In 2013, the environmental group WildAid reported that demand
for shark fin soup in China had dropped by 50 to 70 percent, offering some hope for the estimated 25 % of species of sharks and their relatives, that are threatened with extinction.
China no longer
serves shark fin soup at state dinners, and Air China, DHL, and UPS have all banned shark fin transport.
Worm highlights the alarming depletion of many shark species due to bycatch and for their fins, a key ingredient
in shark fin soup.
Consumption
of shark fin soup in China is no longer the single greatest threat to sharks,... Read More
Still, the decision to stop serving
shark fin soup at official functions was welcomed by environmental campaigners.
In July 2012, the Chinese government pledged to
ban shark fin soup from official banquets within three years.
They are sold to the restaurant trade and exported to Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia and China, where they are consumed
as shark fin soup at important events.
One third of shark species is endangered; over 11,000 sharks are caught and killed every hour, mostly for their fins, to
make shark fin soup.
In the campaign, celebrities and then citizens posted photos of themselves covering their mouths to indicate they would no longer
eat shark fin soup.
She cited evidence that this conservation campaign, along with steps by the government, including a pending ban
on shark fin soup at state banquets, have already sharply cut the fin trade.
But a few minutes later the real motivation behind the clip surfaced — Ramsay was scheming to get behind closed doors so that viewers could see the painful brutality
behind shark fin soup.
Basic information campaigns, in this case, have been vital, she said, because the Chinese word for
shark fin soup doesn't include the word shark.
Because shark fins are a part of Chinese culture,
with shark fin soup served at important business meetings and family events, there is no avoiding the Asian community being affected.
The real activism comes with ending the market for shark fins — something incredibly difficult to do
since shark fin soup is an embedded part of Chinese culture worldwide.
But as the middle class grows in China and more people have the funds to
buy shark fin soup, the demand is far exceeding the sustainable supply of fins.
The biggest problem with Racing Extinction is that it tries to cover too much ground, casting a wide net around a range of topics such as our reliance on meat,
shark fin soup popularity, emissions of carbon dioxide, underground methane gas, manta ray and whale hunting, and the decreasing plankton population.
«There is a lot of wealth in China righty now that there are hundreds of millions of people who can
afford shark fin soup,» he explains.
Here's a fresh - ish batch of it: SHARK FINS: Yesterday the Illinois House passed a bill to ban the sale, trade and distribution of shark fins, which are used in Chinese delicacies
including shark fin soup.
Instead, they were told to serve «ordinary food» and not to
offer shark fin soup or dishes made with protected wildlife.
Experts have long cautioned that soaring demand for
shark fin soup over the past two decades has imperiled shark populations around the globe.
Shark fins are particularly sought after for traditional Chinese medicine and
shark fin soup which is considered a delicacy in Asia.
That
means shark fin soup, a menu item that is as much a status symbol as a part of the Chinese culture, would be illegal starting January 1, 2013.
In a statement released today, Chinese air freight company Cathay Pacific announced that it would no longer permit the transport of shark products — despite being based in Hong Kong, where the demand for
traditional shark fin soup continues to thrive.
China's insatiable appetite for
shark fin soup Eilperin writes, «In 2000, the five major markets for shark fins — Hong Kong, mainland China, Taiwan, Japan, and Singapore — reported importing 11,600 metric tons of fins, of which Hong Kong accounted for 47 percent.
The combined effects of overexploitation — especially for the
lucrative shark fin soup market — and habit degradation are most severe for the 90 species found in freshwater.»
For instance, Hawaii has outlawed
selling shark fin soup and California is in the process of approving a ban on selling shark fins.
i think they should stop overfishing the whole oceans the sharks for
shark fin soup bluefin tuna whales when will it stop
The video isn't easy to swallow, in fact, it's hard not to look away, but if you're unclear as to
what shark fin soup is and the sheer terror it causes a severely declining species, it's worth a watch.
After
tasting shark fin soup, a 90 pound per bowl and startlingly tasteless broth, Ramsay went to a nearby port and witnessed a huge endangered hammerhead knifed to death for its fins and then left to bleed to death, its meat worth nothing to fisherman.
«Now, Citibank's fast response shows that companies can't fall behind an informed public on important environmental problems
like shark fin soup.»
When Gordon Ramsay first showed up in a Taiwanese restaurant to
sample shark fin soup you couldn't help but be disgusted.
«A few years ago, there may have been no reaction to Citibank ads
promoting shark fin soup,» Michael Skoletsky, executive director at Shark Savers in New York, said in an e-mail message.
In fact, one of my daughter's university roommates told me that she and her five friends stormed out of a Victoria Chinese restaurant when they
saw shark fin soup on the menu, and vowed never to return.
Not surprisingly, I have a keen interest in the recent banning of the sale
of shark fin soup in the city of Toronto and in some of its surrounding suburbs.
Our programs persuade consumers not to buy illegal or unsustainable wildlife products, such
as shark fin soup, ivory and rhino horn, and to make better transportation and food choices in order to reduce climate change impacts.
According to Sea Shepherd, more than 100 million sharks are killed annually, many for their fins to
make shark fin soup; and it isn't pretty.
In modern times, it is practically a requirement to
serve shark fin soup at celebrations such as weddings, and at high - end business meetings as a way to show off one's wealth to potential clients and business partners.
But with awareness growing in places like Hong Kong (take a look at this trilingual video pledge to stop eating shark soup that debuted in Hong Kong recently) and Hawaii (which recently
banned shark fin soup), there's hope in the water.
Sharkwater, Rob's first film, brought the devastating issue of shark finning used
in shark fin soup to the world stage.
If the Chinese government cracks down on this illicit trade and speculation and, at the same time, supports efforts to educate consumers the way it did
with shark fin soup, it's conceivable that the vaquita could, by the narrowest conceivable margin, avoid extinction.
Some opponents of the law felt that it unfairly targets the Asian American community,
since sharks fin soup is a popular meal served at occasions such as weddings.