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What is the severity of the shark fin soup epidemic?
Shark fin soup is typically made with chicken stock or ham
broth. The shark fin is steamed to soften it up and is then
brought to a boil to turn it into a gelatinous texture. E.J.
Techera (2012), a professor at Faculty of Law and Oceans
Institute, University of Western Australia, explains the
traditions of this soup and the beliefs that accompany it:
[I]n Chinese culture sharks are considered as a delicacy,
most commonly consumed as shark fin soup. The Chinese
tradition developed about 600 years ago, during the Ming
Dynasty. Part of the attraction seems to have been the
belief that the soup could assist with boosting sexual
energy, although more recently it has become a reflection
of wealth and status. (p. 602)
When we couple in the tradition of shark fin soup while taking
into account the ever growing economy of a nation that has the
world’s largest population of 1.3 billion people, it is very easy
to foresee the difficulty in removing the soup from the world’s
palate.
The death tolls of sharks that are doomed to perish for the
fin soup are simply staggering. Journalist and South Asia
Bureau Chief for Time Magazine, Krista Mahr (2010), writes,