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  Straits Times Forum 31 Oct 06
Don't be cruel to sharks
Letter from Charmaine Chong Jia Min (Ms)

WITH a heavy heart, I, a mere 12-year-old girl, read the report, 'Up to 73m sharks a year killed for fins'.

Many of us eat shark's fin soup without realising a shark has been killed to produce this so-called delicacy.

Usually, the shark is caught, and while it is still alive, its fins are chopped off by fishermen. The poor shark is then thrown back into the sea. Without its fins, it cannot survive. It either bleeds to death or drowns, as sharks cannot swim without their fins and need to swim forwards to get oxygen.

Some people may cheer when they hear of a shark's death as they think sharks are a terrible threat to us human beings, due to the movie Jaws creating a visual image of a ferocious shark in our minds.

But in fact, there are many more deaths caused by car crashes and dengue fever than shark attacks.

Sharks generally shy away from humans. Why are there shark attacks? Sometimes, when we humans are on the surface of the ocean, surfing or swimming, we look like silhouettes of seals. Sharks think they are in for a delicious meal.

Sharks are actually very important in the ecosystem. They help keep the population of their prey balanced. If the shark becomes extinct, every living thing will be affected directly or indirectly.

Shark's fin actually has no taste. It is the flavourings in the soup that restaurants have added that give shark's fin soup its taste. So why not replace shark's fin with vermicelli noodles which have the same texture?

Please, save the sharks. If you were the shark, you would see the error of our ways.

To fulfil our cravings for shark's fin soup, numerous sharks have died. And we will regret it sooner or later if sharks become extinct.

Please, everyone out there, STOP eating shark's fin soup! As mentioned on Animal Planet, when the buying stops, the killing can too.
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