Government refuses to budge as green crusade against delicacy gathers steam
The government was under pressure yesterday from green groups to stop serving shark's fin soup at banquets and official functions after a university took the controversial dish off its menus.
The move by the University of Hong Kong comes five months after Hong Kong Disneyland withdrew the dish from its hotels in response to international pressure.
A top hotel is said to be considering banishing the dish from its restaurants, and the World Trade Organisation was being lobbied to ban the dish from its December meeting in Hong Kong.
But the government last night insisted it would not ban the dish because there was no 'community consensus' on whether or not shark's fin was acceptable.
University of Hong Kong vice-chancellor Tsui Lap-chee said in a memo to staff that shark's fin would be banned from all university functions 'in accordance with our commitment to protect and conserve biological diversity'.
Professor Tsui said 100 million sharks were being killed each year, many by the cruel practice of 'finning', and 34 species were critically endangered or vulnerable.