guardian.co.uk,
Justin McCurry in Osaka, Thursday 24
November 2011
 |
| 73 million sharks are killed yearly for shark fin soup. Photograph: Paul Hilton/EPA |
Environmental
groups are claiming a significant victory in the campaign to save the global
shark population, after the Peninsula hotel group said it would stop serving
shark fin dishes from January.
Peninsula,
one of Asia's most prestigious hotel chains, said on Monday it would no longer
sell the dishes, considered a delicacy in Hong Kong and other parts of the
region, "in recognition of the threat facing the global shark population
and in line with the company's sustainability vision".
The move
will affect the group's nine hotels, including those in China and Hong Kong,
the center of the global shark fin market.
Hong Kong
handles between 50% and 80% of the global trade in shark fins, bringing in
catches from more than 100 countries, with Spain its biggest supplier. In 2006
it took delivery of more than 10,000 tonnes worth US$276m, according to the UN
food and agricultural organisation.
Most is
consumed in Hong Kong and Taiwan, but also in mainland provinces such as
Guangdong, where its consumption has become a status symbol among China's
nouveau riche.
Hong Kong
and Shanghai Hotels, which owns the Peninsula group, said it would honour
requests for shark fin soup made before 21 November, for consumption after 1
January.
The dish,
which comprises pieces of rehydrated shark fin in a rich broth, is a popular
staple at wedding parties and formal banquets, with a serving for 12 people costing
around US$138.
In Hong
Kong districts such as Sheung Wan, which specialises in dried seafood, premium
shark fin can fetch up to US$1,280 per kilo. One Sheung Wan wholesaler recently
told the Guardian, however, that the market price had dropped by about 20% in
the past two months, partly as a result of the campaign.
About 73
million sharks are killed every year, and the appetite for their fins in places
such as Hong Kong has taken one in three shark species to the brink of extinction.
"By
removing shark fin from our menus, we hope that our decision can contribute to
preserving the marine ecosystem for the world's future generations," the
Peninsula group's chief executive, Clement Kwok, said in a statement.
"As
Asia's oldest hotel company, we also hope that our decision will inspire other
hospitality companies to do the same."
Other
luxury hotel chains have attempted to reduce shark fin consumption by offering
alternative menus for wedding banquets, sometimes with inducements such as a free
night's accommodation for the newlyweds.
The push to
remove the delicacy – prized more for its glutinous texture than for its taste
– has gathered momentum after a slow start, according to World Wildlife Fund,
which has seen 97 caterers and hotels sign up to its alternative shark-free
menu in the past year.
A 2010
survey of eating habits by Bloom Association, a marine conservation group,
found that despite the dish's central place in Cantonese cuisine, attitudes
were shifting, particularly among younger people.
According
to Bloom, 66% of Hong Kong diners said they were uncomfortable with the idea of
eating an endangered species, and more than three-quarters said they would not
mind if it was removed from banquet menus.
The
Peninsula announcement came as the European commission called for a global ban on shark finning – the practice of cutting off a shark's fin and throwing its
body back into the sea – by EU fishermen. EU countries are responsible for
about 14% – the second-largest share – of the global shark catch.
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