Why do people hate shark finning but then don't care about all the fish we kill and eat?
I eat so much meat. I eat a ton of fish, too. I was introduced to sushi when I was eleven and, eight years later, I haven’t stopped asking my parents to take me out to get sushi.However, I am against shark finning (and veal).Many sharks are endangered, and many of the sharks finned are endangered or threatened. Eating them is bad for their populations, and since many of them are keystone species, it’s very bad for the environment.*It’s fucking wasteful. For example, a great hammerhead can grow up to 20 feet and weigh 1,000 pounds. You’re going to kill this massive, beautiful creature just for around 2% of it’s body mass?For example, I love to eat all parts of a cow. You can eat the actual muscle, and other parts are also very tasty, like the tongue. About 61%[1] of a steer’s weight is edible meat. See? A lot less wasteful.It’s cruel. Instead of giving the shark a painless death, which all animals we eat deserve, their fins, which they need to move and stay alive, are removed while the shark is alive. And then the shark is left to slowly die in the water, because it usually can’t move enough to keep water flowing through its gills. Even if it can still breathe, or if it’s a species that does not need to move to breathe, it can’t move enough to catch prey. The shark either suffocates or starves.All good scientists have sources:*yes, I know that we over fish other fish as well, but it’s especially severe with shark species. The Impact of the Shark Fin Tradehttps://www.oda.state.ok.us/food...Footnotes[1] https://www.oda.state.ok.us/food...
Do Chinese people enjoy shark fin soup, or do they serve it as a display of wealth?
I’m pretty sure its just a display of wealth.I grew up in a conservative, traditional Chinese family. That meant eating shark fin soup at every other occasion. Real shark fin soup, not the “fake” shark fin soup made with crab meat or fish or whatnot.I hated it. It had an odd texture that reminded me of uncooked noodles, pretty much no taste (but I loved the rest of the soup), and when I was 13 I watched a documentary about how people threw sharks back into the sea to die after cutting off their fins[1] . The best part was they supposedly bleached the fins with mercury (or so 13yo me thought) to make it safe to eat.No one cared that I hated it. I tried hiding it. I tried spitting it out. I also tried sneakily shifting my share into other people’s bowls. My father would glare at me and watch me put the shark fin into my mouth and chew it. Mechanically. I also tried adding pepper and vinegar, which was supposed to help. Of course it didn’t. I thought about the poor sharks and how I was destroying my intestines.Then it got banned in the country[2] . I was so happy. No more having to swallow this gunk! Little did I know… its still sold… if you know where to look. Curses. I still had to eat it. At family dinners, we ordered a big pot and the waitress would ladle it into 12 little bowls. When casually eating with my 2 grandparents, they ordered us a little bowl each.I smiled as I scooped my shark fin into my grandmother’s bowl, cooing in poor Chinese “This is for you. You should eat more of the good stuff.” Then I watched in bated breath to see if she accepted it. On good days she did, praising me to be a filial grandchild (little did she know!). On bad days I had to swallow it.Everyone always acted like they enjoyed it, but when a palm sized little bowl costs you $65-$100[3] each, you better enjoy it.Seriously though. I doubt anyone enjoys it. Its just a meaningless display of wealth.Footnotes[1] Shark Finning: Sharks Turned Prey[2] Singapore's Restaurants Take A Stand Against Shark Fin Consumption[3] Here's What Happens When You Order A $65 Bowl Of Shark Fin Soup
I have a phobia of sharks?
Im 16 and ever since i can remember i have bee terrified of sharks. I dont mean like a normal person i mean, i remember crying really badly when one came on the TV when i was like 10 and still now i cant look at them on TV without turning away and sends me in to a panic. Once i was watching a video on the laptop and a shark came on, i put my head under the cover for like 5minutes until i heard the video end then moved the mouse on to the cross to close the page. Why am i like this?
Why is shark fin soup so famous?
Shark fin soup is a soup that was served as an important dish, in important occasions. Most people couldn't afford it, and when the gap between rich and poor closed a bit, more of the middle class could afford it. It served as a statement of money and being well in life. Adding to that, shark cartilage is believed to have miraculous healing properties from fighting cancer to growing hair, making bones stronger, increase virility… all around miraculous drug.On the last part, I can tell you it is wrong. Shark cartilage is exactly the same as your cartilage, or that of pigs and cows. Nutritional value is zero and healing properties zilch.Besides, sharks accumulate mercury from the whole food chain on their flesh. Mercury is a toxin that can cause permanent nerve and brain damage. The same as dolphins and other top predators. So, not even getting into the moral aspect, shark fin soup is a big ho-ho no-no is health terms.Disclaimer: I've never been to countries where the soup is prized and as such, my knowledge about the history of its consumption and what exactly is believed may not be entirely correct.Edit: corrected some grammar mistakes and changed “making stronger bones” to “making bones stronger” :)
Are we the only species that seems to care more about another species than its own?
No, some herd animals regularly sacrifice themselves for the herd or their young. women and children first is instinctual and ancient: