Drying fins is sensible use of available space
I do not accept the claim that rooftop drying of shark fins or any other animal or plant product is a “dirty trade” (“Shark fin blanketing roof proves dirty trade thrives”, January 4).
A more plausible explanation is that it is wise and industrious use of available space where land is inordinately expensive. That Alex Hofford, of the Hong Kong Shark Foundation, considers Chinese people “greedy” for eating shark fins, while allegedly ignoring animal rights issues, is insulting.
Claims that sharks are “finned alive” during commercial shark fishing operations are editing fabrications or the result of deliberate, staged acts undertaken specifically by shark campaigners and underwater camera operators to get the film footage they need to shock people. Failing to respond to such hype is hardly an index of greed.
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) provides no evidence sharks are threatened with biological extinction. It assembles data on the extent of population decline due to commercial fishing for tuna, sharks and other species. If excessive, the appropriate management action is to reduce fishing pressure, not to stop eating seafood.
Similarly, the French should not stop eating frogs’ legs because the IUCN considers 34 species have become extinct.
Charlie Lim, chairman, conservation and management committee, Marine Products Association