No More Shark's Fin Soup for Me?

Came across this article in last Saturday's Straits Times. The number in the headline is attention grabbing.

Wow, it is estimated that every year, between 26-73 million sharks are killed for their fins. Species most at risk are the blue shark, hammerheads and silky sharks. Official estimates of the number of sharks killed each year might not reflect the true figure because there are unregulated fisheries. Hong Kong is the world's largest fin market.

I think some time back, there was a documentary on the killing of sharks for their fins. I missed it but Grimlock saw it and since then, he no longer takes shark's fin soup. I love seafood (except sea cucumber) and shark's fin soup is among my top favourites. The fin has no taste, it's the stock/soup that carries the flavour. It didn't struck me that many sharks a year are killed for their fins, to the extend that 65 out of 373 known shark species are threatened.

When I dine at good Cantonese restaurants with my sister who shares my passion for food, we would at times order shark's fin soup (our "pampering" potion). Ok, I can do away with this food (don't think sharks are commercially bred for mass consumption, eg like chicken). When the demand stops, the killing will stop. More awareness will need to be established for this "protest" to be effective.