Posted on 16 September
2013 | Hong Kong, September 2013: WWF-Hong
Kong congratulates the HKSAR government
for issuing a shark fin and bluefin tuna
ban for their official dining. This is a
bold and encouraging step taken by the government
on the conservation of sharks and bluefin
tuna.
WWF hopes that more
people would support this action by not
consuming or serving shark fin and bluefin
tuna, and support choosing sustainable seafood.
It is hoped that the government can continue
to show its support by improving trade transparency
and extending relevant international conventions
into Hong Kong.
Shark fin ban
The number of shark species being listed
either on The International Union for Conservation
of Nature (IUCN) Red List or the Convention
on International Trade in Endangered Species
of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) has been
increasing in recent years.
According to IUCN, out
of 468 shark species, 74 are listed either
as threatened species. Annually, up to 73
million sharks are killed to satisfy the
enormous demand. Hong Kong is named as “shark
fin capital” as it handles about half of
the global trade in shark fin every year.
Bluefin tuna ban
Bluefin tuna are particularly vulnerable
to overfishing. The fisheries management
is neither comprehensive nor effective,
leaving all 3 species of bluefin tuna facing
the threat of overfishing. Over the last
four decades, the Atlantic bluefin tuna
has declined by at least 51% and is now
listed as endangered by the IUCN Red List.
Its conservation status is similar to that
of pandas and tigers. Meanwhile the Southern
bluefin tuna adult fish has experienced
an 85% decline, resulting in its critically
endangered status.
Forging ahead
The government’s internal ban of shark fin
and bluefin tuna sends a strong conservation
message to the broader society in Hong Kong.
WWF applauds such initiatives and at the
same time hopes that the action of the government
would not stop here.
Mr Gavin Edwards, Conservation
Director of WWF-Hong Kong said, “Currently
in the market we have no way to know what
species of sharks are involved in the shark
fin trade and we may unknowingly consume
a lot of endangered species. The government`s
commitment to ban shark fin from their dining
tables is an excellent opportunity to improve
transparency of the trade and monitoring
of shark and bluefin tuna."
WWF-Hong Kong promoties
and educates the public on shark and bluefin
tuna conservation.
They have been encouraging
caterers and corporations not to serve and
consume shark fin respectively. Currently
154 corporates pledged not to consume shark
fin and 115 catering businesses pledged
to providing shark-free menus.
In order to conserve
bluefin tuna, WWF launched the "Bluefin
Saver" campaign in 2009, calling on
all consumers and suppliers to avoid consuming
and serving the species. Currently 26 restaurants
pledged not to serve bluefin tuna.
