Shark fin consump tion in Hong Kong

Written by Stan Shea IUCN SSC Shark Specialist Group | Asia Regional Group | Member BLOOM Association | Hong Kong

“Ten or twenty years ago, these results may have been difficult to imagine, but we had confidence that Hong Kong people would care about protecting species threatened with extinction and support marine conservation initiatives if they were given a chance to understand the reasons why, even if this meant they had to change some behaviours. That’s why we decided to conduct these studies over a decade – so that we could see the changes take place”.

A 10-year sociological survey research on Hong Kong’s habits and attitudes regarding shark fin consumption revealed that Hongkongers are ready to embrace a more sustainable future by supporting government initiatives for conservation and making environmentally-friendly choices as consumers.

The research project led by BLOOM Association Hong Kong (BLOOM HK) and commissioned to the Social Sciences Research Centre of The University of Hong Kong (HKUSSRC) is the first of its kind to monitor long-term changes in the city’s consumption, having conducted telephone interview surveys in 5-year intervals within the decade. The first survey was conducted in 2009/10, with two subsequent studies held in 2014/15 and 2019/20. Interviews targeted over 1,000 local Hong Kong citizens each year, and included detailed questions to find out respondent’s frequency in consuming shark fin soup and other shark fin-related products, their thoughts on the issue, and their willingness to support lifestyles and developments within the city that move towards the protection of the ocean, and marine and even wildlife resources.

1 Currently, cases involving illegal wildlife trade are not investigated to identify if criminal gangs are behind the crime.

Results were encouraging and showed remarkable changes in Hong Kong in the past decade. When asked how often respondents ate shark fin soup in the past 5 years, 58.1% of respondents in the 2009/10 survey said their consumption “stayed the same”. In the 2019/20 study, this percentage fell to 19.0%, and 53.9% of respondents reported a decrease in consumption (from 36.2% in 2009/10). A further 15.2% said they have stopped consumption. In the 2009/10 survey, 72.9% of respondents reportedly had shark fin soup at least once in the past 12 months, but in the latest survey, this percentage fell to 33.1%.

Consistently, more than 90% of respondents find it acceptable for shark fin soup to be excluded from both wedding banquets and corporate events. Some respondents in the 2019/20 survey even suggested that the dish should be replaced by sustainable seafood.

In the 2019/20 survey, 90.4% of respondents strongly agreed or agreed that the HKSAR Government should do more to regulate the international shark fin trade, and 89.3% strongly supported or supported the inclusion of illegal wildlife trade in Hong Kong’s Cap. 455 Organised and Serious Crime Ordinance1 (OSCO). Among all age groups, a higher proportion of respondents aged 18-29 showed strong support (95.9% “strongly agree” or “somewhat agree”) for government efforts to do more to regulate the international shark fin trade, and 94.4% supported (“strongly support” or “support”) the inclusion of illegal wildlife trade in OSCO. At the time of the survey, only 28 out of more than 500 species of sharks were regulated in international trade. Less than 10% of Hong Kong’s waters are designated as Marine Protection Areas (MPAs)2. Strong support was recorded (80.6% “strongly support” or “support”) for increasing the size of MPAs in the territory. Again, the younger generation was most supportive of this suggestion, with 87.8% of the age range responding with “strongly support” or “support”. As an international trade hub, Hong Kong is at the centre of the global wildlife trade, especially for shark fin and other dried seafood products. There is hope that Hong Kong can also become a regional leader for responsible consumption and resource use.

Highlights 2019/20 2014/15 2009/10

Percentage of respondents who have consumed shark fin soup at least once in the past 12 months 33.1% 44.1% 72.9%

Percentage of respondents who have decreased shark fin soup consumption in the past 5 years 53.9% 53.1% 36.2%

Percentage of respondents who have stopped eating shark fin soup in the past 5 years 15.2% 15.8% Not asked

Percentage of respondents who said they stopped eating shark fin soup due to “environmental concerns” (out of respondents who have stopped eating shark fin soup) 52.7% 43.7% Not asked

Percentage of respondents who found it “acceptable” or “very acceptable” to exclude shark fin soup from wedding banquet menus 94.8% 92.0% 78.4%

Percentage of respondents who found it “acceptable” or “very acceptable” to exclude shark fin soup from corporate events 92.7% 94.2% Not asked

Percentage of respondents who would not knowingly eat a threatened species

Percentage of respondents who find it “very acceptable” or “acceptable” that certain dishes (i.e. shark fin, bluefin tuna and black moss) are excluded from government official banquets for sustainability reasons 96.1% 93.9% Not asked

92.0% 92.0% Not asked

Percentage of respondents who find it “very acceptable” or “acceptable” for all seafood to be sustainable in official government functions, wedding banquets and/or corporate banquets >90% Not asked Not asked

Percentage of respondents who “strongly agree” or “somewhat agree” that the government should spend effort to regulate the international shark fin trade 90.4% 91.5% Not asked

Percentage of respondents who “strongly support” or “support” including the illegal wildlife under Hong Kong’s Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance 89.3% Not asked Not asked

Percentage of respondents who “strongly support” or “support” increasing the size of Marine Protected Areas in Hong Kong 80.6% Not asked Not asked

This survey is supported by The Pew Charitable Trusts.

More results of the survey can be found at: www.bloomassociation.org/en/bloom-hong-kong/research/