Sponsored By:
The Barbara Delano Foundation
The Homeland Foundation
The David & Lucile Packard Foundation
The AVINA Foundation

Presented By:
WildAid
Hawaii Audubon Society
Pacific Fisheries Coalition

Ng Wai Yee
EarthCare
G.P.O. Box 11546
Hong Kong
Tel: (852) 25780434
Fax: (852) 25780522
Email: [email protected]

Objective and Background

EarthCare is a local Hong Kong non-profit mainly constituted of Chinese volunteers. As Chinese ourselves, we are familiar with both the long history of Chinese culture (including Chinese food culture) and the phenomena of consumption of shark fin soup.

At the turning of a new century, it is of paramount importance that conservation problems are effectively tackled, including the urgent conservation problem of shark conservation. It is important that the problems are identified and causes are located, especially from the market consumption perspective to examine the shark product trade and business.

Perceived as health food (especially the healing of cancer), gourmet specialty and great delicacy, gifts and important dishes of feasts associated with traditional royal elegance, shark fins are in huge demand in Chinese societies, especially where people can afford its high price. EarthCare is located at the window of China and the hinge between the east and the west where the economic resources rendered shark fin consumption a serious threat to the shark populations.

Hong Kong, as the major entrepot and import-exporter for China, which has a population of 1.2 billion, is also the place where conservation education should be concentrated. As the major consumers of shark fin and shark products, Hong Kong people are the foremost group to be targeted when shark conservation is the topic of concern. Due to different cultural backgrounds, solutions and educational campaigns must be tailored to the particular culture and life of the local people so that the messages could be delivered effectively. A scientific research on the cultural attitudes towards the issue would be very useful and a valid starting point for providing and paving the way for more effective solutions.

The tremendous scope and the seriousness of the problem have been widely discussed and mentioned in many conservationist reports elsewhere and thus will not be discussed in detail here. The scope of this paper is limited to the presentation of research conducted in Hong Kong attempting to understand in a more systematic way the source or roots of the problem - market consumption behaviour / market demand and supply.

A telephone survey of 1,000 people was carried out by the Telephone Survey Research Laboratory of the Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

The survey aims to generate useful information for
1) understanding the phenomenon of shark finning.
2) identifying the crux of the problem.
3) identifying directions of conservation policies.

The Urgent Conservation Problem: Sharks Under Attack

Sharks have existed for 400 million years . However, they currently face incredible pressure from over-fishing as by-catch and in directed fisheries. The unintended catch of animals during fishing operations is devastating sharks and other marine wildlife. Many fishing gears and methods, particularly drift gillnets and drift longlines, do not discriminate between commercially valuable fish and those that are too small to eat or sell, of limited commercial value, or illegal to keep. These gear types unintentionally capture and kill many species of animals, including sharks, sea turtles, whales, dolphins, and seabirds. Sharks caught annually as bycatch are now killed only for their fins. Their bodies, sometimes still alive, are dumped overboard.

The tremendous scope and the seriousness of the problem have been widely discussed and mentioned in many conservationist reports elsewhere and would not be discussed in detail here as this paper is mainly about attempts to identify the source or roots of the problem - market consumption / market demand and supply.

The massive increase in shark killing, coupled with poor information regarding the status and health of Pacific shark populations, is a cause for concern. The shark's unique biological characteristics -- slow growth, late sexual maturity, and the production of few young sharks -- make them particularly vulnerable to increased fishing pressures created by the rising world-wide demand for shark body parts. This vulnerability to overfishing and the unknown population status of many shark species in the Pacific Ocean demand a level of international and proactive management far above the current patchwork of state or national shark regulations now in place.

The Survey

Context: Hong Kong - General Information

Hong Kong is situated at the southeastern tip of China with a total area of just under 1,100 square kilometers. With a population of nearly 7 million living within such a tiny area, Hong Kong has become a fascinating business hub in East Asia and a popular destination of outbound foreign direct investment. The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region fully recognizes the value of foreign direct investment to the prosperity and progress of Hong Kong. Hong Kong is committed to creating a liberal, non-discriminatory and business-friendly investment environment for all foreign investors. These elements all contribute to making Hong Kong a modern and prosperous city. This prosperity provides a fertile ground for consumption of the luxury good - shark fin.

