A new claim that shark fin cuisineis endangering sharks has
divided China's chefs, but failed to put connoisseurs off their
favorite dish.
Qu Hao, former chef with the three-star Feng Ze Yuan hotel, said
the consumption of shark fin would probably decline after the
claims made at the International Shark Conservation Conference in
Beijing on Wednesday.
He said previous articles reporting that shark fin contained
hydrargyrum which might cause certain conditions, such as male
sterility, if consumed in large quantities would contribute to its
declining popularity.
However, Niu Yunting, a chef at the state-run Wanshouzhuang
Hotel and chairman of the Chinese Shark Fin Cooking Research
Society, disagreed.
He said traditional dining habits were difficult to change and
he foresaw no decline in the popularity of shark fin.
Prices for shark fin varied from 1,400 yuan (US$175) to 4,000
yuan (US$500) per kilogram and the value increased during the
preparation and cooking, which could take two to three days, Niu
said.
"In Chinese culture, a banquet with expensive shark fin dishes
shows how much a hospitable host respects his or her guests," Niu
said.
However, he advocated the "rational and moderate" consumption of
shark fin.
"Some wealthy people eat shark fin just to show off. It's an
attitude that I cannot abide," Niu said.
Li Weilin, 25, a Cantonese shark fin soup connoisseur, said
shark fin was part of the traditional southern Chinese cuisine.
Shark fin was historically believed to be nutritious, however,
as time went by, its scarcity had given consumers social
status.
"There is an old saying that 'No banquet is complete without a
shark fin dish', which stresses the role of shark fin in Chinese
cuisine," Li said, adding that tradition demanded that shark fin be
served to important guests.
The debate started when Sarah Fowler, co-chair of the World
Conservation Union Species Survival Commission's Shark Specialist
Group, told the conference on Wednesday that about a third of the
450 shark species were threatened with extinction or were close to
being threatened.
A WildAid report said a major reason for the sharp decrease in
shark numbers was the soaring demand for shark fin on the
international market, especially in China and Southeast Asia.
Fowler warned that if current trends continued, the world's
shark populations would be depleted in ten years.
The annual shark fin trade has reached around 10,000 tons and
Hong Kong alone imports about 52 percent of the total.
Li Yanliang, deputy general director of the Aquatic Wild Fauna
and Flora Administrative Office under the Ministry of Agriculture,
said China's fisheries did not specialize in catching sharks.
Shark catches were strictly regulated in accordance with the
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild
Flora and Fauna (CITES), which lists whale sharks, basking sharks
and white sharks, said Li.
China was also amending the National Conservation List of Key
Aquatic Wildlife to include some endangered shark species, said
Li.
(Xinhua News Agency November 11, 2006)