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It’s time for ban on shark fins

Lots of Chinese Canadians not in favour of killing fish for traditional soup

Editor: I am a Chinese Canadian and speak for those Chinese Canadians who are compassionate and environmentally aware, and not motivated by the money that is the shark-fin-dealer’s only concern.

Over 50 species of sharks are on the endangered list, and sharks are extremely slow reproducing, laying two to four eggs each every two to four years and some don’t reach sexual maturity till age 20.

There is no way they can withstand a 73 million per year massacre. Shark-finners keep no records, so there is no way to ascertain what fin in a store has come from what species, short of a fin-by-fin DNA analysis. Who is going to pay for that?

In allowing shark fins to be sold within a municipality, that municipality is in violation not only of the CITES law of no international trade of endangered species, it violates Canada’s own WAPPRIITA law which forbids trading in endangered species products within Canada.

Canada’s own Fisheries Act specifically forbids shark finning. Some advocate the gradualistic voluntary withdrawal approach, but this would take decades to take significant effect. The sharks just don’t have the time. An outright ban is needed, and needed now.

Anthony Marr

Vancouver