Hannes Jaenicke´s Wildlife Underground: Sharks

A dozen sharks circle around Hannes Jaenicke, who obviously is not on their menu. With this scene, the actor wants to prove that sharks are not the bloodthirsty killers presented in the media. Hannes Jaenicke campaigns for sharks because they are in danger of extinction.

As opposed to seal babies or pandas, sharks do not have a world-wide lobby. They are hunted mercilessly, especially for their fins, which are both popular and expensive on the Asian market. After cutting off the flippers, the fishermen throw the animal back into the sea where it comes to a wretched end.

Hannes Jaenicke disguises himself as a restaurant owner and films the
illegal flipper dealers with a hidden camera. He also goes to big fish
markets in Spain where shark meat is sold ever more frequently,
completely legally. Since oceans have become over-fished, fishmongers
are offering more and more shark under imaginative names such as smoked
dogfish or sea eel. Besides, shark meat, just like the meat of other
large predatory fish, is often highly contaminated with mercury. Since
Hannes Jaenicke informed the Berlin department store KaDeWe about the
toxicity of shark meat, the department store no longer offers shark
products.

Those who do not want to forego sea fish should switch to
farmed fish, read the shopping guides from Greenpeace or the WWF and
look for the MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) seal, which is trusted
around the world and stands for sustainable fishing.

Source: 60.
Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin (Catalogue)