How do you feel about shark fin soup?

Die Lefty Scum said :

I’m with the Chinese on this one. Those maniacal sharks would do the same thing to us if given the chance. Same with the Rhinos.

Yes… those ferocious rhinos eating all those people…

Ian said :

Shark fin soup is delicious. Perfect to go with grilled dolphin steaks.

All washed down with a whalebone goblet of baby seal tears.

Shark fin soup is delicious. Perfect to go with grilled dolphin steaks.

urchin said :

surely convincing people that eating shark fins is bad will be better …

Why is it bad?

I agreed with you when you said it’s silly to squander Green credibility and then you go and do it yourself.

Cruelty is bad, not eating shark fin soup.
Ban cruelty – great idea.
In fact – it already is! Problem solved.

HenryBG said :

jsm2090 said :

Agree. The only way to curb the demand is to ban the dish.

You curb your own demand, and I’ll take care of mine. Busybody.

HenryBG .. Best retort I’ve seen for a while

isn’t that was this post is doing?

EvanJames said :

urchin said :

however, i do object to those calling for an immediate ban on it. what’s the point? eliminating canberra’s consumption of shark fins will have absolutely no effect on the shark fin industry.

You have to start somewhere. When I’m trying to get-at the free range egg display at Coles in Queanbeyan, which has numbers of peopel clustering around it, checking their eggs before they take them, I’m reminded of how people couldn’t see the point in that, either. Now we are seeing a logical move to banning cage egg production altogether, with large numbers of shoppers opting to pay more and get cruelty-free eggs.

“you have to start somewhere” is not the same as “you have to start anywhere”. all you will do is succeed in alienating more people and burning through the little political capital that the greens retain. i think people tend to get sick of hearing how the gov’t is going to ban this and ban that and ban everything else. especially when the ban won’t have any real effect and, in any case, will be unenforced/unenforceable.

i’m not saying the cause is bad, but why is the first response for many environmental types always “ban it!” without considering the (in)significance of the ban and the effectiveness of other, less shrill, less confrontational measures? surely convincing people that eating shark fins is bad will be better and more effective than telling them that they can’t eat them…

Should be banned. ! Period!

willo said :

poetix said :

Sorry, third post.

But I just remembered the justified outcry in Melbourne when someone cut off his dog’s ears without anaesthetic, with a pair of scissors. The demand for shark-fin soup makes the same degree of pain occur everyday, as a matter of routine. It’s just that sharks are seen so differently from dogs. Some people don’t even believe that they feel pain.

This does matter, willo.

no it does not matter
sharkfins are removed AFTER the shark has been humanely dispatched if done within the framework of australian fisheries legislation
this thread has sweet fa to do with dogs ears being cut off
now make an actual point or shut the hell up

Thought that spray was worth saying twice heh?

urchin said :

however, i do object to those calling for an immediate ban on it. what’s the point? eliminating canberra’s consumption of shark fins will have absolutely no effect on the shark fin industry.

You have to start somewhere. When I’m trying to get-at the free range egg display at Coles in Queanbeyan, which has numbers of peopel clustering around it, checking their eggs before they take them, I’m reminded of how people couldn’t see the point in that, either. Now we are seeing a logical move to banning cage egg production altogether, with large numbers of shoppers opting to pay more and get cruelty-free eggs.

I’d heard something about the sharkfin harvesting problem but I didn’t realise any restaurants in Canberra sell it, so now unless they can prove what they use was not obtained in that way I’ll be avoiding those restaurants.

urchin said :

go back to living in cages subsisting on a diet of roots and berries..

caVes, not cages. though the latter is intriguing too…sort of an environmentalist zoo… hmm…

JonahBologna said :

The catch rate of sharks for their fins are rapidly depleting oceans of one of their apex predators (they eat everything, nothing eats them). When an ecosystem has it’s apex predator removed another predator is promoted and able to take over the system.

