A 10-year survey monitoring the long-term changes in the consumption of shark fin soup revealed a noticeable drop in shark fin consumption in Hong Kong and stronger support for government initiatives for wildlife conservation.

The project led by BLOOM Association Hong Kong and commissioned to the Social Sciences Research Centre of The University of Hong Kong (“HKUSSRC”) has conducted telephone survey interviews in five-year intervals over the past decade to monitor the city’s habits and attitudes in relation to shark fin consumption.

The first survey was first conducted in 2009/10, followed by subsequent interviews in 2014/15 and 2019/20, with over 1,000 respondents per interval. Respondents were asked detailed questions regarding their frequency in consuming shark fin-related products, thoughts on the issue, and willingness to support sustainable lifestyles that move towards the protection of the ocean and wildlife resources.

The survey results showed in significant change in the city’s attitudes towards shark fin consumption. In 2009/10, 58.1% of respondents said that their consumption of shark fin remained the same over the past five years; whereas in 2019/2020, the percentage dropped to 19.1%, and 53.9% respondents reported a decrease in consumption. A further 15.2% of respondents in 2019/20 said that they have stopped consuming shark fin products. Over the decade, more than 90% of respondents find it acceptable for shark fin products for shark fin soup to be excluded from wedding banquets and corporate events, where shark fin soup has long been a traditional stewed dish found in Chinese cuisines served at banquets.

In the 2019/20 survey, more than 90.4% of respondents strongly agreed or agreed that the Hong Kong government should do more to regulate shark fin trade in Hong Kong, and another 89.3% supported the inclusion of illegal wildlife trade under the Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance (Cap. 455). 80.6% of respondents also supported increasing the size of Marine Protection Areas in Hong Kong.

According to WWF, there had been a 40% drop in shark fin imports in 2019, and the total import of shark fin into Hong Kong for the first five months of 2020 has dropped by 60% in comparison to 2020.

Hong Kong is considered as a global hub for illegal wildlife trade, especially for shark fin-related and dried seafood products. A wildlife trade report published by the ADM Capital Foundation in 2019 reported that the Hong Kong Customs has seized 649 metric tons of rare and endangered wildlife species, involving more than 7,000 live animals. In June 2020, Customs has seized 26 tons of dried shark fins (estimated at US$1.1 million) extracted from an estimated 38 500 endangered sharks inside two containers shipped from Ecuador.

We must all make informed choices in relation to the seafood products that we buy in Hong Kong. Please lend your support to the Hong Kong Shark Foundation for all that they do for sharks, and educating the public on the myriad of threats they continuously face.

Courtesy of Nicole Liang

Main Source: earth.org