Shark fin controversy

Opposition to the consumption of shark fins points out that the high price of shark fins attracts fishermen from all over the world to compete to catch sharks in the sea. Because shark meat is of such low value, shark finners cut off only the fins of the sharks after catching them and then throw them back into the sea to make more room for the more valuable shark fins. These sharks do not die immediately, but they suffocate as they lose their ability to swim or are preyed upon by other sharks. Some animal and ecological groups have campaigned for the public not to eat shark fins, not only because of the cruelty of the process, but also because of the dramatic decline in the number of sharks - a 90 percent drop in 30 years. The killing of sharks, which are at the top of the pyramid of the marine ecosystem, has also led to a huge increase in the number of small and medium-sized fish, which have been deprived of natural predators, thus seriously disrupting the balance of the entire marine ecosystem.

The shark fins come mainly from blue and green sharks, which are not endangered, but there is no legislation in the shark-fishing regions to prohibit fishing of the endangered species, which poses a major threat to the survival of the endangered species. Experts say that as China's economy takes off, the demand for shark fins has risen sharply, posing a major threat to the survival of sharks as a whole.

Reactions

December 18, 2009, "shark protection ambassador" Yao Ming, "hand in hand, unlimited vitality - Yao Ming and the U.S. Wildlife Rescue Association to protect sharks public service advertisement Global launch" ceremony was held in Shanghai. At the ceremony, Yao Ming and the Shanghai men's basketball team solemnly issued a declaration: "Refuse to eat shark fins, protect wildlife, from me!

On May 28, 2010, Governor Lingle of the U.S. state of Hawaii signed a bill passed by the House and Senate that prohibits restaurants from selling shark fins and prohibits people from buying and selling shark fins. Violators will be fined between $5,000 and $15,000, and third-time offenders will be sentenced to one year in prison in addition to the fine.

California State Assemblyman Wenzhong Fang, a Chinese-American from Silicon Valley, and Southern California Assemblyman Hoffman co-sponsored AB376 in the State Assembly on February 14, 2011, which was passed by the Assembly and the Senate in September, banning the sale, possession, and marketing of shark fins from 2013 onward, and has been sent to Gov. Jerry Brown for his signature to become law.

In October 2011, Taiwan announced a 2012 ban on net shark fin imports.

On October 25, 2011, Canada's Toronto City Council renewed laws banning the sale of shark fins in the cities of Brantford, Oakville and Mississauga.

On November 21, 2011, The Peninsula Hong Kong announced that it would suspend the sale of shark fin dishes from January 1, 2012, making it the first hotel restaurant in Hong Kong to suspend the sale of shark fins, although banquets with previously confirmed dishes would not be affected.

At the fourth session of China's 11th National People's Congress (NPC) in March 2011, NPC deputies Ding Liguo and Guo Guangchang, together with more than 30 other NPC deputies, put forward the "Proposal to Request the Formulation of Regulations on Prohibiting the Consumption of Shark's Fin in Official Business and Official Banquets", proposing to prohibit the shark's fin trade and protect the ecological balance of the sea through legislative means.

On January 17, 2012, Shangri-La Hotels Group's hotels, restaurants and banqueting venues completely stopped selling shark fin food.

On June 29, 2012, there was news on the Internet that China's State Council's Organ Affairs Administration had adopted the "Suggestion of Requesting the Formulation of Regulations on the Prohibition of Consumption of Shark's Fin in Official Business and Official Banquets" put forward by Ding Liguo and others, and formally sent a letter (Guo Guan Xin (2012) No. 21) to Ding Liguo. On July 2 of the same year, the State Council Administration of Organ Affairs confirmed the veracity of the rumor, saying it would issue a document within three years stipulating that shark fins should not be consumed for official receptions.

