Channel NewsAsia - Wednesday, May 7

Tests show shark meat samples contain high levels of mercury

SINGAPORE: Shark’s fin lovers beware. Some shark meat contains high levels of mercury that may be harmful to you.

The Singapore Environment Council (SEC) and international conservation group Wildaid on Monday said tests done on 10 random shark meat samples here show that three contained mercury readings higher than 0.5 ppm (parts per million) the maximum mercury residue limit in Singapore.

SEC executive director Howard Shaw said he hopes people will consume less shark’s fin when they know the health issues.

"Our approach is ’If the buying stops, the killing will too’," he said.

WildAid director Peter Knights added: "The scale of demand for shark’s fin far outstrips the supply, leading to illegal fishing and decimated populations. This will damage marine ecosystems and other fish stocks."

Mr Shaw said SEC will hold discussions with the Agri—food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) within the next month regarding the possibility of printing health advisories on shark meat products here.

He explained that people should learn that mercury might affect certain groups of people very badly for example, pregnant women and children.

"Mercury has absolutely no health benefits whatsoever. We’re not calling for a ban on shark meat products but for people to know what they’re eating and the health concerns," added Mr Knights.

An AVA spokesman said it has been monitoring mercury levels in fish and seafood, including shark’s fin, since 1980. He added that mercury readings in seafood here are "no cause for serious concern".

Mercury is present in the sea naturally because of volcanic activity. Fishes higher up in the foodchain, such as tuna and shark, tend to have higher levels of mercury.

The spokesman added: "Our advice to the public is to have a varied diet. Expecting mothers should consume tuna in moderation and choose smaller fish as the foetus is more susceptible to the neurological damage caused by mercury." — TODAY/ar

its ok la. i dont drink sharks fin soup everyday so i guess its not tt harmful... haha

tuna fish also?

no more tuna sandwich liao.

all deep sea fish are like that mah

swordfish also

those u eat as sashimi

i saw a documentary in Oz
a lady could not conceive for many years
either that or keep having miscarriages i can't remember which

then they made a connection with her diet
she eats a lot of deep sea fish

so they eliminated that

and the problem was solved
she got a baby

start a shark fin tax lor... the same solution for everything in SG.....

Old news...the same goes for whale and dolphin meat.

Anyway, what's the point of having shark meat or fins in soup when most of the flavour comes from the broth?

everyday there are reports that one thing or other u have eaten all yr life is now bad for you.

i think reading n following all these reports are 'bad for you'

 

Originally posted by skeujin:

everyday there are reports that one thing or other u have eaten all yr life is now bad for you.

i think reading n following all these reports are 'bad for you'

Eating apex predators is bad for marine ecosystems anyway, so this serves as an extra reason to avoid them at the restaurant.

great ....

I have refused to eat shark's fins for the last 10 years ... and some club 30 people have heard this as part of my spiel again shark's fins .....

hopefully this will encourage more people to follow ....

AFP - Saturday, May 10

Weddings boost Shark's fin consumption in Singapore: report

SINGAPORE (AFP) - - Shark's fin consumption more than doubled in Singapore last year from 2006, with demand driven by an economic boom and an increase in wedding celebrations, a report said Saturday.

Singapore consumed more than 470 tonnes in 2007, up from 182 tonnes the previous year and reversing a four-year decline, the Straits Times reported.

Strong economic growth in 2007 and a rise in the number of people getting married drove demand despite a 30-percent rise in shark's fin soup prices and appeals by environmental groups to ease consumption, it said.

Shark's fin soup is popular at Chinese wedding banquets, where it is seen as a status symbol.

"Most of the couple's parents consider this dish a premium and without it, they would lose face," Ruth Soh, communications director at the Mandarin Oriental, told the newspaper.

She said however that the hotel buys shark's fin only from fish farms.

Housewife Janet Gan was quoted as saying: "Shark's fin is a must at a wedding. It is like a birthday cake."

But Michael Aw, a marine conservationist, said more than 30 sharks have to be killed to feed a wedding banquet with 300 guests, according to the report.

"We must continue to educate the younger generation and make them see that sharks are guardians of the sea that ensure a balance in the food chain," Aw said.

The message is not lost to Melanie Tan, who will walk down the aisle next month.

"I don't want to be part of the cruel act of killing sharks just to make others satisfied on my wedding day," she was quoted as saying.

Originally posted by TehJarVu:

all deep sea fish are like that mah

swordfish also

those u eat as sashimi

those sashimi?

maguro and salmon!? oh no.. :(

Originally posted by cuddles:

those sashimi?

maguro and salmon!? oh no.. :(

Salmon isn't as bad in that regard but the farmed varieties contain higher amounts of PCB.

QX, thanks for the article, saw this on the news.   I love shark's fin.  I don't eat often.

are we late back or what?

discovery channel had documentary on sharks and mentioned this point years ago. 

Originally posted by alwaysdisturbed:

are we late back or what?

discovery channel had documentary on sharks and mentioned this point years ago. 

ya lor.   guess human beings need to be reminded.

80% of sharks that are fished are in western nations like UK, Spain etc. You must note that sharks fished in these regions are not for their fins but for the whole fish. By saying that consuming Shark Fin Soup, you are destroying the shark community or endangering them, you are just making asian communities the lesser evil responsible for killing of sharks.

Finning of sharks are CRUEL. But finning of sharks occur in a certain percentage of shark fishing. Not are shark fins are obtained thru FINNING. Finning is cruel, but to say that Shark Fin Soup consumption causes near extinction of sharks is just missing the point.

WHY not stop eating Caviar? Sturgeons are near extinction too. Why not stop drinking alcohol? It is killing more people thru drink driving and DUI.

