Protesters have called on one of Hong Kong's most well-known restaurants to stop serving the jelly-like delicacy. Despite government's efforts, the illegal import of fins continues, threatening many species.
Image: Reuters/B. Yip
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Protesting to end shark meat sales
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Diners at Maxim's Palace in Hong Kong on Saturday found their meal of dim sum unexpectedly accompanied by a side of protest.
Dozens of activists donned bloody, finless shark costumes before dumping the hacked-off costume fins outside the restaurant's entrance and proceeding to flop around on the ground. Some also shouted "Maxim's stop selling shark fins" and waved signs reading "Support sharks, no shark fin."
The protesters, many of them children, aimed to draw attention to the sale and consumption of shark fin soup that has contributed to putting many shark species on on the endangered list.
Shark fin is a highly-prized food for many Chinese and is eaten at special events and banquets. In Hong Kong, the demand for the delicacy is among highest in the world.
Shark fin soup is a status symbol throughout much of AsiaImage: picture-alliance/dpa
'Take action now before it is too late'
The protest was organized by WildAid, a San Francisco-based conservation group that seeks to end illegal wildlife trade through consumer persuasion. Announcing the protest on Facebook, the organizers stressed that Maxim's Group is Hong Kong's largest restaurant chain with more than 70 locations in the city that still sell shark fin soup.
"We need to protect them, because if they go extinct it would just disrupt the whole ocean diversity, the biodiversity of the ocean. Our ocean is in a lot of trouble, and scientists think, by 2049, our ocean stock will be depleted. So we have to take action now before it's too late," WildAid organizer Rosanna Ng said.
The group also encouraged its social media followers to post protest messages on Maxim's Facebook page.
In response to the action, Maxim's stated that shark consumption at their restaurant had fallen since they began to promote a shark-free menu seven years ago. When shark is on the menu, the fins are always sourced sustainably, the restaurant added.
Young and old alike descended on Maxim's diners to protest shark fin consumptionImage: Reuters/B. Yip
Illegal trade
A high volume of shark fin enters Hong Kong every year, and much of it is subsequently exported to China. The city requires a permit for species listed as endangered on the UN Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. Nevertheless, conservations groups believe that a large ammount of illegal shark fin is still being imported illegally.
In March 2017, the Hong Kong government reported it had seized around 1,200 kg of illegally-imported dried shark fins.
Illegal shark fins are often mis-labeled in cargo shipsImage: picture-alliance/dpa
In 2013, the Hong Kong government announced it would cease serving shark fin soup at official events in order to set "a good example."
There are around 400 species of sharks in the world. According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, one quarter of all sharks face extinction.
Over 70 million sharks are killed every year, the World Wildlife Foundation reports.
Blame it on Jaws or blame it on the fact that sharks do have rather a lot of sharp teeth, fact is, many humans have a fear of sharks as deep as the waters in which they swim. Any expert will tell you, we kill by far more of these great fish a year than they do us. So should we really be scared?
Image: Pterantula (Terry Goss) via Wikimedia Commons
The reef shark
There are five species of reef shark, of which this is one. Feasting on crustaceans and fish alike, they are the top predator in the fragile ecosystem from which they take their name. They are no strangers to divers either, and have been known to attack when they feel threatened.
Image: CC BY 4.0/Albert kok
All shapes and sizes
There are more than 250 recorded species of shark in the waters around our planet. They range in size and ferocity. The sand tiger shark weighs up to 159 kilos and can reach a length of 3.2 meters. They are big eaters, have a mouth full of frightening looking teeth, but are generally regarded as being docile and unlikely to attack humans unless provoked to do so.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/S.Sauer
Mass slaughter
Though it is impossible to know exactly how many sharks are killed annually for their fins, some estimates put the number around 100 million. Finning, as the practice is known, entails the removal of the fin while the shark is alive. The animals are then cast back into the sea where if not dead already, they succumb to a painful end. The fins are used to make soup, which costs up to $100 a bowl.
Image: Gerhard Wegner/Sharkproject
Growing old gracefully
Recent research revealed that Greenland sharks can live to the extraordinarily ripe old age of 400. These predators have a healthy appetite, but have never been known to go for humans. They like cold waters, through which they move slowly. And that is not the only thing they do at a leisurly pace - they don't even reach sexual maturity until they are around 150.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Oceans Image
Just because it's big, doesn't mean...
...it will hurt you. At 18 meters, whale sharks are the longest species in the family, and indeed the biggest fish in the sea. At that rate, dinner should be theirs for the picking, but their penchant is for plankton. Good news for all the other creatures in the sea. But whale sharks are at risk. Not only are they fished for their fins, oil and meat, but are often hit by eco-tourism boats.
Image: CC BY 2.0/Derek Keats
Lemon sharks
Said to be the best researched sharks, the lemon species is considered non-agressive. To date there have been no recorded incidents of a human fatality as a result of a lemon shark attack. They are social creatures that move in groups, where they rarely display aggressive behavior to each other.