On July 20, 2012, a conference on the sustainable use of sharks, organized by the China Fisheries Processing Association, was held in Beijing. Industry insiders oppose the claim that sharks are facing an existential crisis because of shark fin consumption, arguing that Chinese fishermen inevitably catch sharks while fishing for economic fish. Instead of consuming endangered species, shark fin consumption is a wasteful use.

On May 7, 2013, the U.S. Senate in New York passed a proposal to ban the shark fin trade by a unanimous vote.

Saving sharks and refusing to consume shark fins is not a cultural anomaly.

For 400 million years, it has been the presence of sharks that has kept the entire marine ecosystem stable, thus shaping the history of life in this world and across the land. But this ancient species, which has existed on Earth for hundreds of millions of years, has now met its demise. Sharks are being hunted in huge numbers because of the windfall profits from the shark fin trade, and sharks are being decimated in alarming numbers because of the lack of scientific understanding of sharks and the lack of restrictions on shark hunting.

It has been individually argued that " Sharks are heavily hunted in Western societies for ingredients such as fish oil, and their fins are discarded in large quantities, but consumption of shark fins is banned in places such as the United States." This is not the case. Western societies have begun to ban the hunting of sharks on a large scale or completely.

The following content originated from Baidu Wenku - Professional Information - The Status of Great White Sharks and Sharks

Today's complete bans on shark hunting include Costa Rica, Brazil, Canada and Oman. The United States has issued a ban on shark fishing in the territorial waters of the Atlantic Ocean, Hawaii, the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. Australia prohibits shark fishing by all tuna fishing vessels throughout the Commonwealth, with a ban of 200 - 300 square nautical miles from the coast, and prohibits shark fishing by all fishing vessels in the states of New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, but not in South Australia, Queensland, the northern territories and territorial waters, and also includes non-tuna ocean fishing throughout the Commonwealth. All this shark protection legislation is not aimed at the shark fin industry alone.

Some countries have begun to take more stringent measures to prevent the extinction of sharks in their territorial waters, and in 2001, the Congo*** and the United States imposed a total ban on shark fishing in their territorial waters. India introduced a similar ban, but failed to implement it fully due to strong representations and complaints from the business community and fishers.

The British government is planning to approach CITES in 2000 about a shark conservation program that would seek to classify the Bassking shark as a Category II protected animal and prohibit trade in shark products. The Australian government has proposed that the great white shark be placed on the world's list of Category 1 protected animals and that trade in great white shark products be banned worldwide. Tiger sharks are now protected in the United States, Honduras, Malaysia, India, Thailand, Maldives and many other countries. This species will also be added to the list of Category 1 protected species as a result of strong appeals.

Original form

1. The white-spotted starshark, with an elongated body, usually within 1m. The head is broad, the muzzle is slightly thick, the front end is blunt. Eyes oval, transient brown flat transverse exposed, behind the eyes there are small water jets. The nostrils are located in the mouth to 1/3 of the muzzle, with nasal valve. Mouth triangular, distal to end of muzzle, with labial folds, upper labial folds broadly flattened and long, lower labial folds narrow and short. Teeth small and numerous, pave stone-like arrangement. There are 5 gill pores, the first 3 are wider and larger than the eye diameter. The last 2 are narrower and located above the pectoral fins. Dorsal fins 2, 1st dorsal fin about above middle of body cavity, upper angle rounded, posterior margin concave, lower angle extended cusp. 2nd dorsal fin slightly smaller, similarly shaped. Anal fin small, starting about midway opposite the base of the 2nd dorsal fin. Pectoral fins medium-large, beginning below 5th gill aperture, posterior margin obliquely straight or slightly concave. Ventral fin is located below the anterior half of the dorsal fin interval, with a more pointed inner angle. Caudal fin narrow, upper lobe straight and slightly narrower lower lobe slightly protruding anteriorly, with a concave notch in the middle and posterior portion, and a triangular protrusion posteriorly. Dorsal and upper flanks grayish brown, with many irregular white spots scattered along and above the lateral line; fins brown, with lighter margins, lower flanks and ventral surface silvery white.

