Shark delicacy putting animals at risk: 12-05-2008
Asia's shark population could be at risk after more and more fins were being used as a delicacy.
Consumption of the fins soared in Singapore last year according to the latest reports which indicated that 470 tonnes were eaten during 2007 - an increase on the 182 tonnes in 2006.
The fins are a popular delicacy at Chinese wedding banquets and it is an important dish to eat at the ceremony.
Ruth So, from the Mandarin Oriental Hotel told the DPA that the dish remained very popular with anyone staging a wedding.
"Most of the couples' parents consider this a premium dish and without it, would lose face," she explained.
But a wedding of 100 guests would require 100 sharks to be killed.
Michael Aw, a marine conservationist, said the younger generation must be educated on the matter.
"We must continue to educate the younger generation and make them see that sharks are guardians of the sea that ensure a balance in the food chain," he explained.