Had a Helping of Shark's Fin Lately?

2005-06-07T20:18:00.000-07:00

Let me tell you how those delectable shark's fin dumpling end up on the table of your favorite Chinese restaurant.

It is a fishing practice known as finning. Fishermen capture a shark then brutally hacks the fin from its body. Then the shark will be thrown back into the water where it will bleed to death.

It's been very hard to prevent this cruel practice because the 1 billion Chinese population consider shark's fin a delicacy. And this is now a delicate issue with the opening of the Disneyland Hongkong. Pro-environment groups are protesting on the serving of shark's fin in one of the world's biggest global resorts.

Disney said it would be a crazy thing not to serve the dish in a country that consumes it every single day. To abate high emotions (and to lessen their guilt) the theme park says for every serving of the dish it will distribute leaflets educating customers on the environmental and health impacts of eating shark's fin.

Yeah, sure. It's like telling heroin addicts the substance could fry their brains toast.

Furthermore, Disney adds that it will buy fins only from suppliers who are responsible and reliable, and only those that fish according to international treaties.

Please help me out here, 'coz I'm feeling really stupid right now. How could hacking a harmless (yes, i'm saying harmless) creature to death be an act of someone who's responsible? Finning has caused a sharp decline in shark population over the past years.

Don't look at sharks as those white sea monsters attacking and devouring anyone that crosses its path. Forget Jaws, there's a reason why we call stuff fiction. Sharks have been around for thousands of years, even older than the human species. They play a significant role in the preservation of marine life.

Studies show that sharks today are more violent than in the past centuries due to massive hunting by man. Some hunt them for their liver oil used as ingredients to many health supplements. Man would do anything to prolong his life.

So please, if you can help it don't consume shark's fin. Or buy any product made from any part of endangered species. As that public information ad tirelessly tells us: if the buying stops, the killing can, too. (photo shows of a shark fin warehouse)

Read all about the Disney serving shark's fin story here.

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