Courtesy of dcis steve
As I watched a few video’s over at www.stopsharkfinning.net yesterday, I started thinking. Why sharks? Who chose the shark’s fin as the essential ingredient of a dish which translates literally to “fish wing soup” in Chinese. It just doesn’t make any sense at all. The shark’s fins do not even have a taste to them, only the taste that is absorbed in the “noodles”(the shark’s fin’s cartilage). They also provide no nutritional benefits, unless of course you don’t have enough Mercury in your diet.
The part that confuses me even further is the fact that the type of shark does not matter. The fin can be from one of dozens of different size and species of sharks but somehow their fins are the same? No, I don’t think so. Why don’t we fin dolphins? They meet the criteria right? Defenseless and beautiful sea creatures which have fins. But wait, there is a difference. We are not afraid of dolphins. Instead, dolphins are thought of as our friends thanks to shows like Flipper.
Courtesy of Willy Volk
I think that as humans, we have developed a fear of sharks, whether it be Jaws, Shark Week, or maybe just the incredible jaw and teeth of a white shark, we have become afraid of sharks and told to fear them. Ultimately, our fear has no real basis, but we use this fear to justify the massive and brutal slaughter of amazing creatures! In reality we have no reason to fear sharks any more than we do dolphins. Even if you can justify a reason to be afraid, it is not a good enough reason to cut their fins off while they are alive.
Hopefully I have got you thinking and if I did then let me know whats going on up there!
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
It is deeply embedded in chinese culture. I know it is sometimes difficult for the west to understand this, and by no means do I want to justify the Chinese demand for shark fins, but when you look at the history of this dish it goes back to a time when only the emperor could afford such a delicacy. Now, with globalization, many people have access to shark fin soup…it is embedded in the culture and difficult to educate the chinese consumer about how destructive shark finning is for the ocean eco-systems. This is why it is so important for chinese celebrities and public figures to denounce shark fin soup.
Pretty surreal, sometimes I wonder whether these people (who engages in the heartless trade of shark finning) feel any sense of remorse. The amount of sharks that are finned every year is said to be a staggering 70 million which is a serious matter indeed. More should be done to combat this trade. Regarding Brian’s comment that it’s hard to educate certain people; that’s true but I somehow believe that one way or another; the world is rapidly changing and the insistence on transforming most things into becoming more sustainable and green for instance; is no doubt catching up with everyone around the globe. I remember one Chinese saying that goes – a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. Hopefully, more people will realize, and start changing their ways.
I was wondering a similar thing the other day. Why is it that dolphins aren’t hunted for their fins as well? Do their fins not cook up the same way? It’s not like there weren’t dolphins in Asia back when shark fin soup became a delicacy. sharkfintale.wordpress.com