Though local filmgoers were horrified by the merciless monster in “Jaws” and the protagonists in other shark-attack movies, researchers and city officials are calling on citizens to show some compassion for the potentially endangered fish.
Shark fin soup is a favored Shanghainese dish, but those who love it don’t know that fin suppliers are not harvesting the entire shark but just its most-precious parts. Fishermen are removing the fins from the sharks at sea and leaving the carcasses behind, conservation officials said.
A typical shark provides only about 5 kg of fins, conservation officials said, and the remainder of the fish is often wasted.
Pan Liande, a researcher with Shanghai Fisheries University, said the practice should be banned.
“It’s stupid and irrational to kill the fish for its fins. Sharks’ meat and bones can be made into various medicines such as fish liver oil,” said Pan.
According to the United Nations’ Food and Agricultural Organization, 760,000 tons of sharks are killed each year for profit.
More than 1,000 kg of shark fins were served last year in local restaurants, where the delicacy fetches as much as US$100 a dish. The amount is climbing at an alarming rate, according to the city’s Wildlife Conservation Station.
“Over-fishing will eventually lead to a dramatic decrease in sharks, which play a critical role in balancing the ocean ecosystem,” said Du Dechang, station director. “Unfortunately, despite the steep price, dishes made of shark fins can be found on the menus of a lot of local restaurants.”
Bao Weimin, a section chief with Shanghai Fishery Administration, told Shanghai Daily that no government agency monitors shark-fishing because the fish is not protected.
The government began controlling the import of shark fins in 1998, and anyone who wants to bring in shark fins must get a license.
“But the problem here is that most of the fins served are cut from sharks swimming in the waters near Beihai, a city in the country’s south, and the South China Sea,” Bao said. “Fishermen and businessmen can freely do a wholesale seafood business between that city and places thousands of miles away.”
At Shiliupu Port, site of the city’s largest wholesale market for dried seafood, shark fins are readily available at prices ranging from 200 yuan (US$24) to 750 yuan per kg.
“Shark fins are in big demand - the price has increased by more than 5 percent over last year,” said Zhou Kuangxin, manager of Shanghai Feiyong Co Ltd, a seafood business in Shiliupu.
(eastday.com 04/18/2001)
