Shark fin soup consumption has long been traditional in Asian culture, but until fairly recently it was reserved for the wealthy few. As the middle class has grown in China and other Asian communities, so has consumption. Traditionally associated with status, wealth, and health, shark fin soup is now a must-have at many weddings, business dinners, and banquets.

This demand has created the unsustainable, virtually unrestrained killing of sharks. An estimated 73 million sharks a year are killed for the shark fin trade.

Many consumers of shark fin are not aware that it adds no flavor, has no medicinal or nutritional value, that sharks play a vital role within the ocean ecosystem, or that shark fin soup is causing the eradication of shark populations.

Others have not questioned the tradition, as there is cultural pressure to serve the soup, despite the great damage to sharks and the ocean ecosystems.

Shark Savers’ Shark Fin Soup campaign informs consumers about eating the soup and persuades them to not eat it.

Beginning in 2009, Shark Savers teamed with WildAid and their spokesperson, Yao Ming, one of China’s biggest and most influential stars to produce and distribute a television public service announcement (PSA), 1,000 bus stop and video billboards. We also produced an online campaign in China.

New for 2011, Shark Savers has designed and is producing an innovative media and grassroots campaign called I Pledge. In I Pledge, former consumers of shark fin soup share their reasons with members of their community why they have stopped eating shark fin soup. These citizens are compelling and persuasive, encouraging others to join them.

The first installment of I Pledge was launched with citizens from Hong Kong in both Cantonese and English. Here is the first film, in English.

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We believe that the most effective way to reduce demand is to educate consumers. Research has shown that when consumers learn more about shark fin soup, a majority of them will reject it.

What makes our new campaign unique? We present the stories of ‘real’, everyday, articulate Asians who explain why they have stopped eating shark fin soup. With an issue as culturally charged as shark fin soup, consumers are more likely to re-examine their behavior when intelligent members of their own communities deliver the message.

The power of Shark Savers’ I Pledge campaign comes from localized production and distribution in each key shark fin soup region: Hong Kong, China, Singapore, Taiwan, and the Chinatowns of the world. The I Pledge campaign will include Public Service Announcements (PSAs), billboards, videos, social media, and a local team to spur grassroots participation and action.