Gordon Ramsay tries Sharks fin soup. Verdict: tasteless
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Re: Gordon Ramsay tries Sharks fin soup. Verdict: tasteless
Speaking at a seminar organized by the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore, Dr. Giam Choo Hoo, a member of a United Nations body on endangered species, said that media hype is responsible for “misconceptions” about the shark-fishing industry. Arguing against widely-circulated images showing bloodied sharks struggling as their fins are hacked off – popularized by the likes of celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay – Dr. Giam said a vast majority of sharks are not killed to feed the tastes of increasingly-affluent Chinese consumers who consider the dish a status symbol.
He cited research showing 80% of the 73 million sharks killed each year are in fact caught accidentally, and overwhelmingly in developing countries. According to Dr. Giam’s research, 25% of the shark catch comes from India and Indonesia – countries, he says, that are home to “mostly poor” fishermen who will eat every part of the shark, and then sell off the fin to eager buyers.
"Most fins are humanely taken from landed, dead sharks,” said Dr. Giam, who is a committee member on the U.N. Conventional on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), and once Singapore’s chief veterinary officer.
The consumption of shark fin, usually in a soup, is most common in East Asia, with 95% of all shark fin consumed within China, according to marine conservation group WildAid. Recent campaigns have netted support from high-profile figures like Richard Branson and Yao Ming, as well as hotels like Shangri-La and some of Singapore’s biggest supermarket chains, which have all discouraged consumption of the dish, in some cases removing it from their shelves and menus.
Many critics of the dish have argued that the fins do not really taste of anything in particular, and are consumed primarily as a status symbol, with many consumers believing it improves sexual potency and skin quality.
Still, some consumers have argued that stopping the sale of the dish is at root a form of Sinophobia, with activists unfairly targeting Chinese consumers rather than European or North American consumers who consume large quantities of bluefin tuna, caviar and other potentially “unsustainable” foods. Under-regulated fishing practices have depleted tuna stocks in many parts of the world, for example.
Dr. Giam raised this point, too, arguing that many countries such as Germany, France, Australia and Iceland have long killed sharks for their meat. Sharks, he says, are not endangered – of the 400 species of the animal, only six have been considered endangered by the U.N.’s CITES.
“Shark’s fin soup is culturally discriminatory,” said Dr. Giam, noting that there have not been similar high-profile movements against caviar, which is highly endangered according to CITES, or Atlantic blue fin tuna, which is also considered to be endangered.
Other speakers on the panel – notably Steve Oakley, chairman of Shark Savers Malaysia, and Hank Jenkins, the president of conservation group Species Management Specialists – broadly agreed with Dr. Giam’s premise. While each adopted slightly different arguments, they were of the increasingly-rare opinion that banning shark fin itself will not lead to a vast drop in the number of sharks fished and killed.
While admitting the need for stepped-up regulation of the industry, the three agreed that “live finning” – the process of cutting off the sharks’ fins, then throwing the animals back into the sea, which has become a rallying point for many animal rights groups – is not a prevalent practice, and is widely-condemned by the industry.
Still, one voice on the ISEAS panel disagreed. Louis Ng, executive director of the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES), which has also led a campaign to free 25 bottle-nosed dolphins held by Resorts World Sentosa, maintained that it is unnecessary, cruel and harmful to continue killing sharks for their fins or otherwise.
Arguing against the view that fishing for sharks actually helps poorer communities, Mr. Ng quoted representatives from places like the Maldives and the Bahamas, who say that shark diving operations for tourists bring millions of dollars to their local economy every year.
Though he avoided blaming Asian consumers or their Western counterparts, Mr. Ng maintained the need for “humane” and “responsible” choices, encouraging at least a temporary ban on the fins until the trade is more sustainable and properly regulated before consumption is allowed again.
Experts Swim Against Shark Fin Debate - Southeast Asia Real Time - WSJ
- February 21, 2012, 12:10 PM SGT
Just as the tides seem to be turning against the consumption of shark fin soup – even in Asia, where the delicacy has long been a staple on banquet menus – some marine life experts are arguing that banning the sale of shark fins is pointless.
