EPTOpinions on ban of shark fin - Page 26
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Nders
Canada17 Posts
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Blasterion
China10272 Posts
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Slithe
United States985 Posts
On October 27 2011 05:24 JustPassingBy wrote: If you think something is unjust, then the right way to battle it is by clearing up things. Then the people should be able to recognise the unrighteousness and stay away from it on their own accord, right? Now regardless of the current context, in my opinion banning something is never right, because it does not get rid of the root of any problem. And if people do not want to listen to (my) reason, then who am I to impose my moral framework onto other people? This shark fin banning seems nothing more than a try of some politician to divert from their own problems by pointing at problems involving a minority. Now I cannot speak for Canada, but I know that Europe has problems regarding mass animal farming themselves regarding animal cruelty and most of the people with authority (media, politicians) turn a blind eye on it. So are you implying that we should just not have laws, but instead just hope that everyone understands what's right and wrong all the time? What you're proposing is not exactly a practical idea. The system of laws outlines the moral framework that dictates a region. If someone doesn't like it, then it's their choice to go elsewhere where their morals align better. It's not exactly a petty moral issue either. The entire ecosystem depends on balance, and the shark provides a significant role in that equation. The repercussions of shark extinction is immense. Also, you think that this is only happening to Shark Fin because people don't care about Chinese tradition, but there is also the example of Foie Gras, a HUGE delicacy in France, which has faced a lot of controversy and is prohibited from production in many places. In California, there is an outright ban, effective June 2012. If Foie Gras has to go, then there is no question that Shark Fins need to go as well. | ||
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AnachronisticAnarchy
United States2957 Posts
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InvalidID
United States1050 Posts
On October 27 2011 05:12 Childplay wrote: sigh... this is part of tradition, and to all the haters, what if the city you lived in banned turkey? i know thats a bad example, but still It doesn't matter if it is part of tradition if it represents a threat to the environment. Sharks are simply not suitable for commercial fishing, and are critical to the ecosystem they live in, as has been attested by biologists posting in this very thread. There are plenty of western traditions and delicacies that were made illegal for this very reason(endangered caviers for example). | ||
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Blasterion
China10272 Posts
Banning just makes people hate | ||
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Suisen
256 Posts
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Ocedic
United States1808 Posts
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Blasterion
China10272 Posts
On October 27 2011 07:14 Ocedic wrote: There's valid arguments on both side. The important thing about this ban is that people are talking about it. I don't think the ban itself will do much. Just like how Prohibition didn't stop the production/consumption/sale of alcohol, this will only serve to fuel a black market. Exactly! Increase a Shark Fin tax make money, decrease demand, Kill two Hawks with a single Arrow | ||
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Hikari
1914 Posts
There are four "main" high end ingredient to chinese food Abalone, Ginseng, Shark Fin, Fish stomach In very high class Chinese banquets you often have a 12 dish course with 4 dishes revolving each of the 4 ingredient as the focus. Other common dishes are bbq pork and steamed deep water fish + 1 course of rice. While a lot of the younger generation do not mind the absence of shark fin, a lot of the "grand parent" class/more traditional Chinese parents insist the presence of shark fin in wedding dinners, or in major business oriented events: has to do with a sense of "completion" (of having all 4) and also from a business perspective you do not want to seem "cheap". Not having sharkfin to some Chinese is like not having turkey on Thanksgiving for Americans. Another analogy would be wine during banquets: lets say a kitten dies for every bottle of wine made: a lot of westerners may still serve wine during dinner parties. More effective ways to protect sharks, instead of establishing a rather questionable ban, would be to implement a system similar to "fair trade coffee". | ||
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saocyn
United States937 Posts
first off we're talking about extinction here. anything that has an impending impact on the ecosystem and that endangers a species to the verge of extinction SHOULD BE BANNED. i don't know how this can be argued. whether it's chicken in america, sharkfin in toronto, or any type of food source. while i do love me some sharkfin, it's not worth the possibility of eliminating a whole species. the people who oppose this are really the ones who are the dealers and make a profit or are the ones who believe a delicacy in a dish and the taking away of it, means an attack on their race. on the other hand, it doesn't mean that sharkfin won't get extinct anyway. just because toronto and possibly america stops harvesting sharkfin for soup doesn't mean other countries won't do it and it doesn't mean illegal activity will stop until the very last one is gone. it's not like sharkfin is only a chinese-american delicacy. people in asia eat it too...while we might have a small impact at stoping the extinction, by making it illegal, could fuel people in asia to harvest it more and sell it to toronto or america. | ||
anrimayu
United States875 Posts
On October 27 2011 06:48 InvalidID wrote: It doesn't matter if it is part of tradition if it represents a threat to the environment. Sharks are simply not suitable for commercial fishing, and are critical to the ecosystem they live in, as has been attested by biologists posting in this very thread. There are plenty of western traditions and delicacies that were made illegal for this very reason(endangered caviers for example). So you're saying any threat to the environment should be outlawed? Time to make beef, chicken, and pork illegal as well because according to UN Food and Agricultural Organization, "livestock industry is degrading land, contributing to the greenhouse effect, polluting water resources, and destroying biodiversity." Don't forget to make conventional cars illegal because fossil fuels are not sustainable either. | ||
