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Sharks fin-ished in Singapore
SINGAPORE -- Shark lovers in Singapore have launched a year long Save Our Sharks (SOS) campaign hoping to save the fish and its fins by weaning the city state off the popular shark fin soup. Singapore is the world's third-largest shark fin trading center after Hong Kong and Taiwan, according to UN's Food and Agriculture Organization. Shark's fin soup, which can cost up to US$100 per bowl, is a sought-after delicacy among the Chinese population and is often slurped down at business and wedding dinners. "Sharks are vanishing from our waters," said Michael Aw, publisher of Asian Geographic magazine and chairman of the non-profit Ocean N Environment Australia organization. "We're trying to get people to say no to shark's fin entirely. But people will not give it up. If they can reduce the consumption, that's great." International conservation group WildAid estimates trade in shark fins more than doubled to 7,000 tons between 1980 and 1997. To meet demand and save boat space, fishermen slice the fins off live sharks and toss the hapless creatures back into the sea to die. The SOS campaign asks students from 25 schools to collect pledges from friends and family not to eat shark's fin. Aw plans to have pledge cards in all schools eventually. SOS is also trying to coax Chinese restaurants and hotels to stop serving the dish in exchange for free publicity on the campaign organizers' websites. Advertisements and a music video also have been created to educate the public about cruelty to sharks. Aw hopes to bring a similar SOS campaign to Malaysia within six months, followed by Hong Kong and Australia. "The fin has no nutritional value at all. It is the chicken stock or fish stock that gives the taste to the soup," Aw said. "We're talking about eating cartilage, the equivalent to your fingernails or your hair." Reuters contributed to this report.
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