In the eastern Pacific the new apex predator is the squid. They are proliferating and taking over the ecosystem. I like squid rings, but when I go diving or snorkelling I’d rather see a shark once in a while feeding on the sick and weak fish rather than enormous schools of squid capable of decimating entire fish populations.

Sharks have been a part of the ocean since the time of the dinosaurs. They probably won’t be eradicated by humans, but they are being seriously affected.

Ummm, didn’t recent research reveal shark numbers are on the up?

i’m all for educating and raising awareness about the consequences of one’s culinary choices. certainly i won’t be eating shark fin soup in the near future (but that is no sacrifice for me as i have never eaten it to my knowledge).

however, i do object to those calling for an immediate ban on it. what’s the point? eliminating canberra’s consumption of shark fins will have absolutely no effect on the shark fin industry. the only thing it will do is give some the warm glow of self-righteousness and further strengthen the popular image of greenie environmentalists as hippie kooks who want to ban everything and go back to living in cages subsisting on a diet of roots and berries. it will accomplish nothing.

more effective by far than a ban would be a campaign to raise awareness among the population (esp. the population that eats shark fins) about the backstory. i.e., how the fins are obtained and the cruelty involved. many people would of their own will stop consuming in that case. some wouldn’t–that’s life, that’s a semi-free society for you.

“no it does not matter sharkfins are removed AFTER the shark has been humanely dispatched if done within the framework of australian fisheries legislation”

That may apply to shark fin sourced from Australian fisheries, but I doubt that most shark fin soup in Australian Chinese restaurants uses shark fins sourced from Australia.

willo, when you order shark fin soup, do you ask where the fins comes from?

willo said :

poetix said :

Sorry, third post.

But I just remembered the justified outcry in Melbourne when someone cut off his dog’s ears without anaesthetic, with a pair of scissors. The demand for shark-fin soup makes the same degree of pain occur everyday, as a matter of routine. It’s just that sharks are seen so differently from dogs. Some people don’t even believe that they feel pain.

This does matter, willo.

no it does not matter
sharkfins are removed AFTER the shark has been humanely dispatched if done within the framework of australian fisheries legislation
this thread has sweet fa to do with dogs ears being cut off
now make an actual point or shut the hell up

I suggest you educate yourself on the topic before posting anything else. you are completely wrong and are embarrasing yourself.

I’m with the Chinese on this one. Those maniacal sharks would do the same thing to us if given the chance. Same with the Rhinos.

Here’s one way to put people off sharks…

Stop the indirect cannibalism.
The surfer that the shark lunched on will be the shark fin soup you dine on.

I agree with so many commenters on this post, particularly Gungahlin Al’s about orange roughies and this one:

Sleaz274 said :

http://www.sharkwater.com/

One of the best documentaries, most likely ever. Watch it before you even bother to comment.

The shark fin provides no taste at all or nutritional value to the soup and it has to be flavoured with chicken broth or similar. If we did on land what we do to the creatures of the sea there would be mass bans, legal action, imprisonment, fines, closures, etc… Long lining, finning, trawling, whaling are disgusting examples of the tragedy of the commons. It is vastly ethically different, it is completely unsustainable, unsanctioned, contains no controls and is killing off entire wild populations of apex predators.

After seeing Sharkwater I went straight home and became a financial member of Sea Shepherd. I also remember seeing a documentary on TV once showing the destruction that goes on on the sea floor. As has been pointed out, if it happened on land where people could see it, people would be absolutely outraged – and they should be.

poetix said :

Sorry, third post.

But I just remembered the justified outcry in Melbourne when someone cut off his dog’s ears without anaesthetic, with a pair of scissors. The demand for shark-fin soup makes the same degree of pain occur everyday, as a matter of routine. It’s just that sharks are seen so differently from dogs. Some people don’t even believe that they feel pain.

