"Sharks have been around for 400 million years. Are we going to let them die out because of ignorance about the origins of what we eat and because of human arrogance? "http://www.stopsharkfinning.net/shark-fin-soup.htm
Approximately 73 million sharks are killed each year simply for their fins - this is a conservative estimate, some environmental groups say that the figure is nearer 100 million. Fishermen can achieve a much greater yield if they harvest only the fin; so the shark is pulled clear of the water, its fin is sliced off, the fish is thrown back into the sea where it sinks to the bottom and dies slowly. With shark fin soup fetching up to and sometimes in excess of $100 a bowl in restaurants this type of fishing proves to be quite lucrative for the fin fishermen.
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| Pile of dead sharks with fins removed |
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| Fins drying in the sun |
Sharks are magnificent creatures, they have stood the test of time and evolution, it is quite staggering to think that modern man could potentially wipe them out in half a century. However one feels about sharks (love them or hate them) it cannot be overlooked that they have been top predators of the sea for millennia and their demise will have a drastic effect on the oceanic eco-system.
"Maintaining the populations of top predators is critical for sustaining healthy oceanic ecosystems,..Despite the vastness of the oceans, its organisms are interconnected, meaning
that changes at one level have implications several steps removed."
- Charles Peterson, a professor of marine sciences biology and ecology at the Institute of Marine Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Science Daily
Nature has a way of working things out - sharks reach sexual maturity at a late age and produce small litters. Nature worked it out this way because if they reproduced like rabbits it would mean that their feeding habits would deplete the rest of marine life. So ecologically this works out well, however, the downside of this is that due to our current shark fishing methods we are killing at least twice as fast as sharks are reproducing. As top predators not only do sharks prevent over-population of other fish they also eat weaker members of other ocean species thereby improving the gene pool. Sharks are scavengers and they clean up the oceans by eating the dead and the dying - Primitive Ways.
But here's the thing, shark fin is tasteless and inedible; the fin has to be cooked for a very long time until the cartilage separates and softens (at this point it has a noodle like appearance). The flavour comes from the base of the soup - usually chicken broth and shiitake mushrooms. It is purported to have wonderful health properties and has been used as an aphrodisiac for centuries. These claims are erroneous, and in fact the mercury levels contained in the fins today have the opposing effect - ingesting mercury can cause impotency, and in high levels is dangerous to overall human health. Any health benefit will come from the shiitakes not the fin; and any aphrodisiac properties are most likely as a result of inflated ego arising from it's prestigious associations.
So if it's tasteless what is the appeal of shark fin soup? Apparently it is the texture - it creates a gelatinous quality to the broth, and from what I have read, in Chinese cuisine the texture is almost as important as the flavour. So if texture is key then there are a whole host of alternatives which will provide the required texture and consistency, from vegetarian options (agar agar and other sea vegetables) to animal options (offal containing cartilage) - some Chinese grocery stores sell a frozen "mock-fin" concoction.
I also believe that a big part of the 'kick' originally came from the idea of dominating and killing a 'fearsome' wild animal. The same kick which hunters get out of displaying a head over their fireplace of a wild animal that they have killed: instead of the moose's head or the deer-skin rug the early Chinese had a shark fin in their soup.
The history of shark fin soup can be traced back to at least the Sung Dynasty in China (960 A.D), some believe it can even be traced back as far as the Han Dynasty over 2000 years ago. It was a delicacy for the aristocracy and was reserved for special occasions and celebrations, in part due to the length of time it took to prepare (a few days). And most likely their would be no waste - the flesh of the fish would be eaten and the skin used as rawhide. With improved fishing vessels and new techniques of fishing the shark fishing industry started to expand in the mid twentieth century but from what I have read I don't believe that this delicacy posed a real threat to the shark populations until the 1980s when there was an explosion in the demand for shark fin soup. This was mainly due to the rise in the new middle class in China and consequently expendable income. It became part of the new status symbol to provide this delicacy at weddings, banquets and business events to reflect the importance of the host and to bestow great honour on the guests. Add to this today's global nomadic tendencies, and an increase in a taste for global cuisine.
