga only set their ban enforcement date (June 2012) and left open an option for the municipality to acknowledge the federal ban currently being promoted by Fin Donnelly (NDP). That is radically different then what these news stories ran. There is actually little to no “good news” for the shark fin lobby, however, they managed to spin nothing into something and, as with the “threat” letter, the press didn’t stick around to do their job. Only the Toronto Star actually followed up on this story, publishing a letter from two Mississauga Councillors – “Shark fin ban not repealed: Re – ‘Backtrack on Shark Fin Ban.”

The introduction of the federal ban has put the Toronto Chinese Business Association on high alert and they have diverted a lot of time to and effort into trying to gain leverage in the press. They are fighting an uphill battle as the vast majority of Canadians do not eat shark fin soup. If they are going to mount a significant defense to this ban they are going to continue to use race as a wedge issue and also continue to pre-empt and spin news stories with the hopes that they can use the age of copy and paste journalism to their advantage. They have already succeeded in turning two non-stories into something positive for their side – almost every story about the supposed repeal signaled that Toronto could or should follow suit, and they have found a sympathetic ear with the Conservative party who is forever trying appear “multi-cultural.” Also, the more they play the “eco-terror” angle, the more they further Jason Kenney’s (Conservative) agenda as he is cozy with the “anti-terrorism” (read pro-Israel, pro-industry) lobby.

It may sound odd to speak so frank about defeats in the press, however, for those paying attention the pro-shark fin lobby has controlled the media message ever since Fin Donnelly announced his push for a federal ban. For those with established press contacts in the Toronto area (especially those working on this ban) there needs to be a high regard for media literacy in the coming months. In talking with journalists who ran stories on the supposed “threat” letter all acknowledged that they did not think that the “threat” had substance. However, when issues are framed with the looming threat of racism it is extremely hard to run a counter article.

If this ban is to gain steam and actually pass I think it is time that it’s authors and our movement acknowledge that it’s scope was not broad enough and that it needs to be more comprehensive – no shark products (cartilage pills) and no captive sharks. By centering on shark fin’s only, this attempt was (rightly) seen as cultural imperialism – people made the tactical choice to target a particular use that the dominant cultural majority had no attachment too and which centered on one specific cultural community. A more comprehensive ban sets the stage for a larger battle – shark cartilage pills are used as a cure all for everything from Cancer to Arthritis and beyond, and shark species, especially small shark species, are common at restaurants/marine parks/aquariums. Both cross cultural barriers and bring in a large pool of opposition. However, if the message is that sharks belong in the ocean then we should be consistent with that message. Until that happens people from this movement will be fighting a losing battle in the press. If this truly is about saving sharks then we need to move beyond just fins.