WildAid Shark Protection（在线收听）

WildAid, an international environmental conservation organization, protects endangered species through communication campaigns aimed at raising awareness of the threats facing wildlife all over the world.

With the support of celebrities like Chinese basketball star Yao Ming, WildAid has significantly raised the profile of global shark conservation.

The National Aquatic Wildlife Conservation Association and WildAid recently sponsored a month-long campaign to increase the awareness of aquatic wildlife protection.

Our reporter Yajie has the story.

 
Have you ever tasted shark-fin soup? If not, please don't.

Sharks are one of the endangered animals that WildAid is trying to protect.

WildAid is an international NGO whose mission is to end the illegal wildlife trade and raise awareness of the threats facing wildlife all over the world.

Steve Trend, President of WildAid, discusses the important role sharks play in the marine eco-environment.

"Sharks live in every ocean and every sea on our planet, and they represent the top predators in most of the seas and oceans. They are incredibly important to our marine security. If you get rid of the sharks, you can find unintended consequences where other species also disappear."

As predators at or near the top of marine food webs, sharks have helped maintain the balance of marine life in our oceans for the past 400 million years. Research indicates that the massive depletion of sharks has created a domino effect in our ocean ecosystems.

Yet, up to 73 million sharks are killed every year to meet the increasing demand for shark-fin soup which has long been a popular entree because of its association with prestige and privilege in Asian cultures. It is regularly served at banquets, weddings and corporate events.

"Most of the sharks are being eaten by China. If you look at the Chinese economic development over the last 10 or 15 years, perhaps another 250 million relatively wealthy urban dwellers will come on line into the market. And even if each of them just eats shark-fin soup once a year, you can see how many sharks are taken out of the ocean."

The process of shark finning is as cruel as it is wasteful. Captured at sea and hauled on deck on boats, the sharks are often still alive when their fins are hacked off. Because shark meat is not considered as valuable as shark fin, the maimed animals are tossed overboard to drown or bleed to death, with 98 percent of the shark going to waste.

With the support of celebrities like Chinese basketball star Yao Ming and Hollywood movie star Leonardo DiCaprio, WildAid has significantly raised the profile of global shark conservation.

This month, it has joined forces with China's Ministry of Agriculture to sponsor a month-long campaign across China to raise awareness of protecting aquatic wildlife.

"There are activities all cross China in aquariums where people are learning about marine conservation and aquatic conservation. For us, it's shark as well. If everyone shares an understanding and a similar view, you can win, you can move forward. We need action, and we need it soon."

It's interesting to note that there is one very simple and effective way to protect sharks-that is, to stop eating shark-fin soup.

When the buying stops, the killing can too.

For CRI, I'm Yajie.