This does matter, willo.

no it does not matter
sharkfins are removed AFTER the shark has been humanely dispatched if done within the framework of australian fisheries legislation
this thread has sweet fa to do with dogs ears being cut off
now make an actual point or shut the hell up

poetix said :

Sorry, third post.

But I just remembered the justified outcry in Melbourne when someone cut off his dog’s ears without anaesthetic, with a pair of scissors. The demand for shark-fin soup makes the same degree of pain occur everyday, as a matter of routine. It’s just that sharks are seen so differently from dogs. Some people don’t even believe that they feel pain.

This does matter, willo.

hmm, does that mean I can’t try dogcatching with a large hook baited with a bit of steak? But I just bought a new reel and need to try out the drag.

poetix said :

Sorry, third post.

But I just remembered the justified outcry in Melbourne when someone cut off his dog’s ears without anaesthetic, with a pair of scissors. The demand for shark-fin soup makes the same degree of pain occur everyday, as a matter of routine. It’s just that sharks are seen so differently from dogs. Some people don’t even believe that they feel pain.

This does matter, willo.

poetix said :

Sorry, third post.

But I just remembered the justified outcry in Melbourne when someone cut off his dog’s ears without anaesthetic, with a pair of scissors. The demand for shark-fin soup makes the same degree of pain occur everyday, as a matter of routine. It’s just that sharks are seen so differently from dogs. Some people don’t even believe that they feel pain.

This does matter, willo.

no pal it does not, fins are removed AFTER the shark has been humanely dispatched if done within the framework of australian fisheries legislation, hysteria over what may or may not be done throughout the world is pointless and unproven as far as this thread goes, cutting dogs ears off has f*** all to do with this discussion

Sorry, third post.

But I just remembered the justified outcry in Melbourne when someone cut off his dog’s ears without anaesthetic, with a pair of scissors. The demand for shark-fin soup makes the same degree of pain occur everyday, as a matter of routine. It’s just that sharks are seen so differently from dogs. Some people don’t even believe that they feel pain.

This does matter, willo.

Disinformation said :

I have a duck that attacks people.

Seriously.

When this duck savages a small child or pensioner, this post will be evidence that you knew that your duck was a menace and did nothing about it.

Personally I think ducks should be banned, but as it is owners of aggressive duck breeds should be registered and irresponsible duck owners should face the full force of the law. It’s a disgrace. Typical f__king bogan pet.

It is illegal in every australian fishery to cut shark fins off and throw the shark back
It is very annoying for anyone to tell people what they should or should not eat
if you dont like sharkfin soup do not eat it, but dont tell me not to, now pissoff and start discussing something that actually matters

Perhaps you could write a lengthy dissertation about how knowledge or animal rights is dangerous because it conflicts with people’s “right not to care”.

Mysteryman said :

Jim Jones said :

Mysteryman said :

qbngeek said :

Mysteryman said :

I agree. But honestly, this issue doesn’t rank too highly on my list of concerns.

And that is the issue. Too many people think exactly like you and nothing ever changes. It takes about 5 minutes to write a letter and send it to all your local members of the assembly and federal parliament. Are you really that busy?

Its the same a people who go ‘I don’t care where the food comes from as long as I can get it at Colesworths’ Spend a cuple of hours each weekend going to the farmers markets, find sources of local products and decrese your footprint on the world. When you have seen how much better the food is, you will see why it is right.

I didn’t say I was too busy. I said it doesn’t rank highly on my list of concerns. Essentially, I don’t care enough about the issue to spend my time on it. Whether you like it or not, that’s the way it is.

Don’t think that just because you want to support something, the rest of us should have to also. You are more than welcome to be anti-shark fin soup, anti-whaling, anti supermarket food, anti-whatever you want. I would encourage it, even. There are many causes worth supporting and it’s your right as an Australian so make every legal effort to change the things you don’t like. We need people to care about things like this. But don’t expect that everyone should jump on board with you. Your crusade is not everyone’s. Some of us find our efforts focussed on other things. Some people probably don’t even agree with you. They probably don’t care where their food comes from. That’s ok too. They have a right not to care. It doesn’t make their opinions any less important than yours, and it doesn’t make your cause any less meaningful or worthwhile.

