Challenging the common reasons people give for eating shark fin soup
“Sharks eat all the ocean’s fish. Eating them helps the planet."
Sharks keep the oceans healthy and eat a very small portion of fish compared with humans. In 2007, human consumption of seafood was 331 billion pounds. High tech, industrial fishing fleets and years of overfishing have done their damage; the oceans are in demise – thanks to people, not sharks. Many scientists believe commercial fisheries will collapse worldwide by 2048, although regionally, thousands of fisheries have already collapsed, starting as early as the mid 1800’s. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), almost 80% of our global fisheries are now being fished close to, already at, or beyond their capacity – with more than 50% of fish stocks considered fully exploited.
"If seafood is nearly gone, we should kill the sharks – so they don’t eat what remains."
Sharks keep the food web in balance. Without the top level predators, the mid level – or mesopredators – proliferate, and can throw the system out of balance. We have already seen regional collapse of fisheries and the death of coral due to the lack of sharks. Sharks also prevent disease outbreaks and keep fish populations healthy by eating the sick and the weak. By targeting the sick and the weak, they also strengthen the gene pools of prey species, which enables these animals to reproduce in greater numbers. Removing sharks will have negative cascading side effects on what fish do remain. Remember, there is nothing extra in nature.
"Shark fin soup is healthy."
No scientific research proves consuming shark – in any form – benefits your health. Instead, studies prove that shark can contain high levels of poisonous mercury. Many organizations worldwide warn against consuming shark fin because it can cause mental and neurological issues. By eating shark fin soup, you are putting your – and our planet’s health – at risk.
There is limited nutritional value in shark fin as well, and certainly there are far better ways to consume collagen and protein. Shark fin is actually an incomplete protein and scientific studies have not proven that the collagen in shark fin offers any health benefits for hair or skin.
"Shark fin soup is a long-standing cultural tradition."
Often it is argued that consumption of shark fin soup is a long-standing Asian tradition. In reality, it is only in the past 50 years that shark fin soup has been accessible to anyone but the most elite in Asia. For the vast majority, this is new “tradition” driven by trade marketing like any other consumer branding campaigns. It is not part of an important cultural tradition.
And many traditions become outdated. Imagine if we were still binding women’s feet.
"Shark fin makes the soup taste so good."
Shark fins are flavorless, and the quality of the soup relies upon the broth – which is typically chicken stock. Fins are really only utilized as a thickening agent.
"There are no substitutions for shark fin soup."
Many people hosting banquets replace shark fin soup with birds nest soup (which is of a similar value as well.) Many restaurants offer a variety of options that are comparable to shark's fin in terms of prestige and perceived value. It is critical however, to replace shark fin soup with a sustainable option.
And, if you love shark fin soup, there are many other fish based and vegetable based products that are exactly the same in terms of consistency. In taste tests, people cannot tell the difference. And, if you are buying a low cost bowl, you are probably eating those substitutes already anyway often without knowing. This is common in many low price restaurants that serve shark fin soup.
"It is just the westerners that want to stop consumption because they don’t understand."
Many individuals in Singapore, China, Thailand, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan and Malaysia have taken a stand against shark fin soup. Even famous individuals like Yao Ming will not consume it. This is not a western vs. eastern issue. It is a global issue with global implications.
"Shark fin represents an important income for many individuals."
Indeed, many people make a considerable amount of money from selling and trading shark fin. However, this is a short term gain and is leaving a legacy of destruction for our future generations and planet. We need to focus on sustainable industries that do not destroy our planet.
"If I don’t order or serve shark fin soup, people will think I am cheap."
There is a growing movement that is gaining support in Hong Kong for schools, corporations, restaurants and brides/grooms to stop serving shark fin soup at their banquets and celebrations. Even Hong Kong University and the Bank of China do not allow shark fin at their functions any longer. It is becoming socially unacceptable to serve shark fin – especially with time running out for sharks.
Many people once they realize the issues shark fin soup is causing agree whatever status and tradition comes with having shark fin on the menu is not worth the cost.
"I eat other meat too. Are sharks really killed more cruelly than say cows or chickens?"
Because of very high value of their fins, sharks are often killed only for their fins. In a cruel practice called “shark finning”, sharks are caught often alive to have their fins are brutally cut off. The rest of the shark is wasted, thrown into the ocean, to bleed to death, suffocate or be eaten alive. Recently a juvenile whale shark was found - “finned” and still alive - by a group of divers in the Philippines. The whale shark was unable to move and dying a slow, painful death by suffocation.
The issues with consuming sharks go far beyond cruelty. Sharks cannot be farmed. Sharks are slow growing, taking years to reach maturity. They are slow to reproduce, taking as many as ten or more years to become sexually mature and then giving birth to very few offspring in a lifetime. They are wild animals needing large areas to roam and migrate. And so, there is no way to farm them like like chickens, cows, or even most fish.
Sharks are being drasticaly overfished with no reproductive means to overcome this overfishing. They will be gone very soon if this overfishing does not stop. And sharks are absolutely critical to the health of the oceans that support all life on this planet.
"The world’s population of sharks is on the rise. There are no issues with sharks."
