Green Sense Major Campaign on Wedding Expo

Shark fins are common in Chinese Wedding menu. Because of years of high demand and overfishing, many species of sharks are threatened with extinction.  Since there are numerous couples married every year, wedding banquets have become the rendezvous for huge consumption of shark fins. We hope that every couple preserves sharks while sharing the joyful moment with friends and relatives so that their number can be stabilized and sustained. .

Green Sense holds a campaign which advocates “Happy Wedding, Saves Sharks” near the exhibition venue of the Hong Kong Wedding Banquet and Accessories EXPO 2010 at Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on today and tomorrow (6^th and 7^th November, 2010). We wish couples could make an informed choice during their wedding banquet with the knowledge of the ecological and humanitarian problems caused by consumption of shark fins.

According to Census and Statistics Department, there were 4,460 tons of shark fin products imported amounting to HK$1.3 billion in 2009. Yet another 4,935 tons of shark fin products valued at about HK$620 million were re-exported.  The figures clearly show that millions of sharks are killed every year and the amount of various species of sharks is seriously depleted. Because of the lucrative profits,not only are there massive killings of sharks but also inhumane and cruel catching.

In 1996, only 15 species of sharks in the world were threatened. Today, the figure has significantly increased eight-fold over the past decade. Currently, there are over 120 species of sharks threatened according to IUCN Red List. The huge demand of consumption by human being is pushing for its extinction.

We, Green Sense, sincerely urge couples choosing sustainable alternatives for shark fins. We have enquired most Chinese restaurant corporate and hotels and they all can change wedding menu according to consumers’ needs and preference, for example, by replacing shark fin soup with birds’ nest soup, seafood soup or vegetarian shark fin soup. These substitutes not only preserve the ecology but also maintain a grand and elegant wedding banquet.

Apart from having substitutes for shark fins, couples could also save water by communication with the hotels. There is a recent trend in Chinese wedding banquet that plates are replaced and changed per dish. This practice is also known as ‘meals for the disabled’. The amount of plates to be washed is multiplied because of the practice, wasting significant amount of water and aggravating the water pollution problem. We, Green Sense, wish couples could consider not serving ‘meals for the disabled’ in their wedding banquet.

* All words and expressions should be construed according to the press release in Chinese.

On the other hand, Green Sense sent request letter to all 56 government departments, asking whether shark fin is consumed, as well as whether guideline for its consumption is in place. Only 14 departments replied (see attached table). Most departments have indicated that shark fin has not been served within the past year in internal or official banquet, with the exception of Architectural Services Department. As to whether there is a guideline, only the Hong Kong Observatory has issued an internal memo in February 2008 ruling that “shark fin dishes are not allowed in all banquets using public funding”. In addition Planning Department replied they “would set departmental guideline.” Other departments, said they “do not need”, “have no plans” or “think it is inappropriate” to devise such guideline.

Later, the Environmental Protection Department sent us a reply on behalf of the rest of the departments. It indicates that the government will only regulate the trading of three species of sharks under the “Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora” (CITES). But it did not respond whether or not shark fin has been served in its internal or official banquet; nor did it respond whether guideline on shark fin’s consumption was issued internally or government-wide. Green Sense also sent the same query to the Chief Executive’s Office last week. The Office only quoted the same response from EPD. All in all, the government has very vague attitude towards the issue of shark fin consumption and the response varies from one department to another.

Currently, the over-exploitation of sharks is serious. This April, the U.S. Hawaii State Government has passed the legislation banning the sale and possession of shark fins. Green Sense believes that the Hong Kong SAR Government should take the initiative to include all the shark species under regulation and develop guidelines banning the consumption of shark fin among government departments, instead of merely complying with CITES and make excuse that many shark species are not yet included in the international conventions. It should also save sharks and marine ecosystems with real action, encouraging people not to eat any shark fins and shark products, so as to respond
to the call of conservation of sharks and marine ecology locally and internationally.

Invite Schools to Join “Sharks We Care”No Shark Fin for School Events

The amount of sharks is greatly reduced because of dining and over catching. Various kinds of ecological problems are as a result generated. Last Tuesday (27 Apr), the state ofHawaiiin theUnited Statespassed an Act to stop the sale and storage of shark fins. However, countries and cities having a key share of the trade of shark fins, includingHong Kong, still turn a blind eye on the need of the conservation of sharks and neglect the problem of over catching.

We, Green Sense, urge the government immediately restrict and reduce the import, sale and storage of shark fins as the amount of sharks are not yet proven to be stable, and principles of humanity and sustainability are not yet included in the means of catching. Actions including imposing penalty tax on importers of shark fin and promoting public education should be taken. For the long run, having a legislative ban on the sale of shark fin or any other products made of sharks would better preserve the ecology.

It is because the government takes no action that citizens, as consumers, have to take actions ourselves – stop eating shark fins and safeguard our environment! We, Green Sense, invite all kindergartens, primary schools and secondary schools inHong Kongto join “Sharks We Care” campaign, promising no shark fins for all school events and parties. We would later announce the list of schools joining “Sharks We Care” campaign. Those “caring” schools would receive certificates and they could publish the logo signifying “caring school” on their websites, invitation letter for parties and their journals.