Average annual growth
1988 to 1997 = + 4.7%
1990 to 1997 = + 5.2%

HK's GDP Growth: 1988-1997
Source: Quarterly Report of GDP Estimates, Third Quarter 1998, Census & Statistics Department

In the same vein, Hong Kong owes its fame as a gourmet's paradise to a free port, where produce from all over the world finds its way into the numerous restaurants in the SAR. For centuries, Guangdong was the meeting point of foreign and Chinese cultures. You could always find a very exotic selection of vegetables and meats. Despite Hong Kong's image as a major Western-style banking and communications centre, it remains loyal to its cultural roots in many aspects. Ancient customs and traditions coexist happily with the sophistication and efficiency of the 20th century.

The end-1999 population of Hong Kong was 6,974,800, according to figures released by the Census and Statistics Department. There was an increase of 169,200 persons as compared with the end-1998 population, representing a growth rate of 2.5 per cent. Hong Kong has a population of nearly 7 million and it is in a pace of rapid growth due to annual immigration mainly from China.

Population of Hong Kong

Population by Age Group and Sex at End-1999

Survey Questions and Results

The target population of this 1,000 person survey conducted by phone are those aged 18 or above, irrespective of sex, education background and income. Some questions are phrased in colloquial terms to be easily understood by local Chinese in order to minimize the difficulties and possible misunderstandings in interpreting the questions. Many English and Chinese terms are not directly equivalent.

Consumption Patterns

1. Which shark's food products do you eat?

73.8% of respondents state that they consume shark fin soup while 20.4% consume shark oil capsules. These 2 categories together make up 94.2% of the total cases.

2. How many times a year do you eat shark fin soup?

23.9% said they consume shark fin soup 6-10 times a year while 24.2% said they consume shark fin soup more than 10 times a year.

3. Do you eat more, less or the same of it now than you did 5 years ago?

Despite the Asian Financial Crisis that hit Asia severely, 28% of the respondents said they consumed more shark fin soup than before, and more than 56% said they consumed the same as they did five years ago.

4. Which of the following reasons is most important to you in eating shark fin soup?

The majority chose the option "social habits and eating at banquets" as the reason.

5. Would you ever eat it alone or always in company?

6. Do you eat shark fin soup at home or in restaurant?

In fact, it is common that shark fin soups are consumed at restaurants, rather than at home, because the process of preparing shark fin soup is rather long and complicated.

Alternatives

7. Are there any substitutes or alternatives of shark fin soup for you?

The answers reflect a lack of knowledge about alternatives to shark fin and education work in this area is needed. As shown in question: "Which of the following reason is most important to you eating shark fin soup?", the second most popular reason for eating shark fin soup is that it is delicious. Love for food and delicacies are common features of a lot of cultures and societies. Needless to say, the love of cuisine and food delicacies is one of the most important aspect of Chinese culture. In Hong Kong, the only traditional foods, which are in decline are the high-priced, high-cholesterol ones .

8. Which of the following is your main reason for saying there are no substitutes or alternatives of shark fin soup?

As the reason for not having alternatives is that they used to eat it, the only way to change these social habits is by education of these people about the problem. What kind of education is needed? What will the message look like? Educational campaigns must be tailored to the particular culture and social life/habits of the local people so that the messages could be delivered effectively.

9. Name substitutes or alternatives of shark fin soup?

10. Do you think shark fin is too expensive, reasonable or price is not an important consideration?

It seems that financial consideration is not so important for consumers of shark fin.

Social Attitudes/Values Regarding Cruelty Towards Sharks

11. If you knew fins are removed while the shark is still alive, would you still eat it?

12. If you knew that the rest of shark's body was thrown back into the sea where it will "bleed to death", would you still eat it?

The answers of these questions are interesting - people change their mind when they were alerted to the cruelty involved.

Shark Products Consumption and the Conservation Problem

13. If you knew that shark species are declining due to the demand for shark fins, would you still eat it?

Only 33.2% of the interviewees answered "yes" while a total of 66.8% answered either "No" or "Don't know/Hard to say".

Sharks play a crucial role in keeping aquatic wildlife in balance. Scientists now understand that sharks serve as an apex predator. They keep prey populations in check. When an apex predator is removed from the food chain, the ecological balance is disrupted. For instance, experts believed that overfishing of sharks off Australia and Tasmania years ago led to an explosion in the octopus population and a subsequent decline of the spiny-lobster fishery and declining numbers of hammerhead sharks off the Florida panhandle may have allowed stingrays to reach record numbers there .

Then we asked the respondents about their views on the following statements.

At this point, maybe the respondents are alerted that they are asked about sharks as being endangered. As more than 30% of the respondents do not think that sharks are important in keeping the ecological balance, education is this aspect is desperately needed.

