Young Chinese are giving up on shark fin soup

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Government crackdown and intense campaigns have reduced shark fin soup consumption in China by more than 80 percent, according to a report based on government data and WildAid's survey released today.

“As younger generations of Chinese abandon shark fin soup, this year’s Lunar New Year celebrations are less likely to feature it,” said WildAid CEO Peter Knights.

An estimated 100 million sharks are killed each year, with parts of up to 73 million ending up in soup. According to IUCN, unsustainable hunting and huge consumption have put 25 percent of shark and ray species under the category “threatened with extinction.”

The report “Sharks in Crisis: Evidence of Positive Behavioral Change in China as New Threats Emerge” claims that China and shark fin soup is not the single most significant threat to sharks.

Researchers maintained consumers on the Chinese mainland had changed their behavior in response to awareness campaigns and a government banquet ban.

Two Leopard Sharks are pictured during the annual inventory in Hagenbecks zoo in Hamburg, Germany January 12, 2018. /VCG Photo

“However, shark fin soup remains on the menu in Hong Kong and Taiwan, and consumption is growing in places like Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and Macau,” they maintained.

The world’s biggest markets for shark meat are Brazil, Uruguay, the United Kingdom, Italy and Spain. Many consumers in those countries are unaware that the seafood they are eating is shark, the report said.

Marine activists claimed new and continuing markets for shark meat and liver oil also drive illegal and unsustainable harvests while millions more die as bycatch on longlines and purse seine nets targeting commercial species such as tuna and swordfish.

WildAid roped in celebrities to control growing consumption of shark fin soup and launched a series of campaigns to take it off the menus. The star-studded campaign featured stars like Jackie Chan, Yao Ming, Sir Richard Branson and David Beckham.

Campaigners have protested outside courier companies like Fedex, and Maxim’s restaurant in Hong Kong to stop transportation and consumption of shark fin soup.

Experts are also trying to change fishing practices and continuing to educate consumers about sustainable consumption of seafood. “Until tuna companies improve their fishing practices, consumers must be diligent when buying tuna,” Knights said.