Save the genuine sharks

An undercover reporter from Central China Television found that many shark fins sold in the market are "fakes", making many people wonder what some luxurious restaurants serve in the name of shark fin. The expose by the CCTV reporter may be a welcome development for shark fin "lovers" but it is bad news for sharks, says an article on gmw.cn. Excerpts:

Poor people don't have the money or the inclination to splurge on shark fin. Only the rich are obsessed with the so-called delicacy. Now that the sale of fake products has been exposed, the rich will insist on verifying the genuineness of the shark fins they are served. This is bad news for sharks, which will now be killed in increasing numbers to meet the demand for "genuine" shark fin.

Perhaps the public service slogan for animal protection should be changed from "no trade, no kill", to "no trade by the rich, no kill", because only the rich indulge in such expensive "tastes". In fact, such a slogan will have a better effect if it is splashed in "high-class" clubs and star hotels, which the rich frequent.

The rich can afford to pay higher prices for "genuine" shark fin, and profit-driven businessmen in the catering industry will try every possible means to get them in order to please their high-end customers, which could spell doom for the sharks whose numbers are dwindling fast.

Therefore, the government should try to stop the sale of not only fake but also genuine shark fin to set an example in animal protection.

Also, the government should take measures to ban the sale of shark fin dishes to prevent sharks from being slaughtered to satisfy the palate of the rich.

(China Daily 01/15/2013 page9)