61% want to try Shark Fin while 50% don’t know how it’s obtained.
WildAid reported a research conducted by Rapid Asia on the relation of Shark Fin soup and the Thai people in 2017. WildAid is an environmental organization that battles against the illegal trade of wildlife products. Rapid Asia conducts evaluation projects across Asia and the world on topics that affect mankind such as the illegal wildlife trade and human trafficking.
It is reported through the research from a group of Thai people that over 61% want to try Shark Fin soup in the future if they have the opportunity to. The main reason is that they want to know what the soup taste like and to try a menu that is so expensive in the market, viewed as a soup that the rich dine on.
Where the sad part in this research reviews that over 50% do not realize that the sharks are killed to obtain the fins. The truth of the extreme dark side that comes with the dish that is in existence to represent the wealth status of the consumer comes with the pain of sharks that are left to die in the ocean after their fins have been sliced off of their body.
85% of the Thai people do not know that over 100 million sharks are killed in such an agonizing method per year. Where over 57% have had Shark Fin soup previously and a part of this 57% are still consuming Shark Fin soup when they can. A number of 29% have consumed Shark Fin soup within the last 12 months.
The fin of the shark has no taste to it at all. The taste comes from ingredients that are used to make the soup. The shark fin simply absorbs the soup to make it easier to consume. The taste has nothing to do with the fin, where the fin simply gives the soup a jelly sponge-like texture. Most Asians view the soup as a classic dish that should be present in important celebrations and occasions such as Wedding ceremonies and important dinners.
WildAid is trying to spread awareness to all citizens of the world including Thailand. Where people need to realize that Shark Fin soup is not a soup that should not be used on happy occasions, simply because the horror that is behind the scenes of obtaining the fins.
Sharks have become nearly extinct and will soon to be if the illegal trade of Shark Fins does not stop. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has declared 5 species of Sharks to be in the Critically Endangered Red List and another 17 species to be in the Endangered Red list. If sharks do become endangered, there will be a significant effect towards the ocean environment as sharks play a major role in the balance of the sea.
FB Caption: 85% of Thais don’t know that over 100 million sharks are killed in such an agonizing method per year
Source: Sanook, ICUN
Top Photo : Shark Fin (Credit : greennews.agency )
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