(TN) Taiwan civic groups protest sale of shark-fin soup

[Guest guest]

http://www.taipeinews.net/story/592476

 

Taiwan civic groups protest sale of shark-fin soup

Taipei News.Net

Saturday 23rd January, 2010 (IANS)

 

Taiwan environmentalist groups Saturday protested against chain stores selling

shark-fin soup as killing sharks for their fins can lead to their extinction.

 

The protest was made by 23 civic groups against four chains which are accepting

orders for pre-cooked and ready-to-cook meals for the Chinese New Year holidays,

that begin Feb 14.

 

The targeted firms are 7-11, Family Mart, OK Mart and Hi-Life, which together

operate nearly 10,000 24-hour convenience stores on the island.

 

'Lured by high profits, fishermen kill sharks only for their fins. They cut off

shark's fins and dump the sharks into the sea and let them bleed to death,' said

Wang Yu-min, director of the Environment & Animal Society of Taiwan.

 

'Each year, some 4,000 to 7,000 sharks are killed for their fins. The

International Union for Conservation of Nature warned that 111 species of shark

are being threatened, of which 20 species are seriously threatened and 25

species face extinction,' she said.

 

'Sharks are the biggest predators in the sea and are at the top of the marine

food chain. Killing sharks will disrupt the food chain and ecosystem of the

sea,' she said.

 

The statement demanded that the franchises remove shark-fin soup from their

Chinese New Year menu, and urged restaurants, hotels and families to refrain

from selling and consuming it as well.

 

Shark-fin soup is one of the traditional Chinese New Year dishes and an

important dish at wedding banquets. Many Chinese believe the soup is nutritious

and being able to afford it reflects one's wealth and social status.

 

 

 

--

Thank you for your compassion !

With best regards,

Debasis Chakrabarti

Compassionate Crusaders Trust

http://www.animalcrusaders.org

[Guest guest]

What these groups need to start doing is promoting an alternative. If an

expensive humane dish (soup, preferably, perhaps) can be trumpeted as THE

dish to serve at weddings, and shark fin derided as passe (and maybe even

cheap by comparison), then consumers would be likely to switch.

 

Just can't think of a very expensive vegetable dish that could supplant it .

.. . truffle soup?

 

Any thoughts?

 

 

Sean McCormack

 

Co-Founder, Taiwan SPCA

 

 

My Amazon wish list (animal welfare reading):

http://www.amazon.com/wishlist/1NFHUWKPD3P3K

 

 

2010/1/23 <debasischak

 

>

>

> http://www.taipeinews.net/story/592476

>

> Taiwan civic groups protest sale of shark-fin soup

> Taipei News.Net

> Saturday 23rd January, 2010 (IANS)

>

> Taiwan environmentalist groups Saturday protested against chain stores

> selling shark-fin soup as killing sharks for their fins can lead to their

> extinction.

>

> The protest was made by 23 civic groups against four chains which are

> accepting orders for pre-cooked and ready-to-cook meals for the Chinese New

> Year holidays, that begin Feb 14.

>

> The targeted firms are 7-11, Family Mart, OK Mart and Hi-Life, which

> together operate nearly 10,000 24-hour convenience stores on the island.

>

> 'Lured by high profits, fishermen kill sharks only for their fins. They cut

> off shark's fins and dump the sharks into the sea and let them bleed to

> death,' said Wang Yu-min, director of the Environment & Animal Society of

> Taiwan.

>

> 'Each year, some 4,000 to 7,000 sharks are killed for their fins. The

> International Union for Conservation of Nature warned that 111 species of

> shark are being threatened, of which 20 species are seriously threatened and

> 25 species face extinction,' she said.

>

> 'Sharks are the biggest predators in the sea and are at the top of the

> marine food chain. Killing sharks will disrupt the food chain and ecosystem

> of the sea,' she said.

>

> The statement demanded that the franchises remove shark-fin soup from their

> Chinese New Year menu, and urged restaurants, hotels and families to refrain

> from selling and consuming it as well.

>

> Shark-fin soup is one of the traditional Chinese New Year dishes and an

> important dish at wedding banquets. Many Chinese believe the soup is

> nutritious and being able to afford it reflects one's wealth and social

> status.

>

> --

> Thank you for your compassion !

> With best regards,

> Debasis Chakrabarti

> Compassionate Crusaders Trust

> http://www.animalcrusaders.org

>

>

>