NBA figure appeals against shark fin soup

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http://news./s/afp/20091218/wl_asia_afp/environmentchinaanimalsharkyao

 

Yao Ming aims to quell China's appetite for shark fin[image: AFP]

 

The NBA star Yao Ming urged China on

Friday to say no to shark fin soup to stop …

by D'Arcy Doran D'arcy Doran – Fri Dec 18, 3:47 am ET

 

SHANGHAI (AFP) – NBA star and Shanghai Sharks owner Yao Ming urged China on

Friday to say no to shark fin soup to stop the overfishing of some species

amid growing demand for the delicacy.

 

The Houston Rockets centre who recently bought his hometown's professional

team, unveiled a television commercial aimed at wealthy Chinese which urges

them to stop ordering shark fin soup.

 

" We have species that need our attention and protection, " Yao told reporters

at a press conference launching the campaign.

 

" They are endangered by excessive hunting by humans and deprived of habitats

due to human greed. "

 

The television advertisement produced for the San Francisco-based

conservation group WildAid shows Yao pushing away a bowl of shark fin soup

that is served to him in an upmarket restaurant.

 

" If you could see how shark fin is made, could you still eat it? " a voice

asks as Yao looks at an aquarium in the dining room where a bleeding shark

flails after its fin has been cut off.

 

One by one, sharply dressed diners push their bowls away as Yao says: " When

the buying stops, the killing can too. "

 

The ad will air on China Central Television -- the government's main

broadcast mouthpiece -- and on screens in government buildings, a WildAid

spokeswoman said.

 

WildAid President Steve Trent told reporters a recent survey in China found

that two thirds of respondents did not know shark fin came from sharks.

 

Shark fin soup, which can cost more than 100 dollars a bowl, is served at

weddings and on important occasions to display wealth, but also because it

is believed to improve one's health.

 

However, Trent said a 2007-2008 WildAid study indicated that a quarter of

shark fin samples sold at Hong Kong markets were unfit for human

consumption.

 

He added that high mercury levels commonly found in shark fin increased the

risk of infertility and brain damage.

 

Growing demand for shark fin -- driven mainly by Chinese consumers -- had

caused populations of some shark species to collapse by as much as 99

percent, WildAid said.

 

The shellfish industry also is threatened by the dwindling shark numbers,

Trent said. Sharks help control populations of certain shellfish predators,

which have multipied wildly.

 

" With China's leadership, we can save the world's sharks, " Trent said. " With

Yao's help, this will happen a lot quicker. "

 

Yao, who has been ranked as China's most successful celebrity six years

running by Forbes magazine, has been a spokesman for shark preservation

since 2006 and bought the Sharks basketball team in July.

 

" Hopefully in future our kids will learn about sharks not only from our

team, but they can still see live sharks in the ocean -- not too close, " he

told reporters after the news conference.