Reality Vs Myths

Peter Benchley's best-selling 1974 novel and the Steven Spielberg movie "Jaws" are often blamed for the shark's fearsome reputation as a mindless, relentless, consummate predator. No doubt, people have always been terrified by sharks and shark attacks can be unexpected and violent. Nonetheless, the figures show that it seldom happens. Just quoting one source here - in a particularly bad year, as many as 100 people may be attacked by sharks . Of those attacks, a small minority, 15% approximately, prove fatal. On the other hand, far more people are killed by lions, poisonous snakes and tigers, dogs and bees. In Hong Kong, there have been a number of incidents of swimmers being attacked by sharks. Overfishing of prey species at the South Pacific Ocean is considered as a possible contributory factor.

Secondly, not all species are equally aggressive.

After all, there is very scanty educational material on sharks in Hong Kong. It is not considered a major topic in the education system in Hong Kong. Education has to be started at this level - conservation awareness and revealing of facts.

Moral Value Regarding Killing of Sharks for Fins

14. Would you agree that it is wrong to kill a shark just for its fins?

71.7% of the interviewees mentioned that they thought that it is wrong to kill sharks just for their fins.

57.9% of the interviewees answered that they would not eat shark fin soups if it costs only HK$10. (US$1.50). The notion of vanity is a motive behind the consumption of shark fin soup.

If you compare this question to the previous question: "Do you think the price of shark fin is expensive, reasonable, or price is not an important consideration?" where 46.2% of the respondents said they would eat shark fin soup regardless of the price. People do care about the price here - but they prefer to consume expensive products.

Discussion and Conclusion

Shark fin is not a staple food item in the traditional Chinese diet. It is a luxury too expensive to be afforded by most ordinary families and is usually associated with social gatherings, like family gatherings, weddings, banquets and business meetings, rather than being a basic need. When social and cultural habits are the cause of demand for a wildlife product, education and public awareness are important factors in reducing the impact on wild resources. Mechanisms like banning of finning or reduction in shark exploitation may lead to illegal trading, etc. and might not be effective if market demands remains at current levels or a black market persists.

As Hong Kong is the major entrepot and import-export point for China and is one of the major areas for consumption of shark fin and shark products, the Hong Kong people should be one of the foremost groups to be targeted to raise awareness of shark conservation issues. It is important to remember that, amongst Chinese-speaking areas in the world, Hong Kong is one of the most wealthy regions able to afford shark products. Hong Kong is the window to China, and serves as an important processing center and trading center for shark fins. Moreover, it is well known that people of southern China watch television broadcasts and listen to radio broadcasts from Hong Kong. They are influenced by the opinions and trends of Hong Kong and mass media public awareness programs targeting Hong Kong will also reach a southern Chinese audience.

The pace of life is very rapid in the city of Hong Kong. As consumers, people seldom have time to think about, not to mention question, the origin of food and the methods they have been produced. As people are spared the sight of the cruelty involved, people do not have the slightest concern about the problem. Nor are they required to have the correct knowledge about these marine creatures thousand of miles away from their lives. It is necessary to inform them through various media - especially the mass media, which is the quickest and most effective channel - about the seriousness of the problem.

We acquire our social habits and behavior through a socialisation and learning process - we have to teach our children about the problem. It might be more difficult to change social habits of adults, but children are future pillars of the society and we need to equip them with the correct concepts and knowledge. Both teachers and students have to be kept informed of the facts.

In regard to shark conservation and the practice of live finning, work is desperately needed to provide people with more updated knowledge, especially in the aspects of:

1. Shark biology
2. Alternatives
3. Claims about shark products' effectiveness, especially in healing cancer.
   There is a growing trend to consume shark bone soup and shark cartilage pills as health food.

An education that tells the real picture, dispels myths, shows them the roots of the problem and solution and awakens the human compassion and moral consciousness - human beings are using cruel methods to contribute to one of the serious conservation problems on earth - can be very effective and indispensable.

An international and proactive strategy, campaign and management far above the current patchwork of state-based shark regulations now in place is desperately needed to change the hearts and minds of the people.

Last but not least, due to different cultural backgrounds, educational campaigns must be tailored to the particular culture and life of the local people so that the messages could be delivered effectively. Any action or campaign without cooperation and understanding of local people will, very likely, fail.

Acknowledgement

With special thanks to WildAid, The Barbara Delano Foundation, David and Lucille Packard Foundation, The Avina Foundation and The Homeland Foundation.