Think before giving shark's fin

IT IS that time of the year again when companies exchange greeting cards and buy hampers and presents for their business partners.
The New Paper 18 Feb 10;

IT IS that time of the year again when companies exchange greeting cards and buy hampers and presents for their business partners.

To show one's sincerity in giving a present to someone, one has to know what the receiver likes or not like.

We don't give pork to our Muslim friends because pork is taboo to them, and neither do we give cigars to people who do not smoke.

Why do companies then take the risk of offending their business partners by giving something as controversial as shark's fin products when there is cruelty involved in harvesting them?

There is also the negative ecological impact of a declining shark population.

The act of giving 'luxury' items like shark's fin products may in fact be looked upon not as an act of generosity but as an irresponsible and short-sighted act leading to the irreversible destruction of the ocean ecosystem.

A bad business decision, I must say.

A growing number of people, including myself, detest the unwelcome gift of a can of shark's fin in a Chinese New Year hamper.

The marketing message written on a typical can may hint that the (shark's fin) company is against killing sharks for only their fins .

However, nothing is mentioned about capping the catches to a sustainable level such that the company does not contribute to the collapse of the ocean ecosystem, expected with a fast declining population of top-level predators such as the shark.

Indeed, more often than not, the receiver would have felt a lot more appreciative if a little more thought was exercised before the decision to purchase shark's fin was made.

READER EDWIN LIM YEE PHING