Shark Fin Soup - Research Paper Example

? Shark Fin Soup of the History and Political Science of the Concerned December 14, The primary objective of this paper is to explain as to how the harvesting of shark fins to be used as an ingredient in the Shark Fin Soup involves much cruelty and barbarity. The essay pertains to two aspects of the shark fin harvesting that is the unethical practice of exposing sharks to a silent and painful death and how it has lead to a fall in the numbers of varied shark species around the world. The essay also happens to throw light on the cultural and economic aspects of shark fin harvesting. The paper also considers the laws made by various nations to stop shark fin harvesting and how the concerned individuals, groups and institutions can create awareness amongst the masses regarding the cruelty and wastage associated with shark fin harvesting. Keywords Sharks fins, finning, ecology, cruelty, extinction, harvesting Shark Fin Soup There is no denying the fact that Shark Fin Soup happens to be an important constituent of the Chinese cuisine. It is also true that Shark Finn is treated as a luxury item as far as the Chinese cuisine is concerned and is usually served on formal occasions and gatherings like banquets and weddings. Shark Fin is primarily used to add texture to the Chinese soups in combination with a number of other ingredients and spices. As far as the Chinese cuisine is concerned, Shark Finn soup tends to be an ingredient of historical relevance and its history could be traced back to the Ming dynasty (Earth Island Journal 2013, 8). The irony is that though shark fin soup involves much cruelty on the part of professional fisherman, with the increase in the income of Chinese population, the demand for the Shark Finn soup has been constantly on the rise. This is indeed worrisome and serious when one takes into consideration the survival and sustainability of the shark species. This is because the shark fins required to make Shark Fin Soup are collected from a range of shark species. Not only Shark Finn Soup is responsible for a decline in the shark populations around the world, the collections of shark fins by the fisherman involves much cruelty as they simply chop off the shark fins from a shark and throw back the rest of the shark in the ocean to die a painful and cruel death. On e big reason why the Chinese like the Shark Fin Soup is because they consider the Shark Fin Soup to be an important part of the Chinese culture. Simply speaking Shark Finn Soup happened to be a culinary delicacy that was earlier afforded by the rich and wealthy only (Dukes 2011, 42). In a way the Shark Fin Soup happened to be a symbol of wealth and status. Thereby, to claim that Shark Fin Soup happens to be a food of cultural importance is faulty because most of the Chinese actually speaking did not afford to eat Shark Fin soup. They were simply not in a financial position to buy Shark Fin Soup. Shark Fin Soup happened to be a delicacy that was primarily confined to the rich Chinese families. Thereby, actually speaking the popularity of the Shark Finn Soup is a trend that is of recent origins. This is because with the rise of the economic reforms in China and with the opening up of the Chinese economy, the number of Chinese people who are rich has dramatically increased over the years (Dukes 2011, 42). As Shark Fin Soup carries a snob appeal, many of the newly rich Chinese do prefer to buy and serve Shark Finn Soup because they believe that it adds to their social stature. Yet the bad thing is that those people who like to eat Shark Finn Soup are simply not concerned about the cruelty to which the sharks are subjected to, to get their fins. They show no concern for the decreasing shark populations owing to the well established shark fin trade. Every years, millions of sharks are killed around the world so as to harvest the shark fins that constitute an important constituent of the Shark Fin Soup and some other Chinese and East Asian delicacies (Reading 2000, 51). The method resorted to be the fisherman for harvesting shark fins is not only very cruel, but is also involves much wastage. What the fishermen do is that they catch the animal and merely cut off its fins and throw away the rest of the Shark back in water to be subjected to a slow and cruel death. (Reading 2000) This is because the remaining carcasses of the shark do not happen to be as costly as the fins, and thereby the sailors throw them away to make space for more shark fins (Reading 2000). Finning in that context not only happens to be a cruel and bad activity, but it is also responsible for the sharply decreasing number of sharks throughout the world. Hence, Shark Finning is a practice that not only involves the infliction of much cruelty on the sharks, but it also has an immensely bad impact on the very survival of the shark species and the many other species dependent on sharks (Reading 2000). People who love Shark Fin Soup simply do not understand the fact that sharks happen to be an important part of the marine ecosystems and as natural predators they play an important role in stabilizing the ocean environment. Thereby, the very act of exposing the sharks to inhumane and cruel treatment to simply harvest their fins is a thing that needs to be considered by the people who prefer to consume Shark Fin Soup. When it comes to considering and understanding the negative effects of commercially harvesting shark fins to be used as an ingredient in the Shark Fin Soup, the thing that needs to be kept in mind is that this trade has an ethical and an environmental aspect tagged to it. The moral aspect is that owing to the commercial harvesting of shark fins, millions of sharks every year are made to die a cruel and slow death. The very act of severing the fins and leaving the rest of the shark to die is a practice that cannot be favored by any individual or a group that believes in animal rights. Therefore, the one reason that the consumption of shark fins is really evil and bad is because it involves much cruelty that is inflicted on the harmless and beautiful creatures like sharks. The harvesting is carried on a manner that is really painful and cruel and that shows no concern for the violence and pain that the sharks are subjected to. The other thing is that the harvesting of shark fins to be used for preparing Shark Fin Soup has lead to an immense decrease in the numbers of sharks in the oceans (Reading 2000). Going by the fact that the sharks grow and mature at a very slow pace, a preference for Shark Fin Soup by the people may eventually lead to