Tremendous demand for Shark Fin Soup is driving 11 shark species to extinction reports Discovery Channel “Despite mounting evidence of decline and increasing threats to these species, there are no international catch limits for oceanic sharks,” said Sonja Fordham, a researcher at the Oceans Conservancy and Shark Alliance in Brussels
Fin soup used to be a rare and very expensive delicacy in China. As the Asian economies grow, in particular that of mainland China, a middle class has emerged hungry for shark fin soup; they eat it almost as a status symbol. So what was a rare and expensive delicacy is now just part of the buffet at most weddings and corporate functions. This symbol of luxury and wealth is a luxury that the people in coastal communities in the developing world who depend upon shark meat for protein cannot afford. The sharks threatened by extinction certainly cannot afford this delicacy! Living sharks are enjoyed by recreational divers, bringing millions of dollars in foreign exchange to countries in both the developed and developing world. By contrast, the trade in shark fins has created a handful of millionaires in Hong Kong and Taiwan.
So how do we at GSTF stop this?
Read the Discovery article here: http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/05/22/shark-fin-soup.html
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