65here's looking at you, kid!ASIAN Geographic:Was the tradition of eating shark fin soup taken
forgranted at gatherings?
Carl Ng:It was not so much tradition as being part of the menu.
Tradition implies people are incapable of change. Having shark
fin soup on a menu is not so different to having a different soup in
its place.
When people prefer to have something else, it is also no longer
tradition. Similarly, by labelling shark fin soup a tradition at family
banquets, people are less likely to break that tradition or social
norm. It is a personal choice, at the end of the day.
ASIAN Geographic:When did you become aware of the domino
effect, with the eventual dwindling of the shark population and the
ocean imbalance?
Carl Ng:I started scuba diving when I was 14. I have always had a
particularaffinity for the ocean, so shark fin never made any sense
to me. As a believer in karma, shark fin is the last thing you’d want
to eat.
That said, there were a few documentaries on the effects of
finning in the early 1990s that were quite provocative. Back then, the
population could probably have been saved had governments made
the right decisions.far leftAffecting the
environment even in Mexico:
Gillnet fishers kill thresher
sharks (Alopias vulpinus)for
their fins, which can fetch
quite a good price
bottom leftThe real cost
of awedding banquet when
shark fin soup is served
ASIAN Geographic: What was the process like, emotionally and
mentally, coming from a shark fin eating community to a person now
advocating against shark fin consumption?
Carl Ng: Are you kidding me? This is not a process. There is no
emotional or mental process in not eating shark fin. It is something
that should appeal to the humanity in a person. I am as against
shark finning as I am against the Japanese slaughtering of dolphins
or amusement parks keeping dolphins and killer whales as a form
of entertainment. If anybody wants to question the barbarism of
finning, dolphin slaughter or dolphin captivity, they need to have
their heads checked.
ASIAN Geographic: Who is the oldest person you know who has
given up eating shark fin for the good of sharks and their importance
in environmental calibration?
Carl Ng: This is a tough question. I have not sat at a table where
shark fin has been served to all the guests, so I guess no one in my
group orders it. I know people on social media who occasionally post
photos of their shark fin meals, and I am the first person to publicly
humiliate them for being uncivilised morons that have no sense
of understanding.
I’ll go as far as publishing their photos and labelling them as
uncouth. They usually get the point, especially when other people
start commenting.
As a celebrity, I do not need to be part of an anti-shark finning
campaign to make my views heard. I’m loud enough, as is anybody
who is willing to inform someone that their decision may have a
negative impact, which is usually the most effective means.
I am surprised, however, at how detached governments in Asia,
especially Hong Kong, have been. We definitely do not come from a
culture of self-education. The pluralism of society in Asia means the
decision-making process to look after the environment is painfully
long, bureaucratic and expensive. Not eating shark fin should not
be such an all-encompassing decision-making process. It is simply
scientific rationale.
And let’s face it: It does not taste of anything, except the broth
it’s cooked in.FROM FATHER TO SON
A shark fin tale that ends well82% decline in sales reported by shark fin vendors in Guangzhou, China and a decrease in prices
(47% retail and 57% wholesale) over the past two years.
85% of Chinese consumers surveyed online said they gave up shark fin soup within the past three
years, and two-thirds of these respondents cited awareness campaigns as a reason for ending their
shark fin consumption. The second and third most popular reasons given were that they “want to
protect sharks” and that it is “cruel the way they kill sharks” – key messages of WildAid’s public
awareness campaign. The government banquet ban was cited as a reason by 28.2% of survey
respondents.
43% of consumers responded that much of the shark fin in the market is fake.
24 airlines, three shipping lines, and five hotel groups have banned shark fin from their operations.
80% decline in prices paid to fishermen from 2007 levels in Tanjung Luar and Lombok in Indonesia
and a decline of 19% since 2002-03 in Central Maluku, Southeastern Maluku and East Nusa
Tenggara.
Of 20 Beijing restaurant representatives interviewed, 19 reported a significant decline in shark fin
consumption. All agreed that WildAid PSAs featuring Yao Ming had “definitely raised awareness
among customers”.
SOURCE: WILDAID ORGEVIDENCE OF DECLINES IN SHARK FIN DEMAND