Chinese restaurant community protests proposed shark fin ban at city hall
Posted September 9, 2011 12:25 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Members of the Chinese restaurant community were at Toronto’s city hall on Friday to protest a proposed ban on the sale of shark fins.
Two city councillors are campaigning to stop the sale of shark fin products in the city.
“Shark finning is a cruel, barbaric, inhumane, evil practice that has to stop,” Coun. Glenn De Baeremaeker said two months ago. He and Coun. Kristyn Wong-Tam are leading the campaign.
The business owners argue that if the issue is the illegal killing of an endangered species, it shouldn’t fall under the jurisdiction of the city but rather the federal government.
If shark fin is still available in surrounding communities like York Region, local restaurants will lose business, the restaurateurs say.
Shark fin and its derivatives are prevalent in the Chinese community, often served at weddings and special occasions. The meat can be very expensive, with one piece costing as much as $100.
But many animal rights groups say the practice of eating shark fins is unethical. To get the meat, fishermen often cut off the fins and leave the rest of the body.
Even the Toronto International Film Festival is getting in on the debate. Director Rob Stewart – who helmed the documentary Sharkwater – is launching a not-for-profit organization to protect sharks at a party during the festival. The benefit called — 100% Fin Free: An Evening For Sharks — will benefit United Conservationists and their campaign to make Canada Fin Free.