2. The body is slender and extended, with a length of about 1m. Head flat, muzzle moderately long, dorsal view subtriangular. Eyes oval. The nostrils are broad, with a tongue-like protrusion in the middle of the anterior nasal valve, and the outlet pore is half-exposed. Mouth rather small, triangular, obliquely rowed on both sides, anterior end rounded, mandibles slightly shorter, maxillary teeth fully exposed when mouth closed, mandibular teeth only exposed at the suture. Upper lip folds thick and short, lower lip folds thin and longer, teeth small and numerous, pave stone-like arrangement. Spouting pores small, transversely oval, pointed at both ends, situated posteriorly under the eyes. Gill pores 5, narrow, the last 2 located above the base of the pectoral fins. Dorsal fins 2, 1st dorsal fin rather large, more posteriorly positioned, upper angle rounded, posterior margin concave, lower angle prolonged cusp. The second dorsal fin is slightly smaller, with an obtusely rounded upper corner, a y concave posterior margin, and a prolonged cusp at the lower corner. Ventral fin slightly smaller than 2nd dorsal fin, with flattened and extended legs. Pectoral fins moderately large. Dorsal surface of body brown, ventral surface white, each fin purple-brown, posterior margin lighter, body without white spots.

3. The body is elongated and slender, 1-1.5 m in length. the head is broadly flattened and long, the muzzle is long and the anterior edge is narrowly pointed. Eyes oval, no transient membrane, nostrils moderately large, a few flat transverse, mouth shallowly arcuate, nearly transverse, upper lip folds broadly flattened, lower lip folds shorter. Upper and lower jaw teeth homomorphic, lower jaw teeth slightly wider. Spouts kidney-shaped, rather large, gill pores 5 rather small. Dorsal fins 2, each with 1 hard spine. The first dorsal fin begins opposite or slightly behind the pectoral fins, the second dorsal fin is smaller and closer to the ventral fin. Anal fin absent. Pectoral fins rather broad, tips reaching below 1st dorsal fin hard spine. Ventral fin nearly square, located below the posterior half between the two dorsal fins. Caudal fin broad and short, broom-shaped, upper lobe well developed, lower lobe not notched posteriorly. Body gray-brown, ventral surface white, juveniles with rounded or oblong white spots in 2 longitudinal rows on dorsal and upper sides, white spots decreasing with age, adults retaining only a few inconspicuous white spots on upper sides. All fins dark brown.

Grade Distribution

The shark fins are divided into six kinds according to the color: yellow, white, grey, green, black, and mixed (yellowish-white), among which the yellow, white, and grey colors are better. Due to the origin and baking method is different, there are freshwater shark's fin saltwater shark's fin. Freshwater shark's fin is dried with sunlight, or impregnated with lime water, the quality is better; saltwater shark's fin impregnated with salt water, the quality is inferior to freshwater shark's fin. Shark's fin can also be categorized according to the form of integrity or not. After the rise of the whole wing is called a row of fins, for the top quality; after the rise of the scattered into a line called loose fins, for the second best.

The shark's fin is mainly produced in China's coastal provinces of Guangdong, Fujian, Taiwan, Zhejiang, Shandong and the South China Sea islands. Japan, the United States, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand and other places are produced. Generally speaking, imported shark's fins with Luzon yellow from the Philippines is the best.

Nutrition

Shark fins are edible because the fins of sharks contain a kind of fin tendon shaped like vermicelli, which contains about 80 percent of protein, as well as fat, sugar and other minerals. Shark fins are a relatively valuable cooking ingredient, but their nutritional value is not very high because the protein contained in shark fins lacks an essential amino acid (tryptophan) and is an incomplete protein.

