by Kirk Keong Lee on Friday, 13 August 2010 at 04:39
Being a Chinese n Love good food,
I've always loved SFS (Shark Fin Soup).The only time i get to taste them is during Wedding Banquets. My tongue would feel happy when it come to second dish of the night "THE Shark Fin Soup" The strategy is - I would slurp up and be the first to finish the soup on the first serve so I can get a second serve :) . Normally this dish is served during Chinese wedding banquets and corporate dinners. There are those wealthier ones who would order this dish on a more regular basis at Chinese restaurants, but most people don't because it is pricey.
It never crossed my mind on how Shark Fins were obtained, harvested and at what rate was the killing. I continued with my craze without any guilt even though I was then a diver. Yah yah, they are already dead anyway and being Chinese, my mom always teaches us not to waste food... If i don’t eat it, someone else would, may as well I enjoy this great soup (perfect excuse)
Until 1 day, i came to watch a clip
It is about this Juvenile Whale Shark, my favorite fish and it is the biggest fish in the world what else i can say about this magnificent Gentle Giant roaming our ocean... 15 February 2010, Philippines, A group of Divers found this Shark, belly up, without fins... (Pectoral fins act like a steering wheel, and Dorsal fin as to balance the fish) the fish is alive, bleeding, suffering n dying... The group decided to bring the Fish up shore to shorten the pain and suffering. I was happily youtubing and came to this video footage on 23 March 2010. I stop and felt it... could not sleep, was up the whole morning thinking about it, 3 days later SOSFABOS ( Save Our Sharks From A Bowl Of Soup) was founded on Facebook...
Shark Finning is Cruel and Non-sustainable
The fish is alive when their fins are cut off, it’s just like cutting our arms and legs off while we’re alive and leaving us to die... without the Pectoral n Dorsal fins, the Shark can no longer swim and eventually dies.
What does Shark Fin taste like?
It’s basically just cartilage, tasteless and no proven medical value, what we like about the soup is actually chicken broth and a mix of other seafood.
Is it safe to eat shark's fin soup during pregnancy?
NO,this dish is actually unhealthy and harmful, because sharks are heavily contaminated with mercury and other heavy metals. Mercury (which cannot be removed by cooking) could harm your baby's developing nervous system. International wildlife protection group WildAid has also warned that eating too much shark's fin can cause sterility in men.
Japan's Shark Fin Capital, Kesen-numa City 75tons of Sharks
Sharks are getting close to extinction but why are they not protected?
Sharks are not protected because people make so much money from killing them! Sharks fin soup is a status symbol and people spend heaps of money for it. Because sharks are on top of the food chain, nature has made sure there are never too many sharks. They become mature only very late in life (some only after 20 years) and they make very few young. That is also why they are so vulnerable to extinction. More than 73 million sharks are cruelly killed each year solely for SFS. They are very often fished out before they are old enough to breed, just to supply all the restaurants and shops with fins. But the biggest problem is this (very much symplified): Sharks being the top of the ocean's food chain, maintain the balance of the oceanic ecosystem, Without Sharks, the ecosystem will suffer an imbalance and will collapse, 70% of the world's oxygen comes from Phytoplankton in the ocean. Life on land depends on life underwater to thrive. Therefore, we must conserve sharks and let them be in peace roaming the waters in which they belong, not in our bowl...
Sharks extinction for your bowl of soup?
Shark Fin Soup should not equal Shark Extinction
You decide for the fate of Sharks, Phytoplankton and Our Ocean,
Rejecting Shark Fin Soup is not a waste because every time you consume, you are contributing to the cruelty n pushing Sharks into extinction...
Why Saving Shark Only?
I agree there is other animal are being harvest in cruelty and some pushing into extinction, people would jump to Saving Whale, Dolphin and Turtle, but Shark... Some may not aware in a few years time BlueFin Tuna will go extinct too...
I would love to save other animal too (including Human). It would not be enough even if i spent my entire remaining on this earth trying to save Sharks if self.
A friend told me " if you have $20 in your hand to donate out and trying to save something, would you further brake the amount into 20 charity group n give $1 each to be fair? or it would be wise to focus on 1 or 2 charity group to be effectivel?"
Please join us, quit consuming Shark Fin Soup as Consuming equal Killing and Drive the trade that push Sharks into Extinction...
