Shark fin ban proposed for govt banquets

A number of delegates at the two sessions, the national legislative meetings taking place in Beijing until March 14, have again raised the issue of shark fin consumption, proposing that the government should take measures to ban shark fin dishes from being eaten at official banquets.

Following the proposal, Beijing-based environment activists said yesterday they will start a campaign aimed at banning shark fin dishes from the menus of official banquets after the two sessions end.

National People's Congress deputy Wan Jie, director of the Shenzhen-based Artron Colour Printing Company, proposed the State Council should ban shark fin dishes at State-level official feasts, diplomatic banquets, and official banquets hosted by local governments.

"There are three reasons why we should ban this practice," Wan told the Global Times yesterday.

"First, there may be heavy metals in the fins, so they may not be as healthy as people believe," he said.

"Secondly, China should follow the international trends in banning shark fin dishes, and it will be a good way to reduce government spending," he said.

"Government officials who usually spend public funds for dining are one of the main consumers of shark fins," said Lin Ji, professor at the Central Party School of the Communist Party of China.

In Lin's opinion, the popularity of shark fin dishes at banquets hosted by government officials reflects a serious social problem of appropriation of public funds for wining and dining, which may lead to corruption.

In Beijing, shark's fin soup is sold at 98 yuan to 888 yuan per diner ($16-141).

"It's good to hear the proposal from the two sessions, however we believe government legislation might be slow in coming," said Liu Huili, member of the Beijing-based environmental NGO Green Beagle.

"We plan to send letters to express our opinions about halting the eating of shark fins to the ministries of environmental protection, forestry, health and industry and commerce after the two sessions," Liu said.

We should object to the consumption of shark fins, said Liu, firstly because "slicing off a shark's fin while it's still alive is very brutal, and secondly, the over-hunting of sharks will make the marine ecological crisis even worse."

China is one of the largest consumers of shark fins in the world. Currently, sharks are not a protected wild animal which is prohibited from sale, Liu said.

According to San Francisco-based conservation group WildAid, upwards of 79 million sharks are killed each year for their fins, although the group believes the statistics could be even higher.

A survey conducted by Green Beagle in December suggested that 123 four- and five-star hotels out of 124 in Beijing provide shark fin dishes.

An employee at the Chinese restaurant inside the four-star Yanshan Hotel, Haidian district, said they "offer several shark fin dishes, and we bought the fins legally from sea food markets."

Meanwhile, some restaurants at hotels including Yanshan Hotel and the five-star Celebrity International Grand Hotel in Chaoyang district, have put dried shark's fins on display in order to attract consumers, the survey says.

However, along with the rise in environmental protection awareness in China, an increasing number of restaurants have chosen to stop selling the dishes, despite the high profits they generate.

"For example, hotels including Swissôtel Beijing, and the South Beauty restaurant at the Landmark Hotel have promised to reject shark fins," said Liu.

In January, the Shangri-La hotel group banned shark fin dishes from all of its 72 properties worldwide, following on from a decision by Peninsula Hotels two months prior to also ban the ingredient, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.

An employee from the communications department at the Shangri-La Hotel in Beijing's Haidian district, said the Chinese restaurant had prepared other options to replace shark fin dishes.

"The ban has not affected business. The hotel is willing to do good things for the environment," she said.

"Over the past years, many entertainment and sports celebrities and entrepreneurs have joined the campaign against the consumption of shark fins," said Liu, who hopes that now government officials will join them in rejecting shark fin dishes.