Origin

Medicinal base: fins of the white-spotted starshark or other sharks of the wrinkled-lipped shark family;

Latin Botanical and Animal Mineral Name: Mustelus manazo Bleeker

Habitat Distribution

Ecology: 1. Inhabits the offshore. Feeds on mollusks, shrimps, crabs and small fish. Eggs are viviparous, with more than 10 litters per birth.

2. Inhabits offshore warm waters. Mainly eat crustaceans. Viviparous, with more than 10 young per litter.

3. Inhabiting offshore coastal areas, the appropriate temperature is 6-14 ℃, with seasonal changes in water temperature and back to swim, the main food small fish and invertebrates. Eggs are viviparous. Each litter produces 10-13 young.

Resource distribution: 1. China is distributed in the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea and other waters.

2. China is distributed in the Yellow Sea, East China Sea and South China Sea.

3. China is distributed in the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea.

Chemical composition

The fins contain elastoidin and various amino acids.

Sweet taste; flatness

Attributive meridians: kidney; lung; stomach meridians

Functions: Benefiting qi; tonifying deficiency; appetizing. Mainly in deficiency labor; stomach deficiency; diarrhea

Use and dosage Internal use: boiled food, appropriate amount; or calcined charcoal powder.

Excerpts from Chinese Materia Medica

Modern medicine explains that scientific researchers have confirmed that a bowl of shark fins has no more nutritional value than an egg.

Toxicity and Harmful Ingredients

Harmful Ingredients

Research by an environmental investigation group has shown that shark fin soup contains a high concentration of a toxic substance, mercury, which is harmful to the human higher nervous system. Two randomized toxicity tests on shark fins sold in Bangkok showed that the shark fins, a tasty, high-grade nutrient, were contaminated with up to 70 percent mercury and contained mercury that could be absorbed by the human body at a rate that exceeded the normal allowable level by 42 times. The source of the mercury was untreated wastewater. Australia and New Zealand have also issued warnings to the nation, especially to women who are pregnant, not to consume shark meat. Excessive intake of mercury can be very harmful to pregnant women and their children, especially affecting the production of brain and nerve cells. Most of the mercury in shark fins comes from polluted seawater, and sharks are at the top of the food chain, so they can always accumulate more and more mercury in their bodies.

Today, people regard shark's fin as a delicacy and a good tonic, and there is a "shark fin fever". According to statistics, this time by the Municipal Association for Science and Technology, the International Wildlife Federation and the Guangzhou Museum of Oceanography jointly organized a popular science wall charts display activities, in order to let the public re-understanding of sharks, do not eat shark fins.

The person in charge of the Guangzhou Oceanarium introduced a study on shark fins by the Department of Ecology and Taxonomy of the University of Hong Kong. The study found that shark fins contain a much higher fraction of mercury or other heavy metals than other fish. This is due to the fact that human beings have continuously discharged waste water from industrial production into the ocean, resulting in a higher content of mercury and other heavy metals in seawater, and marine organisms have been affected as a result. Sharks are at the top of the marine food chain and tend to accumulate large amounts of polluting toxins in their bodies. In addition to possibly causing male infertility, mercury can also damage the central nervous system and kidneys if levels are too high in the human body. Therefore, eating more shark meat and shark fins may be harmful to the human body.

A new U.S. study shows that shark finning not only puts a large number of sharks on the brink of extinction, but also may lead to Alzheimer's disease because of high levels of neurotoxins, the Huffington Post reported this morning.

Reporting that the study was published in the latest issue of the journal Marine Drugs, scientists at the University of Miami found after analyzing shark fins from Florida waters that the sharks contained high levels of beta-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA), a neurotoxin linked to cerebral degenerative disease and Graves' disease. Experts believe that consuming both shark meat and shark cartilage may be hazardous to the health of those who consume it.

Scientists*** tested seven species of sharks: blacknose true shark, blacktip reef shark, narrowhead hammerhead shark, bull shark, great hammerhead shark, lemon shark and nurse shark. BMAA concentrations in these shark meat samples ranged from 144 to 1,838 nanograms per milligram, which is comparable to concentrations found in the brains of Alzheimer's and Graves' disease patients.