You certainly spend a lot of time commenting on stuff you purportedly couldn’t care less about.

I care about being understood. You should care more about reading comprehension.

Nothing wrong with my comprehension.

Still somewhat stunned you’d spend so much time ‘being understood’ about an issue that ‘doesn’t rank highly on your list of concerns’.

What’s next, a lengthy essay in Quadrant magazine about how the land rights debate ‘doesn’t really interest me that much’?

Arguably it’s ethically worse because the fin is usually taken and the shark is thrown back to die slowly or whatever. Compared to the whole animal having no chance and all being eaten.

Mind you, I find it ethically easier to avoid all meat and fish. There are a lot of problems with fishing in particular ,like bycatch (which, again, is often thrown back injured to die slowly – stuff like turtles, seals, dolphins etc)
🙁

SnapperJack said :

More crap from animal activists trying to force wimpy vegetarianism and veganism onto us.

Sharks are a predator and dangerous to humans so the more that are killed the better. The same applies to crocodiles.

Every time animal activists open their mouths they should be either ignored or viciously slapped down.

The key to successful trolling is not being ridiculously obvious about it.

On topic: Having seen footage of shark fins being obtained, I’m against it.

Jim Jones said :

Mysteryman said :

qbngeek said :

Mysteryman said :

I agree. But honestly, this issue doesn’t rank too highly on my list of concerns.

And that is the issue. Too many people think exactly like you and nothing ever changes. It takes about 5 minutes to write a letter and send it to all your local members of the assembly and federal parliament. Are you really that busy?

Its the same a people who go ‘I don’t care where the food comes from as long as I can get it at Colesworths’ Spend a cuple of hours each weekend going to the farmers markets, find sources of local products and decrese your footprint on the world. When you have seen how much better the food is, you will see why it is right.

I didn’t say I was too busy. I said it doesn’t rank highly on my list of concerns. Essentially, I don’t care enough about the issue to spend my time on it. Whether you like it or not, that’s the way it is.

Don’t think that just because you want to support something, the rest of us should have to also. You are more than welcome to be anti-shark fin soup, anti-whaling, anti supermarket food, anti-whatever you want. I would encourage it, even. There are many causes worth supporting and it’s your right as an Australian so make every legal effort to change the things you don’t like. We need people to care about things like this. But don’t expect that everyone should jump on board with you. Your crusade is not everyone’s. Some of us find our efforts focussed on other things. Some people probably don’t even agree with you. They probably don’t care where their food comes from. That’s ok too. They have a right not to care. It doesn’t make their opinions any less important than yours, and it doesn’t make your cause any less meaningful or worthwhile.

You certainly spend a lot of time commenting on stuff you purportedly couldn’t care less about.

I care about being understood. You should care more about reading comprehension.

SnapperJack said :

More crap from animal activists trying to force wimpy vegetarianism and veganism onto us.

Sharks are a predator and dangerous to humans so the more that are killed the better. The same applies to crocodiles.

Every time animal activists open their mouths they should be either ignored or viciously slapped down.

obvious troll is obvious.

Gungahlin Al said :

… not even starting to breed until about 25.

So you don’t see many of them in Gungahlin then?

More crap from animal activists trying to force wimpy vegetarianism and veganism onto us.

Sharks are a predator and dangerous to humans so the more that are killed the better. The same applies to crocodiles.

Every time animal activists open their mouths they should be either ignored or viciously slapped down.

Mysteryman said :

qbngeek said :

Mysteryman said :

I agree. But honestly, this issue doesn’t rank too highly on my list of concerns.

And that is the issue. Too many people think exactly like you and nothing ever changes. It takes about 5 minutes to write a letter and send it to all your local members of the assembly and federal parliament. Are you really that busy?

