It’s one of the most expensive seafood products there is and it claims the lives of millions of sharks every year (estimates vary widely, from 23 to 73 million animals per year). Gelatinous, not particularly nutritional or even flavorful, it’s the very price of shark fins’ that make them so desirable. In Chinatown, a small bowl of shark fin soup ranges from B300-B6,000 and the dried shark fins in local shops range from B8,500-B30,000 for a kilogram. Eating shark fin is first and foremost a status symbol, just like driving a BMW or wearing a Rolex.

Despite its continued popularity in Asia, this Jan 1, 2012, Peninsula hotels around the world (including Bangkok) ceased to serve shark fin soup at its restaurants. And the Banyan Tree had stopped serving the gelatinous “delicacy” since 2008. We contacted around ten other five-star hotels in Bangkok who all refused to comment on the Peninsula’s decision, or on the continued presence of shark fin soup on their menus. One public relations officer even candidly declared, “Because of our environmentally-conscious image, we’d rather not comment on the fact that we continue to serve shark fin soup.”

Indeed, with many shark species endangered, it’s not very green to eat shark fins. (To be fair, it’s getting harder to find any kind of fish that’s not severely depleted, see our recent story on this issue at http://ow.ly/84ThR). But it’s also the particularly cruel—and wasteful—method of fishing for fins that turns stomachs. The fin is slashed off, and because shark meat is worth very little, the shark is thrown back into the water, left to die a slow, agonizing death.
Of course, not everyone agrees with these concerns. We spoke to a manager at old-time Yaowarat favorite Lao Lee, who said, “There’s no possible way that sharks are going to be extinct. They are limitless to catch and people love them.” Our visits to other major Chinese dried goods shops Cho Roongrueng, Cheng Nguad Heng, Chai Nguad Huad produced similar comments. At Cheng Nguad Heng, the vendor even tried to sell us some shark fins. “Honestly, shark cartilage is a wonderful New Year present”, he said.

Yaowarat imports its shark fins from across the world, though mainly from Europe (Spain, Norway). According to a famous shark fins dealer who imports his produce from Boston, USA, Western hemisphere sharks are preferred to those in Asia because the deeper the sharks live, the thicker their fins.His products are distributed to many famous Chinese restaurants and hotels in Bangkok, the Philippines, Hong Kong and China. He too, did not believe sharks were a threatened species, due to fishing zones and seasonal fishing.

It’s going to be difficult to make Yaowarat’s restaurant owners and dealers change their minds. But can consumers be made to give up shark fin? The Peninsula’s eight wedding menus with shark fins will be replaced with dishes like braised conpoy (dried scallop) soup with shredded winter melon and fish maw soup with crab coral. It’s a sign that there’s no shortage of expensive delicacies that are less harmful to the environment. But maybe sharks’ best ally is the fact that their fins are not even healthy. The USA’s FDA has warned that shark fins contain high levels of mercury, particularly dangerous to pregnant women and children. To be precise, environmental pressure group Wild Aid claims shark fin mercury levels in Thailand are up to 42 times higher than the safe limit—a potential cause of sterility in men and a sadly ironic side-effect given the food’s supposedly virile benefits.

68%

Percentage of Bangkokians who still eat shark fin soup

61%

Percentage who said that they eat it because their family has it, or only on special occasions because they think it would be rude to refuse it.

19%

Percentage of respondents who eat shark fin but feel bad about it.