The researchers said the concentrations of BMAA in the samples were worrisome, and that it was not just in shark fins, but also in other foods, such as supplements, that humans consume. Still, as many as 70 million sharks have their fins removed each year and are thrown back into the sea to die. "No trade, no killing," said the researchers, who hope the findings will help discourage shark finning.

This neurotoxin destroys nerves

"Beta-methylamino-L-alanine has a structure somewhat similar to that of an amino acid, but has more methylamino acids than the amino acid alanine, making it an 'amino acid' that does not make up proteins and is neurotoxic. " Liu Qingchun, deputy director of the nutrition department of the General Hospital of the Armed Police, said.　This neurotoxin can cause damage to the nervous system, which in turn leads to muscle atrophy, affecting the digestive system, respiratory system, etc., and ultimately can not eat and die. But the substance β-methylamino-L-alanine is not common, so there is no standard for its toxic lethal dose.

This substance can be found in the seeds of plants in the family Sulphuridae, and is found in the body of sharks, so consumption may be harmful to the body, and the most common food we associate with sharks is shark fins.

Eat less shark fins

Dr. Julia Baum, an expert on the IUCN Shark Specialist Group, revealed plans to put sharks on the endangered species list while attending the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Boston, USA. Baum, who is a marine ecologist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego, USA, told the conference, "Sharks are about to disappear from our oceans, and the problem is global. If we don't do anything about it, then we are likely to see several species of sharks go extinct in our lifetimes."

Social views

Most Chinese know about shark fins, but many don't realize what it has to do with sharks. Shark fin, in China, has never been more than just a dish. in late June 2012, the State Council's Organ Affairs Administration made it clear that it would issue a document stipulating that shark fins should not be consumed in official receptions.

Some say a "war" over shark fins has just begun.

Mr. Liu told China Economic Weekly that shark's fin consumers are generally higher-end, focusing mainly on wealthy businessmen, officials and celebrities. "We are just positioning ourselves in the 1 percent of the population that can afford to consume this product of ours."

Some upscale restaurants are starting to change their attitudes toward shark fins.

In January, the Mansion Jipin Restaurant Group distributed free shark fin soup to Taiyuan citizens. The chairman of the company said that in order to protect sharks, the enterprise decided to give up shark fin products since New Year's Day 2012, but because the stock was too large and it was a pity to destroy it, it gave it to the public for free.

A few hotels in Nanjing, Xi'an and Hangzhou have announced that they have stopped serving shark fin. The change has a lot to do with the civil environmental protection action represented by Yao Ming's public service announcement of refusing to eat shark fins.

Increasingly fierce "shark fin war"

The advertiser of Yao Ming's "Refuse to Eat Shark's Fin" public service announcement is the China office of the World Wildlife Rescue Organization (WildAid) (hereafter "WildAid China"). WildAid China Office (hereinafter referred to as "WildAid China Office"). Zi Wen, the chief representative of WildAid China Office, told China Economic Weekly that in order to raise the public's awareness of animal protection, WildAid China Office invited Yao Ming to make a public service advertisement in 2006 and act as an ambassador for shark protection. It also invited sports stars such as Li Ning and Guo Jingjing to do public service announcements on animal protection.

The participation of more and more celebrities and famous entrepreneurs has undoubtedly made the appeal of "refusing to eat shark fins and protecting sharks" gain wider attention.

In April 2009, in a public welfare initiative jointly launched by the China Entrepreneurs Club and WildAid China Office, hundreds of entrepreneurs, including Liu Chuanzhi, Wang Shi and Ma Yun, called on them to start with themselves to "protect sharks and refuse to eat shark fins", and to influence the main consumers of shark fins with their actions, as well as signing the "I don't eat shark fins" pledge. They also signed the pledge "I don't eat shark fins; I don't give shark fins as gifts to others; and I actively influence my relatives and friends around me with my own actions".