Nowadays, many parties are organized by schools every year, for example, parties for alumni, parents-teachers association, 5-year anniversaries and thankyou parties for teachers. Therefore, schools joining “Sharks We Care” would significantly help reduce the consumption of shark fins. We urge schools teach students preserving the nature by their own conduct – stop killing sharks themselves. More importantly, we hope that the education sector would as a result lead a new trend in the society. More and more people would be encouraged and we would together arouse a massive scale campaign for protecting sharks. The target of the “Sharks We Care” campaign is to have more than 200 school participants.

Mr. Wong Ka-wo, Chairman of the Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants & Related Trades (HKFORT), (also Chairman of Kampery Development Limited) is willing to answer questions of reporters through phone after the press conference.

 Commonly Asked Questions about Shark Fin

Our Urge

We, Green Sense, urge the government immediately restrict and reduce the import, sale and storage of shark fins as the amount of sharks are not yet proven to be stable, and principles of humanity and sustainability are not yet included in the means of catching. Actions could be taken include imposing penalty tax on importers of shark fin and have public education. For the long run, having a legislative ban on shark fin or any other products made of sharks would better preserve the ecology.

1.      Why shouldn’t we eat shark fins?

Destruction of marine ecosystem: Because of the high demand of shark fin all over the world, particularly the demand for Chinese cuisine, huge amount of sharks of various species have been killed. As a result, many shark species are endangered. Also, sharks are among the top of the food web. Once their amount decreases significantly, the amount of smaller fish in the middle of the food web will be out of control and there would be excessive predation for the organisms at the bottom of the food web, for example, calms. The relationship between massive killing of sharks and the decreasing amount of calms is supported by researches. Therefore, killing sharks for luxurious consumption in fact does harm on fishery industries in general.

Another reason is that as sharks are on the highest level of the food web, having a long life and hence consuming a huge amount of fish, they will obtain many heavy metals from the fish and accumulate in their bodies. One of the heavy metal, for example, mercury, causes damage to tour central nervous system and decreases the number of sperms when consumed.

2.      How many sharks are consumed every year?

About 100,000,000 sharks are caught every year. About 73,000,000 are caught for supplying shark fins. Last year,Hong Kongalone consumed 9,396 tons of shark fins.

3.      Wouldn’t it adversely affect the fishery industries if we stop eating shark fins?

In fact, over catching has already adversely affected the industries because of the reduction of other species, for example, calms. The profits made from the sale of sharks are in fact generated by causing harm on others. Therefore, reducing eating shark fin actually helps the fishery industries.

On the other hand, conserving sharks help boost the tourism industries as well. Countries includingAustralia,Maldivesand Philippine are benefited by whales or sharks watching tours.

http://www.hksharkfoundation.org/resources2.php

4.      What are the attitudes of Hong Kong people towards shark fin?

Although shark fin soup is a traditional Chinese cuisine, more and more people and organizations have recently become aware of the importance of conserving sharks.

Citizens: In March 2010, netizens advocated a group named “Wedding Party with Shark Fin- Monetary Gifts 30% Off” in Facebook. The number of member joining has exceeded 10,000.

Organizations: 55 organizations have promised not to buy and sell shark fins in the events of their companies. TheUniversity ofHong Kong has also restricted its catering services partners not to provide shark fins in the University. Parties organized by the University are not allowed to have shark fins as dishes. Restaurants inDisneyLand exclude shark fins as an available dish for parties.

The Government: Its latest view towards dining shark fin was raised in 2005. The Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works Bureau, Miss Sarah Liao (as she then was) replied a question from members of the Legislation Council, claiming that sharks which were not protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora could be legally dined. She claimed that because those sharks were not protected by the international convention, local legislation would not regulate the consumption of shark fins for citizens or governmental events and there would not be any plan for promoting the conservation of those sharks. We sincerely urge the government to review and set up their relevant guidelines. http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/200512/14/P200512140157_print.htm

5.      Apart from stopping having shark fins, what would schools do?

Schools could include related teaching in lessons, for example, having news clips about the conservation of sharks and marine ecology in foreign countries in English for reading comprehension, having discussion about the effect of over catching of marine organisms on the balanced relationship in ecology during liberal studies classes.

6.      Are there any substitutes for shark fins?

It is not preferable to pick wild animals as substitutes. If animals are caught or feed for food for human, the way of keeping or catching them should be sustainable. It is not desirable to have another animals suffer when conserving the sharks. Best substitutes include vegetarian shark fin soup and shark fin pumpkins.

References:

World Wild Fund –Hong Kong, the list of organizations promising stop to eat shark fin:

http://apps.wwf.org.hk/seafood/chi/sharkfin/company.php

WildAid:

“Eating shark fins is not healthy and possibly poisonous”:

http://shark.wildaidchina.org/cn/learn-more/shark-fin-soup-is-not-healthy.html

http://www.wildaid.org/PDF/reports/AtRockBottom.pdf

“Must the ocean bleeding to death?- over catching of sharks”

http://shark.wildaidchina.org/images/stories/documents_chinese/shark%20report%20Mandarin090825.pdf

Description of mercury by World Health Organization:

http://www.who.int/phe/news/Mercury-flyer.pdf

Ransom A. Myers, et al., Cascading Effects of the Loss of Apex Predatory Sharks from a Coastal Ocean; Science 315, p 1846-50, March 2007.