Efforts to End Shark Finning Make Progress
September 21, 2012
A chef cooks in the kitchen of a restaurant advocating the public not to eat shark fin in Beijing, China
BARBARA KLEIN: This is SCIENCE IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English. I’m Barbara Klein.
BOB DOUGHTY: And I’m Bob Doughty. Each year, fishermen catch millions of sharks and cut off their fins. The animal is unable to swim and often left to die in the ocean.
Shark fins are used to make shark fin soup, which is popular in parts of Asia. Today, we tell about the shark fin trade. And we report on efforts to protect shark populations.
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BARBARA KLEIN: Industry experts and wildlife activists say more than seventy-three million sharks are killed every year -- mostly for their fins -- to make shark fin soup. That is about two hundred thousand sharks every day. Shark fin soup is traditionally served at large gatherings in parts of East Asia. It also can be found at many Asian restaurants around the world.
Recently, a team of scientists and environmental groups collected shark fin soup from restaurants across the United States. They wanted to study the genetic material in the soup. The scientists examined fifty-one soup samples from fourteen American cities. DNA testing identified eight shark species, some of them endangered.
Liz Karan leads the international shark conservation campaign at the Pew Environment Group.
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