Following my post about shark groups, and world oceans day yesterday, here is what happens to many sharks……
What is shark finning?
Wasteful and horrible practice, and totally unnecessary!
It is the gruesome practice of cutting off a live shark’s fins and throwing the rest of the animal back into the sea, where it dies a slow and painful death. The fins are used in China and Hong Kong, and by Chinese communities elsewhere in the world, as the key ingredient in shark-fin soup.
Why is it a problem?
In the past 20 years or so, the demand for shark-fin soup has rocketed. It is still associated with privilege and social rank – a bowl of soup can cost up to US$100 – but the explosive growth in the Chinese economy means that hundreds of millions of people can now afford this luxury. Many consider it de rigueur at important events such as weddings, birthdays, business banquets and during Chinese New Year celebrations.
Shark-fin soup is also popular in traditional Chinese medicine (although research suggests that it contains so much mercury and other toxins it is barely fit for human consumption). It is estimated that as many as 73 million sharks are killed for shark-fin soup every year – an indiscriminate slaughter that is pushing many species to the brink of extinction. (Source : Mark Carwardine, BBC wildlife online )
We lived in Shanghai, China, for 8 years and would occasionally come across restaurants that served shark fin soup. Suffice to say, we never sat down!
WildAid’s shark fin trade segment (below) from the CNN Planet in Peril series which aired December 2008. CNN correspondent Lisa Ling and WildAid Executive Director Peter Knights investigate shark finning and the international demand for shark fins that fuels it.
WildAid’s animated campaign depicts how sharks are caught, finned and served at weddings. This multimedia campaign, made in partnership with i2mago and artist Zhai Yanjun, is running in the Cantonese-speaking regions of southern China – one of the remaining strongholds of shark fin consumption. English Subtitles
Thanks to the work of Wildaid a key group who are saving our sharks! See their shark campaign here