Its the same a people who go ‘I don’t care where the food comes from as long as I can get it at Colesworths’ Spend a cuple of hours each weekend going to the farmers markets, find sources of local products and decrese your footprint on the world. When you have seen how much better the food is, you will see why it is right.

I didn’t say I was too busy. I said it doesn’t rank highly on my list of concerns. Essentially, I don’t care enough about the issue to spend my time on it. Whether you like it or not, that’s the way it is.

Don’t think that just because you want to support something, the rest of us should have to also. You are more than welcome to be anti-shark fin soup, anti-whaling, anti supermarket food, anti-whatever you want. I would encourage it, even. There are many causes worth supporting and it’s your right as an Australian so make every legal effort to change the things you don’t like. We need people to care about things like this. But don’t expect that everyone should jump on board with you. Your crusade is not everyone’s. Some of us find our efforts focussed on other things. Some people probably don’t even agree with you. They probably don’t care where their food comes from. That’s ok too. They have a right not to care. It doesn’t make their opinions any less important than yours, and it doesn’t make your cause any less meaningful or worthwhile.

You certainly spend a lot of time commenting on stuff you purportedly couldn’t care less about.

qbngeek said :

Mysteryman said :

I agree. But honestly, this issue doesn’t rank too highly on my list of concerns.

And that is the issue. Too many people think exactly like you and nothing ever changes. It takes about 5 minutes to write a letter and send it to all your local members of the assembly and federal parliament. Are you really that busy?

Its the same a people who go ‘I don’t care where the food comes from as long as I can get it at Colesworths’ Spend a cuple of hours each weekend going to the farmers markets, find sources of local products and decrese your footprint on the world. When you have seen how much better the food is, you will see why it is right.

I didn’t say I was too busy. I said it doesn’t rank highly on my list of concerns. Essentially, I don’t care enough about the issue to spend my time on it. Whether you like it or not, that’s the way it is.

Don’t think that just because you want to support something, the rest of us should have to also. You are more than welcome to be anti-shark fin soup, anti-whaling, anti supermarket food, anti-whatever you want. I would encourage it, even. There are many causes worth supporting and it’s your right as an Australian so make every legal effort to change the things you don’t like. We need people to care about things like this. But don’t expect that everyone should jump on board with you. Your crusade is not everyone’s. Some of us find our efforts focussed on other things. Some people probably don’t even agree with you. They probably don’t care where their food comes from. That’s ok too. They have a right not to care. It doesn’t make their opinions any less important than yours, and it doesn’t make your cause any less meaningful or worthwhile.

A truly horrible practice that also screws up the natural order.
Agree that you can’t pick sustainable from cruel so the only solution is to boycott it altogether.

On a related issue, is anyone else bothered to see the fish shop in the Canberra Centre selling Orange Roughies? This is a massively overfished resource with individuals living to 150 years and not even starting to breed until about 25.

I have a duck that attacks people.

Seriously.

When this duck savages a small child or pensioner, this post will be evidence that you knew that your duck was a menace and did nothing about it.

Sleaz274 said :

You are an idiot.

And you need to learn that sometimes statements are not intended to be taken seriously. You think I dont realise there is a slight difference between the number of sharks in Sydney harbour and, well, what is happening in the entire rest of the world?

HenryBG said :

Cool, thanks for that, I intend to get me some Shark Fin Soup ASAP.

I really miss shark fin dumplings which are no longer served at Yum Cha as they were my favourite.

Not so long ago, they managed to make Tuna dolphin-friendly, so hopfully rather than this authoritarian approach by little people trying to feel big of banning stuff, the people who care about sharks so much can figure out a way to ensure the whole shark is used instead of just the fins?

They still serve shark fin dumplings! They take their name from their appearance; The inside is usually pork or prawn mince. Tuna production is a whole different kettle of fish, with it’s own serious problems…….

