Taiwan’s marine life experts and nongovernmental organizations called for the protection of sharks and reduced consumption of related products June 8 at a World Oceans Day event organized by the National Taiwan Museum.
“Sharks are at the top of the marine food chain, and their survival is a significant index of the health of the ocean environment,” said Lai Rong-xiao, secretary-general of the Society of Wilderness.
Lai said shark fin has been a favorite dish among ethnic Chinese, often served at wedding banquets and other important occasions. “Scientists estimate that every year humans cut off the fins of between 40 million and 70 million sharks, which are then left in the sea to die,” he said.
“Sharks, with their relatively lower birth rate and longer maturation period, cannot sustain such abuse,” Lai said. “Refusing to eat shark fins is the most direct thing we can do to protect the marine environment.”
To better understand the consumption of sharks as food in Taiwan and the species involved, the Academia Sinica, Taiwan’s foremost research body, will conduct DNA tests of 1,000 samples of shark products on the market, in collaboration with the SOW, according to Chen Chao-lun, a research fellow at the institute’s Biodiversity Research Center.
“The government should step up efforts to conserve marine resources,” Chen said, adding that the research will help establish a sustainability labeling system for seafood to help protect both sharks and consumers.
To raise public awareness, the NTM will screen a series of documentary films through August focusing on sharks and the ocean.(THN)