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oldgregg
New Zealand1176 Posts
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LanTAs
United States1091 Posts
On October 27 2011 07:29 oldgregg wrote: What happens to the de-finned sharks once the Chinese fellas have cut off their fins? Do they just sink and die horrible deaths? Yep. Shark meat is not very delicious at all because its a bit too tough and chewy, sharks have cartilage which is pretty much useless, no idea what the skin can be used for but the teeth could probably be sold for $10 dollars a piece at a gift store in Hawaii, and the whole jaw+teeth maybe around $200? The fins are worth the most because, well, they're fucking delicious. I'm Chinese, i love shark fin soup+shark fin products (i even had shark fin mooncake once, wasn't too good at all ._.), and I'm willing to stop eating shark fin so that the next generation can try this ancient Chinese delicacy. There are many restaurants in Hong Kong and over here on the West Coast that are already replacing or taking off shark fin off their menu already, anticipating the ban and using alternatives or just not even serving it at all. | ||
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kiykiy
233 Posts
edit: Now that I've read some of the pages.... 1. There are tons of recipes that use shark bones and meat to make soup or other stock bases. 2. The video only shows small operations of shark fishing with limited budgets. So yeah... I think its a little biased. I do not believe larger operations would just dump the sharks back into the water as however little, it is still profitable to sell other parts of the shark. 3. I oppose the ban as I do not believe it is the solution. As we can already see(even on TL), all it sparks are emotions of oppression and unjust. 4. Their goal shouldn't be ending the tradition(really? You are comparing this to cannibalism... have you seen how them make foie gras?... now THAT is torture) of consuming shark fins but to reform fishing practices, curb consumption and advocate passing the tradition on to the future generations. | ||
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Blasterion
China10272 Posts
On October 27 2011 07:37 LanTAs wrote: Yep. Shark meat is not very delicious at all because its a bit too tough and chewy, sharks have cartilage which is pretty much useless, no idea what the skin can be used for but the teeth could probably be sold for $10 dollars a piece at a gift store in Hawaii, and the whole jaw+teeth maybe around $200? The fins are worth the most because, well, they're fucking delicious. I'm Chinese, i love shark fin soup+shark fin products (i even had shark fin mooncake once, wasn't too good at all ._.), and I'm willing to stop eating shark fin so that the next generation can try this ancient Chinese delicacy. There are many restaurants in Hong Kong and over here on the West Coast that are already replacing or taking off shark fin off their menu already, anticipating the ban and using alternatives or just not even serving it at all. wtf sharkfin mooncake, your taste of chinese delicacy even exceeds me. But yeah no ban please, raise the price, tax it, I need my future children be able to taste this at least once. | ||
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LeaD
Canada464 Posts
On October 27 2011 07:37 LanTAs wrote: Yep. Shark meat is not very delicious at all because its a bit too tough and chewy, sharks have cartilage which is pretty much useless, no idea what the skin can be used for but the teeth could probably be sold for $10 dollars a piece at a gift store in Hawaii, and the whole jaw+teeth maybe around $200? The fins are worth the most because, well, they're fucking delicious. I'm Chinese, i love shark fin soup+shark fin products (i even had shark fin mooncake once, wasn't too good at all ._.), and I'm willing to stop eating shark fin so that the next generation can try this ancient Chinese delicacy. There are many restaurants in Hong Kong and over here on the West Coast that are already replacing or taking off shark fin off their menu already, anticipating the ban and using alternatives or just not even serving it at all. Does no one actually read the thread? The fin doesn't add anything to your soup. You could replace the fin with noodles or a variety of things and it will taste the same. The broth is what makes it delicious. The only reason there is "shark fin" soup is because it is a symbol of status. | ||
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Blasterion
China10272 Posts
On October 27 2011 07:59 LeaD wrote: Does no one actually read the thread? The fin doesn't add anything to your soup. You could replace the fin with noodles or a variety of things and it will taste the same. The broth is what makes it delicious. The only reason there is "shark fin" soup is because it is a symbol of status. You just have no taste | ||
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Enki
United States2548 Posts
On October 27 2011 07:29 oldgregg wrote: What happens to the de-finned sharks once the Chinese fellas have cut off their fins? Do they just sink and die horrible deaths? Go watch Sharkwater. They basically just slice off the fins then toss the shark back in the water, of course it can't swim after that so it just sinks and dies. That's why people view it so wasteful, they are probably not even using 10 pounds of an animal that could weigh anywhere from tens of pounds to hundreds of pounds. It's almost like slaughtering a cow and just taking the tenderloin. | ||
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Body_Shield
Canada3373 Posts
You can leave animal cruelty and wasteful practice completely out of the argument, because the actual outcome is the worst outcome. Using animal cruelty paints you in a 'hippy' kind of light to 'Conservative' type people, and if you've noticed, they tend to ignore and dismiss hippies. This is the unfortunately reality. Strangely I find it's similar to the whole Global Warming/Environmental Protection cause, but that's for another day. | ||
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