=In a building housing seafood suppliers in Kennedy Town in central Hong Kong thousands of shark fins were found laid down to dry. After receiving a tip from an unnamed person, photographer Gary Strokes clicked shocking pictures of the fins.
Gary from the Sea Sheppard Conservation Society was tipped on January 1st about the startling shark fins lying in thousands all over the roof top. In total he found over 18000 fins all over the roofs of the industrial buildings.
Sadly, these are just a fraction of the expected 75 million sharks killed each year to meet the rising demands for shark fin soup. Hong Kong is one of the biggest markets that supplies the fin to China. In July 2012 Chinese government announced a ban on shark fin soup served in banquets but the Government Office Administration of the State Council said the ban could take up to three years to implement.
“I think it will have an impact,” she said. “The government in China is powerful and if it takes the lead on this issue, I don’t see why others shouldn’t follow suit.”
Experts believe that the primary reason for the decline of sharks in the oceans is the shark fin soup.
Sharks are usually dumped back into the waters after their fins are cut off but they cannot swim again, leaving them almost dead in a barbaric fashion.
According to the World Wildlife Fund, 181 species of shark are under threat, up from 15 in 1996.
The soup is often claimed to have health benefits, such as increasing your appetite, improving your kidneys, lungs and bones. However there is no evidence to support these claims and the reality is that shark meat is barely fit for human consumption. It has a very high level of mercury and the United States Environmental protection agency advises women and young children to stay clear of it.
