I did not see the entire program but I did see a fisherman cutting the fins from a struggling live shark. I would call the person a liar if he or she told me the shark was not in excruciating pain when someone cut its flippers off with a sharp instrument. According to the reporter, after the fisherman got the fins, he threw the injured catch back to the sea to die.
Animal science is Greek to me. But many will agree with me there is a reason why there are so many other beings around us. In the animal kingdom including ourselves each species plays a crucial rule in the ecosystem. But so far it seems to many of us that we, the humans, have done more than our shares to harm and to endanger other animals living in our midst.
On the big white sharks, they are scavengers of the sea. They preyed on the diseased and the weak to keep the population of the marine life in check. On rare occasions they inflicted serious injury to humans. When they did, it is because we chose to encroach the beaches where sharks normally gathered.
In China, shark fin soup has been a delicatessen for years. I remember long ago, our late aunt prepared for us a clear chowder that was made of shark meat, bak choy and vinegar. She had also made soup with shark fins. While I welcomed the well-prepared foods, I could never tell if foods with shark parts improved my health more than other less mundane fares.
Today we have so many choices as far as our daily breads are concerned. We are also more conscious of the way how our foods are gathered. Therefore, it is high time that we say NO to shark fin soup for good. - Ayee
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