Ecolibrium - An end to shark finning

"Power to the people," a snippet from a John Lennon song seems to have worked its magic again.

Shark finning or cutting the fins off sharks and killing them in the process is nearly a thing of the past thanks to a luxury hotel chain and other top end restaurants in Asia whom have seen the light after years of public pressure and are no longer serving the controversial Chinese traditional shark fin soup.

The Shangri-la hotel chain said it banned the dish from its 72 hotels across Asia.

The ball is well and truly rolling as a large Chinese restaurant chain, South Beauty, and the Peninsular Hotel group has done the same and placed a complete ban on this ingredient in all menu items.

The making of this soup is estimated to be responsible for the death of 70 million sharks a year. Don’t forget a shark fin is a tiny part of its body, on most occasions the rest of the shark is often thrown back into the sea alive to perish.

Yes that right 70 million sharks killed per year to make soup.

Supermarket chains across Asia including ColdStorage/FairPrice and Carrefour are doing the same. Environmental and animals rights groups are winning this battle.

We as consumers and individual can make a difference each and every day. The world will be a better place without Shark fin soup.

Garry Sullivan is the general manager of Wildlife Habitat Port Douglas. 

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