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Here's some awesome news: A report released by conservation organization WildAid on August 5th showed that prices and sales of shark fin are falling in China by 50 to 70 percent.
“Evidence of Declines in Shark Fin Demand, China” surveyed public opinion, shark fin vendors and traders in Guangzhou, China, the center of the shark fin trade, and found an 82 percent decline in sales as reported by vendors and a decrease of 47 percent in retail prices and 57 percent in wholesale prices, just over the last two years.
Driving the decline is a plummeting demand for shark fin products: 85 percent of surveyed Chinese consumers said they gave up shark-fin soup within the last two years, and ⅔ of them cited awareness campaigns as the primary reason.
“Demand reduction can be very effective,” said Peter Knights, Executive Director of WildAid in a press statement. “The more people learn about the consequences of eating shark-fin soup, the less they want to participate in the trade. Government bans on shark fin at state banquets in China and Hong Kong also helped send the right message and this could be a model to address issues, such as ivory.”
Here’s hoping that shark-fin soup will soon be a permanent thing of the past.
