Shark fin sales and prices have fallen sharply in China, the biggest market for the delicacy, in what appears to be a significant victory for wildlife conservation campaigners.
Retail prices in the southern city of Guangzhou, thought to have overtaken Hong Kong as the centre of the shark fin trade, have fallen by an average of nearly 50 per cent over the past two years, according to traders interviewed for a report by the WildAid wildlife group. Sales have fallen more than 80 per cent.
A kilogram of shark fins can still fetch about $960 in some wholesale markets, but that is half the price reported two years ago, the report said. “Demand reduction can be very effective,” said Peter Knights, executive director of WildAid. “The more people learn about the consequences of eating shark fin soup, the less they want to participate in the trade.”