SINGAPORE: Singapore's animal rights community is praising continued efforts to remove shark fin soup from menus across the city-state. “This is something we have all pushed for many years and finally it is happening,” activist Rita Wong told Bikyamasr.com on Monday as she and other activists attended events in coordination with a green push in the country. “Shark fin soup is horrible. It is cruel and unjust and I am glad that hotels and other restaurants are getting rid of it.” According to wildlife organizations, fins of an adult shark only feed about five people and many small sharks are killed every day to meet the growing demand. Most of those sharks are simply thrown back into the ocean, dead or dying. Many hotels and restaurants have taken off their menus other such endangered species like Chilean sea bass and blue/yellow fin tuna, as endangered species continue to face an uphill battle in Asia as a result of over-fishing. To encourage customers to hold shark fin-free wedding banquets, luxury resort Capella Singapore is giving wedding couples free accommodation of one night and a certificate of acknowledgement for their contribution to conservation. Many restaurants have also vowed not to serve shark fin soup. In the last few months five-star hotels like Fairmount and Shangri-La, for instance, have decided not to serve shark fin soup, mostly served on important occasions such as weddings, banquets and important business meetings. However, experts say this is just a drop in the proverbial ocean. It is a multi-million dollar industry globally. “Shark fin soup is erroneously associated with prosperity and good health. The tradition of serving shark fin soup began as a dish served only to the emperors and their guests in China. But then it became a delicacy and is a must in all high-end wedding parties and other functions in Singapore,” Michael Ma, hotelier and environmentalist, said. Ma heads the famous IndoChine group that has several resorts and restaurants in Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and Germany. He is spearheading a no shark fin soup policy since 1999 in his resorts and restaurants. “Wedding banquets make a third of our business but we lose out to other competitors as we don't serve shark fin soups, but no regrets. I am a professional diver and the Philippines used to be a shark alley but now you don't get to see them; so I know these small steps can help in spreading awareness and protecting the fish known as lion of the sea,” said Ma. For the last 10 years, IndoChine has been running the Green Festival. This year's event kicked off Nov 22 with the Marine Conservation Forum – a discussion on shark conservation held along with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and NGO Shark Savers. For activists like Rita, the push to end shark killing is a positive step that will be “supported if people stop eating the animal at restaurants. If there is no market for it, it will stop.”