Speaking at a seminar organized by the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore, Dr. Giam Choo Hoo, a member of a United Nations body on endangered species, said that media hype is responsible for “misconceptions” about the shark-fishing industry. Arguing against widely-circulated images showing bloodied sharks struggling as their fins are hacked off – popularized by the likes of celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay – Dr. Giam said a vast majority of sharks are not killed to feed the tastes of increasingly-affluent Chinese consumers who consider the dish a status symbol.
He cited research showing 80% of the 73 million sharks killed each year are in fact caught accidentally, and overwhelmingly in developing countries. According to Dr. Giam’s research, 25% of the shark catch comes from India and Indonesia – countries, he says, that are home to “mostly poor” fishermen who will eat every part of the shark, and then sell off the fin to eager buyers.
"Most fins are humanely taken from landed, dead sharks,” said Dr. Giam, who is a committee member on the U.N. Conventional on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), and once Singapore’s chief veterinary officer.
The consumption of shark fin, usually in a soup, is most common in East Asia, with 95% of all shark fin consumed within China, according to marine conservation group WildAid. Recent campaigns have netted support from high-profile figures like Richard Branson and Yao Ming, as well as hotels like Shangri-La and some of Singapore’s biggest supermarket chains, which have all discouraged consumption of the dish, in some cases removing it from their shelves and menus.
Many critics of the dish have argued that the fins do not really taste of anything in particular, and are consumed primarily as a status symbol, with many consumers believing it improves sexual potency and skin quality.
Still, some consumers have argued that stopping the sale of the dish is at root a form of Sinophobia, with activists unfairly targeting Chinese consumers rather than European or North American consumers who consume large quantities of bluefin tuna, caviar and other potentially “unsustainable” foods. Under-regulated fishing practices have depleted tuna stocks in many parts of the world, for example.
Dr. Giam raised this point, too, arguing that many countries such as Germany, France, Australia and Iceland have long killed sharks for their meat. Sharks, he says, are not endangered – of the 400 species of the animal, only six have been considered endangered by the U.N.’s CITES.
“Shark’s fin soup is culturally discriminatory,” said Dr. Giam, noting that there have not been similar high-profile movements against caviar, which is highly endangered according to CITES, or Atlantic blue fin tuna, which is also considered to be endangered.
Other speakers on the panel – notably Steve Oakley, chairman of Shark Savers Malaysia, and Hank Jenkins, the president of conservation group Species Management Specialists – broadly agreed with Dr. Giam’s premise. While each adopted slightly different arguments, they were of the increasingly-rare opinion that banning shark fin itself will not lead to a vast drop in the number of sharks fished and killed.
While admitting the need for stepped-up regulation of the industry, the three agreed that “live finning” – the process of cutting off the sharks’ fins, then throwing the animals back into the sea, which has become a rallying point for many animal rights groups – is not a prevalent practice, and is widely-condemned by the industry.
Still, one voice on the ISEAS panel disagreed. Louis Ng, executive director of the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES), which has also led a campaign to free 25 bottle-nosed dolphins held by Resorts World Sentosa, maintained that it is unnecessary, cruel and harmful to continue killing sharks for their fins or otherwise.
Arguing against the view that fishing for sharks actually helps poorer communities, Mr. Ng quoted representatives from places like the Maldives and the Bahamas, who say that shark diving operations for tourists bring millions of dollars to their local economy every year.
Though he avoided blaming Asian consumers or their Western counterparts, Mr. Ng maintained the need for “humane” and “responsible” choices, encouraging at least a temporary ban on the fins until the trade is more sustainable and properly regulated before consumption is allowed again.
Experts Swim Against Shark Fin Debate - Southeast Asia Real Time - WSJ
Chocs
Well-Known Member
Re: Gordon Ramsay tries Sharks fin soup. Verdict: tasteless
...i'm guilty .....but i like fois gras....trying not 2 eat liow....:errrrrrr:
..but shark's fin ...like realli tasteless ley...no meh...:thinking:...juz being factual...dun give 2 hoots abt le Gordon Ramsey Sh.t
...i'm guilty .....but i like fois gras....trying not 2 eat liow....:errrrrrr:
..but shark's fin ...like realli tasteless ley...no meh...:thinking:...juz being factual...dun give 2 hoots abt le Gordon Ramsey Sh.t
