China bans shark fin dishes at official banquets - CNN

China bans shark fin dishes at official banquets

By Naomi Ng, for CNN

Updated 1312 GMT (2112 HKT) December 9, 2013

Shark finning is banned in several countries, but the trade is flourishing in Hong Kong, where the fins are used in shark fin soup, a dish considered a prestigious delicacy, and in some types of traditional Chinese medicine. Hong Kong accounts for 50% of the global shark fin trade, according to the<a href="http://www.wwf.org.hk" target="_blank"> WWF</a>.
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Shark finning is banned in several countries, but the trade is flourishing in Hong Kong, where the fins are used in shark fin soup, a dish considered a prestigious delicacy, and in some types of traditional Chinese medicine. Hong Kong accounts for 50% of the global shark fin trade, according to the WWF.
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Many restaurants and hotels in Hong Kong have chosen <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/22/world/asia/hotel-shark-fin-ban/index.html" target="_blank">not to serve shark fin soup</a>, and last year a Chinese State Council said they are planning to ban shark fin soup from being<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/03/world/asia/china-shark-fin/index.html" target="_blank"> served at official banquets</a> in China.
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Many restaurants and hotels in Hong Kong have chosen not to serve shark fin soup, and last year a Chinese State Council said they are planning to ban shark fin soup from being served at official banquets in China.
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Several thousand shark fins laid out to dry were found on the rooftop of a building housing seafood suppliers in Kennedy Town in central Hong Kong. Photographer Gary Stokes from the <a href="http://www.seashepherd.org" target="_blank">Sea Shepherd Conservation Society</a> received a tip from an unnamed person earlier this year and took these pictures.
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Several thousand shark fins laid out to dry were found on the rooftop of a building housing seafood suppliers in Kennedy Town in central Hong Kong. Photographer Gary Stokes from the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society received a tip from an unnamed person earlier this year and took these pictures.
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Shark finning is heavily criticized because of the world's dwindling shark populations, and because some fishermen cut off the fins and then throw the rest of the shark back into the water, dead or alive.
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Shark finning is heavily criticized because of the world's dwindling shark populations, and because some fishermen cut off the fins and then throw the rest of the shark back into the water, dead or alive.
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Shark fins used to be laid out to dry openly on ground level in Hong Kong, but finding another place to dry them -- out of sight of the public --might be a way for shark fin traders to avoid criticism.
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Shark fins used to be laid out to dry openly on ground level in Hong Kong, but finding another place to dry them -- out of sight of the public --might be a way for shark fin traders to avoid criticism.
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Workers lay out and turn the fins. Stokes told CNN that the workers were "shocked" when the photographers walked out onto the roof on January 1.
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Workers lay out and turn the fins. Stokes told CNN that the workers were "shocked" when the photographers walked out onto the roof on January 1.
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"The big issue is that shark fins aren't illegal," Stokes said. According to the WWF, <a href="http://www.wwf.org.hk/en/whatwedo/footprint/seafood/sharkfin_initiative/shark_faq/" target="_blank">181 shark and related species</a> were listed as threatened with extinction in 2010.
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"The big issue is that shark fins aren't illegal," Stokes said. According to the WWF, 181 shark and related species were listed as threatened with extinction in 2010.
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The <a href="http://www.seashepherd.org/" target="_blank">Sea Shepherd Conservation Society</a> are hoping that <a href="http://www.cites.org/" target="_blank">CITES</a>, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, will step in and provide better protection for some shark species.
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The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society are hoping that CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, will step in and provide better protection for some shark species.
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Story highlights

  • China bans serving of shark fin and bird's nest soup at official banquets
  • Part of government crackdown on official extravagance
  • Ban also includes the serving of cigarettes and up-market liquors
China has banned dishes containing delicacies like shark fin and and bird's nest from official banquets as part of a government crackdown on official extravagance.
Chinese authorities published new regulations that "explicitly ruled out dishes containing shark fins, bird nests and wild animal products in official reception dinners," the official Xinhua news agency reported on Sunday.
Xinhua also said that cigarettes and up-market liquors are not allowed to be served at official dinners and officials below provincial level should not stay in hotel suites on business trips.
The new rules aim to "regulate the use of public funding on receptions," Xinhua added.
President Xi Jinping has made tackling official corruption a priority since taking power earlier this year.
In September, the government announced that officials would not be able to use public money to send mooncakes as gifts - a traditional part of China's Mid Autumn Festival celebrations.
READ: More airlines ban shark fin cargo
Some hotels in Hong Kong and China have also removed shark's fin soup from their menus and airlines like, Cathay Pacific, have banned the product from cargo holds.
Up to 73 million sharks are estimated to be killed each year, according to a 2006 academic study quoted on the website of campaign group Hong Kong Shark Foundation. Their carcasses are usually discarded and campaigners say the practice is wasteful and cruel.
READ: China plans banquet ban on shark fin
Shark's fin soup is widely served in restaurants in Chinese communities worldwide and is a dish often served at weddings to mark the importance of the occasion and impress the couple's extended families and friends.
Shark fins off the menu at top hotel