Chinese Consumer Key to Saving World's Sharks

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Chinese Consumer Key to Saving World's Sharks

 

August 03, 2006 — By Ben Blanchard, Reuters

BEIJING — China is the key to saving the world's sharks, a senior wildlife

activist said, launching a campaign to convince the country's increasingly

affluent consumers to stop eating shark fin.

 

In recent years, shark numbers have fallen drastically, threatening the

existence of some species, and while exact scientific data is lacking, figures

show imports of shark fin rocketing in China, said Steve Trent, president of

WildAid.

 

" China is key. All the best estimates suggest that 70, 80, 90 percent of shark

fin is for the mainland Chinese market, as well as Hong Kong and Taiwan, " Trent

told Reuters.

 

" As increasing wealth and income comes to Chinese consumers, they are spending

it on luxury goods like shark's fin soup, and that means there is a pressure

that is now no longer sustainable on these species in the wild, " he said.

 

Shark fin, once offered as a gift to emperors, is traditionally served at

Chinese wedding banquets and occasions when the host wants to impress guests

with expensive and unusual dishes. Some also believe it is good for health.

 

The UN's Food and Agricultural Organisation estimates 100 million sharks are

caught each year, though experts say the real figure could be twice that,

leading to a dramatic drop in the populations for some species.

 

Another problem is that most sharks are caught just for their fins.

 

" They are taken on board, their fins are hacked off and they are dumped back

into the water dead or dying, " Trent said.

 

On Wednesday, the San Franciso-based WildAid unveiled a series of short

television messages featuring basketball star Yao Ming and Chinese Olympic gold

medal gymnast Li Ning to spread the conservation message.

 

" As we progress as a nation and society becomes more driven by money and the

increased desire to quench our taste buds, we should take a step back and

reflect, " the towering Yao said, after vowing to give up eating shark fin.

 

WildAid has already been screening messages that use other celebrities such as

Jackie Chan on satellite television across Asia, but this year it started

showing them on terrestrial Chinese television, potentially reaching a far

larger audience.

 

" There is an interest in conservation here that is mounting very fast, and if

that is tapped into, it can translate into action and dramatically reduce the

number of shark fins taken, " said the British activist, a founding director of

WildAid.

 

The problem has global implications, with fishermen as far away as Ecuador's

supposedly protected Galapagos islands catching shark specifically for the

Chinese market.

 

" This is hardly surprising when we can maybe expect to see around 250 million

new Chinese middle class coming online over the next decade or so, " Trent said.

 

" And shark's fin being a strong, cultural, culinary interest, these people are

going to want to consume, unless they're made to realise it's causing a real

problem. "

 

Source: Reuters

 

 

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