New | Shark fin vendors report 82 per cent drop in sales after anti-corruption campaign
85pc of respondents also say they have given up shark fin soup thanks to celebrity campaigns like Yao Ming's
Eighty-five per cent of Chinese consumers said they have given up shark fin soup in the past years, according to a new report by WildAid, an international NGO against illegal wildlife trading.
Two-thirds of respondents cited awareness campaigns, such as that helmed by former NBA star Yao Ming, as the reason for ending their shark fin consumption.
WildAid conducted an online poll of 1,568 people from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu.
The respondents also cited concerns about mercury levels and the prevalence of potentially dangerous fake shark fin as reasons for not consuming it.
Falling demand has led to a drop in prices, particularly in Guangzhou, the current centre of China's shark fin trade, where vendors reported an 82 per cent decline in sales and a 47 per cent decrease in retail prices over the past two years.
The study results came from interviews with 15 wholesale and retail sellers in Guangzhou.