Oh and +1 to what qbngeek said. The produce from the farmers markets is cheaper, tastes better, lasts longer, and has travelled fewer kms. Well worth the inconvenience of going out there IMHO.

sm2090 said :

” Agree. The only way to curb the demand is to ban the dish.”

Hell I eat a lot of those chicken ‘buffalo wing’ things. So they hack off the wings then let the thing go free ?.

Mysteryman said :

I agree. But honestly, this issue doesn’t rank too highly on my list of concerns.

And that is the issue. Too many people think exactly like you and nothing ever changes. It takes about 5 minutes to write a letter and send it to all your local members of the assembly and federal parliament. Are you really that busy?

Its the same a people who go ‘I don’t care where the food comes from as long as I can get it at Colesworths’ Spend a cuple of hours each weekend going to the farmers markets, find sources of local products and decrese your footprint on the world. When you have seen how much better the food is, you will see why it is right.

poetix said :

As I endlessly post here, I’m a vegetarian, but I’d rather eat foie gras than this stuff. At least the Frenchies aren’t totally depleting the oceans of their top predators, and throwing the whole ecosystem out of whack.

I’ve know a few geese that fit into the top predator category, including one that made a very large mastiff/ridge-back cross pigging dog make a very hasty retreat.

jsm2090 said :

Agree. The only way to curb the demand is to ban the dish.

You curb your own demand, and I’ll take care of mine. Busybody.

Cool, thanks for that, I intend to get me some Shark Fin Soup ASAP.

I really miss shark fin dumplings which are no longer served at Yum Cha as they were my favourite.

Not so long ago, they managed to make Tuna dolphin-friendly, so hopfully rather than this authoritarian approach by little people trying to feel big of banning stuff, the people who care about sharks so much can figure out a way to ensure the whole shark is used instead of just the fins?

jsm2090 said :

The argument of tradition and culture is irrelevant and anachronistic; the Spanish will eventually live without their bullfighting, the Japanese without their whaling and the Chinese without shark fins.

And the Aboriginals without their turtles roasted alive in their shells.

Australians eat lots of shark. That is what the flake from the fish and chip shop is.

As long as we are eating the rest, then the fin should also be utilised. However, no slaughter for the fin alone should be undertaken.

Agree. The only way to curb the demand is to ban the dish. The ocean is exploited far too easily, because we can’t see the effects of our actions. Being of Chinese descent, I often come across dubious dishes like this at festivals and special occasions. They don’t interest me, because you can’t rule out the fact that the ingredients were obtained in a cruel fashion. The argument of tradition and culture is irrelevant and anachronistic; the Spanish will eventually live without their bullfighting, the Japanese without their whaling and the Chinese without shark fins.

neanderthalsis said :

johnboy said :

EvanJames said :

The issue is how the fins are obtained…

Sharks are often caught as meat-fish, you eat it in fish and chipperies as “flake” or just “shark”. That’s different, the fish is caught and killed, and eaten.

So hypothetically there would be no problem eating shark fin soup if the rest of the shark was being used?

I agree with E-J. If they hack the fins off and leave the shark to die, unable to breathe properly, swim and hunt, then yes, I do have an issue with it. If the whole shark is taken for food, provided that it is not endangered/protected, then I don’t really mind.

It’s like killing a cow just to make a pickled tongue sandwich.

I agree. But honestly, this issue doesn’t rank too highly on my list of concerns.

Disinformation said :

So the only way to deal with this issue is to ensure that no shark fin soup is ever offered.

You won’t be able to discern the difference between soup made of sharks that were harvested for their fins only and the ones that were entirely utilised with their fins being used for soup.

It’s back to Panda paw soup for me.

But we can discern between cage and free range eggs…

dtc said :

Didnt you all watch that show on ABC a few nights ago showing the huge numbers of sharks now resident in Sydney Harbour?

