Shark fin trade 'victim of anti-Chinese conspiracy', say traders

Shark fin traders in Hong Kong blasted an "anti-Chinese conspiracy" by environmentalists, whose constant bombardment of criticism they say is killing their business.

"The whole industry has recorded a [sales] decrease of 50 per cent on last year," Shark Fin Trade Merchants Association chairman Ho Siu-chai said. "[The decline] is mainly due to the omnipresent advocacy by green groups."

Ho said his industry was being targeted by an anti-Chinese conspiracy led by "Western" environmental groups. "They always blame us for cutting off fins and dumping carcasses at sea. This is not true and is distorted," he said.

The strong hostility to the trade has seen about 30 per cent of shark fin shops close down in recent years, Ho estimated, adding that some traders had been forced to sell other dried seafood, such as abalone and scallops.

Ho's shop Siu Fung Shark Marine Products is at the western end of Des Voeux Road in Sai Ying Pun where rows of musty shops sell a vast array of dried food, from mushrooms to seahorses.

It is also a hub for the global shark fin trade, taking about half the world's total fin harvest, says environmental group WWF.