In August 2011, Wang Xiaofei, president of South Beauty Group, launched a campaign on his microblogging site to refuse to eat shark fins and said that starting in October, all shark fin-related dishes would be eliminated from South Beauty's new menu. The move was supported by many celebrities, including Shu Qi, Faye Wang and Tsai Kang Yong.

Yu Minhong, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and chairman of the New Oriental Education and Technology Group, said on his microblog that he would sign a letter of support for Wan Jie, a member of the CPPCC and chairman of the board of directors of Yachang Enterprises, in his proposal to "refuse to eat shark's fins" during the National People's Congress in 2012. Ding Liguo and more than 30 other deputies to the National People's Congress also **** with the submission of the "ban on official banquets and consumption of shark's fin case" motion.

Zi Wen told China Economic Weekly, "When WildAid's China office was established in 2004, many Chinese people had no concept of wildlife protection. In recent years, China has made significant progress in environmental protection, and the pace of development is incredible. For example, in 2005 we did a survey, 75% of the people do not know that shark fins are shark fins, in 2010, we did another survey, 56% of the people table in April 2011, China IT Summit Forum held in Shenzhen. According to media reports, before the meeting, the Shenzhen Municipal Government told the forum's organizing committee, "Everyone come at ease, there are no shark fins at the Shenzhen Municipal Government's banquet."

In early June 2012, Yueqing City, Zhejiang Province, where the town of Puqi, the distribution center for shark products in the country, introduced new rules for official reception: no shark fins or abalone.

At the end of June 2012, the State Council Organ Affairs Administration made it clear that it would issue a document stipulating that shark fins should not be consumed in official receptions.

Everyone has seen our public service announcements on shark protection, in which 82 percent of people say they refuse to eat shark fins or reduce their consumption of shark fins. What's particularly encouraging this time is that after the China Aquatic Products Distribution and Processing Association came out and spoke out, the vast majority of the media and the public expressed support for refusing to eat shark fins."

In Hong Kong, the "capital of shark fins," the wave of resistance to shark fins has been even more violent. 2010, Citibank Hong Kong launched a campaign to offer discounts on shark fins by credit card, which triggered a public outcry and had to be ended hastily. Since November, when Hong Kong's Peninsula Hotels announced it would stop selling shark fins, 112 companies and organizations have pledged to stop eating shark fins, according to the First Financial Daily.

This has undoubtedly made the shark's fin-related industry feel a little chill.

Industry chills

Asia is the biggest market for shark fins, according to data released by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and some environmental organizations. Among the world's major importers of shark fins, China is a very important market. from 2000 to 2005, the top three in the ranking of imports of salted and dried shark fins were Hong Kong, China, mainland China and Macao, China.

Hong Kong is the world's largest re-export center for shark fins. According to the Marine Environment Protection Organization (Oceana) and EcologyLetters, an internationally renowned ecology journal, more than 50 percent of the global shark fin trade passes through Hong Kong.

In 2005, Hong Kong imported 5,776 tons of dried shark fins and 4,572 tons of frozen shark fins. A wholesaler at Shenzhen's Dongmen Seafood Market said the wholesale price of shark's fin ranges from 1,200 yuan to 2,500 yuan per catty. At a rough estimate of 2,000 yuan per catty, the total amount of shark's fin imported into Hong Kong in 2005 exceeded 40 billion yuan.

Puqi Town, Yueqing City, Zhejiang Province, is known as "China's shark processing base". Media reports say that 90% of the sharks caught each year after entering China will be sent to this town of only 11 square kilometers in more than 20 shark factories for processing; in 2010, the annual output value of the town's aquaculture industry of 400 million yuan, of which, shark processing accounted for 100 million, shark fins are the most valuable, accounting for more than 70% of the profits.

