Protesters demand shark fin soup removed from menu

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Marine life conservation activists have stepped up their protest against shark fin soup and related delicacies which are served in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) restaurants.

More than 100 shark protection activists marched through the HKSAR, stopping at two Maxim's restaurants, Chiuchow Garden restaurant in Jardine House and Maxim's Palace in City Hall, the flagship restaurant of the Maxim's Group. Similar protests were held in New York’s Shake Shack, a partner of Maxim’s.

Protesters are demanding sales of the cruel and unsustainable shark fin-based food stop. Maxim's owns and operates around 52 restaurants selling shark fin soup in the HKSAR.

The expensive soup was once a favorite item on set menus at high-end social banquets. The soup's demand soars during Chinese New Year and wedding season.

A WildAid survey based on government data claims that demand for shark fin soup on the Chinese mainland has reduced by more than 80 percent in recent years. The substantial drop in demand for the soup follows a government crackdown and intense campaigns by environmental groups.

“However, shark fin soup remains on the menu in the restaurants of HKSAR and China’s Taiwan, and consumption is also growing in countries like Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia,” WildAid researchers maintained.

Recent studies revealed blue sharks are overfished at an unsustainable rate in Spain and in the Northwest Atlantic. Spanish shipping lines alone exported 628 tons of shark fin to Hong Kong.

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.

Apart from unsustainable shark fishing, WildAid and WWF claim that shark finning involves the removal of fins while the animal is still alive. After the finning, sharks are thrown back into the seas, but they cannot swim or move, meaning they ultimately die of starvation.

“A further protest and staff leafleting exercise will be held outside Maxim's Center on June 8. We have been calling on shark fin trader Maxim's to stop selling cruel and unsustainable shark fin since 2016,” said Alex Hofford, wildlife campaigner for WildAid Hong Kong.

WildAid, along with advertising partners JCDecaux and Asiaray, have launched a campaign to reduce shark fin demand on prime billboard sites across Hong Kong.

The campaign will inform the consumer about the toxic heavy metals arsenic, mercury and lead which are found in shark fins and can lead to lethal neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's disease.

[Top Image: Young protesters at Maxim's in HKSAR demanding to remove shark fin soup from the menu. /WildAid Photo]