Straits Times 15 Sep 13;
Hong Kong may have banned shark's fin dishes at official functions but Singapore is some way from making the same "bold move", lobbyists said yesterday.
Consumer pressure is more likely to take precedence over any policy change, but they are hopeful the "watershed" example set by the world centre of the shark's fin industry can spur a dialogue here.
SharkSavers South-east Asia regional director Jonn Benedict Lu told The Sunday Times: "Pressuring a government to make a policy change will take a long time. But if consumers show there is no demand, it can have an upstream effect."
Some supermarkets and hotels, such as FairPrice and Shangri-La, have stopped selling shark's fin.
Mr Lu, whose organisation is behind the campaign "I'm FINished With Fins", added that shark's fin is starting to be considered "unfashionable and old-fashioned".
Project: Fin founder Jennifer Lee said the Government can do much more, after it rejected a motion to regulate the shark trade at the United Nations Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites) this year.
However, the motion to necessitate permits and provide evidence that sharks are harvested sustainably was passed.
Ms Lee said: "I do hope measures will be taken so that Singapore follows the Cites regulations."
Walter Sim
