Shark Fin Soup. The Truth About Sharks. An average of 65 people worldwide are injured by the ocean's top predator each year—with only two or three deaths—but up to 73 million sharks are killed annually by people. Most of them die when fishermen slice off their fins to sell, primarily to Asian markets as a soup ingredient. The Pew Environment Group is working around the globe to save these important animals. So far, the campaign has helped Palau, the Maldives, the Bahamas and Honduras designate their waters as sanctuaries.
Now 926,645 square miles (2.4 million square kilometers) of ocean is off limits to shark fishing. These nations realized that sharks are worth more alive for tourism than dead in a fishing boat. Pew plans to work with more countries to create a network of sanctuaries around the world. Click the image below to view an interactive graphic associated with this report. The leadership of individual nations is important, becuase there are virtually no limits on how many sharks can be caught on the high seas. Shark fin soup disappearing from the menu at Chinese weddings | World news. Chinese couples who have chosen Friday – 11/11/11 – one of the most auspicious days of the year to exchange their wedding vows, could be among the last to mark the occasion by feasting on shark fin soup, if environmental groups get their way.
As the wedding parties scoop pieces of the slippery, glutinous flesh from bowls of broth, they will not just be respecting tradition; they will also be defying a growing campaign to ban the trade in shark fin that has now spread to its most lucrative market, Hong Kong. It is easy to see during a short walk through Sheung Wan, a Hong Kong neighbourhood specialising in dried seafood, why the campaign to ban the trade worldwide has set its sights on the city. Shark fins fill shop windows, ready to be hydrated and boiled before being added to a rich broth, a gastronomic preserve of wealthy Chinese since the Song Dynasty in the 10th century. "We don't even know how much of it is eaten here or ends up in mainland China. " Sea Shepherd. Fit for the Emperor’s Banquet? March 2, 2012 Commentary by Gary Stokes, Sea Shepherd Hong Kong Coordinator Photo: Gary StokesHaving lived in Hong Kong for over 20 years, I believe that I have developed a pretty clear understanding of the local people and customs here.
For the most part Hong Kong is a reasonably clean city, when you consider that is, how many people there are crammed into such a small place. Granted, when I first arrived you couldn’t walk a few yards without hearing someone choking and coughing up phlegm for what seemed like an eternity before ‘gobbing’ it onto the sidewalk. Those days have mostly gone thanks to a government initiative to fine spitting in public. The city does get very grungy; much of this is attributed to the air pollution generated by factories across the border and the vast amount of urban traffic. Photo: Gary StokesEnvironmental issues aside, this has got to be the greatest marketing campaign in the world.