the extinction of many shark species. This may seriously jeopardize the ecological balance in the oceans. Hence, it is quite clear that people should stop themselves from consuming Shark Fin Soup because this amounts to the infliction of cruelty on the sharks and could lead to the practical extinction of many shark species. It is a fact that harvesting of shark fins to be used for preparing Shark Fin Soup is a very brutal practice that needs to be checked by the animal lovers and the governments the world over. One factor that encourages the hunting of sharks for the collecting the shark fins is the high price that the shark fins command in the international markets (Anderson 2003, 145). A pound of shark fins could fetch anything near $300 or more in the world markets (Anderson 2003, 145). This high price of shark fins encourages the fishing communities in many parts of the world to actively engage in shark fin harvesting without showing any concern for the ethical and environmental factors that are associated with the practice of harvesting shark fins (Anderson 2003). The high price of shark fins as a food delicacy also makes the consumers associate a snob appeal with the Shark Fin Soup and they consider the consumption of Shark Finn Soup as a mark of wealth and high status. The other thing is that the high nutrition value ascribed to the shark fins is a myth as simply speaking shark fins have no nutritional or medicinal value and they are practically tasteless. Therefore the demand for Shark Fin Soup is basically based on the long standing cultural beliefs and practices that make the people eat shark fins. Though the demand for shark fins is quiet stable and is showing no signs of decreasing, in the recent times many individuals, groups, governments and animal rights agencies have been showing much concern to stop the cruel practice of shark fin harvesting. The shark fishing is banned in many parts of the world like American Samoa, Bahamas, Egypt, Fiji, Honduras, Israel, Maldives, and Palau (Shark Savers 2013). There are many nations where the selling or trading of shark fins is banned like in Bahamas, Fiji, Maldives, Egypt, Hawaii, and many parts of the United States of America like Oregon, Washington, California and Illinois (Shark Savers 2013). There are also countries where there are strict regulations against shark fishing that prohibit the cruel practice of shark fin harvesting like Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, England and other European Union nations, South Africa, and United States (Shark Savers 2013). Many famous personalities and individuals around the world have raised their voice against the cruel practice of shark fin harvesting. Many people and groups are urging their governments to come out with policies aimed at stopping the evil practice of shark fin harvesting. Still, it is a sad fact that shark fin harvesting is still carried on in many parts of the world, in both legal and illegal manner. Thereby, the shark populations around the world are still at the risk of getting extinct irrespective of the immense popular opinion against shark fin harvesting. If the world community did not do anything about checking the shark fin Harvesting to be used in Shark Fin Soup, there may come a time when many species of the shark may get extinct and this beautiful animal gets wiped out from the face of the earth. Thereby the conversation of sharks requires the collective efforts of the people who care about sharks. Hence, to stop shark fin harvesting, the people living in the parts of the world where Shark Fin Soup is considered to be a delicacy need to make concrete efforts. If shark fin harvesting is taken to be a problem that is open to the forces of demand and supply, the refusal of the people to eat Shark Fin Soup will go a long way in stopping this brutal and barbaric killing of sharks (Chivian, Bernstein and Annan 2008, 267). If people stop eating Shark Fin Soup the demand for shark fins will automatically come down and the fisherman will stop killing sharks in large numbers (Chivian, Bernstein and Annan 2008). People who care about sharks can really help if they talk to their friends and acquaintances about the cruel aspects of shark fin harvesting. This will raise the public awareness regarding the cruelty involved in shark find harvesting and will encourage them not to consume or eat Shark Fin Soup. People could also stop visiting the restaurants that serve Shark Fin Soup. This will make these restaurants and eateries stop selling the Shark Fin Soup. Besides, there are many organizations around the world that are working hard to protect sharks. Concerned individuals and groups can do much to protect sharks by supporting these organizations through extending moral and financial support. The areas of the world where sharks are found in plenty can use sharks as a tourist attraction and could make much money. If the local communities realize that there is more money in conserving sharks rather than killing them, they will do their best to protect and save sharks. People could also make an appeal to the local restaurants to stop serving Shark Fin Soup. The need of the hour is to raise the public awareness regarding the cruelty involved in shark fin harvesting and to bring down the demand for the notorious Shark Fin Soup. The one big factor that goes against the consumption of Shark Fin Soup is the immense cruelty and pain involved in the practice of shark fin harvesting. The conventional harvesting of shark fins causes much pain to the sharks and is also brining down the numbers of sharks found in varied parts of the world. If something is not done to check this thing, the day may come when the sharks will get extinct. Enacting strict laws against shark fin harvesting can do much to protect sharks. At the same time efforts should be made to increase public awareness against the cruel practice of shark fin harvesting to bring down the demand for the Shark Fin Soup. References Anderson, J.L. 2003. The International Seafood Trade. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. Chivian, E., Bernstein, A., & Annan, K. 2008. Sustaining Life. New York: Oxford University Press. Dukes, J. 2011. Lions of the Deep. The Virginia Quarterly Review, 87(1), 42-43. Laws Protecting Sharks. 2013. Retrieved December 14, 2013, from Shark Savers website, https://www.sharksavers.org/en/our-programs/shark-sanctuaries/learn-more/laws-protecting-sharks/ Reading, R.P. 2000. Endangered Animals. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. Sharks off The Menu2013. Earth Island Journal, 28(3), 8. Read More