The Evil Fin Trade is Gnawing the Shark
Posted by Zhang Yadong, Executive Director of Green Longjiang
I am almost done with the research survey that I was assigned to do on the shark trade in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China. Except to update some photographs, I would not normally walk into a shop full of shark fins, open the menu of an Abalones and Fins Restaurant or even have a look at the body of a shark in a commodities market.
I still remember my initial doubt on conducting this shark trade research survey in Harbin when Wen Bo told me to do so: Isn’t it (shark fins) a traditional custom for southern China? Is it even a good idea to do such survey in Harbin, a place thousands of miles away from the ocean and without a traditional consumption custom? However, today, I know the answer.
There are 11 shark fin shops around the Daoli Vegetable Market in Harbin, along the Toulong Street side. Each shop is filled with shark fins. The small shark fin is about the shape of the common carp fin. The big one is almost half a meter. Just imagine how little or huge the bodies of the sharks are that were once connected to the fin that has been completely removed. And to make it worse, their bodies were thrown back into the ocean after having their fins cut off, regardless if the shark was still alive or not.
Sharks in shops, Harbin, China
When asked if the fin was a part of the shark, proprietor answered “yes” with contemptuous mirth and without any concern for the sharks. Didn’t they know how barbaric fin cutting is? I hope they know.
It’s very easy for proprietors to distinguish the quality of a shark fin and determine its price based on what they think is a good value. But proprietors fail to acknowledge or consider the ecological value of the shark. And this value is priceless.
Shark Fin Shops near Daoli Vegetable Market, Harbin, China
Let’s talk about the shark.
Factually, I cannot believe it’s true when I saw several sharks in the Youyi Road Commodities Market in Harbin. The market was separated into several sections and the seafood section was located on the first floor. I went through the first floor to find some shark fin shops. Suddenly, I saw two big fishes on a stall. I have never seen sharks there before, so I stopped to ask the proprietor questions. He confirmed that what I was looking at were indeed sharks. Each shark is about two meters long, with grayish fishskin, opened mouth and sharp teeth. And then, I saw two smaller sharks in another stall, half a meter long and with black backs.
Shark fins in Harbin shops
Luckily, they still had their fins. And even more luckily, no one was buying the sharks. The quantity of shark fin sales ishard to calculate. It’s also hard to get information about this from the Internet. However, when the buying stops, the killing can; and when consumption stops, the buying can too. No matter how much we eat, the terrible consumption tradition is the point. When I got down Hongxiang Road on the bus, I found I was overwhelmed by fancy restaurants and luxury cars, and even more awful consumption habits, not just the shark fin.
Bao Tao Long Seafood
In restaurants, there are good-looking photographs of the shark fin custard and waiters who talk about how delicious and nutritional the shark fin is, such as at the Beishicheng Abalones and Fins Restaurant, the Bao Tai Long Seafood, the Min Dao Seafood and so on. But for them, there is no room to point out the ecological value of sharks or their future. At last, our greatest fear of sharks is their imminent extinction, so please stop the trading!
For more information on the Shark Trade visit www.sharkalliance.org and www.traffic.org.
For more information on Green Longjiang’s work in China visit here.
Tags: China, community partners, Fisheries, Marine, marine sanctuaries, shark fin, shark finning, sustainble fisheries