Seriously speaking, what's so freakin' good about sharks' fin?

It's just (literally) tasteless strings of gelatinuous stuff.... as the Baba dude has said, most of the flavour comes from the soup and not the actual sharks' fin. Simulated sharks' fin soup made of gelatine costs much less and tastes virtually the same.

The bottom line is.... the real reason why people eat sharks' fin is the snob factor due to its high price.

And it really speaks a lot if you have to kill a few sharks just to show other people that you've got money to burn.

Originally posted by gasband:

80% of sharks that are fished are in western nations like UK, Spain etc. You must note that sharks fished in these regions are not for their fins but for the whole fish. By saying that consuming Shark Fin Soup, you are destroying the shark community or endangering them, you are just making asian communities the lesser evil responsible for killing of sharks.

Finning of sharks are CRUEL. But finning of sharks occur in a certain percentage of shark fishing. Not are shark fins are obtained thru FINNING. Finning is cruel, but to say that Shark Fin Soup consumption causes near extinction of sharks is just missing the point.

WHY not stop eating Caviar? Sturgeons are near extinction too. Why not stop drinking alcohol? It is killing more people thru drink driving and DUI.

if you're trying to point fingers at other countries and say "hey ! ... they are the bigger culprits" ... then I think YOU are missing the point .... 

 

Originally posted by Fatum:

if you're trying to point fingers at other countries and say "hey ! ... they are the bigger culprits" ... then I think YOU are missing the point .... 

 

You are also missing my point. My point is DUN make shark fin soup the CULPRIT responsible for the shark's plight today. BEING ENDANGERED is a different story altogether from Shark Finning which I definitely agree that it is CRUELTY. I do not like SHark Fin that much to advocate that shark fin soup must stay. But just because shark finning is cruel does not make shark fin soup eating wrong. CITES in fact says that shark finning is contained to a percentage where most fins are taken off after the shark is dead. But it is who to believe isnt it?

 

And while organisations like Wildaid says one thing about finning, CITES from the UN said the other thing. Its really up to you to believe who is telling the truth isnt it?

Originally posted by gasband:

You are also missing my point. My point is DUN make shark fin soup the CULPRIT responsible for the shark's plight today. BEING ENDANGERED is a different story altogether from Shark Finning which I definitely agree that it is CRUELTY. I do not like SHark Fin that much to advocate that shark fin soup must stay. But just because shark finning is cruel does not make shark fin soup eating wrong. CITES in fact says that shark finning is contained to a percentage where most fins are taken off after the shark is dead. But it is who to believe isnt it?

 

And while organisations like Wildaid says one thing about finning, CITES from the UN said the other thing. Its really up to you to believe who is telling the truth isnt it?

so you don't like shark's fins enough to be their advocate, I suppose that means you're willing to help reduce the pressures on sharks? . ..

so what's your point, really, other than saying that hey, some fins are taken off dead sharks ? ....

 

 

That is why I only go for Miso Soup with eggs

Originally posted by Fatum:

so you don't like shark's fins enough to be their advocate, I suppose that means you're willing to help reduce the pressures on sharks? . ..

so what's your point, really, other than saying that hey, some fins are taken off dead sharks ? ....

 

 

My point or points is/are:

1) Giam Choo Hoo of CITES said that "vast majority of fins in the market are taken from sharks after their death" its not SOME FINS, its VAST MAJORITY. So according to him, FINNING is present but not prevalent. But again its up to anyone to believe him or believe what groups like Wildaid claim right? Afterall we ourselves do not have figures and facts on our hands.

2) It is not fair to tell people hey its wrong to drink shark fin soup because of finning. WHat if the other person tells you, how do you know the fin i am eating is from illegal finning and not those fins taken after death? Is there anything wrong with eating something from a fish that is already dead just like any other fish that we eat?

3) Attack the real issue which is SHRAK FINNING. NOT SHARK FIN SOUP eating.

Eat mercury already will be as long-life as Qing Shi Huang!!!!

Originally posted by gasband:

My point or points is/are:

1) Giam Choo Hoo of CITES said that "vast majority of fins in the market are taken from sharks after their death" its not SOME FINS, its VAST MAJORITY. So according to him, FINNING is present but not prevalent. But again its up to anyone to believe him or believe what groups like Wildaid claim right? Afterall we ourselves do not have figures and facts on our hands.

2) It is not fair to tell people hey its wrong to drink shark fin soup because of finning. WHat if the other person tells you, how do you know the fin i am eating is from illegal finning and not those fins taken after death? Is there anything wrong with eating something from a fish that is already dead just like any other fish that we eat?

3) Attack the real issue which is SHRAK FINNING. NOT SHARK FIN SOUP eating.

Yes I was correct ... you have been missing the point all along.... taking the whole shark, or just the fins alone, makes no difference, the shark is just as dead afterwards ! ... it's still a statistical loss ! ... 

sharks are not like your run of the mill kembong or batang you see in the fish market ... they don't breed fast and grow slowly .... yet they have an important function as apex predators in the eco system ....

and if your mindset says that since it's already dead, so let's not waste it, then nothing will change ... cos you're still creating the future demand, the market for it .... you think by slurping down that bowl of soup, patting your own stomach, and saying "I'll eat this bowl, since it's already in front of me, but don't feed me shark's fin again" is going to change anything ? ....

the real issue is NOT SHARK'S FINNING ! ... IT IS THE EXPLOITATION IF SHARKS ! ..... whether it's fishermen in the med taking whole sharks for european fish and chips (with the fins exported to asia anyways), or fishermen in the philipines finning sharks, it makes no difference, that's what you have been missing all along ...

but hey, good luck with the mercury in your system ...