Kristie Michelle Chiew Straits Times 7 Apr 12;
GROWING up in Hong Kong, I remember having shark's fin soup on every important occasion.
Shark's fin has long been a part of the Chinese culinary culture, considered a delicacy and a luxury. It's hard to avoid on a menu, especially during weddings and other special occasions.
But these days, one is expected to be repulsed at the thought of eating shark's fin. My friends cite animal cruelty and its negative impact on the marine ecosystem.
Yet, while I think it is wrong to kill a shark simply for its fin, I don't think there is a problem fishing within an unthreatened shark population.
In 2006, when the issue of extensive shark finning went viral, the Chinese cuisine and culture was blamed for the 90 per cent drop in the shark population in some oceans.
Finning may be illegal and barbaric but surely it is not solely responsible for the decline in the shark population.
So why should shark's fin soup be targeted simply because it has a part of a shark as an ingredient?
Sharks are being caught and killed every day in Australia and New Zealand for more than just their fins.
They are caught for 'flake' - a term used in Australia to refer to the meat of any of several species of small sharks, particularly the gummy shark.
Flakes are used mostly for fish and chips.
While the gummy shark is not in any danger of extinction, they inhabit the same areas as the snapper sharks, which have been overfished. An Australian news report claims there are a higher number of sharks being accidentally fished than hunted.
Fins used for the soup come from a variety of shark species, not simply the endangered ones.
Furthermore, Singaporean wildlife consultant Giam Choo Hoo has said bycatch and European consumption of shark meat are responsible for the decline in shark population, not the demand for shark's fins.
In Australia, where sharks are being legally fished, guidelines have been put in place for 'species conservation and biodiversity maintenance'.
The Australian government is also keen to improve its ability to identify and establish the numbers of shark species in their waters. It is hoped such moves will help manage the shark population.
Conservationists concerned about the declining shark population should lobby governments for similar guidelines, and not specifically take issue with shark's fin consumers. If anything, they should target rogue shark hunters - those who kill the fish only for their fins.
As far as I'm concerned, finning should be illegal but there is nothing morally wrong with cooking, or eating shark's fin soup.
The writer, 22, is a final-year political science and history major at the University of Western Australia.