Having eaten shark fin soup (part of the traditional Chinese New Years meal in HK), it tastes of little and feels like slimy noodles. I’m not really sure of the attraction – I think its meant to symbolise something like wealth or power. Anyway, never been tempted to eat it again irrespective of the environmental concerns.

You are an idiot, the reason there are “huge” numbers of shark in sydney harbour is because Australia has very strong protections on sharks and marine reserves. During the warmer months sharks follow the schooling fish into shallower water and end up closer to beaches, harbours, estuaries etc… It is also more likely that marine reserves are actually working and increases in numbers are from a frighteningly low base.

Just because there are 300 more sharks around Sydney does not replace the millions (literally) taken elsewhere (costa rica, galapagos, chile, indonesia, south east asia, indian ocean, philippines, pacific, atlantic, the world). All because the fish stocks in those countries are so low and the price of shark fin comparatively high that poor fisherman and illegal cartels can make big $$$ off the chinese market for what would historically have been a complete extravangant luxury for rich people to show off how rich they were.

Interesting comments everybody! For me, this is not an issue of eating meat or being a vegetarian. I eat meat. The problem with shark finning is 1) cruelty, 2) the largely unregulated and unsustainable nature of this industry, 3) the ecological consequences of removing top-predators from ecosystems and 4) the very real hazards to our health from eating sharks or any other animal at the top of the food chain– you can read more about that here… http://www.sharksavers.org/en/education/sharks-are-in-trouble/381-sharkfinsoup.html

http://www.sharkwater.com/

One of the best documentaries, most likely ever. Watch it before you even bother to comment.

“Tank bangers” on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5HXyOgz2YA

A light hearted look through a scuba divers eyes but with the same message. Hope that link works

The shark fin provides no taste at all or nutritional value to the soup and it has to be flavoured with chicken broth or similar. If we did on land what we do to the creatures of the sea there would be mass bans, legal action, imprisonment, fines, closures, etc… Long lining, finning, trawling, whaling are disgusting examples of the tragedy of the commons. It is vastly ethically different, it is completely unsustainable, unsanctioned, contains no controls and is killing off entire wild populations of apex predators.

This kind of thing reminds me why I hate people, we are simply out of control naked apes with a god complex. http://www.earthlings.com

Try and justify it anyway you want. It’s an impossible position.

So the only way to deal with this issue is to ensure that no shark fin soup is ever offered.

You won’t be able to discern the difference between soup made of sharks that were harvested for their fins only and the ones that were entirely utilised with their fins being used for soup.

It’s back to Panda paw soup for me.

Ban. A cruel, stupid and unneccessary thing. Sharks are too important to do this to, especially the pressured populations (which is a hell of a lot of them). You’d get a lot less take of sharks if the fin had no effective value.

Didnt you all watch that show on ABC a few nights ago showing the huge numbers of sharks now resident in Sydney Harbour?

Having eaten shark fin soup (part of the traditional Chinese New Years meal in HK), it tastes of little and feels like slimy noodles. I’m not really sure of the attraction – I think its meant to symbolise something like wealth or power. Anyway, never been tempted to eat it again irrespective of the environmental concerns.

The CT says ‘Happys’ has removed shark fin from its menu. Not sure what kind of shark fin would come within the usual Happys meal pricing – its usually a luxury food.

EvanJames said :

EvanJames said :

Missing their various fins, they can stay upright or swim or steer, so they sink and die a slow death.

Argh. Typo. should read CAN’T stay upright, swim or steer.

To use the cow analogy, it’s like hacking the legs off a cow, and leaving it to bleed to death, immobile.

I’m actually a bit surprised shark fin hasn’t been banned, it’s pretty frightful.

+1 It is an absolute disgrace. THis is the sort of issue that the Greens should be focussing on.

“So hypothetically there would be no problem eating shark fin soup if the rest of the shark was being used?”

If you are going to kill an animal for food (I eat meat) then it does make more ethical sense to me to use the whole animal.

