Hong Kong airline stops shark fin transport

This video is called China: Shark fin soup off the menu.

From the New York Times in the USA:

Cathay Pacific says no to shark’s fin

04:46 AM Sep 06, 2012

HONG KONG – Cathay Pacific, responding to pressure from an array of environmental groups in Asia, has announced that it will no longer carry shark’s fin on its cargo flights.

The Hong Kong-based carrier, one of the world’s largest cargo airlines, said in a statement that it would “stop shipping unsustainably sourced sharks and shark-related products“.

Dozens of marine-protection campaign organisations had sent a joint petition to Cathay Pacific seeking the cargo ban. They cited Hong Kong government figures showing 10,500 tonnes of shark’s fin were imported into the territory last year, with Cathay alone handling as much as 650 tonnes. The airline has said that the real figure was much lower.

A Cathay spokeswoman said yesterday that the cargo ban “will not have a material impact on our business”. “We did this,” she said, “because we now have compelling evidence that the majority of shark fishing is incompatible with our position on sustainable development.”

A statement from the airline cited “the vulnerable nature of sharks, their rapidly-declining population and the impacts of overfishing for their parts and products”.

Hong Kong is the Asian hub for the trade in shark’s fin, serving as the principal transit point for fish and seafood products headed to markets in mainland China.

Shark’s fin soup is still seen as a status symbol in China, Hong Kong and ethnic Chinese communities. It remains a staple at corporate events and weddings.

The new cargo ban extends to flights on Dragonair, a Cathay subsidiary. Neither Cathay Pacific nor Dragonair will serve shark’s fin soup in-flight or at their corporate events, according to the company’s website.

Weapons made from shark teeth are completely badass, and hint at lost shark diversity: here.

Several celebrities in China, including pop singer Yu Kewei, artist Ai Weiwei, actress Sun Li, and former NBA star Yao Ming, following in the footsteps of actor Jackie Chan, have joined forces with Chinese animal welfare activists to raise awareness of animal abuse in China: here.