Environmental Group Urges Firms to Take Shark Fn off Menus
An environmental group is urging companies to drop shark fin from their banquet menus as demand rises in the booming economy ahead of the holiday hospitality season, a media report said Tuesday.
A poll by WWF (formerly the World Wildlife Fund) showed at least 26 organizations, including banks, universities and non-governmental agencies, said they would not buy shark's fin or treat clients to the dish, the South China Morning Post said.
Despite these results, WWF senior marine conservation officer Clarus Chu said more needed to be done to persuade companies not to order shark's fin for dinners and banquets.
'We are not totally opposed to the consumption of shark fins. But unless we can have a sustainable source, we had better temporarily stop consuming it,' Chu said.
Government figures showed Hong Kong imports more than 4,000 tons of dried shark fins annually.
An earlier report suggested the city accounted for up to 80 per cent of the global trade in shark fins.
