Shark Fin Soup is rare and delicious?

Shark fin soup is a traditional soup or stewed dish found in Chinese cuisine. The shark fins provide texture, while the taste comes from other soup ingredients. It is commonly served at special occasions such as wedding and banquets or as luxury foods back then. These days however, the soup can be commonly found in most of Asia's seafood restaurants (including non-Chinese restaurants) as the demand is increasing by years.

As the shark fins markets are soaring up, do we know how much cost it takes to prepare one dish of shark fin soup? In this context, we already admitted that the time they spent, boat, and fuel costs are approximately same as commercial fishing. Regardless species of fish captured, the ground costs are inevitable in fishing activity.

Shark fin soup served hot.

Preparing fins for a bowl of shark fin soup must have been involving a shark finning activity. Now, we take a look how much costs sharks and our earth have to take by shark finning activities. Shark finning is the act of removing fins from sharks and discarding the rest of the shark back into the ocean. The sharks are often still alive when discarded, but without their fins. In this situation, they unable to swim effectively, end up they sink to the bottom of the ocean and die of suffocation or eaten by other predators. The fins of sharks are used for stabilizing, steering, lift, and propulsion. If they have lost these functions, how can they survive?

Shark finning takes place on vessel, before tossing the shark back into the sea. 

Sharks found dead. Only remaining bodies without fins in the ocean.
Photo׃ Sabah Shark Protection Association.

Unable to move and find food, receiving consequences from human hands.
Die a long and painful death.

Can we imagine how could we become the reason they died in vain. Commercial fishing is different. The whole bodies are captured and we do not let them wasted as a whole. Shark finning at sea enables fishing vessels to increase profitability and increase the number of sharks harvested, as they must only store and transport the fins, by far the most profitable part of the shark. The shark meat however is bulky to transport. Some countries have banned this practice and require the whole shark to be brought back to landing port before removing the fins. 

Shark finning increased since 1997 largely due to the increasing demand for shark fins for shark fin soup and traditional cures, particularly in China and Asia's countries, and as a result of improved fishing technology and market economics.

We are all connected. Please save sharks for our future.

In Malaysia itself, there are at least 67 species of sharks in Malaysia's waters. Malaysia has the fourth highest number of sharks species in the world after Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand. More species are becoming endangered and 27 countries have already banned shark finning and consumption of shark fin, including China and Hong Kong. (TheStar, 2016).

Having said that Malaysia is still not banning the shark fin consumption, but government has already launched the grand campaign throughout the year to spread awareness about SAY NO TO SHARK FIN. The Fisheries Department targeted 16,000 deep sea fishermen by instructing them not to catch any sharks. The campaign invite private sectors, restaurants, eateries, and retail shops to stop serving shark fin soup during any gatherings or occasions, and boycott shark fin products. At the moment, sharks can be consumed in Malaysia (not illegal) because they are listed as "fish" under Malaysia's Fisheries Act, leading to calls for a total ban on shark fishing as it is being carried out at an unsustainable level.

In 2011, Sabah Fisheries Department has made a move by banning the shark fishing and no possession and sale of fins. The efforts are highly hoped will be followed by other states in Malaysia.

As a public and a responsible human being, please have a mercy to sharks and say no to shark fin soup and products. Our hands have already destroyed other parts of earth, but not this species too. Please have mercy.

Love,

Masya.