MSN on February 04, 2019, 07:15:16 AM
Chinese Experts Urge Thais to celebrate this Lunar New Year with #NoSharkFinตรุษจีนนี้ #ฉลองไม่ฉลาม
BANGKOK (04th February 2019) — Building on the momentum of the “Celebrate with #NoSharkFin” (#ฉลองไม่ฉลาม) campaign, WildAid released a video message featuring a Thai-Chinese cultural expert and a Traditional Medicine practitioner asking the public not to consume shark fin during the Lunar New Year celebrations. While not a national holiday, the Lunar New Year is widely celebrated in Thailand and is a peak time for shark fin consumption in a country that plays a significant role in the global shark fin trade.
“Shark fin is not mentioned in Chinese literature as auspicious (มงคล) even once,” said Master Viroj Tangvarnich, an expert on Chinese culture. “It is only served due to the belief that it’s a luxurious dish and gives status to the hosts. But, these beliefs do not match today’s world and they are causing a huge loss to our environment, and they need to be ended.”
According to WildAid’s 2017 Shark Fin Demand in Thailand survey, more than half of urban Thais have eaten shark fin, while alarmingly 61% of all respondents plan to consume it again in the future. Survey respondents said they consumed shark fin most often at social events such as weddings (72%), family gatherings at restaurants (61%) and business events (47%). The “Celebrate with No Shark Fin” (ฉลองไม่ฉลาม)” campaign aims to end shark fin consumption in Thailand and thereby protect sharks, fisheries and the ocean ecosytem. It is an inititiative endorsed by Thailand’s government organization, Department of Marine and Coastal Resources.
“Current textbooks for study of Chinese Traditional Medicine and Chinese herbs do not recognize shark fin as either medicine or herb with health benefits,” said Thamatat Chiaopromkun, Lecturer, Faculty of Chinese Medicine, Huachiew Chalermprakiet University. “During the reign of Ming Dynasty, shark fin was one of eight luxury food items consumed within the place, but there was no mention of using shark fin as medicine or for health benefits. The belief that shark fin serves as nourishment is something that us humans have made up with our own assumptions.”
“As we start the new year by doing good deeds and making merit, we suggest that saying no to shark fin soup makes it much more auspicious,” said John Baker, Chief Program Officer, WildAid. “Our research shows that to protect Thailand’s healthy seas, we must raise awareness and reduce shark fin consumption in Thailand. With help from influential voices, government agencies, corporate and media partners, we aim to demonstrate Thai society’s desire for rich oceans and compassionate protection for its marine wildlife by ensuring that sharks are permanently off the menu.”
An estimated 100 million sharks are killed every year and fins from up to 73 million of those end up in shark fin soup. Thailand is home to an active domestic market for shark fins, with many consumers unaware of the cruel practice of "finning" behind each bowl of shark fin soup: a shark’s fins are often cut off at sea and the shark is thrown back into the water to suffer and die slowly.
Additionally, preliminary market research carried out in Thailand by WildAid showed a wide range of prices for a bowl of shark fin soup, from as low as 300 Baht on the streets of Yaowarat to as high as 4,000 Baht in a high-end restaurant in downtown Bangkok.
The “Celebrate with No Shark Fin” (ฉลองไม่ฉลาม) campaign was launched in July last year with celebrity ambassador ‘Pong’ Nawat Kulrattanarak. Two video messages starring the ambassador were widely distributed on social media platforms and were aired on six prominent TV channels for three months: One 31, GMM 25, Thai PBS, PPTV, NewTV and Spring News. The campaign’s print billboards are displayed at 17 locations inside the Suvarnabhumi Airport, urging both Thais and tourists to say no to shark fin.
« Last Edit: February 04, 2019, 03:11:59 PM by MSN »
Logged