Sharks being processed in Asian shark factory. Photo by Shawn Heinrichs.
Over 73,000,000 sharks are killed each year for shark fin soup. Sharks, slow to reproduce, cannot sustain the fishing pressures they are under – some populations are down by 95% in some regions. In 2009, the IUCN reported over 1/3 of all shark species are threatened with extinction.
"What about the poor fishermen? Aren’t we just punishing them?"
There is much evidence to show that the local fishermen are benefiting very little from the shark fin trade.
Much of the finning and unsustainable shark fishing comes from illegal poaching. Local fishermen in Raja Ampat, Indonesia have tried to stop illegal finners and dynamite fishermen who are taking their resources, and have been met with guns and dynamite. They are powerless to fight back.
In other areas, the local fishermen are engaged in finning and/or other types of unsustainable shark harvest. In most cases, these fishermen are paid a pittance for the fins – shark finners in Raja Ampat have reported receiving less than US$0.35 (HK$3) per fin. These same fins may sell for US$250 (HK$2000) per kilo or more in a Hong Kong market.
So these local fishermen receive either no benefit at all (in the case of illegal poaching) or very small short term gain. And what will they have in the long term?
No more sharks, since sharks cannot reproduce fast enough to keep up with the fishing pressure.
A degraded, dysfunctional ecosystem with less productive fishing grounds, due to the removal of sharks
Loss of tourism income that could flow to the local community – which is sustainable and long term.
Summary: The shark fin trade provides minimal to no benefit to poor fishermen in the short term, and causes significant damage to them in the long term.
"Shark fin soup was never an issue before – so why is it now?"
Over the last 30 years, the number of people eating shark's fin has risen from a few million in the 1980’s to more than 300 million today.
"What difference can I really make?"
You hold in your hands incredible power. Consumers have a loud voice. Sharks are being killed for their fins solely because there is demand for shark fin soup. You can end the demand and ensure we leave future generations with a strong legacy and a healthy planet by taking a stand and pledging not to eat shark fin soup. Throughout the world’s history, incredible social, environmental and economic changes have been brought on starting with just a few individuals.
"I only eat shark fin when it is ordered for me."
Every time you eat a bowl of shark fin, regardless of who ordered it, you are making a statement that it is ok to kill an endangered species for their fins. Let the bowl go to waste and ask your host not to order it in the future. Or better yet, ask your host in advance if they plan on serving shark fin soup, and if so, let them know you will not eat it.
"The only good shark is a dead shark."
Photo by John "Chip" Scarlett
Like them or not, sharks play a crucial role on this planet. Many people don't care about sharks because they don't realize how amazing – and critical – they are. Sharks are consistently misrepresented in the media as bloodthirsty and insatiable enemies of mankind, inspiring irrational fear in every body of water. This irrational fear has resulted in a lack of sympathy or concern for what is an important and grand animal. Remove sharks from the oceans and we are impacting our food and air sources -- and the livelihoods of millions that rely on the oceans for their income.
"Sharks are dangerous to humans."
Humans are not on the menu of any shark.
You are more likely to be killed in a hunting accident, lightning strike or by a collapsing sand pit than a shark. In the U.S., your odds of drowning at a beach are 1 in 3.5 million. Your odds of dying from a shark attack are less than 1 in 264 million. Sharks are intelligent and generally afraid of people. Incidents are usually a result of mistaken identities. Of the over 500 species of sharks, less than 5% have been linked to any incidents.
"With all of the issues the world faces, particularly humanitarian issues, why should we care about sharks?"
Caring about the oceans is absolutely a people issue. We are ensuring the people on this planet have food to eat and healthy air to breathe. The oceans cover 2/3rds of this planet and give us life. Sharks ensure the oceans are healthy. If we lose our sharks and jeopardize the health of our oceans, the level of catastrophe for humankind may be monumental.
"I see lots of fins in stores and shark fin soup on the menu. How can you tell me there are problems with sharks?"
The amount of sharks you are seeing in stores and restaurants is not indicative of the supply of sharks – it is indicative of the demand. But pay closer attention. Are those fins the same size they used to be? Are they selling for the same price? Are they the same quality they used to be? The truth of the matter is, the ocean is running out of sharks – and so the supply of shark fins is changing quickly as well. Many traders report significant decreases in quality, availability, size, and quantity of shark fins – and prices are continuing to go up as supply goes down.
"So sharks disappear from the oceans. So what?"
At the top of the food chain, sharks keep the oceans in healthy balance. And, oceans provide more than ½ the world’s oxygen and control our planet’s temperature and weather. The elimination of sharks has already resulted in disaster regionally, including the collapse of fisheries and the death of coral reefs.
"Sharks aren’t on any endangered lists, so it is ok to continue killing them."
Many shark species are listed on Endangered Species lists, and sadly more species are being added every year as these lists are updated. Many more species are listed as Data Deficient, since their populations have not been adequately assessed, and some cases because these species are not seen enough to make a determination.
Of the roughly 500 species of sharks, 15% are at High or Very High Risk of Extinction, 15% are approaching this status, and 45% are listed as Data Deficient.
These figures come of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature – Red List of Threatened Species 2010.
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