The problem with fishing for shark fin is that it doesn’t make economic sense for the fishing boats to keep the whole animal, there is only so much room on the boat and you fill the space available with what makes the most money. Catch shark, cut fin off, throw shark overboard. Repeat until space available full.

That can mean hundreds of sharks killed to feed x number of people. Whole shark used means a higher number of people fed.

There is also the cruelty factor that not killing the shark and dumping it to die in the water with fin cut off is a pretty horrible thing to do.

I love shark fin soup but have to draw the line somewhere and just don’t eat it these days, it’s just too cruel.

As I endlessly post here, I’m a vegetarian, but I’d rather eat foie gras than this stuff. At least the Frenchies aren’t totally depleting the oceans of their top predators, and throwing the whole ecosystem out of whack. The cruelty involved is much worse than anything we saw in the Indonesian abattoirs, as the animals die an even slower death. And if you are silly enough to think that protein needs to come from animals, that’s a hell of a lot of it being thrown back to, um, feed the fishes.

Shark fin soup should be banned; I actually assumed it was in Australia. Are the fins used in these places sourced from plucky Aussie sharks?

EvanJames said :

Missing their various fins, they can stay upright or swim or steer, so they sink and die a slow death.

Argh. Typo. should read CAN’T stay upright, swim or steer.

To use the cow analogy, it’s like hacking the legs off a cow, and leaving it to bleed to death, immobile.

I’m actually a bit surprised shark fin hasn’t been banned, it’s pretty frightful.

The catch rate of sharks for their fins are rapidly depleting oceans of one of their apex predators (they eat everything, nothing eats them). When an ecosystem has it’s apex predator removed another predator is promoted and able to take over the system.

In the eastern Pacific the new apex predator is the squid. They are proliferating and taking over the ecosystem. I like squid rings, but when I go diving or snorkelling I’d rather see a shark once in a while feeding on the sick and weak fish rather than enormous schools of squid capable of decimating entire fish populations.

Sharks have been a part of the ocean since the time of the dinosaurs. They probably won’t be eradicated by humans, but they are being seriously affected.

johnboy said :

So hypothetically there would be no problem eating shark fin soup if the rest of the shark was being used?

The problem with that line of reasoning is that it legitimizes shark fin soup, which then tends to encourage the capture of sharks for their fins (and subsequent dumping into the ocean sans-fins).

johnboy said :

EvanJames said :

The issue is how the fins are obtained…

Sharks are often caught as meat-fish, you eat it in fish and chipperies as “flake” or just “shark”. That’s different, the fish is caught and killed, and eaten.

So hypothetically there would be no problem eating shark fin soup if the rest of the shark was being used?

I agree with E-J. If they hack the fins off and leave the shark to die, unable to breathe properly, swim and hunt, then yes, I do have an issue with it. If the whole shark is taken for food, provided that it is not endangered/protected, then I don’t really mind.

It’s like killing a cow just to make a pickled tongue sandwich.

It tastes like chicken.

Use chicken

EvanJames said :

The issue is how the fins are obtained. The sharks are caught, the fins are hacked off, and then the still living sharks are chucked overboard. Missing their various fins, they can stay upright or swim or steer, so they sink and die a slow death.

That’s the issue with shark fin.

Sharks are often caught as meat-fish, you eat it in fish and chipperies as “flake” or just “shark”. That’s different, the fish is caught and killed, and eaten.

So hypothetically there would be no problem eating shark fin soup if the rest of the shark was being used?

The issue is how the fins are obtained. The sharks are caught, the fins are hacked off, and then the still living sharks are chucked overboard. Missing their various fins, they can stay upright or swim or steer, so they sink and die a slow death.

That’s the issue with shark fin.

Sharks are often caught as meat-fish, you eat it in fish and chipperies as “flake” or just “shark”. That’s different, the fish is caught and killed, and eaten.