• China to Ban Shark Fin Soup from Official Events
    19 replies, posted
[quote]China plans to ban shark fin soup from being served at government banquets in an attempt to protect endangered shark populations and reduce spending on lavish state functions. The Communist Party-controlled Global Times said Tuesday it would take about three years to remove shark fins from the menus of official banquets and other government events. The paper says the ban is part of a wider effort to limit government spending on official dinners that often feature the expensive seafood dish popular in many Asian countries. Environmental groups say over 70 million sharks are killed primarily for their fins each year worldwide, leaving dozens of shark species threatened with near or total extinction. Chinese state media say over 95 percent of the annual harvest of shark fin is consumed on the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan. The Chinese ban would not affect consumption of shark fin by the general population. Several countries and local governments around the world have already moved to ban the sale of shark fins, which can sell for as much as $500 per pound.[/quote] [url]http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2012/07/04/2012070400579.html[/url] While it won't affect consumption, it's good that the government of the main consumer is no longer serving it. Shark finning has really been on the down turn for the past two years or so. Great news.
Good work Gordon.
We may save the Jaguar Shark yet.
Yay, sharks are cool, an while fishing for them should be toned down, finning should be eradicated.
Wierd thing is, the shark fin doesn't actually add anything to the soup. It's just an old tradition.
Finning is fucking terrible to see. I remember seeing rows of rotting sharks on the beach that were harvested only for their fins.
[QUOTE=Tacosheller;36615806]Wierd thing is, the shark fin doesn't actually add anything to the soup. It's just an old tradition.[/QUOTE] knowing chinese cuisine it's probably for texture [editline]1[/editline] same with swallow's nest
It's a flavorless additive to the soup for texture. Sort of like those thin flavorless noodles. It adds mass to the soup. In a extravagantly expensive, destructive way. The soup would be just as good with any other protein in it. [editline]4th July 2012[/editline] [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VESaWTRbGHc[/media]
It's good they are banning it, but the reason they are banning it isn't good. They are simply cutting it out of official events to cut back on government spending.
[QUOTE=Sgt. Khorn;36616104]It's good they are banning it, but the reason they are banning it isn't good. They are simply cutting it out of official events to cut back on government spending.[/QUOTE] They probably don't want to get involved with all the ideals and just came up with this reason instead.
About fucking time, here's hoping it'll follow that ban everywhere soon. Shark Fin Soup is one of the most "cruel recipes" on earth - the way they acquire the fins is just utterly disgusting.
We already have artificial fins. Just stop taking the fins of the sharks and use the artificial ones.
[QUOTE=adam1172;36618330]We already have artificial fins. Just stop taking the fins of the sharks and use the artificial ones.[/QUOTE] And you can't even tell the difference
I've tasted shark fin soup, and really it's pretty worthless as far as adding the fin goes. I think the real appeal is in the broth. There's countless substitutes for the shark fin that make sense, like abalones or tuna or something that doesnt require a shark to have its fin removed. These substitutes taste better in my opinion anyways. It's a disgusting tradition and it confounds me why it lives on.
[QUOTE=aznz888;36621681]I've tasted shark fin soup, and really it's pretty worthless as far as adding the fin goes. I think the real appeal is in the broth. There's countless substitutes for the shark fin that make sense, like abalones or tuna or something that doesnt require a shark to have its fin removed. These substitutes taste better in my opinion anyways. It's a disgusting tradition and it confounds me why it lives on.[/QUOTE] Everything in this post, I agree with. Don't get me wrong, being chinese and all, I grew up having shark fin soup nearly my entire childhood, and it tastes darn good. But the flavor really comes from the broth itself, not the shark's fin.
One step forward! I really don't understand why people can't leave some of these species alone. They're dying out because of overfishing and other less noble reasons and the majority don't seem to care that they won't be around for future generations. It's not even like we have to stop fishing these things forever, give many of the overfished species a few good years of uninterrupted life and they'll bounce back right quick, which would give fishermen bigger catches anyway; but we can't even have the patience to do that. I just don't understand people sometimes.
[u][b]Related news[/b][/u] [b]Illinois becomes first inland state to ban trade, sale or distribution of shark fins.[/b] [quote]Illinois became the first inland state, fifth in the U.S., to pass a comprehensive ban against the trade, sale or distribution of shark fins on Sunday. Gov. Pat Quinn signed the law at the Shedd Aquarium's Wild Reef, which is home to several species of sharks. Shedd Aquarium President and CEO Ted Beattie said that millions of sharks are killed annually, often just to harvest their fins, the Associated Press reports. In January, state Rep. Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago) introduced a proposed shark fin ban that would amend the city's Fish and Aquatic Life Code to outlaw the controversial practice, spurred in part by Asian culinary traditions. Feigenholtz drafted the bill with the help of the Illinois Humane Society and the Center for Oceanic Awareness, Research and Education, both of which are campaigning nationwide against the sale of shark fins. The bill, HB 4119, easily cleared the Illinois House and Senate this spring. Illinois is the first non-Pacific state to pass such a ban, but that doesn't mean the midwestern region doesn't contribute to the shark finning problem: [b]Oceana, an ocean conservation group, reports that Illinois is a large importer of shark fins, with restaurants including many in Chinatown serving shark fin soup and other dishes.[/b] According to the group, some shark populations have declined by as much as 99 percent in recent decades because of fin harvesting. [b]Last fall, California became the fourth state to ban the sale, trade and possession of shark fins over some objections that some Asian cultures consider shark fin soup a delicacy. Hawaii, Washington and Oregon -- as well as Guam -- have also banned shark fin.[/b][/quote] [url]http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/02/illinois-shark-fin-ban-fi_n_1643587.html[/url] Let's keep the dominoes falling! At this pace, the shark fin trade will be all but destroyed in a matter of years.
If they remove shark fins what are they going to call the soup?
[QUOTE=AJisAwesome15;36641218]If they remove shark fins what are they going to call the soup?[/QUOTE] not-shark-fin soup. anyway, this is a good step in the right direction.
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