Great Victory for Shark Conservation

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It's not often we get to hear of a massive societal change for the better, especially not when the environment or conservation is involved.  Occasionally, however, we get a win.

The short version of the article is that demand for shark-fin soup in China is down due to a large public-awareness campaign (most didn't know what is in the soup and/or how it is harvested) and, more surprisingly, government action forbidding extravagant food, such as shark-fin soup, from being served at its banquets. Demand for the soup is down 50-70%.

For those of you that don't know, the main ingredient in shark-fin soup is, you guessed it, shark fins.  The problem with that is, because only the fins of the sharks garner high prices from Asian markets, fishermen catch sharks, hack off their fins, and return the maimed, but still living, animals back to the sea. This is a wickedly cruel thing to do, not to mention a waste of perfectly good shark meat.

The steps taken by shark supporters to educate the Chinese public and the new policies put in place by the Chinese government are just fantastic. It seems like there may be hope yet for our oceans. Good on ya, China.

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