There is a glimmer of hope on the horizon - Some countries are taking control of shark fishing and in particular in fin harvesting, For example the Bahamian Islands have banned shark fishing altogether whilst Taiwan has banned fin-harvesting; fisherman must catch the whole fish and arrive back in port with the fish in tact Wild Aid. The state of California (the largest consumer of shark fin soup outside of Asia) is pushing for a total ban on the supply and purchase of shark fins. These bans and partial bans could potentially reduce the number of sharks killed, however, until the demand is reduced then the effect might have little consequence - where there is a demand there is always a way to supply it. A restaurant in Bangkok which is rated in the top three in the city serves 300 bowls of it a day, mainly to politicians and celebraties, the price ranges from about $30 to $160 a bowl (Bt800 - Bt1500) depending on the size and the scarcity of the fin; this is despite a movement in Thailand to ban the indiscriminate killing of sharks. We have to make people aware of the catastrophic results of our current shark fishing industry, we have to make people aware that if we continue to consume shark fin soup not only will it become a scarce commodity but so will sea-food in general. I believe that if people were aware of the real facts and their implications many would think twice about some of the choices they make in what they eat.
Shark populations have decreased by approximately 80% in the last 30-50 years. This current shark fishing is not putting food on the table it is catering to an elite. This current butchery of sharks is not only barbaric and a total waste of life but in the bigger picture will have a catastrophic knock on effect; it will result not only in the decimation of sharks but in ocean life as we know it today, and the whole of the fishing industry. What is a lucrative business for some fishermen today will take the livelihood away from fishermen in the future.
If you would like to learn more then please check the following websites Wild Aid and Threatened with Extinction.
If you would like to help - please sign the Global Pledge to ask world governments to protect and conserve our sharks.
- THE ACTIVIST
So if it's tasteless what is the appeal of shark fin soup? Apparently it is the texture - it creates a gelatinous quality to the broth, and from what I have read, in Chinese cuisine the texture is almost as important as the flavour. So if texture is key then there are a whole host of alternatives which will provide the required texture and consistency, from vegetarian options (agar agar and other sea vegetables) to animal options (offal containing cartilage) - some Chinese grocery stores sell a frozen "mock-fin" concoction.
I also believe that a big part of the 'kick' originally came from the idea of dominating and killing a 'fearsome' wild animal. The same kick which hunters get out of displaying a head over their fireplace of a wild animal that they have killed: instead of the moose's head or the deer-skin rug the early Chinese had a shark fin in their soup.
The history of shark fin soup can be traced back to at least the Sung Dynasty in China (960 A.D), some believe it can even be traced back as far as the Han Dynasty over 2000 years ago. It was a delicacy for the aristocracy and was reserved for special occasions and celebrations, in part due to the length of time it took to prepare (a few days). And most likely their would be no waste - the flesh of the fish would be eaten and the skin used as rawhide. With improved fishing vessels and new techniques of fishing the shark fishing industry started to expand in the mid twentieth century but from what I have read I don't believe that this delicacy posed a real threat to the shark populations until the 1980s when there was an explosion in the demand for shark fin soup. This was mainly due to the rise in the new middle class in China and consequently expendable income. It became part of the new status symbol to provide this delicacy at weddings, banquets and business events to reflect the importance of the host and to bestow great honour on the guests. Add to this today's global nomadic tendencies, and an increase in a taste for global cuisine.
There is a glimmer of hope on the horizon - Some countries are taking control of shark fishing and in particular in fin harvesting, For example the Bahamian Islands have banned shark fishing altogether whilst Taiwan has banned fin-harvesting; fisherman must catch the whole fish and arrive back in port with the fish in tact Wild Aid. The state of California (the largest consumer of shark fin soup outside of Asia) is pushing for a total ban on the supply and purchase of shark fins. These bans and partial bans could potentially reduce the number of sharks killed, however, until the demand is reduced then the effect might have little consequence - where there is a demand there is always a way to supply it. A restaurant in Bangkok which is rated in the top three in the city serves 300 bowls of it a day, mainly to politicians and celebraties, the price ranges from about $30 to $160 a bowl (Bt800 - Bt1500) depending on the size and the scarcity of the fin; this is despite a movement in Thailand to ban the indiscriminate killing of sharks. We have to make people aware of the catastrophic results of our current shark fishing industry, we have to make people aware that if we continue to consume shark fin soup not only will it become a scarce commodity but so will sea-food in general. I believe that if people were aware of the real facts and their implications many would think twice about some of the choices they make in what they eat.
Shark populations have decreased by approximately 80% in the last 30-50 years. This current shark fishing is not putting food on the table it is catering to an elite. This current butchery of sharks is not only barbaric and a total waste of life but in the bigger picture will have a catastrophic knock on effect; it will result not only in the decimation of sharks but in ocean life as we know it today, and the whole of the fishing industry. What is a lucrative business for some fishermen today will take the livelihood away from fishermen in the future.
If you would like to learn more then please check the following websites Wild Aid and Threatened with Extinction.
If you would like to help - please sign the Global Pledge to ask world governments to protect and conserve our sharks.
- THE ACTIVIST
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