Peninsula Hotel Group bans shark fin
2011-11-22 03:06:20 GMT2011-11-22 11:06:20(Beijing Time) City Weekend

Peninsula Hotel Group bans shark fin

Peninsula Hotel Group bans shark fin
Last week, the Peninsula Hotel group banned shark's fin in all of its restaurants, a policy change that goes into effect this week. While those who have already booked banquets with shark's fin will continue to be served for the rest of the year, the hotels will all be shark-free by January 1, 2012. The Peninsula's not the first to take measures like these--the Fairmont Hotel group took shark, and all other endangered seafood, off its menus years ago.

What's the problem with shark's fin, a highly prized Cantonese delicacy often served in soups at Chinese weddings? An estimated 73 million sharks are killed each year, and one third of shark species are now close to extinction. In some areas of the world, shark populations have declined 90 percent over the last 20 years. This decline comes largely from shark-finning, the process by which sharks are caught, their fins are cut off, and they are thrown back into the ocean to drown or be eaten by other predators. Shark-finning is not only inhumane, but threatens to upset the entire ecosystem of the earth. With the rapid decline of shark populations, say scientists, the fish that eat the algae on the ocean will face fewer natural predators, thus resulting in far less algae on the ocean's surface. This algae is crucial to oxygen levels on the planet. But that's not the only reason not to eat shark's fin--Shark Savers point out that shark's fin carries very high levels of mercury, which is poisonous for humans.

While consumption of shark's fin has risen dramatically in China over the last decades, there have certainly been those against it, including Yao Ming, who's featured in a number of advertisements aimed at shark protection. Amid international pressure, Hong Kong Disney banned shark's fin back in 2005, and it will be banned in California starting in 2013.