Ecology: Shark fin free Chinese New Year

Photo / Supplied

Estella Lee, a conservation campaigner hailing from Hong Kong, is fighting to raise awareness around shark finning within Chinese Communities.

Lee is spearheading the 'Save sharks with love' campaign which rewards Chinese that remove shark fin soup from the menu at celebratory banquets for things like Chinese New Year, weddings, important birthdays and meetings.

Lee, in conjunction with DoC, established the Chinese Conservation Education Trust (CCET) nearly 11 years ago in order to help DoC engage with the Chinese community around various conservation issues.

Recently, Lee translated an article about shark finning for the CCET from Auckland advocacy group Shark Fin Free Auckland, and felt compelled to bring the issue to the attention of the wider Chinese community. "I did notice the problem is so serious, after I read the article I thought that we Chinese people should do something."

The issue, she says is that currently the government allows sharks to be finned if they are landed. Lee says that people need to sign the petition by the NZ Shark Alliance which will call for the government to review this regulation, already banned in more than 98 countries. "We think that when the fisheries industry cuts off the shark fin and dumps the whole body into the sea that it is very cruel and a waste of resources, and we have lost 80 - 90% of our sharks."

Lee says that shark fin soup is a cultural tradition in the Southern part of China including Hong Kong and the Canton province. With a growing Chinese middle class, the tradition is heading northwards, where the soup is used to show guests they are well respected. The soup is also drunk for health benefits, says Lee. "First of all, they were told that sharks do not have cancer so they think if I eat shark fin soup I will not get cancer and then it is very expensive. So they want to give their guests a treat. But actually the main reason is to show face with the guests."

She says that her feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and has gained momentum since January. The CCET has been busy educating the public, translating articles and promoting their 'Thank you for not having shark fin soup' project which encourages the removal of the dish from banquet menus, in return for a certificate of appreciate (often presented by a CCET member dressed in a shark suit) and a table display thanking the guests for not supporting the shark fin trade.

There have been some setbacks within the Chinese community from people who do not want to be perceived as 'cheap' by removing the luxury item from weddings and banquets. "One lady I said to her, "So, your daughter is going to get married soon. Can you take off the shark fin soup from the banquet.' Her answer was 'No! Then I will lose face!"

A resident for 24 years, Estella said her role as a travel journalist for Chinese media in New Zealand helped her learn about species conservation. "In a Chinese mind, it's always environmental protection like recycle the garbage, keep the water clean and planting trees - they don't think of saving the endangered species. They don't know."

The CCET is also promoting a slogan competition for their 'Save the sharks with love' campaign which is open to Chinese and English speakers from all

parts of the community. "The main aim is to get people to think how we can convince the others to protect the sharks, not to eat the shark fin soup," Lee says. Each category has a cash prize. To find out more visit www.ccet.org.nz, sign the petition to end shark finning here.

http://www.youtube.com/watchfeature=player_embedded&v=WLT-7Kg20UA&list=PLBD006774C11457B4