A swell of opposition against shark fin soupa traditional but increasingly controversial Chinese dishgained backing from the luxury Shangri-La hotel chain just days before Lunar New Year, underscoring efforts world-wide to stop the hunting and trading of the endangered fish.
Shangri-La Asia Ltd. said it would ban shark fin from all of its 72 hotels, most of which are in Asia. About 95% of all shark fin is consumed within China, according to marine conservation group WildAid.
The ban is the largest among a spate of similar moves across Asia. In Singapore this month, supermarket chains FairPrice and Carrefour said they would halt the sale of shark fin in outlets in the city-state, which has a majority-Chinese population. ColdStorage, another chain with several outlets in Singapore, banned it from its stores there last year.
Shark fin, which can cost up to $400 a pound in Hong Kong, is traditionally served as a soup and is seen as a luxurious status symbol in Chinese culture, revered for its supposed powers to enhance sexual potency and skin quality.
But environmental and animal-rights groups have long opposed the harvest of fins, which they say has severely depleted the shark population. According to WildAid, fins from more than 70 million sharks are used each year for soup.
Shangri-La’s decision comes two months after the Peninsula Hotels announced a chainwide ban. Meanwhile, Chinese restaurant chain South Beauty also removed it from its menus in November. In the U.S., Hawaii, California, Washington and Oregon have enacted legislation that banned the trade, sale and possession of the ingredient.
Many young diners are keen to skip shark fin soup at wedding banquets, a popular occasion for the dish, but feel obliged to include it because of their status-conscious parents and grandparents who see the delicacy as a must-have at such occasions.
“Definitely, we feel the pressure,” said Stephen Yiu, a 29-year-old banker in Hong Kong who is planning a wedding in September at the Four Seasons Hotel and would prefer not to have shark fin at the banquet. “It’s a Chinese tradition to have shark’s fin at a happy occasion. I’ll have to persuade my parents and grandparents that I want an alternative.”
Not all Chinese diners are keen on banning the dish, and the controversy can be a culturally sensitive issue.
“I think Westerners like to blame Asian countries for eating exotic things, but why is shark fin always the target? What about foie gras or other things like that? There is a double standard,” said Chew Lai Tong, a 46-year-old taxi driver in Singapore.
2012 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.