Yahoo News 10 May 08;
Shark's fin consumption more than doubled in Singapore last year from 2006, with demand driven by an economic boom and an increase in wedding celebrations, a report said Saturday.
Singapore consumed more than 470 tonnes in 2007, up from 182 tonnes the previous year and reversing a four-year decline, the Straits Times reported.
Strong economic growth in 2007 and a rise in the number of people getting married drove demand despite a 30-percent rise in shark's fin soup prices and appeals by environmental groups to ease consumption, it said.
Shark's fin soup is popular at Chinese wedding banquets, where it is seen as a status symbol.
"Most of the couple's parents consider this dish a premium and without it, they would lose face," Ruth Soh, communications director at the Mandarin Oriental, told the newspaper.
She said however that the hotel buys shark's fin only from fish farms.
Housewife Janet Gan was quoted as saying: "Shark's fin is a must at a wedding. It is like a birthday cake."
But Michael Aw, a marine conservationist, said more than 30 sharks have to be killed to feed a wedding banquet with 300 guests, according to the report.
"We must continue to educate the younger generation and make them see that sharks are guardians of the sea that ensure a balance in the food chain," Aw said.
The message is not lost to Melanie Tan, who will walk down the aisle next month.
"I don't want to be part of the cruel act of killing sharks just to make others satisfied on my wedding day," she was quoted as saying.
