MR KIRK Leech responded to British chef Gordon Ramsay's comment
that shark's fin soup 'tastes of nothing', with the statement:
'Food is a matter of personal taste, and Ramsay can have his
opinion.' ('One man's delicacy, another's poison pill'; last
Thursday).
Very true, except that it is used in the wrong context when we
refer to a delicacy that is actually tasteless.
A friend of mine secretly served mock fins at her wedding last
year, but no one tasted any difference, till she informed the
guests. This is enough to prove that no one actually knows how
shark's fin tastes, and it is essentially the flavours of all the
other ingredients that make the soup.
It is also misleading to generalise that sharks are not
endangered just because few are protected under the Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species of Wildlife Fauna and
Flora (Cites).
Species protection proposals are presented at biennial Cites
meetings, and Cites members, made up of related government
agencies, would vote in agreement or disagreement to trade
restrictions. Considerations such as how the decision will affect
the country are often in place before votes are cast.
While Cites is the determining body of whether species are to be
protected from trade, the International Union for Conservation of
Nature (IUCN) is the oldest and only organisation that provides
classification of risk statuses of plants and animals. Not
Cites.
According to a 2010 IUCN study, 17 per cent of the world's 1,044
shark species are threatened with extinction, and 47 per cent of
shark species are data deficient. Assuming half of these 47 per
cent are threatened, this would mean that more than one-third are
threatened.
The existence of unethical farming approaches (such as foie
gras) does not justify our unsustainable hunt for sharks. We cannot
say that it is okay to pick pockets because shoplifting is worse,
can we? Let's not forget that both shark's fin and foie gras are
non-staples in our diet.
It would be respectable to look at food from a view further than
the dining table.
The importance of cultural practices should not supersede the
importance of maintaining sustainability. Because Singapore is
among the top trading nations for shark's fins, Singaporeans have
great potential in making a positive difference.
Jennifer Lee (Ms)
Founder,
Project: FIN
