Answered Conundrum Next Conundrum

Would you eat Shark Fin Soup at home or on vacation?

---quote---

Dr Julia Baum, a shark expert at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego, said that many predatory sharks are in serious danger of being wiped off the face of the earth within a generation. She said: "The oceans are being emptied of sharks and if we carry on the way we are, we are looking at a really high risk of extinction for some species within the next few decades.

"Sharks are really at the top of the list of marine fish that could become extinct in our lifetime. That should be a wake-up call."

Scalloped hammerhead sharks are often caught accidently as "by-catch" with other large fish such as tuna. But in the past few years they have also become victims of the lucrative trade in shark fins, which has grown rapidly as China has become more wealthy.

The trade often involves slicing off the fins from live sharks which are thrown back into the sea, where they bleed to death
---quote---

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/sharkfin-soup-trade-threatens-hammerheads-783548.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/oct/11/uk-shark-finning-ban-extinct
Interesting Question? Yes (0) No (0)
RSS

Best Answer Chosen by Asker

Marked as Best! October 12, 2009 08:51 AM
I love to eat fishes and prawns but i never eat shark fin soup and as you mention that "Sharks are really at the top of the list of marine fish that could become extinct in our lifetime. That should be a wake-up call."
so i decided not to eat shark fin soup and tell others about this and may be stop eating this kind of foods.
Asker's Rating:
Helpful Answer? (0)   (0)
Permalink | Report
Reply

Other Answers (8)
Sort By

October 11, 2009 08:22 PM
No I probably would never eat it. I'm not a big fan of eating fish.
Helpful Answer? (1)   (0)
Permalink | Report
Reply
October 11, 2009 08:42 PM
Reminds me of Dr. Seuss.

Green eggs
Helpful Answer? (0)   (0)
Permalink | Report
Reply
October 11, 2009 08:42 PM
And ham
Report
October 11, 2009 09:00 PM
I would never eat that soup nor any soup that contained parts of a dead creature. Some things that China and Japan are doing are very horrific. This, of course, does not mean all Chinese and Japanese are for this, but it is unbelievable that their governments would allow these actions to continue in their countries. Every creature of this world deserves respect and kindness and letting Sharks bleed to death is anything but that.
Helpful Answer? (0)   (0)
Permalink | Report
Reply
October 12, 2009 12:23 AM
I don't eat fish- so this wouldn't be an issue for me. If I did eat fish, I would not eat an endangered species.
Helpful Answer? (0)   (0)
Permalink | Report
Reply
October 12, 2009 04:47 AM
-- quote --
Shark Fin Demand Pushes 11 Species Near Extinction. AFP

May 22, 2008 -- Overfishing driven in part by an insatiable appetite for shark-fin soup has threatened 11 species of the ocean-dwelling predators with extinction, according to a report released on Thursday.

The first study to assess the worldwide status of 21 species of pelagic sharks and rays -- those living and hunting in open seas -- found that more than half are rapidly being fished out of existence.

Particularly vulnerable species include the short-finned mako, the thresher and the silky, said the report, to be published in the journal Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems.

"Despite mounting evidence of decline and increasing threats to these species, there are no international catch limits for oceanic sharks," said co-author Sonja Fordham, a researcher at the Oceans Conservancy and Shark Alliance in Brussels.

"Our research shows that action is urgently needed on a global level if these fisheries are to be sustainable."

Many big shark species have fallen prey to booming Asian economies where shark-fin soup is prized as a must-have delicacy at weddings and other banquet occasions. The fins are often sliced off of living fish which are then discarded in the sea.

Accidental "by-catch" by industrial fishing operations have also decimated shark populations, the study said.

Sharks and big rays are especially vulnerable to overfishing because they take many years to reach sexual maturity and have relatively few offspring.

"We are losing species at a rate 10 to 100 times greater than historic rates," said the study's lead author, Nicholas Dulvy, a professor at Sime Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada.

The report, presented at a major UN conference on biodiversity in Bonn, calls for the establishment and enforcement of science-based catch limits for sharks and rays, and a ban on the practice of "shark finning."

The 11-day Bonn conference seeks to prevent the destruction of countless plant and animal species.

It is the ninth of its kind of countries who signed up to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit.

-- /quote --

So, I will not eat shark fin soup in home, nor in vacation, nor anywhere :)
Source(s):
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/05/22/shark-fin-soup.html
Helpful Answer? (0)   (0)
Permalink | Report
Reply
October 12, 2009 09:09 AM
I've eaten this before when I was very young as this is traditional Chinese food. Now I know about this I will never eat it again. But if you want to know what it tastes like, there are many recipes for faux shark fin soups.
Helpful Answer? (0)   (0)
Permalink | Report
Reply
October 12, 2009 07:29 PM
I am very caredul about what I eat and that just has no appeal to me what-so-ever. I can't even imagine how that texture would feel in my mouth!!
Helpful Answer? (0)   (0)
Permalink | Report
Reply
October 12, 2009 08:29 PM
I don't think it sounds that good to me. So i'm just gonna stick with a not going to have it either places.
Helpful Answer? (0)   (0)
Permalink | Report
Reply

Answer this Question


View All Environment Questions

Ask a Conundrum


140 characters left

Categories

Large Glass of Conundrum Wine

Welcome to ConundrumLand

Please enter your zip code.