Wang Yamin, an associate professor at the School of Oceanography at Shandong University (Weihai), who has long been engaged in shark protection and research, told China Economic Weekly: "China's shark fins are mainly imported, and domestic production is almost negligible. The main proceeds from shark fins flow to traders, processors and end-of-the-line food providers, and the benefits of shark fins are staggering, almost profiteering."

In Shenzhen's Dongmen Seafood Market and Futian Agricultural Wholesale Market, the price of shark fins is varied, with a minimum of more than 10 yuan per catty and a maximum of tens of thousands of yuan per catty. A wholesaler told reporters that there are two kinds of shark's fin: real shark's fin and synthetic shark's fin. The wholesale price of real shark's fin is generally in the range of 1,200 yuan to 2,500 yuan / catty. Synthetic shark's fin, also known as vegetarian shark's fin, is made of starch and sells for 20 yuan a catty, with good sales, averaging several hundred pounds a day.

An industry insider said that most of the general restaurants purchase shark's fin at a price of 600 yuan to 800 yuan per catty, and the cost of a bowl of authentic shark's fin soup is about 60 yuan. While 20 yuan a catty of vegetarian shark's fin to make shark's fin soup, the cost of a bowl of only a few dollars. About 40% of the shark's fin consumed in the domestic market is "vegetarian shark's fin". The profiteering in the shark's fin industry is not in the processing and wholesaling process, but in the catering industry.

Guangzhou Yide Road, known as Southeast Asia's largest dried seafood wholesale market. "Now the general environment is bad, on the one hand, costs are rising, on the other hand, shark fins can not be sold at a price, the profit margin is as low as only 5 to 10 percent." Wu Huihan, secretary-general of the Guangzhou Chamber of Commerce of Seafood and Dried Fruit Industry, said in a media interview, "More than 10 years ago, Yide Road accounted for 70 percent of the national seafood trade, but now sales are less than 10 percent of what they were back then."

Lam Ting-kwai, head of the Eco-Protection Committee of the Hong Kong Seafood Importers' and Exporters' Association, said about 10,000 people in Hong Kong are engaged in the shark's fin trade industry, and many of their counterparts are doing less business, and some have switched to other trades.

Besides the decline in the shark population, the boycott of shark fins by private environmentalists is believed to have affected shark fin sales to some extent.

The person in charge of the "Zero Shark's Fin in China" campaign, which is advocated by a private charity organization, said in a media interview that in recent years, Hong Kong's government departments, associations and individuals have taken the initiative to cut back on the use of shark's fin in their dinners, replacing it with stews. Sales of shark's fin in Hong Kong have fallen about 15 percent.

The New York Times found that in the summer of 2011, sales of shark's fin in Singapore, Hong Kong, China and Taiwan dropped by one-third, and that the wholesale price of shark's fin dropped by 20 percent because of the continued low demand. There are signs that substantial progress has been made in protecting the center of the shark fin industry (Hong Kong).

In May, the Hong Kong Seafood Importers and Exporters Association (MPA) staged a public protest against the Hong Kong environmental protection organization's petition to the Hong Kong government to introduce a ban on shark fins for official banquets.

July, by the China Aquatic Products Distribution and Processing Association (hereinafter referred to as "China Aquatic Products Association") organized by the "sustainable use of sharks conference" held in Beijing. At the meeting, some experts said, China's coastal shark fishing are bycatch, there is no specialized shark fishing operations, sharks basically maintain the balance of population size. In addition, as long as there is economic fish fishing, there will inevitably be shark fishing, was fished sharks basically can not survive, do not use it is a waste of resources.

Some say the domestic shark fin industry is starting to fight back.

