Shark fin ban: environmental necessity or cultural insult?
By Jerold Chinn and T.J. Johnston
A proposed ban on the sale, possession and distribution of shark fins in California has been introduced by Assemblymen Paul Fong (D-Cupertino) and Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael), much to the dismay of some Chinese restaurant owners.
The ban would prevent fishermen and distributors from acquiring and distributing shark fins to restaurants who use the fins to make shark fin soup, a Chinese delicacy, costing around $15 to $75 a serving.
“Current laws that ban the practice of shark finning are insufficient when we have species of sharks depleted up to 90 percent.” said Fong in a statement. Current state law states that a shark may not be hunted just for its fins and thrown back.
State Sen. Leland Yee, a Democrat whose district includes San Francisco’s Richmond and Sunset districts, blasted the legislation at a San Francisco press conference, saying the solution is “overreaching” and “insensitive to the Chinese culture.”
In a telephone interview, Fong said Yee’s remarks were offensive, saying he practices the Chinese culture in his own home every day. “I’m not attacking the culture, I’m attacking the finning,” Fong said.
He said the problem is increasing at an alarming pace.
“The demand for shark fin is growing and the worldwide shark population is depleting to extinction rates. I say it is time to remove shark fin from the menu,” he said.
Representatives of several Bay Area Chinese restaurants were at the press conference with Yee, a candidate for San Francisco mayor, to oppose the bill. They said their restaurants do not acquire shark fins illegally and that opponents should focus their attention on those fins caught illegally.
“This would be a huge jeopardy to Chinese restaurants,” said Michael Ou, chef at The Kitchen in Millbrae.
State Sen. Leland Yee (D-San Francisco) says he is against the proposed ban on the sale, possession and distribution of shark fins in California. He says the legislation is an attack on Asian culture and cuisine. Photo: Jerold Chinn / SF Public Press
Ou said if the ban does take place, he would have reduce staff at his restaurant. “A lot of workers would affected not just
in the restaurants, but also the fishermen as well,” said Ou.
Those backing the ban held their own press conference at the California Academy of Sciences, saying that when a shark loses its fin, it’s similar to a human losing a limb and that the sharks bleed to death.
David McGuire, a researcher at the California Academy Sciences and director of the nonprofit Sea Stewards organization that promotes shark conservation, said that sharks play a very significant role in the ecosystem.
“They balance the fish population to make sure there’s no over abundance of one species over another,” said McGuire. “They are they regulators of the food system.”
McGuire says he has been researching DNA of the sharks that were purchased in San Francisco and found many of the species were endangered.
“Often the vendor does not know what species they are or where they came from,” said McGuire.
Shark Fin soup is a Chinese delicacy usually served on special occasions such weddings. Proponents who support the ban of shark fins in the state say more and more people can now afford the delicacy, which has lead to the decrease of several shark species. Photo: Jerold Chinn / SF Public Press
Peter Knights, executive director of WildAid, a nonprofit organization that campaigns to end illegal trade in wildlife, said education is the key putting a halt to shark finning.
WildAid aired ads in Beijing, featuring basketball star Yao Ming, to show the affects of killing the sharks just for their fins.
Knights said the ads received a positive response in China with 55 percent of those surveyed remembering the ad and 82 percent of those saying they would either stop or eat less shark fin soup.
“We plan to have billboards and public service announcements in San Francisco,” said Knights. “We have already reached out to over 100 restaurants in the city by sending them information on shark finning and some of the restaurants have actually stopped serving the dish,” he said.
At the end of Yee’s press conference at the Far East Restaurant in San Francisco’s Chinatown, soup was dished out for reporters to see how how shark fin soup looks when served to patrons.
This article previously appeared at SF Public Press. Reproduced with permission.
Shark photo: Flickr user Willy Volk.
Gao,
Could you find one restaurant that serves shark anymore? It’s not in high demand by anyone, hasn’t been sold at costco in over ten years and while we’re at it why was it so easy for the Chinese to stop the practice of food binding and cannibalism, but they have to have their shark fins?
cultural motivations aside the act of removing an extremity by force and then leaving the victim to bleed to death is an act of barbaric cruelty and nothing can justify it.sharks are caught and then their fins are hacked off and the rest is thrown back in the ocean alive to bleed out and drown,so is it an insult toban such a practice because of cultural heritage? ask a shark.
I’d be interested to hear what people thought of taste of this dish. It’s used to show off how rich and successful a family is, not for it’s yummy taste.
Unfortunately, Eric, its clear you have no understanding of Chinese culture–but since the California legislature is seriously considering this, it appears you are among the vast majority..
Shark fin soup if part of the most important aspects of Chinese Food Culture. It stands at the pinnacle of the extended family celebration ritual. This ritual centers around very auspicious family events: births, engagements, marriage, college admissions/graduation etc.
It has nothing to do with wealth, since even the most modest of Chinese families will splurge for this traditional cultural ritual (dating back hundreds of years), given the importance of the occasion.
Only a small number of shark varieties are endangered, and it would be logical (and just) to focus conservation efforts, and and open ocean laws in banning the taking of these species.
Instead, westerners seek to impose a broad ban (unjust) on an extremely important Chinese cultural practice. And Chinese Food Culture is inseparable from Chinese identity.
So Eric, is shark going to be banned in American restaurants and fish markets? They all had fins too didn’t they?
are you serious dude? slavery was once accepted. now it is banned and we look back and think how barbaric of us. i think you need to think more critically
To answer for Eric, yes, shark should be taken off all menus everywhere because it is environmentally irresponsible for us to eat them. That goes for any seafood that is being over-fished, illegally fished, is a victim of bycatch, or is threatened by habitat damage. Quotas on fishing and hunting have been imposed on many cultures due to the dwindling supplies of the very same pinnacles “of the extended family celebration ritual” that are so important to them. The fact is that there are more like 100 species of sharks that whose future on this planet depends on humans, and our cultures, to evolve and adapt to changes in our environment. Conservation action is being taken to protect these species, but unless we make some personal and cultural sacrifices, like celebrating with family sans soup, the demand that fuels illegal shark harvesting will continue to undermine those conservation efforts. We have to prioritize the stewardship of our planet over our traditions.