No Soup For You!

Would you pay $100 for a bowl of soup? Many folks do. Particularly if it's made from shark fins. Shark-fin soup, which is an expensive delicacy in East Asia, has become more popular over the past few decades. With the general increase in East Asian affluence, the soup is more affordable to more people. While I don't have a problem with harvesting marine animals for consumption, I do take issue with the irresponsible waste of resources.

Shark-fin soup is the product of the barbaric practice of finning, where sharks are caught, their fins cut off (while they're alive), and their bodies thrown back into the ocean. Sharks either bleed to death or they drown, as they can not swim without their fins. About 99% of the animal is wasted. Each year, a shocking 100 million sharks are finned.

Laws are currently in place that were intended to reduce, if not eliminate, finning. However, the existing laws are very difficult to enforce. Congresswoman Madeleine Bordallo from Guam (my old stomping grounds!) recently introduced a bill that would put an end to shark finning altogether. The House Subcommittee of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Oceans will meet again this Wednesday to further discuss the proposed Shark Conservation Act of 2008.