Protecting sharks

At a conference on the sustainable use of sharks in Beijing, the organizer, the China Aquatic Products Distribution and Processing Association, argued that China's traditional culture of shark fin consumption has been unfairly evaluated by the international community, creating misunderstandings among consumers and damaging the international image of China's fishing industry. It would be a great waste to refuse to eat shark fin. (Guangzhou Daily, August 16, 2012)

Is shark's fin a food culture tradition? People who eat shark's fin are mainly Asian-Chinese, and shark's fin has always been regarded as a valuable ingredient. From this point of view, there is no problem for shark's fin as a culinary cultural tradition.

So, should shark fins be discarded or not? In the author's opinion, whether any traditional food should be discarded does not depend on whether it is nutritious or not; if that were the case, Chinese mooncakes would have been discarded as "dregs" long ago. Cruelty is also a hypocritical excuse used by opponents, as shark fishing is not considered cruel in the meat processing industry. Aquaculturists have also analyzed the value of sharks to show that finning and discarding does not exist, and if opponents believe that finning and discarding is widespread, they need to show proof. Ultimately, whether or not a cultural tradition should be discarded depends on whether or not it violates the hard factors of morality, justice, and environmental protection. (If this is the case, then the traditions of Chinese women having their feet wrapped and literati writing eight-legged essays can be preserved? Because it is not against morality, women's foot-binding is in line with the aesthetics of the Chinese nation for thousands of years, and the eight-legged essay is just a literary genre, these should not be discarded? The reason why shark's fin is regarded as a valuable ingredient is that it has little or no value on its own, all because of this vain, extravagant and rotten Chinese tradition that should have been discarded a long time ago.)

For example, the author has always been opposed to Westerners eating foie gras and caviar (truly high-grade caviar can only come alive from three rare types of fish). However, the French eventually proved that the enlarged foie gras is "the result of goose mutation", not let the normal goose get fatty liver, and then Mr. President stepped in to support the French "cultural tradition", I can only accept this argument. As for caviar, no one cares, the big boys still eat it.

The number of sharks caught is a major point of contention between the pro-fin aquaculture associations and the anti-fin environmental groups, which say there are 73 million sharks per year (by the way, 73 million per year has been said to be more than a decade ago, so how many sharks are there). Sharks are endangered because of the loss of life due to shark fin soup, and the supporters have repeatedly asked the NGO to explain the origin of the 73 million, but the NGO has never responded positively. The author also researched this figure, which was derived from some sample research in the Hong Kong market. When WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) first released the report in Singapore, the figure was a very uncertain interval value from 26 million to 73 million, which means WWF and the researchers themselves did not dare to have an accurate judgment on the figure, or even quite inaccurate. the NGO increased the figure to 11,000 sharks caught and killed every hour, which is equivalent to 100 million per year! The Hong Kong Seafood Importers and Exporters Association (HKSIA), a supporter of the Aquaculture Association, has repeatedly emphasized the FAO's data, also known as the Food and Agriculture Organization of the U.N. The FAO relies on the aggregation of statistics reported by member countries around the globe to draw its conclusions, and while it may not be complete, the sample sizes are much larger. The Seafood Chamber of Commerce claims that the FAO figures are much lower than those published by the NGO. However, I have not found the relevant data on the FAO website, and I expect the Chamber of Seafoods to produce a report from the FAO to prove this point. Anyway, what is the real survival situation of sharks, who can give authoritative evidence and say?

In fact, the focus of the shark fin war is not cultural at all, or even endangered or environmental. The essence of shark finning is a tug-of-war between two social classes, one of which holds an absolute advantage in terms of numbers. Shark's fin is not part of the daily consumption of the common people, which means that those who eat shark's fin are the rich or the powerful. Therefore, those who don't eat shark's fin are ready to unite so that those people can't eat shark's fin either. But is that even a real victory?

The idea of protecting sharks by banning shark fins alone seems a bit far-fetched now. Do we want to eliminate the shark fin culture that has existed since the Ming Dynasty? Protecting sharks is not just a matter of advertising and shouting slogans, we need to see the facts, we need to justify the reasons, we need to take strong measures to protect sharks.